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Journey To The Unknown - Ep.4 Miss Belle [ 1968 ] uk
Storyline:
Journey To The Unknown was a British TV anthology series made in 1968, by Hammer Film Productions Ltd. It has a fantasy, science fiction and supernatural theme. It sometimes featured American actors and actresses in the episodes' leading roles, such as Vera Miles, Barbara Bel Geddes, Patty Duke, Carol Lynley, and Brandon De Wilde, along with familiar British actors such as Dennis Waterman, Jane Asher, Nanette Newman and Tom Adams. Seventeen episodes in all were made.
Eight episodes were twinned to make four feature length films with added linking material. The New People and Paper Dolls became Journey into Darkness (1968), hosted by Patrick McGoohan, Poor Butterfly and The Indian Spirit Guide became Journey to Midnight (1968), hosted by Sebastian Cabot, Matakitas Is Coming and The Last Visitor became Journey to the Unknown (1969), hosted by Joan Crawford and Do Me a Favour, Kill Me and The Killing Bottle became Journey to Murder (1971), also hosted by Joan Crawford.
The series had a memorably famous whistled theme tune by Hammer's Harry Robinson and title sequence involving a deserted and apparently haunted Battersea fairground.
Cast:
Cast
Episode cast overview:
George Maharis ... Stephen Drake
Barbara Jefford ... Miss Belle Weston
Kim Burfield ... Robert
Adrienne Posta ... Girl
Drake is an American drifter resident in England . He finds work at the home of Miss Weston who is guardian to her niece Roberta but is Roberta all she seems ?
You can't help noticing that this series is split in to two types of story . One is a generic murder type mystery while the other is a supernatural type story . You'll can't fail to notice that the supernatural episodes are much stronger than the murder ones . Miss Belle is the exception to the rule, there's no ghostly shenanigans instead we have a psychological thriller where sexual repression and the damages it causes is at the heart of the subtext
What makes the episode work so well is the casting . George Maharis as Drake is stereotypical American beefcake with a mannerism straight out of the Clint Eastwood school of acting . He could have easily been a one dimensional character but his performance lights up the screen . Likewise Belle Weston could have been equally clichéd but Barbara Jefford manages to make her her character so much more than a hammy repressed lesbian . I'll say no more about the story since I don't want to ruin it but it's a great episode on which to end the series
Over all JOURNEY TO THE UNKNOWN was a great show. It did have a fair amount of clangers but these are quickly forgotten after seeing the stand out episodes such as Girl Of My Dreams , Eve and this one
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