WHEN THE SPIRIT MOVES YOU • REVIEW

WHEN THE SPIRIT MOVES YOU • DECLASSIFIED

• Pre-Titles Teaser... Calvin P. Bream makes a call on a middle-aged businessman called Cranley at his high rise apartment. Bream apologises for his delayed arrival and explains that he had to shake off three clients to get to Cranley. The other man is concerned that these clients may suspect the nature of his and Bream's business. Bream puts the businessman's mind at rest. Cranley offers Bream a drink. His guest readily agrees, and asks for a whiskey. Bream asks if Cranley has considered the proposition he has made to him. Cranley replies that he found it so attractive that he brought it to the attention of a few friends - "Discreetly, of course." The self-assured smile on Bream's face drops momentarily. He recovers and asks what their reaction had been. Cranley explains that they thought the same as he does, that bearer bonds, freely negotiable outside Britain, are of great interest. "Especially if you have money you don't want people to know about..." adds Bream with a laugh. When asked if he can supply a large number of these bonds, Bream reassures his host that the supply is unlimited, and hands over the £4,000 worth that Cranley had ordered. At this point, a door opens and three men walk in from another room where they have been eavesdropping. They have a menacing air about them. One, with striking Mediterranean looks, is clearly the head of the group, while there is little doubt that the other two, thick set and threatening, are the man's minders. Cranley introduces the new arrival as Miklos Corri. Bream recognises him and appears somewhat shaken. Corri reveals that he wants all the bonds that Bream has. "One hundred and twenty five thousand would do, to begin with," adds Cranley. Bream is taken aback and collapses onto the sofa. It was lucky the sofa was there... Corri gives him two days to deliver. Bream stutters. It will be difficult to get hold of that amount. Cranley reminds Bream that he had said he could get any amount. Nervously, Bream explains that he's just the middle man. Corri is not happy dealing with middlemen, but eventually agrees that Bream should approach his contact on his behalf. He reminds Bream that only a fool would try to con him... if he wanted to stay alive.

• Production Brief... When the Spirit Moves You was the thirteenth episode to go before the cameras. It was the fourth episode to have been written by Tony Williamson, who had previously written Who Killed Cock Robin?, The Trouble With Women and Whoever Heard of a Ghost Dying?, and it also witnessed the return to the director's chair of Ray Austin, here in charge of his third episode of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). His most recent credit on the series at the time, however, had been as writer of That's How Murder Snowballs.

• Williamson's script was written as All You Have to Do is Ask, and it was under this title that it was filmed (see clapperboards below). The phrase is one employed by Calvin P. Bream in the pre-titles teaser. The change of title to When the Spirit Moves You appears to have been taken during post-production.

Images © ITV Studios, 1969

• The director of photography role for this episode was shared between Frank Watts and Brian Elvin, as they had filming commitments on both Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and Department S during November and December 1968.

• When the Spirit Moves You featured no role for regular star Annette André, and it is likely that the production team were utilising her time filming All Work and No Pay, an episode which had the character of Jeannie very much to the fore. These episodes were in simultaneous production, so it probably doesn't mean that André was given a holiday, as one might be led to believe. Despite her non-appearance, Annette André retained her contracted credit in the opening title sequence.

• Ivor Dean makes his second appearance as Inspector Large, having debuted as the character in Whoever Heard of a Ghost Dying? Alongside him is actor Richard Kerley, credited here as 'Plain Clothes Police Sgt.'. Kerley would return as Inspector Large's right hand man in Money to Burn and Could You Recognise the Man Again? In these episodes, he was credited as Sergeant Hinds, and it is fair to assume that he is playing the same character as he does in When the Spirit Moves You.

• Actor Michael Gothard appears in two sequences shot against a row of wooden-doored garages in this episode. It was at first difficult to tell whether these were shot on location or not due to convincing lighting, but the same garages appear in the subsequent episode, Never Trust a Ghost, where a wider angle reveals them to be part of a painted backdrop / photographic enlargement in the studio.

Images © ITV Studios, 1969

• Production slates surviving on film trim footage reveal that sequences around the Randall and Hopkirk offices were filmed on the 9th (in-studio, with actor Michael Gothard) and 22nd January 1969 (on location, at Springfield Road, Harrow, featuring a double for actor Anton Rodgers). Additionally, the two establishing shots taken at the Atlantic Hotel on Devonshire Terrace were filmed on 14th March 1969 according to a production slate retrieved from the World Backgrounds website.

• Exact filming dates for this episode are unknown, but as it has been established that Frank Watts and Brian Elvin shared their duties between this episode and Department S in November and December 1968, and that second unit filming took place in January and March 1969, we can at least suggest a November to March filming period. A fully edited version of this episode was completed by late May 1969.

• On Location... When the Spirit Moves You boasts only a modest set of locations, with no centrepiece as such. However, the episode witnessed a timely return to the Springfield Road home of the Randall and Hopkirk offices. There was also some day-for-night filming performed in the exclusive Primrose Hill area of North West London which at the time was being regularly visited by The Avengers (Tara King's apartment is at 19A Chalcot Crescent). More details in Locations: When the Spirit Moves You.

• Seeing Things... When the Spirit Moves You received its first UK broadcast on Sunday 21st December 1969 at 3.45pm when it aired in monochrome in the HTV ITV region.

• It was first shown in colour on ITV on Friday 2nd January 1970 at 7.30pm in the LWT region.

• Trivia... When the Spirit Moves You is unusual in having a different episode title caption style compared to all other Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) episodes. Chambers + Partners, presumably as they were concerned about white text showing up against Calvin P. Bream's white car, chose to put a black drop shadow behind the episode title caption. The captions on every other episode are plain white text, except the ones for The House on Haunted Hill, which have the shadow effect on the screenplay and director credit captions and a strong black outline on the episode title caption.

Image © ITV Studios, 1969

• There's an amusing in-joke in evidence at 7 minutes and 54 seconds into the episode, when we see Jeff has a photographic enlarger in his office. There are several prints in a box that rests on the base of the unit, and the one uppermost depicts an outstretched hand, an obvious nod to the imagery in the original title sequence.

Images © ITV Studios, 1969

• Marty's haunting of Bream involved his appearing on the ceiling, with Kenneth Cope depicted laying beside the ceiling rose of an electric light. This shot was achieved by building a small set on the floor which featured a lightbulb on a rigid cable and shooting down from above. It is a very effective and memorable shot. Later, the shot was used again with a rippled glass effect added optically in post-production, the effect denoting that the image is Bream's recollection rather than a new haunting by Marty. A similar shot appears in Could You Recognise the Man Again?

• We learn in this episode that Jeff has an account with the Rossiter and Block (Merchant Bankers) Limited. It is highly unlikely that he is one of their most prized customers... Meanwhile, Miklos Corri banks with the Martinside Bank Limited. 'Martinside' could possibly have been a knowing reference to Martins Bank, which was at the time merging with Barclays Bank.

• Apparently, Marty can sense a negative aura, and in this case, it is because there is a dead body hidden in the room he and Jeff are in (Bream's room at the Atlantic Hotel).

• Actor Anton Rodgers played several scenes in this episode with a cut to his lower lip that was not adequately covered up by the make-up department. It is particularly visible in the first scene at Cranley's apartment.

• The 'Rossiter and Block (Merchant Bankers) Limited' sign put up on the Elstree backlot for this episode can be seen briefly beside the same door in the Department S episode, The Last Train to Redbridge. With this episode having been filmed in late 1968 (in common with When the Spirit Moves You), this suggests that backlot scenes for both were filmed within days of each other.

• This is one of only four episodes in the series to have been presented on DVD with their original 'graveyard' British opening titles, on the Network release of the series, the other episodes being Never Trust a Ghost, Money to Burn and The Man from Nowhere. These episodes were mastered from standard prints and the title sequence was added during mastering by Network DVD to approximate how they would have looked on their original British transmissions. Subsequently this opening sequence was featured on all episode of the series when Network issued Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), restored in High Definition from the original film elements, on Blu-ray in 2017.

• Only You, Jeff? Calvin P. Bream can see Marty, but only if he is under the influence of alcohol. This presents Marty with a problem when it is imperative to get Bream to act on his behalf, particularly when Bream is sober and unaware of his spectral guest. It is not explained in the series whether this ability extends to anyone who is deeply inebriated or equally whether or not Bream is a latent psychic whose abilities are opened up by alcohol.

• Ghosts and Ghoulies... Marty is the only ghost on show in When the Spirit Moves You, but clearly one ghost is more than enough for Calvin P. Bream. And this is the one where he famously haunts from the ceiling!

• The Vehicles... Appearing in this episode were the following wonders of transport...

	1962 Jaguar Mk X Registration unclear Presumably owned by Miklos Corri
	1965 Ford Zodiac Mk III Registration JKX 442C Driven by Calvin P. Bream	Also appeared in: Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) - 'Money to Burn', 'Could You Recognise the Man Again?' and possibly 'Just for the Record'
	1966 Ford Galaxie 500 Registration LMV 1D Driven by Perrin and Wilks	Also appeared in: Department S - 'The Man from X'
	1968 Vauxhall Victor FD 2000 Registration RXD 996F Driven by Jeff Randall	Also appeared in: Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) - used extensively throughout the series Department S - 'The Last Train to Redbridge', 'The Man from X'

• Seen It All Before? The opening shot of the silver Jaguar car parked outside Kings Court, London NW8, was also used in the Department S episode Soup of the Day. As this episode of the sister series was filmed in June 1969, it seems likely that the shot was filmed by the second unit for Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and then re-used for Department S.

• After pawning his apartment curtains and carpet in All Work and No Pay, Jeff has obviously retrieved them!

• To represent the interior and lift of the Atlantic Hotel, set elements previously used to represent the hotel where Hendy was staying in My Late Lamented Friend and Partner were called into service and redressed to a small extent.

• Cock-ups... At 5 minutes 10 seconds into the episode, we see a shot of Perrin, parked up in his Ford Galaxie 500, looking across to Bream in his Ford Zodiac Mk III, which has just pulled up outside Randall's offices. A little later he reports to Corri that he has followed Bream, though the editing implies that he was parked up before Bream arrived. For someone who was following, Perrin seems to have arrived first! How did he know where Bream was going?

• At 5 minutes and 40 seconds, Perrin reports to Corri. He tells him that Bream has called at the offices of Randall and Hopkirk, and that "Hopkirk's not with us any more." Since the conversation reveals that neither Perrin or Corri know of Randall's business, it seems a bit of a leap that out of all the businesses listed on the doorplate, it has to be Randall that Bream is calling on. Also, Perrin must have remarkable eyesight, reading that small sign from the driving seat of his car at the roadside!

• At 10 minutes and 23 seconds, Bream's glass refills all by itself. As Marty appears it is nearly empty, but when the camera cuts to close-up, it is half full. Then we cut to a side view and the glass is even fuller. No wonder this man gets drunk so easily!

Images © ITV Studios, 1969

• At 14 minutes and 45 seconds, Marty is seen leaning against Jeff's dining table, waiting for his friend to recover consciousness after the beating meted out by Perrin. As Jeff awakes and Marty rises, the table is disturbed as he moves away. All a bit too corporeal, Marty...

• At 20 minutes and 48 seconds, when Inspector Large arrives at the Atlantic Hotel, he tells Jeff that "someone heard a shot," and that it is this that has triggered his call. Since the dead man was actually killed the previous night in Jeff's flat, we can only assume that Miklos or Perrin has telephoned the police anonymously to land Bream in hot water, but this is not explained in the episode...

• At 42 minutes and 17 seconds, Marty blows open Jeff's cabinet which contains his whisky. The shot is taken from within the cabinet, but we clearly see that the shelving is open, without a backboard. The camera switches to the reverse angle, and as if by magic, the cabinet has a back to it! This is of course an example of the experimental photography that the Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) team was always willing to try, but a tighter angle would have achieved the same effect without it looking wrong.

Images © ITV Studios, 1969

• In the closing credits, actor and stunt performer Peter J. (John) Elliott is credited as 'Peter Jay Elliott', suggesting his credit was communicated to Chambers + Partners by word of mouth rather than in print. Likewise, Bill Reid is credited as 'Bill Reed', though it must be noted that this is a very common error with Bill's credits.

• And Finally... In some small way, When the Spirit Moves You promotes the excessive consumption of alcohol. Marty is initially full of disdain at Bream's alcoholism until he realises that when under the influence, the con-man can actually see him. Suddenly, Marty makes it his mission to get Bream completely tiddly. "Get drunk, see Marty." Not the most memorable tag line, but it sounds rather enticing...

Plotline: Scoton Productions / ITC • UK Transmissions by Simon Coward and Alan Hayes
Review by Alan Hayes • Declassified by Alan Hayes
with thanks to Vince Cox, Alys Hayes, John Holburn,
Anthony McKay, Andrew Pixley and Jonathan Wood

All timings given on this page relate to the Blu-ray editions of this episode