• title card: white all caps text reading ‘THE REMOVAL MEN’ superimposed on a shot of Dragna walking through the nightclub
  • Dragna and Binaggio menace Steed
  • Steed is impressed by Mrs. Dragna’s assets
  • Godard tells the gang to kill Nicole Cauvin
  • Siegel questions the Harbourmaster
  • One-Ten propositions Nicole on the beach

Series 2 — Episode 6
The Removal Men

Teleplay by Roger Marshall and Jeremy Scott
Directed by Don Leaver

Production No 3509, VTR/ABC/2056
Production completed: October 4 1962. First transmission: November 3 1962.

Production details

Episode 36
Production Number : 3509
VTR/ABC/2056
Teddington Studio 1

Schedule

Tuesday 2nd October 1962

Camera rehearsal 18.00–20.00
Supper break 20.00–21.00

Wednesday 3rd October 1962

Camera rehearsal 10.00–12.30 BAND CALL
10.00–12.30
Reh. Room 2B
Lunch break 12.30–13.30
Camera rehearsal 13.30–14.00 ) includes Make-up time
) t.b.a. with Director.
Line up 14.00–14.15
VTR INSERT* 14.15–14.30
Camera rehearsal 14.30–18.00
Supper break 18.00–19.00
Camera rehearsal 19.00–21.00

* VTR INSERT 2056A is the scene (29:04–30:27) where Steed and Nicole go down the stairs and through the studio foyer, passing Venus at the lifts. It was recorded in the Teddington Studios Reception Foyer and stairwell.

Thursday 4th October 1962

Camera rehearsal 10.00–12.30
Lunch break 12.30–13.30
Camera rehearsal 13.30–15.30
Tea break, Line-up,
Normal scan & Make-up
15.30–16.15
Dress Run 16.15–17.30
Notes 17.30–18.00
Line-up 18.00–18.30
VTR 18.30–19.30

Equipment

VTR FOR VTR INSERT
Cameras: 4 Pedestals 2 Pedestals + 1 up-pan wedge, 1 low-angle platform dolly cam.
Sound: 3 Booms, Stand mics on Trio, Hand mic — vocalist. Ggrams & tape. (NO practical telephones!) 1 boom (atmosphere only)
Telecine: ABC symbol & AVENGERS slides only. No T/C

Running time

Expected: 51′25″ + 2 commercial breaks
Actual running time with bumpers: 52′33″

The bumpers between the acts are generally 10 seconds from fade in to the “End of Act” bumper to the end of audio before the commercial, a 10 second still without audio, then cut to the next act bumper. This would play with the theme for around 10 seconds. Accordingly, with the episodes being in 3 acts, the running time of the action is approximately a minute less than listed above, minus the opening and closing credits (normally 0′16″, with a 2" fade, and anywhere from 0′41″ to 1′20″, hard cut or 1" fade or mix, respectively).

Regional broadcasts

BroadcasterDateTime
ATV London3/11/196210.05pm
ABC Midlands3/11/196210.05pm
ABC North3/11/196210.05pm
Anglia Television3/11/196210.05pm
Border Television--
Channel Television3/11/196210.05pm
Grampian Television--
Southern Television3/11/196210.05pm
Scottish Television--
Tyne Tees Television3/11/196210.05pm
Ulster Television3/11/196210.05pm
Westward Television3/11/196210.05pm
Television Wales & West3/11/196210.05pm
Teledu Cymru (WWN)3/11/196210.05pm

International broadcasts

BroadcasterDateTime
ABN2 Sydney25/11/19637.40pm
ABQ2 Brisbane17/02/19647.30pm
ABV2 Melbourne18/06/19647.30pm
ABS2 Adelaide26/06/19648.30pm
RAI1 Italy26/08/19659.00pm

This episode was broadcast in Italy on 26th August 1965 (9pm, RAI 1) under the title of “Una donna in mare”. Originally scheduled for the previous week, 19th August 1965, it had been pre-empted by a nationally simulcasted repeat of Carlo Goldoni’s “Burbero benefico” which had previously been shown in some regions on RAI 2. Accordingly, it filled the slot originally allocated to The Undertakers. It was one of a limited run of ten episodes from series 2 and 3 that were broadcast on RAI intermittently throughout 1965 and 1966 under the title “Agente speciale”.

TV Times listing

TV Times listing for November 3 1962, 10.05pm (London edition)
Sydney Morning Herald listing for November 25 1963, 7.30pm
Courier-Mail listing for February 17 1964, 7.30pm
The Age listing for June 18 1964, 7.30pm
The Advertiser listing for July 17 1964, 8.30pm
L’Unita listing for August 26 1965, 9pm

10.5 The Avengers
starring
Patrick Macnee
in

The Removal Men
Teleplay by
Roger Marshall and Jeremy Scott

Also starring
Julie Stevens

Jack Dragna Reed de Rouen
Bud Seigel Edwin Richfield
Godard Donald Tandy
John Steed Patrick MacNee
Cecile Dragna Patricia Denys
Binaggio George Goderick
Venus Smith Julie Stevens
One-Ten Douglas Muir
Waiter George Little
Jailer Hugo de Vernier
Nicole Cauvin Edina Ronay
Charlie Hira Talfrey
Harbour officer Ivor Dean

and
The Dave Lee Trio

The Avengers theme composed and
played by Johnny Dankworth
Story Editor John Bryce
Designed by Patrick Downing
Producer Leonard White
Directed by Don Leaver

Steed arranges for Venus to sing at a Riviera night club – which happens to be the meeting-place for professional murderers

ABC Weekend Network Production

The TV Times incorrectly lists Patrick Macnee as “Patrick MacNee” with a capital N, and George Roderick is mis-billed as “George Goderick”.

La Stampa episode commentary
La Stampa reports the episode being pre-empted on August 19 1965

Episode availability

Murders

Victim Killer Method
Unknown victim Siegel ?
Binaggio Siegel hanged
Nicole Cauvin Steed [faked] assassination
Siegel Steed pistol (maybe)
Click a name to see the face

Transport

Marque/type Plate
none

Continuity and trivia

  1. Reed de Rouen, appearing here as Jack Dragna had previously appeared in series 1 as the Mexican police chief Luis Garcia in The Far Distant Dead and returns in series 2 as the scriptwriter of Six Hands Across a Table (under the name Reed R. de Rouen — his middle name was Randolph). He was also one of the story editors for series 1, having replaced Patrick Brawn in May 1961. He left his editor rôle in October 1961, probably due to the Equity Strike.
  2. 10:35 — Steed whistles as he watches Venus walk away and comments, “Very nice too!”
  3. 27:35 — Steed discovers how short-sighted Nicole is when he presents her with yellow roses and she mistakes them for daffodils, then peers myopically at them when he corrects her, and she says, “I can never tell the difference”.
  4. 27:00 and throughout — all the mid shots of Steed in Nicole’s dressing room reveal a smudge on the lens of Camera 2, just right of centre, an another on the left edge.
  5. 29:19 — Venus walks through the lobby of the film studio — actually the reception area of Teddington Studios, passing a board of celebrity photographs, the first three of which are Honor Blackman, Patrick Macnee, and — I think — herself, Julie Stevens.
  6. 32:37 — Steed’s proof he killed Nicole — a bangle enscribed “To Nicole from Pierre”, given to Nicole Cauvin by the director of her first film, Pierre Ginsberg. Cecile complains about it being broken and blanches when Steed says it “was a tight fit”.
  7. 36:55 (35:55) — Edwin Richfield looks pained when the band keep on playing — he’d seen his cue and was about to speak to the harbour master, but the band kicks in the coda and plays for another 20 seconds.
  8. 38:27 — the vision mixer switches back to Dragna too early then immediately returns to the shot of Steed.
  9. 39:47 — Charlie calls Nicole who is hiding out in Aix-en-Provence, and her number there is 819.
  10. Television standard must have been more permissive in 1962 than we’d expect — Cecile is apparently naked for an entire scene, even if strategically obscured, and Nicole appears in corset and knickers for a minute or two before getting dressed, then wears a tight little bikini on the beach at the end.
Times are from the re-mastered 2009 Optimum Releasing DVD set, any times in brackets are from the previously released DVD sets which had frames with interference or banding deleted, resulting in shorter running times.

The Songs

  • Venus Smith rehearses the chorus of “I May be Wrong” [6:26 (6:20), 0:30 long] with Dave (with some of the words adapted)
  • Venus sings “An Occasional Man” [41:31 (40:32), 1:25 long] accompanied by the Dave Lee Trio.
    When she starts “An Occasional Man” the racks supervisor doesn’t switch the audio input in time so we don’t hear the first three words.
  • The trio also play :
    • a short twist tune in the intro scene [0:18 (0:14), 1:10 long],
    • Binaggio orders Dave to “play something, something loud” [10:41–12:02] while he and Dragna talk to Steed.
    • Later, the trio play an extended original number [35:17 (34:20), 1:54 long] without Venus for the benefit of the harbour officer.
      IMDB lists this as the Herbert Kretzmer/Dave Lee composition “Goodness Gracious Me” but it doesn’t sound like it to me — maybe it’s just because it doesn’t have Peter Sellers doing that awful Indian accent.
      Edwin Richfield looks pained when they keep on playing at the 36:55 (35:55) mark — he’d seen his cue and was about to speak to the harbour master, but the band kicks in the coda and plays for another 20 seconds.
  • Venus later tearfully sings the refrain of “Sing for your Supper” [48:02 (47:03), 0:52 long], accompanying herself on piano, while Siegel and Dragna menace Steed with pistols. She is cut off when Steed attacks Siegel.
    Julie Stevens revealed that her fear in this scene is real — but mostly because she didn’t think she’d be able to play the piano well enough!

The Dave Lee Trio comprised Dave Lee, Art Morgan and Spike Heatley in 1962, all highly respected jazz players. Dave Lee also co-wrote the hit Avengers tie-in single “Kinky Boots” b/w “Let’s Keep it Friendly” with Herbert Kretzmer (who wrote the lyrics for “Togetherness” from The Murder Market). Dave also composed the Peter Sellers/Sophia Loren comic song “Goodness Gracious Me” with Kretzmer.

Lyrics in blue italic are not sung by Julie
Lyrics in green italic are inaudible.
Lyrics in red italic have been adapted or ad libbed.
An Occasional Man
Ralph Blane & Hugh Martin, 1955


I got an island in the Pacific.
And everything about it is terrific.
I got the sun to tan me,
palms to fan me and-
an occasional man.

I love my island, it’s very lazy
If I should ever leave it I’d go crazy
I’ve got papayas, peaches, sandy beaches and-
an occasional man.

When I go swimming,
I am always dressed in style
Cause I go swimming
wearing just a great big smile

Chorus:
My little island,
was made just? for pleasure
and in the cool of evening it’s a treasure
And when the hour gets later,
what it greater than
An occasional man!

If you’re on shore-leave
and your face is kind-a cute
Perhaps, by your leave,
I can be your passionfruit.


My little island, is such a beauty,
You may forget to heed
the call of duty
But if you give the slip,
To your ship,
Miss your trip,
Take a dip and blame
an occasional dame!

From the soundtrack to “The Girl Rush”
Sing for your Supper
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, 1938


Verse:
Hawks and crows do lots of things,
but the canary only sings.
She is a courtesan on wings-
So I’ve heard.
Eagles and storks are twice as strong.
All the canary knows is song.
But the canary gets along-
Gilded bird!


Refrain:
Sing for your supper
And you’ll get breakfast
Songbirds always eat
If there’s something sweet,
to hear

Sing for your luncheon
And you’ll get dinner
Dine with wine of choice
If romance is in your voice

I heard from a wise canary
trilling makes a fellow willing
So, little swallow, swallow now
Now is the time to -
Sing for your supper
And you’ll get breakfast
Songbirds are not dumb
They don’t buy a crumb
Of bread, It’s said.
So sing, just sing
and you’ll be fed
La lala la la lala..
[Steed attacks Siegel]

From the musical “The Boys From Syracuse”
I May Be Wrong
Harry Sullivan & Harry Ruskin, 1929
adapted Dave Lee/Julie Stevens, 1962


Venus’ version:

All of my clothes are unsightly,
All of my hats are a crime,
If dear in you I’ve picked rightly,
It’s for the very first time.

You came a-long, say,
I think you’re won-der-ful,
I think you’re grand but
I may be wrong!
Yeah.

Original lyrics:
I may be wrong, but,
I think you’re won-der-ful!
I may be wrong, but,
I think you’re swell!
I like your style, say,
I think you’re mar-vell-ous,
I’m always wrong
So how can I tell?

Chorus:
All of my shirts are unsightly,
All of my ties are a crime,
If dear in you I’ve picked rightly,
It’s the very first time!
You came along, say,
I think you’re wonderful!
I think you’re grand, but,
I may be wrong!

I may be wrong, but,
I think you’re swell!
I’m always wrong
So how can I tell?

Repeat chorus

from the musical comedy “John Murray Anderson’s Almanac”

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