Feb 28, 2023
Man in a Suitcase: No Friend of Mine (1.21, ITC, 1968)
"Mr. McGill? Let me introduce myself. I am Gombi Masuto."
"Well, I think you know me and the guy with his gun in my back."
"I owe you an apology, but would you have responded to a polite invitation?"
"Well I can't say, cos I didn't get one."
#man in a suitcase#no friend of mine#1968#itc#classic tv#charles crichton#john stanton#richard bradford#clive morton#errol john#allan cuthbertson#peter halliday#peter williams#harvey hall#ralph michael#philippa gail#danny daniels#horace james#pat connell#a kind of mirror image to 1.16 (The Whisper); where that episode had a brilliant narrative hamstrung by some regrettably dated attitudes to#racial tensions and anti colonial struggles‚ this episode is hugely more satisfying on a political front (the white land owners being#explicitly the villains and agitators‚ and even the typically reticent McGill supporting independence for the fictional African country#of Kalunga) but has one of the sloppiest scripts of the series‚ with multiple gaping plot holes that should have been picked up on during#production. in particular the murder of Bates‚ which occurs offscreen and for no apparent reason‚ is never explained‚ nor the culprit ever#even hinted at; similarly‚ Philippa Gail's sheltered wife character is present when McGill is identified as an undercover operative and yet#her sudden discovery of that same fact later in the episode is treated as a twist which sets up the final showdown. these issues bothered#me even as a kid and i long wondered about possible deleted scenes or post production issues which may have caused problems; alas Pixley is#for once no help at all‚ his bible making no mention of these narrative issues. it does tho provide a lovely little story about Peter#Halliday‚ terrified of his impending fight scene with Bradford (having heard about his tendency toward rough realism) throwing himself at#the star's feet and confessing cowardice in a (successful) attempt to break the ice and win him over