No.99 "Yes gentlemen?"
No.6 "We've come to inspect your books."
No.99 "They've never been inspected before!"
No.6 "There's always a first time."
No.99 "Yes, well come in gentlemen. I think you'll find everything in order."
No.99 has been the General Store shopkeeper since, well since the arrival of the Prisoner here in the village. He has always been a loyal, and conscientious member of the community, well until that episode of Checkmate. When No.6 and No.53 recruited No.99 as part of the gang who, in a daring escape attempt, managed to contact M.S. Polotska a boat which they hoped would come in-shore to pick them up, and take them away from the village. More than that they tied No.2 up in his very own office!
But there was something of a cock-up, a mistake on the part of No.6, as No.53 applied the same test to No.6 as he had applied to others. So No.53 convinced himself that No.6, because he taken control of this little enterprise, that No.6 is in fact a guardian, and therefore he convinced the others and so released No.2 so that he could then act against No.6.
Observers of this episode will know that those who took place in the escape attempt will be, like the white Queens pawn, returned to the chessboard. However, we do not see this shopkeeper-No.99 again. Certainly he is not reinstated as the shopkeeper, as next we see in the General store in hammer Into Anvil.
Unlike his predecessor, No.12 is a weasel type of character, and more than that, an informer! As it is he who reports the strange behaviour of No.6 in his Emporium, listening to the Davier recording of Bizet's L'arlesienne suite.
But what could have happened to No.99? No.2 said that those conspirators would be returned to the chessboard, in other words the village, yet we do not see him again. So is there another reason for No.99's demise, other than trying to escape? Could there be a clue in No.6's fake audit of No.99's books? It is possible that this gave the village administration an idea of checking No.99's books themselves, and having done so for the very first time, as No.99 said himself "They've never been inspected before!" And during that audit of 99's books, they were found wanting! This is the only reason I can find as to why No.99 was not returned to the chessboard.
Our own reporter
The shopkeeper seems confused about his number. When serving Number Six with a map the shopkeeper's badge gives his number as 19. But, moments later, as he waves a happy 'Be Seeing You' to our departing hero, the number on his badge has mysteriously changed to 56. Now you say he was Number 99 in Checkmate (one of his fellow escapers is now wearing the 56 badge). I think the shopkeeper has identity issues that will need treatment at The Hospital.
ReplyDeleteHello Anthony
ReplyDeleteCompliments of the season to you.
You are perfectly correct in your observation. It is quite inexplicable as to why the Shopkeeprr {Played by Denis Shaw} should have his badge changed from 19 to 56 in mid-scene so to speak.
Also in 'Arrival' the Ex-Admiral has the number 66, and so too does the Prisoner's personal maid. What's more there are two ex-Admiral's in 'Arrival. The one played by Frederick Piper with whom No.6 plays chess, and the one the Prisoner passes at the 'Free Sea' on his way to the Labour Exchange.
Strange things happen in the Vilage, or should I say on the set of 'the Prisoner!'
Regards
David
BCNU
Hello Anthony,
ReplyDeleteThe Shopkeeper is not the only one with 'Identity Issues,' because I have always thought the Shopkeepers number in 'Checkmate' is 99. So after your comment I did a little pictorial research in 'Checkamte' and found his number to be 19, agggggh! Which just goes to demonstrate my infalabilty at times.
Regards
David
BCNU
Perhaps it is another Village double? One shopkeeper drops down behind the counter while his 'clone' pops up wearing a different badge. In The Village anything is possible.
ReplyDeletePS Regarding the passing around of the 66 badge in Arrival: The taxi driver who gives Number Six his free ride home from The Hospital also seems to be wearing a 66 badge!
PPS Always enjoy reading this blog :-)
Be seeing you,
Anthony
Hello Anthony,
ReplyDeleteThe Shopkeeper has a clone? Well as you say anything is possible in the village, and there are other twins in the village, the electrician and the Gardener in 'Arrival,' not to mention No.113b and the tally Ho newspaper dispenser operator in 'Free For All.' And years ago there was the theory that Curtis of 'The Schizoid Man' is a clone of No.6, but I didn't buy into that theory.
Really!! The oriental taxi driver also sports the number 66, I know she has the number 10 on her badge at one point. I'll have to take a look at that scene again. Hadn't spotted the 66 badge.
Regards
David
Be seeing you
Not the first taxi driver but the second, who gives Number Six a ride home from The Hospital. You get a good - if brief - look at her badge as Number Six leaps out of the taxi to storm up to the Green Dome for his confrontation with George Baker's Number Two.
ReplyDeleteHello Anthony,
ReplyDeleteOf course, I always forget about the second taxi driver who collects No.6 from the hospital in 'Arrival.' 66 seems to be a popular number. I wonder what Doris Martin {continuity} was doing all through the filming of 'Arrival?'
Regards
David
Be seeing you