Saki: The Improper Stories of H. H. Munro; 8
- Episode Number
- 8
- Producing Organization
- Granada Television
- Contributing Organization
- Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/512-xp6tx3684d
- NOLA Code
- SAKI
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- Description
- Episode Description
- The first segment of this episode is The Unrest Cure, in which Sir Hectors nephew Reginald cures the Huddles of boredom by posing as the bishops assistant. The Huddle home, he says will be headquarters for the Bishop in his forthcoming purge of the Jews. The second segment is Esme. In this segment, Mary Drakmanton and Constance Huddle suspect that the best following them about the grounds is a hyena, a hyena that has killed a child. All things considered, they feel quite relieved when an apologetic motorist appears. They shed a few tears for poor Esme (the name is momentary inspiration) and suggest immediate burial. It could be so awkward if someone began asking questions about that child that had disappeared. The final segment in this episode is The Disappearance of Crispina Umberleigh. An excessively unpleasant woman, Crispina. So unpleasant, in fact, that when she was kidnapped, the ransom note demanded a lump sum immediately plus two thousand pounds a year for keeping her. Edward Umberleigh paid the price gladly and gloried in eight peaceful years. Then suddenly, Crispina returned. She had not been kidnapped at all, but had lost her memory. While Crispinas hold on her family is not as tyrannical as it was, Edward Umberleigh is a worried man. He hasnt yet thought of an adequate explanation for an unspecified expenditure of sixteen thousand pounds spread over the eight years of his wifes absence. (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: Vernon, Richard
Actor: Greenwood, Rosamund
Actor: Mervyn, William
Actor: Burns, Mark
Actor: Fielding, Fenella
Actor: Smart, Patsy
Actor: Wilson, Neil
Actor: Landen, Disndals
Actor: Gariello, Frank
Actor: Sydney, Derek
Actor: Williams, Frank
Actor: Chasen, Heather
Actor: Wenham, Joan
Actor: Furse, Judith
Actor: Wattis, Richard
Designer: Stonehouse, Roy
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: 2412775-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
-
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2412775-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
-
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2412775-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
-
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2412775-1 (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; 8,” 1963-00-00, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed June 9, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-xp6tx3684d.
- MLA: “Saki: The Improper Stories of H. H. Munro; 8.” 1963-00-00. Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. June 9, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-xp6tx3684d>.
- APA: Saki: The Improper Stories of H. H. Munro; 8. 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-xp6tx3684d