Series 4 — Episode 19
Quick-Quick Slow Death

Production

Production dates: 20/10 – 12/11/1965

Robert Banks Stewart returned to the series with a flourish of his pen — an entertaining episode based in the world of ballroom dancing and drawing heavily on the influence of the band leader and dance teacher, Victor Silvester. The name of the episode is derived from Silvester’s “slow slow quick-quick slow” catchphrase and use of strict tempo. Furthermore Chester Read is described several times in the shooting script as acting in a manner similar to Silvester — conducting while facing away from his band, and mention is also made to use “cod Victor Silvester music”.

The episode was rushed into production when it was decided that A Sense of History needed revisions. The script was sent to Brian Tesler, Programme Controller for ABC Television, on 13 October with a note saying it was starting filming in a week’s time (they pulled the same trick later with What the Butler Saw). Tesler approved the scipt on 15 October, saying he liked it very much, no doubt keen to benefit from the popularity of BBC’s Dancing Club, which starred Silvester, and its sister programme, Come Dancing.

Stewart’s script was very prescriptive, specifying the location names and telling the producers to buy a Webley Target Launcher for “about £4”. Many of Chester Read’s scenes throughout the script were swapped for Bracewell, presumably to make more use of Maurice Kaufman and to make the twist at the end greater when the apparently drunk Read is unveiled as the stone-cold sober diabolical mastermind.

Location filming was used for the opening street scenes, starting at the shops on Shenley Road and then up to Deacon Hill Road and The Rise for the scene where the pram rolls away down the hill. Steed’s visit to Mackidockie St seems to show an office at Elstree Studios, as you can see crew standing around inside it through the window.

Regional broadcasts

Broadcaster	Date	Time
Rediffusion London	4/02/1966	8.00pm
ABC Midlands	5/02/1966	9.05pm
ABC North	5/02/1966	9.05pm
Anglia Television	5/02/1966	8.25pm
Border Television	6/02/1966	9.35pm
Channel Television	5/02/1966	9.05pm
Grampian Television	4/02/1966	8.00pm
Southern Television	5/02/1966	8.25pm
Scottish Television	1/02/1966	8.00pm
Tyne Tees Television	4/02/1966	8.00pm
Ulster Television	4/02/1966	8.00pm
Westward Television	5/02/1966	9.05pm
Television Wales & West	5/02/1966	9.05pm

TV Times listing

International broadcasts

Broadcaster	Date	Time
ABN2 Sydney, Australia	21/06/1966	8.00pm
ABQ2 Brisbane, Australia	28/06/1966	7.30pm
ABV2 Melbourne, Australia	14/06/1966	7.30pm
ABS2 Adelaide, Australia	11/07/1966	8.30pm
ABC New York, USA	---
ORTF2 France	27/06/1967	8.00pm
Suisse Romande, Switzerland	18/02/1967	9.10pm
French title	La danse macabre
ZDF Germany	24/01/1967	9.15pm
German title	Gefährliche Tanzstunde
KRO Netherlands	25/07/1967	9.35pm
Dutch title	Dodendans
Italy	21/7/69 RAI? & 2/6/79 5.05pm RAI 2 & 12/11/80 C51?
Italian title	A passo di danza / Scuola di danza per delitto
Spain	21/08/1967	4.15pm
Spanish title	Rápido, rápido, muerte lenta / Una muerte rápida, rápida, pero lenta

This episode turns up in a run of Italian Saturday afternoon repeats in 1979 but is not listed in the original run ten years earlier, it’s likely that it was used as a stand-by programme during the Apollo 11 live coverage and may have been shown on 20^th or 21^{st July 1969.}

Episode Rating

Subject	0–5
Direction	4 stars
Music	4 stars
Humour	4 stars
Intros/tags	3 stars
Villains	3½ stars
Plot	3½ stars
Emma	4 stars
Sets/Props	3½ stars
Overall (0–10)	8 stars

I like this episode a lot, but would be hard pressed to say why — is the utter improbability of the plot? the hilarious performances by all involved? the unitentional humour of Diana Rigg’s dancing? sexy Carole Grey? the garlic sausage? Perhaps it’s the last two.

The Fashions

Emma’s Fashions

Steed’s Fashions

‘Hill’ cruciform white jacket (black cross of buttonholes and waist) with contrast square at cross, black and white beret and driving gloves over ‘Calvary’ — a black minidress of the same pattern, but with the cross in white, white flat shoes white miniskirt with long-sleeved black blouse with fine white lace collar and cuffs, zip up the back of both, matching black and white handbag ‘Chemin’ black and white knee-length fur coat sleeveless black knee-length dress with a band of white over the shoulders, and two more across the upper torso, black and white flat shoes cotton collared knee-length dress, no waist, three buttons, the buttonhole seam stopping at the navel, long loose sleeves pinched into linked cuffs worn with white flat shoes (2) silver and white cotton and lace a-line dress, v-neck, sleeveless with metallic cloth along neckline and bands at the hem, on the diaphanous lace layers as well, worn with silver and white flat shoes, later with a pale lacy mask

bowler, prince of wales check jacket (3 covered pockets) with dark waistcoat (silver buttons) and dark patterned tie, white shirt heavy tweed overcoat with black collar, double-breasted with six black buttons, flat slanted hip pockets, black bowler, white shirt, dark silk tie, dark suit, black umbrella with whangee cane handle and black leather gloves, black chelsea boots above, swapping the bowler for an admiral’s hat and a silk topper (1) without the bowler dark single-breasted three-piece suit, cloth covered button throughout, with dark patterned tie and white shirt (double cuffs, city collar), black bowler (4) tail suit with white bow tie and waistcoat, black cloak and topper, black silver-topped cane, white gloves, later without the cloak and hat, but with a black mask

The Cars

Marque/Model/Type	Number Plate
pram	-
Austin 1100	-
Austin A60	-
Volkswagen	-
Hillman Imp	-
Vauxhall Viva	-
Vauxhall Victor 101	ELM 193C
Triumph Spitfire	HRD 234C

Who’s Killing Whom?

Victim	Killer	Method
Arthur Peever	Willi Fehr V*	shot
Huggins	Bracewell V*	stabbed with stiletto
Willi Fehr V*	Captain Noble	shot
Fintry	Bracewell V*	shot
Bernhard	Bracewell V*	smothered with plaster

Continuity and trivia

1. 2:00–2:40 — The street shots don’t quite match whenever there’s a camera change — cars in the street are different, the side shots are on a different part of the hill, etc.
2. 2:20 — The sports car is parked on the hill, next we see it at 2:37 speeding round the corner, driven by Frank Maher
3. 2:42 — Peever is young and has a full head of hair, but Fintry describes him later (6:08) as “…a funny little chap. Thinning hair, glasses. Middle-aged. Nervous”. Which is an accurate description of the false Arthur Peever (20:02), and Steed also notes that the fake Peever matches the dead man.
4. 5:00 — Captain Noble’s medals are: Distinguished Service Order, 1939-45 Star, Africa Star; Italy Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal; War Medal 1939–1945, Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, General Service Medal (pre 1962). He wears the insignia of the Intelligence Corps.
5. 5:40 — Fintry makes a couple of suggestions for tattoos Emma might like; a garter on the left leg, or “Pretty pink rosebuds, one on each”. She quickly changes the subject.
6. 11:00 onwards — Steed amuses himself at the suit hire company by trying on a number of different hats.
7. 12:06 — there’s a thread caught on the right side of the camera.
8. 13:30 — Piedi rhapsodises over Mrs. Peel’s feet despite the nasty looking blister on her big toe.
9. 
   
   15:05 — Recognise that sign?
   The same sign is used in Quick-Quick Slow Death and How to Succeed .... At Murder, most of the business names remaining the same (notably Gordon Jacksons Ltd.), just the key name changing.

   Note also that this building is in Mackidockie Street, surely just around the corner from the shenanigans of Escape in Time, which took place in Mackiedockie Court.

   I think the location is in Watford or Shenley but it may be part of Elstree Studios; there are some houses and trees in the background of the carpark. It seems to be an office, you can very briefly see a group of men wearing suits standing inside.

10. 17:25–17:45 Piedi calls the dance academy “The Terpsichorean Training Techniques” but the sign outside reads “Terpsichorean Techniques” and the writing on the mirror inside reads “Terpsichorean Training Techniques Inc.”
11. 18:00 onwards — the cutout standees of the dancers are of Ballroom and Latin Dancing instructors Michael Needham and Monica Dunsford, who ran the Maple Leaf Dance Studios on the corner of Shenley Road and Drayton Road in Borehamwood, not far from the Elstree Studios. I wonder if some of the filming was done there or if they simply borrowed some of the decorations. Michael and Monica started their careers at the Victor Silvester Dance Studios and were frequently seen on television as celebrity ballroom dancers and adjudicators.
12. 22:57 — There’s a thread stuck to the camera lens at top left in the MS of Emma and Nicki teaching Mr. Wattikins and the stout man.
13. 23:43–24:17 — Lucille tells Mrs. Peel to teach Mr. Marsh the foxtrot, rumba and the black-bottom, so why does she teach him the cha cha?
14. 25:00 — the photo of Peever looks a bit different to the one used at 21:00. Also, this scene at the bank and the conversation with Captain Noble afterwards originally came before the scenes at the dance school where Nicki and Emma have the bad students, up to when Lucille remember the tattooist.
15. 27:39 — The CU of the sausage looks very different to the longshot. The long shot has the text in and outline bold sans serif centred, whereas the close-up is handwritten ranged right with some ragged down strokes.
16. 31:33 — Steed tells Mrs. Peel to destroy the sausage after reading it. She then hides the sausage (hem, hem) behind some flowers in the foyer of the school where anyone could find it! You would think this an allusion to Mission Impossible but that show didn’t come out until a year after this episode was produced so maybe the influence went the other way across the Atlantic.
17. 35:26 — The plaster on Bernhard’s face is clearly broken before Mrs. Peel taps it with the hammer.
18. 45:00 — Realising that Steed is the intended victim, Emma tells him as they pass on the dance floor, “You’re number nine!” He replies, “And you’re dancing with garlic sausage.”
19. 47:03 — If you thought Peever’s tattoo (2:47) or the exotic dancer’s snake tattoo looked fake (6:35–6:42), you should see Ivor’s rose! You can also see it at 26:26, where it looks a little better.
20. Most of the spy and assassination scenes featuring Bracewell were originally scripted to feature Read, Read emerging from the locker being one of few that remained as written. It seems that Bracewell was originally meant to be the mysterious commander but I think they decided it was more of a twist to make the apparently drunken Read be the mastermind.
21. Maurice Kaufmann (Ivor Bracewell) was Honor Blackman’s husband at the time of filming.
22. The very lovely Carole Gray went on to star in a handful of low grade horror films, a definite waste of talent.
23. Running time: 51′35″