Let's turn to the Birmingham Post of Monday 16 March 1959:
Fifteen minutes before the curtain was rung down last night on a Wormwood Scrubs Prison production of the Agatha Christie thriller The Mousetrap, it was discovered that two prisoners were missing,
That was despite the governor receiving a warning from the police that an escape might be planned.
I like this observation:
Derek Blomfleld - he plays the part of a detective sergeant - thanking the prisoners for their reception. said: "Usually, at the end of each performance, I say ... 'do not tell your friends and relations who done it'." The prisoners applauded loudly.
4 comments:
It's possible this incident was an inspiration for the 'Desperate Hours' episode of Steptoe & Son in 1972 which involved two escaped convicts from the Scrubs, one played by Leonard Rossiter.
That's a nice thought. I've seen it: Harry H. and Rossiter responding to one other and producing something really special.
I try not to get too nostalgic about popular culture but it's possible to construct an argument that the repertory theatre circuit was particularly strong 1945 - 1979, and that TV budgets were favourable for making sit coms in the 1960s and 1970s. This meant there were a lot of sit coms and that the acting in them was PARTICULARLY good at the time.
I think you're right. Similarly with my current obsession Softly Softly: Task Force...
Stratford Johns was at the Royal Court in its glory years, Walter Gotell (the chief constable) became a regular Bond villain, Frank Windsor started out at the Oxford Playhouse alongside Maggie Smith and Ronnie Barker, and Terence Rigby (PC Snow) was one of Pinter's favourite actors.
Post a Comment