tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9036104775563265647.post8267801504969126098..comments2024-03-25T12:31:58.169+00:00Comments on David Stimpson: Prismatic ReflectionDavid Stimpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15196038086564981619noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9036104775563265647.post-32283577929221413482021-01-03T09:05:31.649+00:002021-01-03T09:05:31.649+00:00Hello again Clancy,
I have always imagined tha...Hello again Clancy,<br /> I have always imagined that tunnel in ‘Fall Out’ to be rather short, and emerging from that tunnel was but the start of the journey home, which may well have taken two or three days, depending on the speed of the vehicle, whether they drove all day and night, and the route they took.<br /> As for Mrs. Butterworth, I should think she had only arrived in the village shortly before the Prisoner, and only had time to pin on the badge and not enough to change her dress. Either that or she was showing individual tendencies by wearing that dress, like No.86 did in ‘A Change of Mind.’ But really Mrs. Butterworth would have changed that dress before travelling.<br /> And when it comes to both ‘Many Happy Returns’ and ‘Dance of the Dead’ there is the question of the cat. Can we really believe it was the cat who smashed that cup and saucer? And in ‘Dance of The Dead’ No.2 claims the cat to belong to her, and yet the cat appears first in ‘Many Happy Returns’ an episode which precedes ‘Dance of the Dead’ in the screening order, and yet not in the production order when ‘Dance of the Dead’ is the second episode in the series. If we go by that order No.2 must have left the village leaving her cat behind, thereby it becomes the village cat!<br /> Poor old No.6, how very uncomfortable for him! My favourite episode is ‘Arrival,’ and I was 12 when I first watched it. ‘Fall Out’ I didn’t get it all, and it was almost 10 years before I was able to watch it again in 1976.<br /> Should you wish to talk further and more directly, here is my email address stimpyfor6@msn.com but please do not feel pressured into doing so. I always enjoy talking to fellow Prisoner fans.<br /> I have enjoyed out little chat.<br /><br /> Take care and stay safe<br />Best regards<br />David <br />David Stimpsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15196038086564981619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9036104775563265647.post-67695318135417664172021-01-03T09:04:24.942+00:002021-01-03T09:04:24.942+00:00A very happy New Year to you Clancy,
I was mos...A very happy New Year to you Clancy,<br /> I was most interested to read your comments. There were four ladies who worked on ‘the Prisoner’ who were responsible for continuity on it, and there are times when I wondered whether or not they were taking any notice of what was going on. Because its not just the change of blazer in the same scene in ‘Free For All,’ they didn’t seem to notice that the shopkeeper in ‘Arrival,’ when the Prisoner goes to buy a map of the area, actually wore two different numbered badges.<br /> Originally in the final scene in ‘Many happy Returns’ Mrs. Butterworth was to have given No.6 a birthday present which was wrapped in a copy of The Tally Ho. When No.6 unwrapped the present he read the headline of the broadsheet “Plane Lost Over Sea. No Hope of Survivors.” To me that suggests the plane would have had to ditch in the sea, the pilot probably picked up by the crew of M. S. Polotska. But as it is the plane probably landed at the airstrip near to the landing stage, as you suggest.<br /> Ah yes the location of the village, there are those who are of the opinion that the village is located at the end of the A20 somewhere near Dover. While others believe it’s near the town of Deal in Kent because that’s where Drax had his rocket base in Ian Flemings book ‘Moonraker.’ Having calculated and researched the possible location of the village, there is really only one location and that’s on the south west coast of Portugal, because the village has to be located on an estuary of a river. Most people think the village is on an island because the RAF Group Captain suggests it might be an island. If it was then the tunnel would be a very long one in order to reach the mainland. There is also another factor about the type of plane chosen for the reconnaissance mission, because it has been calculated that the Gloster Meteor jet wouldn’t have reached RAF Gibraltar because of lack of fuel, the jet doesn’t have external fuel tanks for a prolonged flight. In this regard, and many others, you will find my book ‘The Prisoner Dusted Down’ of interest. Its available direct from my publisher at<br />Quoit Media Limited - The Prisoner Dusted Down - Book DVD CD Media Publishing<br /><br />Or from Amazon<br />The Prisoner Dusted Down: A Personal Examination of The Prisoner TV Series: Amazon.co.uk: David Stimpson: 9781911537090: Books<br /><br /> DavidDavid Stimpsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15196038086564981619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9036104775563265647.post-79283238235819921832021-01-02T18:00:52.133+00:002021-01-02T18:00:52.133+00:00I've also never known about the alternate endi...I've also never known about the alternate ending with the Tally Ho on Many Happy Returns. If nothing else, substituting that for the birthday cake scene would have definitely killed the excruciating irony of the pun of finding himself back in the Village on his birthday. Mrs Butterworth also managed to skedaddle from London to the Village before P got there managing to wear the same dress!<br />Personally, Dance of the Dead is my favorite episode, even though the first time I saw it (I was 13-14) I completely failed to understand the significance of the teletype, nor why No 2 was laughing -- . I'm glad they saved this ending for this episode.<br />Clancy T.R. Clancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07006703919981365974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9036104775563265647.post-78674368652958788612021-01-02T17:53:57.153+00:002021-01-02T17:53:57.153+00:00Happy New Year 2021, David,
I just disoovered you...Happy New Year 2021, David,<br /><br />I just disoovered your blog after my most recent re-watching of the series, I don't know how many times since 1969 (in the USA). I'm interested in your thoughts on continuity. Over the years I've learned to accept that strict continuity isn't a priority with most screenwriters. I'd think this would be especially the case when McGoohan and a raft of writers were improvising even as they were shooting. I'd never thought about the fate of the pilot on Many Happy Returns. I'm not sure he would have had to ditch the plane. Wherever the Village was, transportation in and out was via helicopter, and they have a limited range. There had to be a landing zone in close proximity to the Village, which may have included a runway, so the jet could have landed there. <br />I've always been more troubled by about the location problem of the Village in Many Happy Returns v Fall Out. In MHR the prisoner locates the Village by his own navigation as somewhere WNW of the African coast--and on an island. Very unlikely to be a short tunnel drive from there to the UK. Maybe you've written about this elsewhere. I'd be interested in your thoughts.<br />Cheers,<br />ClancyT.R. Clancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07006703919981365974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9036104775563265647.post-32343558273400161862016-05-29T13:03:50.981+01:002016-05-29T13:03:50.981+01:00Hi David . .
Yes..the villagers wouldn't hav...Hi David . .<br />Yes..the villagers wouldn't have cared a wit about seeing a newspaper article on the "death" of Number 6.<br />However , I think it would have been a great psychological bit to show how the NEWS can be manipulated too....what we read may have been adulterated.<br />However , Patrick McGoohan may have thought that it would have been TOO explanatory...that the mystery of what happened to the pilot was a better idea . <br />Also...since the "trade" of the pilots was not shown...how can we be sure that it was not a pre-planned event?<br />The newspaper article would have answered the questions about the pilots...and if the pilot was on a SUICIDE mission ! <br /><br />BCNU <br />Karen Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11216072285740409212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9036104775563265647.post-25534037263178349752016-05-29T09:22:27.623+01:002016-05-29T09:22:27.623+01:00Dear Karen,
I think the plane was either ditch...Dear Karen,<br /> I think the plane was either ditched in the sea, the pilot having been picked up by the crew of M. S. Polotska {The Village vessel} or it landed somewhere. Certainly it could not have returned to R.A.F Gibraltar, not without the navigator {Number 6} and it wouldn’t have had enough fuel to return to England without refuelling first. <br /> As for Number 6 being presented with a copy of The Tally Ho bearing the headline “Plane Lost Over Sea. No Hope of Survivors,” should have been presented to him on the front page of a newspaper to be distributed in the outside world. Because what did it matter to the citizens about a plane lost at sea, with no hope of survivors? They could see for themselves that Number 6 wasn’t dead!<br /><br />Best regards<br />David<br />Be seeing youDavid Stimpsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15196038086564981619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9036104775563265647.post-44064930421383538192016-05-24T22:07:52.667+01:002016-05-24T22:07:52.667+01:00Hi David,
Another WOW moment, as I had never seen ...Hi David,<br />Another WOW moment, as I had never seen that the ending of Many Happy Returns was different than what we see.<br />The original ending would have been awesome if she had brought both the birthday cake AND the news article about the plane going down...as it was quite jarring to see her stroll in with the birthday cake....but for her to give him a newspaper and say those lines....WOW!!!<br />However, without the newspaper and the explanation about the plane going down ...we are left with the mystery of what REALLY happened with the pilot....did he really knock out or kill the original pilot? OR was HE the original pilot and able to go back and land?<br /><br />BCNU<br />KarenAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11216072285740409212noreply@blogger.com