Saki: The Improper Stories of H. H. Munro; 3
- Episode Number
- 3
- Producing Organization
- Granada Television
- Contributing Organization
- Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/512-4m91834x3s
- NOLA Code
- SAKI
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- Description
- Episode Description
- The first segment in this episode is The Blind Spot. In this segment, Sebastien may be a common murderer, but he is a most uncommon chef. Sir Hector has no intention of losing him to the hangman - he even destroys evidence to avoid it. The second segment is Quail Seed. In this segment, Mr. Scarrick is worried about losing Christmas trade at his grocery store - he cant afford all the extra attractions his competitors are putting in. Clovis and company solve his problem. During Christmas week they stage an Arabian spy melodrama - apparently authentic. Gossip carries the word, Mr. Scarricks store is jammed with curious neighbors, and his business is saved. The third segment is The Seventh Pallet. In this segment, when Mrs. Blenkinthrope dies suddenly after completing a game of Deaths Head Patience (a form of solitaire), Mr. Blenkinthrope expects headlines, much attention, and considerable notoriety. After all, her mother and grandmother had died in just the same fashion. Unfortunately, Blenkinthrope has manufactured such outrageous stories to get the attention of his fellow commuters that no one believes his wife isnt just a heart attack victim. The final segment in this episode is The Mouse. In this segment, the Major has been for a tramp in the fields and has inadvertently acquired a mouse. On the train to town he frantically tries to get rid of the animal without dropping all his clothes and modesty. Not until he reaches London does he realize the lady who has shared his compartment is blind. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
- Series Description
- Connoisseurs of the short story have long considered Sakis (Hector Hugh Munro) minute masterpieces among the ultimate examples of the form. The idea of dramatizing them for television probably would have struck most Saki fanciers as insupportable heresy. Yet Granada Television of England has managed, with the help of some exceptionally able actors, to bring some of the stories to life. Each of the eight hour-long episodes contains several stories covering the range of Sakis imagination from driest wit to urbane horror to unbridled hilarity. A basic group of six characters are the nucleus around which the stories develop. These six either are involved in the action of the stories or introduce them as incidents that have happened to people they know. In order to tighten the series dramatically, these six have been substituted for the original characters in some of the stories. For instance, in the first episode Sir Hector (one of the six regulars) is substituted for Treddleford, the Club Liar in A Defensive Diamond. This has only been done in cases where the characters are so similar as to be interchangeable, and it in no way damages the plot or effect of the story. The six starring performers who appear throughout the series are: Martita Hunt as Lady Bastable; William Mervyn as Sir Hector; Mark Burns as Clovis Sangrail; Fenella Fielding as Mary Drakmanton; Richard Vernon as The Major; and Rosamund Greenwood as Veronique Brimley-Bomefield. Saki: The Improper Stories of H. H. Munro was originally recorded on film and produced in England by Granada Television. Producer: Philip Mackie. Stories adapted by Gerald Savory, Hugh Leonard, Edward Boyd. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
- Broadcast Date
- 1963-00-00
- Asset type
- Episode
- Genres
- Drama
- Topics
- Humor
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Credits
-
-
Actor: Wood, John
Actor: Vernon, Richard
Actor: King, David
Actor: Hunt, Martita
Actor: Greenwood, Rosamund
Actor: Burns, Mark
Actor: Fielding, Fenella
Actor: Criddle, Tom
Actor: Shaps, Cyril
Actor: Scales, Prunella
Actor: Marsh, Keith
Actor: Wervyn, William
Actor: Monkhouse, June
Actor: Morton, Anthony
Actor: Keath, Joan
Designer: Philips, Peter
Director: Flemyng, Gordon, 1934-
Producer: Mackie, Philip
Producing Organization: Granada Television
Writer: Savory, Gerald
Writer: Leonard, Hugh
Writer: Boyd, Edward
Writer: Saki, 1870-1916
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2412675-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
-
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2412675-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
-
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2412675-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
-
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2412675-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
- Citations
- Chicago: “Saki: The Improper Stories of H. H. Munro; 3,” 1963-00-00, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed May 2, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-4m91834x3s.
- MLA: “Saki: The Improper Stories of H. H. Munro; 3.” 1963-00-00. Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. May 2, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-4m91834x3s>.
- APA: Saki: The Improper Stories of H. H. Munro; 3. Boston, MA: Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-4m91834x3s