Come Into My Parlour - Episode 10, Tuesday 9th March 1971

The story....

Deanna Ward is a door-to-door cosmetic saleswoman who is returning to work after a nervous breakdown. Often she encounters rejection by those she calls upon so she is surprised when a middle-aged man called John Dolby shows interest, even though he lives alone. She goes into his flat and he says he wants to buy items for his mother, though later and somewhat oddly changes his mind and saying he is buying for his fiancée. 

However the conversation ranges much more widely than cosmetics. Dolby explains that he works in a betting shop but that he used to work for a firm of solicitors before losing his job after being convicted or riding a tube train without a ticket which he says he lost but wasn’t believed. He is clearly still very affected by that incident as well as showing a peculiar interest in wider issues of crime and justice including notorious murderers. His behaviour does make her feel uncomfortable at times, not least when he asks her to pose for a photograph with him saying he wants to test a new camera. However at the same time she appreciates that someone is showing interest in her and she is able to talk about her own difficulties at work and her lack of family and friends. She is also able to display her remarkable talent in being able to identify hymns just by their number and she leaves his flat not just with a sale that could help her keep her job but feeling much more happy with herself.

She returns to deliver the goods a few days later but events have moved in a strange direction. Dolby has got dressed-up and tells his home-help that he has got engaged. He displays a telegram of congratulations and there is a notice in the paper about his engagement to “DW” – by remarkable coincidence Deanna’s initials. Some of the things he says and does contradict what happened a few days earlier but the biggest change is in his focus of interest. He asks her to join him in a toast for “justice” and very soon he is resuming his preoccupation with the issue but in a very disturbing way….

John Dolby's first view of Deanna Ward, the fish-eye lens conjuring up images of a better-known series that followed

Review

A quite exceptional episode. Much of this is down to the captivating nature of the two central characters who – not unusually for the show – are on-screen almost throughout. Both are in different ways scarred by difficult pasts, insecurities and loneliness, Deanna is the more clearly sympathetic figure. Her parents were killed in the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya and she says she has no other family or – it seems – friends, her last phone bill was entirely rental with no calls made at all, To add to all this she has a troubled work history with a failed job in a packing department and her current sales work at severe risk unless she produces orders for her supervisor with whom she doesn’t get on. Maybe these difficulties mean she has to take chances in her job and that includes seeking out dubious clients like John Dolby.

Dolby is a mysterious figure. He portrays himself as a victim – a man who lost a high-status job due to an innocent mistake; indeed the kind of mistake that might befall any person. One can understand how such an experience could be troubling, even traumatic for someone. It is clear he is resentful, chiefly towards the justice system that convicted him rather than his erstwhile employers. It is women - ranging from the ticket inspector who stopped him through to the chairman of the magistrates - that seem to particularly antagonise him. Now he says he is working in a betting shop and has a day off work. However is he telling the truth? It is clear he is prepared to invent stories on other matters such as his supposed engagement with him trying to give others the impression that Deanna is his fiancée. Maybe he just wants company and embroiders stories to make himself more interesting. Maybe he is a fantasist, a lonely man who wants others to think he is about to be married. Maybe he is a crank who gets peculiar amusement from stringing others along or provoking them.

Or maybe he is actually a dangerous man – possibly with a violent past – who has snared a victim – maybe not his first. His fascination with notorious killers may be just of academic interest and there are plenty of law-abiding people who enjoy learning about the most appalling crimes and their perpetrators. However it’s also possible that he sees these individuals as his role-models. The title sequence of a prowling spider and the title “Come into My Parlour” do imply that he is some kind of predator and Deanna has fallen into his web. In a private moment soon after she arrives he holds his hand to his face in apprehension – possibly uneasy about a future act he is about to commit but also possibly of someone trying to fight temptation or even anxious about meeting someone new.

Whatever his motives there is no doubt that the first meeting has plenty of moments where both show warmth and friendliness. Deanna finds her anxiety slipping and Dolby is able to make her smile and laugh at times. Maybe there is a chemistry of sorts and her spirits are definitely lifted. However she is a fragile, vulnerable person who is less able than most to deal with his mind-games and strange behaviour. When troubled people come together the results can be very unpredictable.

Deanna struggles to cope with her host's behaviour

Typically for Shadows of Fear everyday issues and anxieties are explored. Door-to-door sales work can be a frustrating business for both sellers and the householders they call upon. It involves a meeting of strangers and that can be awkward for both parties and in some cases risky as well, particularly when the interaction moves inside away from public view. Either may be looking to exploit or even abuse the other but how can they tell beforehand? When either is in need or vulnerable they may especially take chances in an interaction or transaction they will regret. Deanna seemed to have got over the greatest risk by having a seemingly successful first meeting but maybe that apparent success was just to draw her in and get her to drop her guard.

Peter Barkworth and Beth Harris give exceptional performances as Dolby and Deanna, both in the first meeting with its lighter moments and in the more disturbing second encounter. I have always had some reservations about the ultimate conclusion but it is certainly a plausible one and the final shots are unquestionably powerful ones. At the very end “colour” spills over the screen and it is unfortunate here that the episode was made in black-and-white (due to a technicians’ dispute) as that does inhibit the impact of that final shot but clearly it was unavoidable and it does round off a remarkable story. 

Unfortunately it was the last of the series “proper”. Whether more full-length episodes were planned and then suspended due to the dispute is not known but in any event only one more episode of the show followed – “The Party’s Over” - and that was only half the length, in a very different style and transmitted almost two years later. That could almost be part of a different show and it is on this remarkable note that the series in its original format ended.

Notes

TV Times listing for the Armchair Theatre version

This was a remake or reworking of an episode Roger Marshall had written for Armchair Theatre called "Will You Come a Little Closer", broadcast on 22nd April 1967 but presumably wiped before this version was produced. Freddie Jones and Caroline Mortimer took the lead roles in the earlier play. It's not known how closely the Shadows of Fear version followed its predecessor but a TV Times response to a viewer indicated the same conclusion and some interesting ideas on why John Dolby acted as he did.

Sour Grapes - Episode 9, Tuesday 2nd March 1971

The story...

Gwen and Michael arrive happily at a Spanish villa for a holiday. All seems well until Gwen discovers some blood in the bathroom sink but they just dismiss it as left behind after a minor accident and lack of diligence by the cleaner. However more worryingly they later find a broken window. Then a burly German man (he is given no name on screen) knocks at the door. He speaks no English and they speak no German but at first it just seems strange when he walks in and starts drinking straight from their bottle of wine. However matters then take a very serious turn when he points a gun at them. Despite their communication difficulties it becomes clear that this man is dangerous and they need to keep him on-side for however long it takes or risk their lives.

The German (Ray Smith) awaits his moment

Review

Generally this my least favourite episode of the core series (the final episode The Party’s Over really being an untypical case) but on a very recent viewing I found it to be rather better than I remember although it’s still one of the excellent show’s lesser efforts. It’s an episode I’ve generally been reluctant to watch, largely due to an unpleasant scene in which the German finds a live chicken which he wants to eat (it must be stressed the bird seen on-screen is a prop) and then proceeds to wring its neck. The camera focuses on his upper half with the bird out of shot but its simulated shrieks can be heard and the looks of revulsion by Gwen and Michael are highlighted. The pair are then required to pluck the dead bird, prepare it and cook it for him. The scene is designed to show his brutality but there is ample evidence of it elsewhere and the risk is that for some viewers it distracts from the storyline in general which is otherwise pretty good.

This is a rather tense hostage drama. There is some similarity early-on with Roger Marshall’s opening script for the show Did You Lock Up? Both depict a happy married couple on holiday who soon see their happiness shattered when they encounter evidence of an intruder (in this case in their holiday home).  While the Astles in the earlier episode had to contend with a burglary and were understandably very shaken, being in the house with an intruder – one who seems only too prepared to kill – moves fear to a horrifying level. Typically this was the show exploring fears felt by us all: we look upon home (including a temporary one) as a place of safety and refuge and one of our most basic fears is to have an intruder within it – most terrifying of all a violent intruder.

The language barrier adds another dimension. With the couple and the German not sharing a common language they have no means of finding out what he intends to do: his demeanour and actions make clear that he is dangerous but they don’t know his specific and ultimate intentions. They do have an advantage of sorts in that they are able to talk about their predicament – and any possible ways out of it – without him understanding them but as it turns out that doesn’t help them much. They know they are trapped and a safe way out seems unlikely. He is a heavy drinker and they hope that ultimately, he will lose focus or fall asleep but he shows remarkable staying power – maybe because his own liberty and even his life is at stake. It is an irony that the fact they are a couple reduces their chance of an escape. Possibly one of them could try to get away but that would mean leaving the other so loyalty keeps them hostage. Both are aware that a miscalculated attempt to disarm the man or escape could be fatal – not just for the one making the attempt but also for their partner.

Anxious times for Gwen (Isabel Dean)

The fact that all this takes place in or immediately outside the villa intensifies the scene. Unusually for the show a courtyard outside the villa is recreated inside the studio – big enough to drive a car into – but the lack of genuine outdoor scenes or ones set in a different building amplifies a sense of claustrophobia and indeed was a feature of the series as a whole.

The final stages inject some further intriguing themes and round off a provocative and well-performed if not wholly satisfying episode. The following week would see another Roger Marshall script but a return to more humble British setting and one of the very best episodes of all – Come Into my Parlour.

Notes

The seemingly-peculiar title is taken from a line in the script (something Roger Marshall often did) when Michael tastes the grapes on a tree outside the villa - an ironic remark given the horrors later faced by he and Gwen.

Ray Smith was the only actor to appear in more than one episode of the show - he earlier appeared in the pilot Did You Lock Up?

White Walls and Olive-Green Carpets - Episode 8, Tuesday 23rd February 1971

The story...

Lena – a theatrical make-up artist – and Robert were once lovers although Robert was married at the time to Marian. One day Lena is at work when she receives a call from Robert telling her that Marian has been killed in a car crash and - although the two women had never met - she is shaken by the news.

Later Robert takes her to the country house he shared with Lena, asking her to help him to decide which items to take to his new flat but later admitting his real purpose was to discuss their former relationship. It proves to be a distinctly awkward encounter. Lena is frustrated by how her life has turned out and outlines her resentment at how she has been treated, particularly by men including her ex-husband and Robert; Robert is also frustrated at what he sees as her self-pitying attitudes and unwillingness to perceive her own faults. Lena feels that she is being needled by Robert throughout the encounter but is also unnerved by some small but strange events such as fresh milk and flowers being found in a house that has apparently been unoccupied. She feels unwell and also has a disturbing dream – or was it reality? She is to find that the line between dream and reality, truth and lies is becoming increasingly blurred…

Robert (Ian Bannen) keeps an eye on Lena while she is sleeping

Review

This is one of my top three Shadows of Fear episodes and I’ve always found it a joy to watch. However it’s also the lowest-rated episode by viewers on the Internet Movie Database although not by a large margin and it’s true to say episode ratings for the show on there are generally rather modest. For all my admiration for this outing I’m not surprised it’s not been a hit with the wider audience and in many ways, it is the Shadows of Fear style taken to the greatest extent. There is a tiny cast with only three speaking parts and ninety percent of the screen-time is Robert and Lena talking in the same room.  There are no great dramatic incidents and I can understand why others would find it hard-going, especially those expecting a more conventional “thriller”. Even the apparently bizarre episode title (a reference to Lena’s preferred décor) gives no clue that this is a suspense story. However there is a spirit of foreboding throughout and for me the interchanges between the two characters are riveting. A dead relationship is dissected in both the sense of an examination but also a dismemberment. The strange goings-on that spook Lena are very subtly done in the tradition of the show and I like this understated approach. Robert and Lena are essentially everyday people with everyday aspirations, concerns – and resentments. However given the nature of the show those resentments veer off in a rather twisted direction. Robert in particular seems to delight in the discomfort and disorientation he is creating but both characters are quite capable of hurting the other – and others around them.

Ian Bannen (especially) and Natasha Parry give excellent displays as the central characters. There is a neat cameo at the beginning by Geoffrey Wright as an actor in skull make-up which contributes a powerful image at the start of the first scene - indeed an image (below) that have misled some viewers into thinking they were about so see a horror / occult story rather than one about a disintegrated relationship. 

For me the writing by the talented Hugh Leonard makes this a magnetic story although others may well disagree. James Gatward directed his only Shadows of Fear instalment here but does a good job in setting up some mysterious happenings ultimately leading up to a creepy conclusion. Particular commendation should go the splendid additional title and incidental music by Harry South. Harry is now best remembered for his excellent title music for The Sweeney but his roots were in jazz and not unlike Roger Webb he contributes a darkly jazzy musical backdrop to the visuals. Incidental music was used sparingly in the show and often consisted of library tracks by different composers but it helps here to have a specially-written score by the same composer and gives the episode its own special character as well as holding appeal for even those viewers who might not have liked the episode as a whole. There are even some special sepia-tinted episode title screens (top of the page) which all add up to a very distinctive outing that could have readily functioned as a distinct play as well as part of the Shadows of Fear anthology.

Torrid times for Lena (Natasha Parry)