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COLONEL MARCH OF SCOTLAND YARD: THE TALKING HEAD (TV)

Summary

One in this British detective series starring Boris Karloff as a cerebral Scotland Yard sleuth.

Colonel March’s acquaintance Dr. Ivy reveals that an attempt was made on the life of a man named Harold Hartley, although the police have said nothing about it. Dr. Ivy believes that the murder attempt was made by the twelve year old son of the late scientist John Barton, whom Hartley worked for as a secretary. Immediately after Dr. Ivy leaves, Colonel March receives a phone call intended for him coming from John’s wife Phyllis; Hartley has fallen down a flight of stairs and is badly injured. Colonel March arrives at the Barton estate, and meets John’s son Andrew. Colonel March visits Hartley, attended to by Dr. Ivy and Phyllis. Phyllis believes that Andrew pushed Hartley down the stairs; Hartley and Phyllis intend to get married soon and Dr. Ivy believes Andrew is jealous. Hartley doesn’t want to take the matter, as well as several prior similar incidents, to the police for fear of upsetting Phyllis. Colonel March inquires about the earlier attempts made by Andrew, and Hartley talks about how he is Andrew’s godfather and often took care of him while John was away. Andrew has even voiced his desire to kill Hartley to him on several occasions, although the exact motive is unknown; Hartley notes that Andrew simply said that his father told him to kill Hartley.

Colonel March spends the night at the Barton house and inquires about John’s long-disused laboratory, which is strictly off-limits. He calls Inspector Ames to ask for further information concerning John, who died under mysterious circumstances. He then sneaks out to visit John’s laboratory, where he discovers a large bust of John. Andrew enters the laboratory and Colonel March conceals himself, observing as the bust appears to speak to him, asking Andrew to avenge his murder by killing Hartley. The bust instructs Andrew to poison Hartley’s milk in the morning, and Andrew hurries away. Colonel March is mystified by this development. Inspector Ames calls back, discussing the details of John’s death: he went down over the Orkney Islands while test piloting an experimental plane, and his body was recovered and positively identified. Colonel March asks Inspector Ames to come down to the estate himself the following day.

The next day, Colonel March stays to play billiards in the house. He talks to Phyllis and Hartley about Andrew’s reaction to the news that they were getting married. Dr. Ivy arrives and Hartley nearly drinks the poisoned milk, but March manages to knock the glass from his hand, making it look like an accident. Andrew tries to run off but is stopped by Colonel March and Inspector Ames. Inspector Ames confirms that the milk was poisoned and Andrew insists that his father was murdered, and that he relayed this information to him posthumously. The assembled party is directed into the laboratory to inspect the bust, and it appears to speak to Andrew once again. Colonel March deduces that the voice is not John’s, but someone doing an impression of him. He reveals that the base of the bust concealed a radio transceiver, which allowed the culprit to speak to and hear Andrew from a remote location. Inspector Ames discovers the other set in Hartley’s room. Colonel March arrives at the solution to the mystery: Hartley was the one ordering Andrew to kill him, hoping to use it as a means of killing Andrew by sabotaging one of the murder attempts, thus allowing him access to John’s fortune via inheritance. Commercials deleted.

Details

  • NETWORK: ITV
  • DATE: July 15, 1954
  • RUNNING TIME: 0:26:29
  • COLOR/B&W: B&W
  • CATALOG ID: B:51257
  • GENRE: Drama, police/private detective
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, police/private detective
  • SERIES RUN: N/A
  • COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

  • Paul Gherzo … Director
  • Leslie Slote … Writer
  • Carter Dickson … Based on the novel "The Department of Queer Complaints" by
  • Edwin Astley … Music by
  • Boris Karloff … Cast, Colonel March
  • Ewan Roberts … Cast, Inspector Ames
  • Hugh Williams … Cast, Harold Hartley
  • Hugh Griffith … Cast, Dr. Ivy
  • Helen Christie … Cast, Phyllis Barton
  • Mary Clare … Cast, Mrs. Wrigley
  • Peter Asher … Cast, Andrew Barton