Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery
Part #3: The Ring
Paul Temple
Steve Temple
Sir Graham Forbes
Diana Nelson
Reggie Macintosh
Mrs. Mavis Russell
Mark Elliot
Richard Ferguson
Mrs. Ferguson
I.
First is the recap. Paul Temple has called his wife who is in the lobby of the hotel, and told her that the man she is accompanying isn’t Max Wyman. Paul gives her instructions to dump Wyman, while she pretends that she’s talking to an old friend so as not to make him suspicious. She successfully escapes, but the false Wyman also drives off – but they get his license plate number.
Temple explains how he knew Wyman was an imposter. Sir Graham had told him that Wyman was the author of a book on Justinian, but when Wyman spoke to them he misidentified a name that he should have known. But Temple hadn’t remembered it until he and Steve had already left.
In the lobby, Paul asks the reception to put through a call for him to London, to Sir Graham Forbes. Reception also hands him an evening paper. The front page says, “Is Richard Ferguson still alive.”
“Someone must have talked,” deduces Paul. “It’s either one of the Fergusons or Reggie Macintosh.”
They return to their room, where they speculate that the attempted kidnapping was because “they” must think that Paul is on to something. Then the call to Sir Graham is connected, and Paul asks him if he’d gotten in touch with Max Wyman. Wyman was away, says Sir Graham, and that he had spoken to Rudolph Charles, Wyman’s roommate.
Paul gives the car number to Sir Graham, they discuss the incident a bit more, then Paul hangs up.
Steve and Paul discuss the case to date, then there’s a knock on the door and Rudolph Charles is there. He had seen the paper that said that Richard Ferguson was still alive, and wants to know if Richard Ferguson is still alive.
Charles tells them that a friend of his, a woman, thought she saw Richard go into the Encounter restaurant. No one believed her, but now he, Charles, believes that she was probably right.
They invite Charles to go down to the lobby for a drink, but he turns them down. He has a date.
II.
In the lobby they part. Steve goes into the lounge, Paul goes to get some cigarettes from the front desk. The desk clerk says they he doesn’t have any, but he can get some in the bar. Mrs. Mavis Russell approaches and asks the desk clerk if there’s a Paul Temple staying there. The desk clerk introduces them.
Mrs. Russell explains that she was a friend of Richard Ferguson’s, and that people are talking of her like she had led Ferguson astray.
She scoffs at the news in the paper about Richard being alive.
“I know Richard’s dead,” says Mrs. Russell. “I had a letter this afternoon from the man who murdered him.”
III.
They are in the Temple’s bedroom, and Mrs. Russell explains her relationship to Richard Ferguson, and then shows them the letter.
It’s a type written letter.
“Dear Mrs. Russell,
I feel quite sure that you more than anyone else would like to have the enclosed. It belonged to Richard Ferguson.”
She then shows the enclosure – the signet ring.
Paul asks Mrs. Russell if she’d ever met someone named Jonathan.
Inside the ring are some initials – A4 and D 4. Mrs. Russell has no idea what they mean.
Paul asks her if she knew a man named Mark Elliot. Mrs. Russell says yes, he owns a restaurant called The Encounter.
Paul then asks her about her writing as Europa and the New Feature. “If you want to know who murdered your son, ask Europa.”
Mrs. Russell says that’s a beastly thing to do, but doesn’t understand why anyone would do it.
IV.
Paul and Steve are having dinner at the Encounter. Steve goes into the ladies’ cloakroom, which is on the first floor. Dinah Nelson and Reggie Macintosh (her brother in law) come up to him. Macintosh explains that he’d let the cat out of the bag because he’d had too much to drink when he’d been talking with a friend who was a reporter.
Diana sounds happy, she believes Richard is alive and there’s a perfectly simple explanation to the whole mystery. Paul points out that if the victim wasn’t Richard, then Richard was probably the murderer.
Macintosh usually pops up to Oxford two or three times a week. He’s in the textile business.
Paul shows the signet ring to Diana, who immediately gets a bit hysterical, and tries to get Paul to give her the ring. Paul refuses.
Mark Elliott comes up to them. He greets Macintosh and Diana, and they have what seems to be a rather pointed exchange. Reggie and Diana leave, and Elliot asks Temple if he’d like to have a drink.
They go into the cocktail bar. Elliot said he’d never liked Ferguson. “I prefer my intellectuals to be over 40.” He says that he had a motive to kill Ferguson – he was being blackmailed by him.
V.
Steve and Paul are back in their hotel room. Steve is yawning and very tired. They discuss Mark Elliot and that Elliot had paid Ferguson over two thousand pounds in the last six weeks.
Steve says she took a favorable view of Mrs. Russell.
It’s 11.45 pm. The phone rings. It’s Richard Ferguson. He begs Paul to bring the signet ring to his landlady Mrs. Gulliver first thing the next morning. If he does so, he’ll meet Paul at the Encounter the next night to explain what it’s all about.
Paul searches for the ring, he thought he’d put it in his inside pocket, but it’s gone.
Paul wonders if Reggie Macintosh took it, but Steve says Elliot took it.
There’s a knock on the door, and Mrs. Ferguson comes into the room. She and her husband are staying in the hotel also. They’d come down to see Mrs. Gulliver. A letter had arrived for Richard that morning, and Mrs. Gulliver had opened it by mistake.
“It’s from that friend of Richard’s. The one no one seems to know anything about. Jonathan.”
Showing posts with label paul temple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paul temple. Show all posts
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
British Radio Mystery: Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery Part 2
Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery part 2 of 8
Episode 2: “That Good Old Intuition”
Cast
Paul Temple – Peter Coke
Steve Temple – Marjorie Westbury
Charlie (their manservant)
Robert Ferguson
Helen Ferguson
Inspector Gerrard
Sir Graham Forbes
Max Wyman
I.
In a recap, Mrs. Ferguson tells Paul Temple that she saw her son Robert outside the hotel that morning. Before she could run across to him, he had disappeared (walking away down the Strand).
Paul asks her to explain it from the beginning. He also points out that if Robert wasn’t the victim of the crime…he was probably the killer.
Her husband tells Temple that he had seen Richard’s body that morning. Paul presses him – if he hadn’t been told that Richard was dead, would he have believed that it was Richard. [There was fingerprint evidence that it was Richard, but that will be dismissed with shortly.]
Paul tells the Fergusons to go back to their hotel and just carry on as normal for the next few days.
Charlie comes in and says that Sir Graham Forbes has arrived.
Paul comments on Red Harris’ statement about “they forgot the ring.” He also points out that the fingerprints they took that confirmed his identity were only taken from other items in his apartment – cigarette case, wallet, hair brush, and so on.
Sir Graham refuses to believe it, feeling that Mrs. Ferguson’s evidence is just that of a hysterical woman, and he, Paul and Steve argue about it for a few minutes.
Charlie comes in again. Reggie Macintosh has arrived and insists on speaking with Paul, Macintosh then comes in without waiting to be invited. He tells the assembled gathering that he’d taken Diana Nelson to the train – she had to return to Oxford, and when he went down to the Underground, he saw Richard Ferguson getting onto a train!
II.
It’s the next night, and Steve gives Paul some coffee and asks him what had happened that afternoon.
Paul tells Steve that he and Sir Graham went to Scotland Yard with Macintosh, and took a sample of Macintosh’s handwriting to compare against the magazine, the New Feature, that had been sent to the Fergusons.
“Paul, what do you think really happened?”
Paul says he was talking to Gerrard about those postcards, the ones from Jonathan. But the handwritings on those was different too, from the New Feature writer.
Steve says she doesn’t think that Macintosh actually saw Ferguson. She doesn’t know why she thinks that, only that she does.
Steve then tells him that she read Mavis Russell, aka Europa’s book, The Purple Moon. She says Paul should make a point of meeting Mrs. Russell, as she now believes that Russell might have had an evil influence on a young man.
They decide to go to Oxford for two or three days.
Paul receives a phone call from Robert Ferguson. He’s heard from Richard. He’s asked for money. Robert asks Paul to pick him to help him deliver the money.
III.
Paul and Steve drive up to where Ferguson is waiting outside the hotel. He is in distress, he has a bad heart and its acting up on him.
He’s to take the money to a flat in Lewisham, where he is registered as a Mr. Griffith. Paul tells Ferguson to go back into the hotel, because of his heart trouble, and he and Steve will go out to Lewisham and collect Robert.
IV.
Steve and Paul arrive at the Lewisham flat. It’s pouring with rain. They ask for Mr. Griffith. The landlady is stroppy, it’s almost half past 11. “You’re not one of the regulars.”
She lets them into the house, and says she’ll go up to let Mr. Griffith know they’ve arrived. But when she opens the door, she finds him dead.
Steve and Paul rush up. Paul goes into the room, then comes out again. “It’s not Richard Ferguson. It’s Red Harris.”
V.
The telephone rings and rings.
Paul answers it, breathless. He and Steve had been halfway down the stairs.
On the other end is Sir Graham.
Paul tells him he and Steve are going to Oxford .
Sir Graham tells Paul that he’ll have Max Wyman look him up. He wrote a book about Marcus Aurelius. Sir Graham will phone Wyman and have him look Paul up.
Sir Graham fills him in about Red Harris. He’d been using the name Griffiths for some time – he had a driving license in that name.
VI.
Paul and Steve are unpacking in their hotel room. Steve has brought dozens of dresses for their 2 day journey.
There is a phone call. The hall porter tells him that a Mr. Wyman is there to see him.
Wyman enters, and says that he has been invited to a cocktail party being given by Mavis Russell. He suggests that he and Steve go to the party, and then introduce Paul to her later.
They talk about Wyman’s writing for a minute, then Steve and Wyman go downstairs.
Wyman goes to get his car, and Steve is told that she has a phone call in the lobby. It’s Paul, He tells her that Max Wyman is an imposter!
End Part 2
Episode 2: “That Good Old Intuition”
Cast
Paul Temple – Peter Coke
Steve Temple – Marjorie Westbury
Charlie (their manservant)
Robert Ferguson
Helen Ferguson
Inspector Gerrard
Sir Graham Forbes
Max Wyman
I.
In a recap, Mrs. Ferguson tells Paul Temple that she saw her son Robert outside the hotel that morning. Before she could run across to him, he had disappeared (walking away down the Strand).
Paul asks her to explain it from the beginning. He also points out that if Robert wasn’t the victim of the crime…he was probably the killer.
Her husband tells Temple that he had seen Richard’s body that morning. Paul presses him – if he hadn’t been told that Richard was dead, would he have believed that it was Richard. [There was fingerprint evidence that it was Richard, but that will be dismissed with shortly.]
Paul tells the Fergusons to go back to their hotel and just carry on as normal for the next few days.
Charlie comes in and says that Sir Graham Forbes has arrived.
Paul comments on Red Harris’ statement about “they forgot the ring.” He also points out that the fingerprints they took that confirmed his identity were only taken from other items in his apartment – cigarette case, wallet, hair brush, and so on.
Sir Graham refuses to believe it, feeling that Mrs. Ferguson’s evidence is just that of a hysterical woman, and he, Paul and Steve argue about it for a few minutes.
Charlie comes in again. Reggie Macintosh has arrived and insists on speaking with Paul, Macintosh then comes in without waiting to be invited. He tells the assembled gathering that he’d taken Diana Nelson to the train – she had to return to Oxford, and when he went down to the Underground, he saw Richard Ferguson getting onto a train!
II.
It’s the next night, and Steve gives Paul some coffee and asks him what had happened that afternoon.
Paul tells Steve that he and Sir Graham went to Scotland Yard with Macintosh, and took a sample of Macintosh’s handwriting to compare against the magazine, the New Feature, that had been sent to the Fergusons.
“Paul, what do you think really happened?”
Paul says he was talking to Gerrard about those postcards, the ones from Jonathan. But the handwritings on those was different too, from the New Feature writer.
Steve says she doesn’t think that Macintosh actually saw Ferguson. She doesn’t know why she thinks that, only that she does.
Steve then tells him that she read Mavis Russell, aka Europa’s book, The Purple Moon. She says Paul should make a point of meeting Mrs. Russell, as she now believes that Russell might have had an evil influence on a young man.
They decide to go to Oxford for two or three days.
Paul receives a phone call from Robert Ferguson. He’s heard from Richard. He’s asked for money. Robert asks Paul to pick him to help him deliver the money.
III.
Paul and Steve drive up to where Ferguson is waiting outside the hotel. He is in distress, he has a bad heart and its acting up on him.
He’s to take the money to a flat in Lewisham, where he is registered as a Mr. Griffith. Paul tells Ferguson to go back into the hotel, because of his heart trouble, and he and Steve will go out to Lewisham and collect Robert.
IV.
Steve and Paul arrive at the Lewisham flat. It’s pouring with rain. They ask for Mr. Griffith. The landlady is stroppy, it’s almost half past 11. “You’re not one of the regulars.”
She lets them into the house, and says she’ll go up to let Mr. Griffith know they’ve arrived. But when she opens the door, she finds him dead.
Steve and Paul rush up. Paul goes into the room, then comes out again. “It’s not Richard Ferguson. It’s Red Harris.”
V.
The telephone rings and rings.
Paul answers it, breathless. He and Steve had been halfway down the stairs.
On the other end is Sir Graham.
Paul tells him he and Steve are going to Oxford .
Sir Graham tells Paul that he’ll have Max Wyman look him up. He wrote a book about Marcus Aurelius. Sir Graham will phone Wyman and have him look Paul up.
Sir Graham fills him in about Red Harris. He’d been using the name Griffiths for some time – he had a driving license in that name.
VI.
Paul and Steve are unpacking in their hotel room. Steve has brought dozens of dresses for their 2 day journey.
There is a phone call. The hall porter tells him that a Mr. Wyman is there to see him.
Wyman enters, and says that he has been invited to a cocktail party being given by Mavis Russell. He suggests that he and Steve go to the party, and then introduce Paul to her later.
They talk about Wyman’s writing for a minute, then Steve and Wyman go downstairs.
Wyman goes to get his car, and Steve is told that she has a phone call in the lobby. It’s Paul, He tells her that Max Wyman is an imposter!
End Part 2
British Radio Mystery: Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery part 1
Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery part 1 of 8
Episode 1: “The Fergusons”
Cast
Paul Temple
Steve Temple
Robert Ferguson
Helen Ferguson
Inspector Gerrard
Sir Graham Forbes
Red Harris
Unidenitified barman
I.
Paul Temple and his wife Steve are in the first class section of an airplane, heading from New York to London. They decide to go to the “little lounge” to get a drink.
In the lounge, Steve is sitting on Mr. Ferguson’s magazine. They are Robert Ferguson and his wife, Helen. Mrs. Ferguson recognizes him as the author Paul Temple. Mrs. Ferguson says she never forgets a face.
The Fergusons have a boy, Richard, at Oxford, at Maudlin College, and they are flying to England to visit him. Richard has been at school in England since he was 12.
Robert Ferguson is a furniture dealer, but his son, Richard, has told his parents he wants to be a writer.
The plane lands, and the Temples are met by Charlie, their manservant, and also by Inspector Gerrard, “one of Sir Graham’s bright boys.” Gerrard asks them to point out the Fergusons to him – their son has been found murdered.
II.
Sir Graham is in his office, discussing something with Inspector Gerrard. Paul Temple comes in. He’s interested in the Ferguson case, and he wants to hear all about it. “Let me have the facts. Assume I know nothing whatever about the case.”
The Inspector tells the story. Ferguson lived in a self-contained flat on the top floor of Mortimer Close, which is owned by Mrs. Gulliver. Mrs. Gulliver left for the pictures, seeing Richard as she left. He told her he had a dinner date with a Diana Nelson.
Richard didn’t keep the date. The next morning, Mrs. Gulliver goes to the bedroom door with a pot of tea, to find Richard’s body there – most of his face blown away by a close-up shot.
The police haven’t found a motive. “Was anything missing?” asks Temple. “A gold ring. A signet ring.”
And a post card from Harrogate which reads: Having a wonderful time. Jonathan.
But none of Richard’s friends had ever heard of Jonathan.
Temple then tells his story of the night before. He and Steve had been called by the Fergusons, who asked them to come by their hotel room. They had received an envelope in which was a magazine called The New Feature, a high-brow periodical. On page 14 was an article on the international situation by a writer called Europa. There was a note: “If you want to know who murdered your son, ask Europa.”
The Fergusons then ask them to investigate the case.
When they return to their car, there’s someone sitting in it – Diana Nelson. “I was a friend of Richard Ferguson’s.” She lives and works in Oxford, and has come up to London to see the Temples.
Diana tells them that she and Richard had been unofficially engaged for about a year, then his attitude changed toward her. “He suddenly got awfully cynical and bitter about things.” He started comparing her to a writer, Mavis Russell, who writes under the name of Europa. Diana thinks she had an evil influence over Richard, and was responsible for his death.
Diana had been talked to by Inspector Gerrard the day before, and he’d asked her questions about Jonathan, whom she’d never heard of.
Diana denies sending the magazine to the Fergusons. So she’s not the only person who dislikes Mavis Russell, concludes Steve.
Inspector Gerrard says that he’s interviewed Mavis Russell, and liked her.
Then Inspector Gerrard asks if Temple remembers a man named Red Harris. Temple does remember him – he (Temple) had provided the evidence that had cleared Harris from a criminal charge. Harris had spent three days in Oxford, including the night that Ferguson had been murdered.
Gerrard asks Temple who he thinks sent the magazine, and Temple suggests Mavis Russell. She might try to throw suspicion on herself, as a blind, he says.
III.
When Temple returns to his home, he finds that Reggie Macintosh, who is the brother-in-law of Diana Nelson, (Diana Nelson is staying with him and his wife, her sister, in London) has come to visit them. Macintosh tells them that they have received a postcard from Harrogate. “Having a wonderful time. Regards, Jonathan.”
Macintosh doesn’t show the postcard to Diana, instead he takes it to the Temples.
Macintosh leaves, and Temple calls up Red Harris. Red refuses to speak to him about why he’d been in Oxford. He just warns Paul to keep out of the Ferguson business.
Temple decides to go to the public house and speak to Harris in person. They go out of the public house and sit in Harris’ car, a 2-and-a-half liter Lombard, for which he wants 1750. Harris refuses to tell Temple anything. He sees a car driving past them, and a shot is fired. Harris tells Temple he’ll give him one tip, and after that they’re square. “They forgot the ring.”
IV.
Paul returns home, to find that Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson have arrived. Mrs. Ferguson is almost in hysterics. She claims that she saw Richard – her son – that morning.
End Part 1
_____
Museum of Everything
Exhibit: British Radio Mysteries
Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery
Episode 1: “The Fergusons”
Cast
Paul Temple
Steve Temple
Robert Ferguson
Helen Ferguson
Inspector Gerrard
Sir Graham Forbes
Red Harris
Unidenitified barman
I.
Paul Temple and his wife Steve are in the first class section of an airplane, heading from New York to London. They decide to go to the “little lounge” to get a drink.
In the lounge, Steve is sitting on Mr. Ferguson’s magazine. They are Robert Ferguson and his wife, Helen. Mrs. Ferguson recognizes him as the author Paul Temple. Mrs. Ferguson says she never forgets a face.
The Fergusons have a boy, Richard, at Oxford, at Maudlin College, and they are flying to England to visit him. Richard has been at school in England since he was 12.
Robert Ferguson is a furniture dealer, but his son, Richard, has told his parents he wants to be a writer.
The plane lands, and the Temples are met by Charlie, their manservant, and also by Inspector Gerrard, “one of Sir Graham’s bright boys.” Gerrard asks them to point out the Fergusons to him – their son has been found murdered.
II.
Sir Graham is in his office, discussing something with Inspector Gerrard. Paul Temple comes in. He’s interested in the Ferguson case, and he wants to hear all about it. “Let me have the facts. Assume I know nothing whatever about the case.”
The Inspector tells the story. Ferguson lived in a self-contained flat on the top floor of Mortimer Close, which is owned by Mrs. Gulliver. Mrs. Gulliver left for the pictures, seeing Richard as she left. He told her he had a dinner date with a Diana Nelson.
Richard didn’t keep the date. The next morning, Mrs. Gulliver goes to the bedroom door with a pot of tea, to find Richard’s body there – most of his face blown away by a close-up shot.
The police haven’t found a motive. “Was anything missing?” asks Temple. “A gold ring. A signet ring.”
And a post card from Harrogate which reads: Having a wonderful time. Jonathan.
But none of Richard’s friends had ever heard of Jonathan.
Temple then tells his story of the night before. He and Steve had been called by the Fergusons, who asked them to come by their hotel room. They had received an envelope in which was a magazine called The New Feature, a high-brow periodical. On page 14 was an article on the international situation by a writer called Europa. There was a note: “If you want to know who murdered your son, ask Europa.”
The Fergusons then ask them to investigate the case.
When they return to their car, there’s someone sitting in it – Diana Nelson. “I was a friend of Richard Ferguson’s.” She lives and works in Oxford, and has come up to London to see the Temples.
Diana tells them that she and Richard had been unofficially engaged for about a year, then his attitude changed toward her. “He suddenly got awfully cynical and bitter about things.” He started comparing her to a writer, Mavis Russell, who writes under the name of Europa. Diana thinks she had an evil influence over Richard, and was responsible for his death.
Diana had been talked to by Inspector Gerrard the day before, and he’d asked her questions about Jonathan, whom she’d never heard of.
Diana denies sending the magazine to the Fergusons. So she’s not the only person who dislikes Mavis Russell, concludes Steve.
Inspector Gerrard says that he’s interviewed Mavis Russell, and liked her.
Then Inspector Gerrard asks if Temple remembers a man named Red Harris. Temple does remember him – he (Temple) had provided the evidence that had cleared Harris from a criminal charge. Harris had spent three days in Oxford, including the night that Ferguson had been murdered.
Gerrard asks Temple who he thinks sent the magazine, and Temple suggests Mavis Russell. She might try to throw suspicion on herself, as a blind, he says.
III.
When Temple returns to his home, he finds that Reggie Macintosh, who is the brother-in-law of Diana Nelson, (Diana Nelson is staying with him and his wife, her sister, in London) has come to visit them. Macintosh tells them that they have received a postcard from Harrogate. “Having a wonderful time. Regards, Jonathan.”
Macintosh doesn’t show the postcard to Diana, instead he takes it to the Temples.
Macintosh leaves, and Temple calls up Red Harris. Red refuses to speak to him about why he’d been in Oxford. He just warns Paul to keep out of the Ferguson business.
Temple decides to go to the public house and speak to Harris in person. They go out of the public house and sit in Harris’ car, a 2-and-a-half liter Lombard, for which he wants 1750. Harris refuses to tell Temple anything. He sees a car driving past them, and a shot is fired. Harris tells Temple he’ll give him one tip, and after that they’re square. “They forgot the ring.”
IV.
Paul returns home, to find that Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson have arrived. Mrs. Ferguson is almost in hysterics. She claims that she saw Richard – her son – that morning.
End Part 1
_____
Museum of Everything
Exhibit: British Radio Mysteries
Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
British Radio Drama: Paul Temple
In the United States, national radio drama ended in 1962, with the last aired episodes of the anthology series Suspense and the insurance investigator-detective, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.
In the UK, radio drama is alive and well.
For many years, the digital channel BBC 7 has played old and new radio drama, comedy, variety, etc. Unfortunately the dim bulbs in charge of the BBC are shortly going to destroy the character and identity of this digital channel by renaming it BBC Radio 4 Extra. So of course it's going to get lost in the identity of Radio 4, and I predict will shortly disappear.
In any event, Paul Temple is a detective book writer who assists the police in various cases. It was never a radio series per se, but rather a series of 6 part or 8 part serials, and about 1 a year was produced for 10 years. They are frequently re-broadcast on BBC Radio 7 (but whether they'll be rebroadcast on Radio 4 Extra remains to be seen.
It's hard to explain their fascination for me. The stories are repetitive and formulaic. They always involve someone using a code name, whether it be Margo, or Jonathan, and this pseudonym is always revealed to be used by someone whom the Temples (Paul Temple and his wife Steve (actually Louise, but she is an ex-journalist and is called by her pen-name, which was Steve Trent)meets throughout their adventures.
There's also the annoying radio convention of alwats having to call each other by name when they speak, to make sure the audience knowswhose talking and who they are talking to. Gets on your nerves after a while.
But, I listen to them anyway, just because of the actors. Although a variety of radio actors played the couple, the most well-known, and the ones that BBC 7 airs, are those of Peter Coke (pronounced Cook) and Marjorie Westbury.
In my new exhibit, British Radio Drama: Paul Temple, I'll be synopsizing all the episodes of each serial.
First: more detail from Wikipedia:
Paul Temple is a fictional character created by British writer Francis Durbridge (1912-1998) for the BBC radio serial Send for Paul Temple in 1938. Temple is an amateur private detective and author of crime fiction. Together with his journalist wife (Louise Temple, nee Harvey, affectionately known as "Steve" after her pen name "Steve Trent"), he solves "whodunnit" crimes with subtle, humorous dialogue and rare "action". Always the gentleman, his use of the phrase "by Timothy" was the nearest he ever got to swearing. Between 1938 and 2010, the Temples featured in over 30 BBC radio dramas, 12 serials for German radio, a BBC television series, a German animated series, four British feature films and several novels. In the Netherlands several of the radio plays were recorded with Dutch actors and with the main character's name translated to 'Paul Vlaanderen'. In addition, a Paul Temple comic strip featured in the London Evening News from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s.
British Paul Temple radio serials
Paul Temple was "born" as a radio detective. In Britain, several Paul Temple radio series were broadcast from the 1930s to the 1960s. While several actors and actresses portrayed the Temples over the years, including the Send for Paul Temple Again series which starred Barry Morse and aired in 1945, probably the best known portrayal of the couple was by Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury. The introductory and closing music for the majority of the long-running BBC radio series was Coronation Scot (a musical depiction of a train journey) written by Vivian Ellis. Many of the serials starring Coke and Westbury have been repeated since 2003 by digital radio station BBC 7. In 2006 the station tracked down the then 93-year-old Coke for a half-hour interview programme, Peter Coke and the Paul Temple Affair.
In August 2006 BBC Radio 4 broadcast a new 8-part re-creation of one of the lost early radio serials, Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery, which had originally been broadcast in 1947. Crawford Logan starred as Paul Temple with Gerda Stevenson as Steve (originally portrayed by Kim Peacock and Marjorie Westbury respectively) in a mono production employing vintage microphones and sound effects. A new production of The Madison Mystery followed in May to July 2008, and a remake of the 1947 serial Paul Temple and Steve was aired in June and July 2010.
01: `Send for Paul Temple'. 8th April 1938.
"Paul" - Hugh Morton, "Steve Trent" - Bernadette Hodgson
02: `Paul Temple and the Front Page Men'. 2nd Nov 1938.
"Paul" - Hugh Morton, "Steve" - Bernadette Hodgson
03: `News Of Paul Temple'. 13th Nov 1939. (6 parts)
"Paul" - Hugh Morton, "Steve" - Bernadette Hodgson
04: `Send for Paul Temple'. 13th October 1941.(60 minute abridged Play)
"Paul" - Carl Bernard, "Steve" - Thea Holme
05: `Paul Temple Intervenes'. 30th Oct 1942.
"Paul" - Carl Bernard, "Steve" - Bernadette Hodgson
06: `News Of Paul Temple'. 5 July 1944. (60 minute abridged Play)
"Paul" - Richard Williams, "Steve" - Lucille Lisle
07: `Send For Paul Temple Again'. 13th Sep 1945.
"Paul" - Barry Morse
08: `A Case For Paul Temple'. 7th Feb 1946.
"Paul" - Howard Marion Crawford
09: `Paul Temple And The Gregory Affair'. 17th Oct 1946. (10 parts)
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
10: `Paul Temple And Steve'. 30th March 1947.
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
11: `Mr And Mrs Paul Temple'. 23rd Nov 1947. (45 minute Play)
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
12: `Paul Temple And The Sullivan Mystery'. 1st Dec 1947.
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
13: `Paul Temple And The Curzon Case'. 7th Dec 1948.
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
14: `Paul Temple And The Madison Mystery'. 12th Oct 1949.
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
15: `Paul Temple And The Vandyke Affair'. 31st Oct 1950.
"Paul" - Kim Peacock (NOTE: Peter Coke played Terry Palmer in this production)
16: `Paul Temple And The Jonathan Mystery'. 10th May 1951.
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
17: `Paul Temple And Steve Again'. 18th April 1953. (60 minute Play)
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
The Peter Coke era. Marjorie Westbury was always his wife Steve.
18: `Paul Temple And The Gilbert Case'. 29th March 1954.
"Paul" - Peter Coke
19: `Paul Temple And The Madison Mystery'. 20th June 1955.
"Paul" - Peter Coke (remake of 14)
20: `Paul Temple And The Lawrence Affair'. 11th Apr 1956.
"Paul" - Peter Coke
21: `Paul Temple And The Spencer Affair'. 13th Nov 1957.
"Paul" - Peter Coke
22: `Paul Temple And The Vandyke Affair'. 1st Jan 1959.
"Paul" - Peter Coke (remake of 15)
23: `Paul Temple And The Conrad Case'. 2nd March 1959.
"Paul" - Peter Coke
24: `Paul Temple And The Gilbert Case'. 22nd Nov 1959.
"Paul" - Peter Coke (remake of 18)
25: `Paul Temple And The Margo Mystery'. 1st Jan 1961.
"Paul" - Peter Coke
26: `Paul Temple And The Jonathan Mystery'. 14th Oct 1963.
"Paul" - Peter Coke (remake of 16)
27: `Paul Temple And The Geneva Mystery'. 11th April 1965. (6 parts)
"Paul" - Peter Coke
28: `Paul Temple And The Alex Affair'. 26th Feb 1968.
"Paul" - Peter Coke (remake of 7: Villain changed from Rex to Alex.)
__________________
Exhibit: British Radio Drama
Detectives: Paul Temple
In the UK, radio drama is alive and well.
For many years, the digital channel BBC 7 has played old and new radio drama, comedy, variety, etc. Unfortunately the dim bulbs in charge of the BBC are shortly going to destroy the character and identity of this digital channel by renaming it BBC Radio 4 Extra. So of course it's going to get lost in the identity of Radio 4, and I predict will shortly disappear.
In any event, Paul Temple is a detective book writer who assists the police in various cases. It was never a radio series per se, but rather a series of 6 part or 8 part serials, and about 1 a year was produced for 10 years. They are frequently re-broadcast on BBC Radio 7 (but whether they'll be rebroadcast on Radio 4 Extra remains to be seen.
It's hard to explain their fascination for me. The stories are repetitive and formulaic. They always involve someone using a code name, whether it be Margo, or Jonathan, and this pseudonym is always revealed to be used by someone whom the Temples (Paul Temple and his wife Steve (actually Louise, but she is an ex-journalist and is called by her pen-name, which was Steve Trent)meets throughout their adventures.
There's also the annoying radio convention of alwats having to call each other by name when they speak, to make sure the audience knowswhose talking and who they are talking to. Gets on your nerves after a while.
But, I listen to them anyway, just because of the actors. Although a variety of radio actors played the couple, the most well-known, and the ones that BBC 7 airs, are those of Peter Coke (pronounced Cook) and Marjorie Westbury.
In my new exhibit, British Radio Drama: Paul Temple, I'll be synopsizing all the episodes of each serial.
First: more detail from Wikipedia:
Paul Temple is a fictional character created by British writer Francis Durbridge (1912-1998) for the BBC radio serial Send for Paul Temple in 1938. Temple is an amateur private detective and author of crime fiction. Together with his journalist wife (Louise Temple, nee Harvey, affectionately known as "Steve" after her pen name "Steve Trent"), he solves "whodunnit" crimes with subtle, humorous dialogue and rare "action". Always the gentleman, his use of the phrase "by Timothy" was the nearest he ever got to swearing. Between 1938 and 2010, the Temples featured in over 30 BBC radio dramas, 12 serials for German radio, a BBC television series, a German animated series, four British feature films and several novels. In the Netherlands several of the radio plays were recorded with Dutch actors and with the main character's name translated to 'Paul Vlaanderen'. In addition, a Paul Temple comic strip featured in the London Evening News from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s.
British Paul Temple radio serials
Paul Temple was "born" as a radio detective. In Britain, several Paul Temple radio series were broadcast from the 1930s to the 1960s. While several actors and actresses portrayed the Temples over the years, including the Send for Paul Temple Again series which starred Barry Morse and aired in 1945, probably the best known portrayal of the couple was by Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury. The introductory and closing music for the majority of the long-running BBC radio series was Coronation Scot (a musical depiction of a train journey) written by Vivian Ellis. Many of the serials starring Coke and Westbury have been repeated since 2003 by digital radio station BBC 7. In 2006 the station tracked down the then 93-year-old Coke for a half-hour interview programme, Peter Coke and the Paul Temple Affair.
In August 2006 BBC Radio 4 broadcast a new 8-part re-creation of one of the lost early radio serials, Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery, which had originally been broadcast in 1947. Crawford Logan starred as Paul Temple with Gerda Stevenson as Steve (originally portrayed by Kim Peacock and Marjorie Westbury respectively) in a mono production employing vintage microphones and sound effects. A new production of The Madison Mystery followed in May to July 2008, and a remake of the 1947 serial Paul Temple and Steve was aired in June and July 2010.
01: `Send for Paul Temple'. 8th April 1938.
"Paul" - Hugh Morton, "Steve Trent" - Bernadette Hodgson
02: `Paul Temple and the Front Page Men'. 2nd Nov 1938.
"Paul" - Hugh Morton, "Steve" - Bernadette Hodgson
03: `News Of Paul Temple'. 13th Nov 1939. (6 parts)
"Paul" - Hugh Morton, "Steve" - Bernadette Hodgson
04: `Send for Paul Temple'. 13th October 1941.(60 minute abridged Play)
"Paul" - Carl Bernard, "Steve" - Thea Holme
05: `Paul Temple Intervenes'. 30th Oct 1942.
"Paul" - Carl Bernard, "Steve" - Bernadette Hodgson
06: `News Of Paul Temple'. 5 July 1944. (60 minute abridged Play)
"Paul" - Richard Williams, "Steve" - Lucille Lisle
07: `Send For Paul Temple Again'. 13th Sep 1945.
"Paul" - Barry Morse
08: `A Case For Paul Temple'. 7th Feb 1946.
"Paul" - Howard Marion Crawford
09: `Paul Temple And The Gregory Affair'. 17th Oct 1946. (10 parts)
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
10: `Paul Temple And Steve'. 30th March 1947.
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
11: `Mr And Mrs Paul Temple'. 23rd Nov 1947. (45 minute Play)
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
12: `Paul Temple And The Sullivan Mystery'. 1st Dec 1947.
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
13: `Paul Temple And The Curzon Case'. 7th Dec 1948.
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
14: `Paul Temple And The Madison Mystery'. 12th Oct 1949.
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
15: `Paul Temple And The Vandyke Affair'. 31st Oct 1950.
"Paul" - Kim Peacock (NOTE: Peter Coke played Terry Palmer in this production)
16: `Paul Temple And The Jonathan Mystery'. 10th May 1951.
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
17: `Paul Temple And Steve Again'. 18th April 1953. (60 minute Play)
"Paul" - Kim Peacock
The Peter Coke era. Marjorie Westbury was always his wife Steve.
18: `Paul Temple And The Gilbert Case'. 29th March 1954.
"Paul" - Peter Coke
19: `Paul Temple And The Madison Mystery'. 20th June 1955.
"Paul" - Peter Coke (remake of 14)
20: `Paul Temple And The Lawrence Affair'. 11th Apr 1956.
"Paul" - Peter Coke
21: `Paul Temple And The Spencer Affair'. 13th Nov 1957.
"Paul" - Peter Coke
22: `Paul Temple And The Vandyke Affair'. 1st Jan 1959.
"Paul" - Peter Coke (remake of 15)
23: `Paul Temple And The Conrad Case'. 2nd March 1959.
"Paul" - Peter Coke
24: `Paul Temple And The Gilbert Case'. 22nd Nov 1959.
"Paul" - Peter Coke (remake of 18)
25: `Paul Temple And The Margo Mystery'. 1st Jan 1961.
"Paul" - Peter Coke
26: `Paul Temple And The Jonathan Mystery'. 14th Oct 1963.
"Paul" - Peter Coke (remake of 16)
27: `Paul Temple And The Geneva Mystery'. 11th April 1965. (6 parts)
"Paul" - Peter Coke
28: `Paul Temple And The Alex Affair'. 26th Feb 1968.
"Paul" - Peter Coke (remake of 7: Villain changed from Rex to Alex.)
__________________
Exhibit: British Radio Drama
Detectives: Paul Temple
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)