Jan 18, 2023
Man in a Suitcase: Man from the Dead (1.6, ITC, 1967)
"Mac, don't go."
"I have to. I have to, I just... have to."
"Where're you going?"
"To Southampton. I gotta get my suitcase and my car."
"Are they so important?"
"Yes ma'am. They're all I own."
#man in a suitcase#man from the dead#blood tw#itc#1967#stanley r. greenberg#pat jackson#richard bradford#john barrie#angela browne#stuart damon#lionel murton#timothy bateson#fabia drake#dandy nichols#david nettheim#gerry wain#arthur howell#clifford earl#fred haggerty#i was absolutely certain this episode was first in both production AND transmission order bc it just... makes sense. this is the lore#episode! this is the setup! we learn about McGill‚ why he lives and works the way he does‚ why he left the CIA (albeit unspecified beyond#'intelligence agency' here). it's essentially a pilot for the series but on first transmission was actually shown sixth in the run#in fact this was a last minute change; this WAS the intended pilot (filmed as an episode called Man in a Suitcase when the series was still#planned to be titled McGill) but ATV decided to open with Brainwash as a more visually compelling ep.. maybe the right call maybe not.#having watched so much of The Saint recently i was immediately struck by just how much location work there was here; perhaps an#indicator of technological advancements (outside broadcasting developed massively throughout the decade) or just extra money thrown at a#pilot episode. Bradford refused to perform a lengthy exposition speech at the end of the episode‚ having decided it was out of character#angering producers and beginning the somewhat tricky working relationship he'd find himself in throughout the series. it was probably the#right call on his part‚ but the quality of the scripts would become a recurring issue of contention between star and producers