When Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) was syndicated to American commercial TV stations in the early 1970s, it was retitled My Partner the Ghost. TV Guide recently described its concept best as a cross between The Avengers and Topper. The original 1969 version may not have the flash of its 2000 remake, which is currently airing on BBC America, but its inventiveness makes it a great deal of fun to watch. It's no wonder it has achieved a cult status.

DVD set 1 supplies the first 13 of its 26 episodes on four discs. Following are the ones viewers can expect to find:

"My Late Lamented Friend and Partner": Jeff Randall (Mike Pratt) and Marty Hopkirk (Kenneth Cope) are best friends and partners in a small private investigation firm. Marty is run down by a car and killed in the midst of a divorce case. Knowing his death was no accident, Marty appears to Jeff the night of his funeral. Marty wants his murderer brought to justice and only Jeff can see or hear him. However, if Marty leaves his grave during daylight, he will be cursed to wander the earth for 100 years before he can go back. Unfortunately, just as his case comes to a breaking point, he has to choose between avoiding daylight or saving Jeff from a dangerously precarious confrontation where he may die.

"A Disturbing Case": Marty's widow, Jeannie (Annette Andre), is being visited by her sister, Jenny (Judith Arthy), when they witness Jeff talking with Marty. Since they see only Jeff's half of the argument, they believe he is in need of professional therapy. Unfortunately, the clinic they choose to send him to is using hypnosis to manipulate its affluent patients into giving up their worldly goods, among other things.

"All Work and No Pay": Jeannie is offered a job as a client hunter for a couple of brothers who claim to be spiritualists. Unbeknownst her, they are using electronic means to convince her that Marty is trying to communicate with her.

"Never Trust a Ghost": Walking the streets of London late at night, Marty witnesses a man being murdered in his own home. Marty talks Jeff into going to the house to see how things are going, only to find the man alive and well.

"That's How Murder Snowballs": Jeff and Jeannie take in a vaudeville-style show when the mindreader is killed on stage. With Marty's help, Jeff goes under cover and on stage as a mindreader to find the perpetrator.

"Just for the Record": Jeff and Jeannie are hired to escort contestants of the Cities of the World beauty contest around the city, but Marty soon notices that Miss London is up to no good at the Public Records office.

"Murder Ain't What it Used to Be!": Jeff takes the job of being a bodyguard to a mobster's daughter; Marty comes face-to-face with the ghost who's haunting the mobster.

"Who Ever Heard of a Ghost Dying?": When Jeff takes on a case investigating thefts for an insurance company, the reward sounds too good to be true. Little does he know that the gang he's working to catch is fully aware of Marty and are using Marty's paranormal association to foil the police's effort to apprehend them.

"The House on Haunted Hill": Even though one client is paying Jeff a bonus for his exclusive attention on a case, he accepts a job with a real estate agent who is having problems selling an old Tudor house because people believe it is haunted. Marty, on the other hand, is too nervous to enter the haunted house on his own.

"When Did You Start to Stop Seeing Things?": People believe Jeff is setting up some executives to be murdered, which he vehemently denies. Jeff ignores Marty and he has no inkling why. When both Marty and Jeannie notice Jeff lying to the police, they wonder what has come over him.

"The Ghost Who Saved the Bank at Monte Carlo": Marty's aunt hires Jeff as a bodyguard for her trip to Monte Carlo. She has developed a formula for winning at roulette that actually works. Unfortunately, her good fortune has also caught the notice of some ne'erdowells.

"For the Girl Who Has Everything": A ghosthunter who has taken on more than he can handle hires Jeff to help him out on his current case, but it soon becomes clear that the woman who has everything also has a cheating husband.

"But What a Sweet Little Room": Jeff is hired by the niece of wealthy widow after she has disappeared. Jeannie goes undercover to catch the varlet who last saw the aunt in his own game.

After a void of 30+ years of not regularly viewing Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), seeing it again is great nostalgia. Not being interrupted by commercials is an even bigger bonus. People who have only seen the recent remake may be disappointed in its slow pace and old fashioned special effects, but in the original viewers spend more time becoming familiar with the characters and seeing them interact more. Jeff is the dashing man about town who has a way with the women, or as much as he can be since he's usually skint. Marty is the worrier, constantly fretting over his beloved wife and always concerned about doing the right thing. Sensible Jeannie is efficient with horrible spelling skills, but has been seen to hold her own when caught in the middle of fisticuffs. Inspector Large (Ivor Dean) is always the cop who seems to be pulled into Jeff's problems and sees him as a pest.

The quirky characters and situations are also fun to follow. Although Jeff is the only one who can generally see or hear Marty, there are a few exceptions. It is always amusing when Marty meets a psychic medium or someone who claims to be one. In one psychiatrist's office Marty finds patients can hear him under hypnosis, with amusing results where everyone is confused.

The biggest criticism about its storyline is a logistical issue over its title. Jeannie, like almost all married women of the 60s, took Marty's name. When he died, she took Marty's place as his partner in the business. She may not have been the original Hopkirk, but she is certainly alive. Why was "Deceased" added to the business's name? Granted, it's a great tease for the concept of the series, but it seems out of character that Jeannie would agree to it. In many respects, the title used for American distribution works much better.

All of the regular cast puts in fine performances. Pratt (Invasion: UFO, Cakes and Ale) is convincing as constantly challenged Jeff Randall. He conveys the alternating frustration and depression over his financial problems that well. As Marty Hopkirk, Cope (Brookside, Carry on Matron) is in the moment when he argues over the stresses of keeping their business going. Andre (Crossroads, Maigret) plays Jeannie with a confidence not many 60s female characters were permitted. Even the less seen Dean (The Saint, Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde) is persuasive in expressing Large's frequent irritation.

One of the funnest parts of watching old TV shows like this is spotting the familiar actors, looking so much younger, in guest appearances. This one is even more special since it's rare to find these excellent British actors on American TV. Among the names of note found in this collection are Ronald Lacey (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Red Sonja), David Jason (Only Fools and Horses, Darling Buds of May), Brian Blessed (The Black Adder, Star Wars: Episode 1--The Phantom Menace), Carol Cleveland (Monty Python's Flying Circus, Monty Python and the Holy Grail), Freddie Jones (The Count of Monte Cristo, David Copperfield), and Lois Maxwell (Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever) (okay, the latter is technically American, but she obviously resided in the UK).

Any resemblence to The Avengers is more than a coincidence. Several of its creative folk moved on to Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) when the former wrapped for good. Among them were Ray Austin, Cyril Frankel and Leslie Norman for directing and Dennis Spooner, Donald James, and Tony Williamson for scripts. Cope and Andre also put in some appearances on the older show, as well as many of the guest cast who appeared on Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased).

Since this series's initial showing in the UK during 1969, it has achieved a cult status among TV fans. In other words, the ratings may not have been big enough to really impress broadcasters, but the fans it accumulated are more devoted than those of other shows. And why not? Like Star Trek, it was more original than many others that were airing.

On the other hand, it shows its age. It's hard to believe how much on-screen smoking there is. Pratt is lighting up or puffing in at least half of the scenes he appears. (It is no irony that he died of lung cancer in 1976.) Seeing women's fashions of the time makes me shiver in discomfort. Those very short miniskirts barely covered women's rumps and really limited their movements. Then there are those great big false eyelashes. Even if a woman was free from allergies, those lashes can sometimes be itchy or painful.

Also fun to see are some of the vintage shots of London, where the series takes place, many of which were recycled from episode to episode. Its cars and technology are also a hoot. Filmed during the 60s, it's hard to be harsh about its special effects, although sometimes the strings are visible and anyone with a critical eye can tell when the blue screen technique is being used. The gimmick of dressing all ghosts in white was a distinctive one. The theme, composed by Edwin T. Astley, is electronically synthesized and has an eerie, yet compelling, quality. The incidental music, which is well-timed, adds to the show's style.

This DVD set both benefits and suffers from some of A&E's common production practices. The picture and sound for all of the episodes are very well reproduced with few, if any, scratches, spots, or hisses. Unfortunately, A&E completely overlooks providing any alternate languages, including closed captioning. I also found it irritating that as an episode finished playing, it reverted back to the main menu with no option to let those on the same disc to run continuously. In addition, when the play button was pressed, it first went to chapter selections, requiring viewers to press the play button a second time to actually start the episode. On the plus side, the special features it includes are a photo gallery, cast biographies and filmographies, and the London episode of Haunted History, the History Channel's excellent documentary series of true ghost folklore.

All in all, the time spent rewatching Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) was good value. This is a buddy show with something a little different. It's highly recommended for anyone who doesn't always take ghosts too seriously. It's one I expect to watch over and over again.



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Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12