Colonel March Investigates [DVD]

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The show starred Boris Karloff as the urbane, tweed-wearing, eye-patched sleuth. No reason was ever given for the wearing of the patch. Other regular actors included Ewan Roberts as Inspector Ames of Scotland Yard and Eric Pohlmann as Inspector Goron of the Paris Sûreté. (In the episode "The Second Mona Lisa", Pohlmann played a Middle Eastern character called The Emir.) Roberts' Scottish accent grows stronger as the series progresses, from posh English in the some episodes to strong Scottish burr for others. Disappearing Box: In "The Case of the Misguided Missal", March brings in a Stage Magician who uses a miniature version of the disappearing box to demonstrate how the eponymous could have been stolen from the safe. However, even this demonstration turns out to be a piece of misdirection on March's part to allow him to catch the thief off-guard. Fresh Clue: In "Death in the Dressing Room", March feels the palm of the Body of the Week before it is moved, much to Inspector Ames' confusion. Later March reveals that her hand was bone dry and not covered in oil as it would have been if she had been dancing, meaning that she had been killed before the floor show and that someone else had taken her place.

Couch Gag: The opening title sequence shows Colonel March taking off his coat in his office and writing the title of each episode in a book. This then dissolves to an image of an object from within the following story. Often it's a murder weapon or an item of clothing. Sometimes its relevance is a mystery until it is revealed later in the episode. Other episodes, such as in "The Headless Hat", show the item that the episode is named after. Moustache de Plume: In "The Strange Event at Roman Falls", the wife of famous reclusive writer is accused of his murder after she reports him falling off the cliff near their home into the sea. However, it turns out the writer never existed at all. He was a male nom de plume created by the woman to allow her to publish her works and be taken seriously. However, after an old romance rekindled, she decided to fake the death of the fake husband to allow her to marry her love. Shrouded in Myth: 'Monsieur Z', the head of the underworld in Marseilles in "The Headless Hat", to the extent that the majority of his underlings do not know what he looks like. Directed by Charles Reisner. Can reporter Mike Kent prevent more deaths while he tries to resolve a sinister plot to steal a fortune in jewels? Cast: Sheila Ryan, Richard Fraser and Leslie Brooks. In Britain, the series was initially evaluated in the larger context of the programming of the newly launched ITV. Critic Bernard Levin opined: "If there were only something of signifiant badness, then one could at least take a hatchet to it. But who could take a hatchet to Wilson, Keppel, and Betty, stars of Saturday night's variety programme, or to the adventures of 'Colonel March of Scotland Yard', the intellectual content of which is the nearest thing to a hole I have ever seen?" [4] List of episodes [ edit ] Episode [ clarification needed]Colonel March Investigates is a 1953 British film consisting of the three pilot episodes of the TV series Colonel March of Scotland Yard that were filmed in 1952, starring Boris Karloff. [1] [2] [3] These episodes were "Hot Money", "Death in the Dressing Room" and "The New Invisible Man". [4] Boris Karloff is great as Colonel March, an eye patch wearing, straight talking Detective, who often talks directly to the camera. Dead Person Impersonation: In "Death in the Dressing Room", a maid takes the place of a murdered dancer and appears in the nightclub floor show to make it look like the dancer was murdered later than she actually was and allow the killer to establish an alibi.

Mistaken for Own Murderer: In "The Strange Event at Roman Falls", the wife of famous reclusive writer is accused of his murder after she reports him falling off the cliff near their home into the sea. However, it turns out the writer never existed at all. He was a Moustache de Plume created by the woman to allow her to publish her works and be taken seriously. However, after an old romance rekindled, she decided to fake the death of the fake husband to allow her to marry her love.As Himself: In "The Case of the Misguided Missal", Real Life Stage Magician Chan Canasta appears as himself: brought in by March to demonstrate how the missing book could have been stolen from the safe.