After a driving accident, Drake finds he has a £500 gambling debt at a club he has no knowledge of, yet the staff seem to know him, and the club's manager, Mr. Alexander knows all about Drak... Read allAfter a driving accident, Drake finds he has a £500 gambling debt at a club he has no knowledge of, yet the staff seem to know him, and the club's manager, Mr. Alexander knows all about Drake's career with M9, and plans to blackmail him.After a driving accident, Drake finds he has a £500 gambling debt at a club he has no knowledge of, yet the staff seem to know him, and the club's manager, Mr. Alexander knows all about Drake's career with M9, and plans to blackmail him.
Photos
- Casino Patron
- (uncredited)
- Casino Patron
- (uncredited)
- Woman at Party in Silk Gown
- (uncredited)
- Casino Patron
- (uncredited)
- Casino Patron
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
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- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaA copy of the James Bond novel "From Russia with Love" is clearly shown as part of Drake's library. The edition used is the movie tie-in paperback featuring a photo of Sean Connery on the cover. Bond regular Desmond Llewelyn also appears in this episode.
- GoofsWhen the doctor is examining John Drake (at around 18 minutes), the clapper board is visible in the doctor's head mirror.
- Quotes
Mr. Lovegrove: [after taking up Elaine Peasson's off of coming in for a nightcap, he's surprised to find it isn't Ms. Person's home, nor is she the reason for Drake being asked in. Sitting in the den is Mr. Lovegrove, who's now out to raise his bet against John Drake] Now to business.
John Drake: The day I do business with you, Mr. Alexander, is, uh, a long way off.
Mr. Lovegrove: [Mr. Alexander's sitting on a setee facing Drake] I admire you, Mr. Drake - professionally, of course.
John Drake: [Calmly lighting his cigarillo] I can't imagine our businesses have very much in common.
Mr. Lovegrove: Of course not. My word, I am enjoying myself. Now I feel that you could be a very dangerous enemy, Mr Drake, so I'm so very delighted that you're on my side.
John Drake: [Barely looking up from lighting his cigarillo] I think you ought to see someone about your fantasies.
Mr. Lovegrove: [Mr. Alexander chckles] Mr. Drake, you should talk about fantasies. I beg you
[laughing]
Mr. Lovegrove: not too much my doctors assure me that my heart is in the right place. It hangs there rather precariously.
John Drake: [the clock next to Drake starts to toll] It's late. I have a hard day tomorrow.
Mr. Lovegrove: [Drake sees Alexander's reflection, as he gets ready to leave] Of course you have. That's one of the things I admire about you - your restless energy, your constant drive.You chose an interesting profession.
John Drake: [Slightly nervous] The travel business Is as good as any of earning a living.
Mr. Lovegrove: I know. But there's one thing that has puzzled me though.
John Drake: [Still speaking to Alexander's reflection] What's that?
Mr. Lovegrove: How it is that the impeccable John Drake of Chelsea Mews, South, often travels under an assumed name, and indulges in... what shall we call them... 'unusual activities.'
[Drake walks up next to Alexander]
Mr. Lovegrove: [Close up of Alexander's hand, holding a deck of cards, he starts to deal] what were you doing in Cannes now, as Mr. Simons?
[Drake sits opposite Alexander and looks down at his picture on the card just dealt. Alexander continues]
Mr. Lovegrove: Cairo as Mr. Ryder? Maxwell Ryder? And in Africa as Major Sullivan?
[Drake's 3 fingers are nervously tapping]
Mr. Lovegrove: I've followed your career for more than a year now.
[Drake's staring at Alwxander, his usually calm, detached face showing a hint of uncalm]
Mr. Lovegrove: I just wanted to make sure my original hunch was correct.
John Drake: [Drake lowers the cigarillo, and says in a voice rarely heard; nervous] Which was?
Mr. Lovegrove: [Drake's now standing, facing a mirror] You work for the government, Mr. Drake. Oh, not by selling stamps over a post office counter. 'Spy' is a melodramatic word. 'Agent' is nicer.
John Drake: [Looking down at Alexander] Travel agent.
Mr. Lovegrove: No, Mr. Drake. Shall we say an 'agent who travels.
John Drake: You're out of your mind.
- ConnectionsReferences The Maltese Falcon (1941)
- SoundtracksSymphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74: I. Adagio - Allegro Non Troppo
Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The rest of this story is supplied by Drake's subconscious: A duel of wits in which the hobo he passed on the road right before his accident morphs into the suave, sinister (and much better groomed) music lover and casino owner Mr. Alexander (Francis de Wolff), whose unsavory deeds range from attempting to blackmail Drake to passing secrets via microdots on gambling chits.
What's impressive about this episode is the way it's framed from the first as a dream, and evokes the alternating logic/illogic of a dream state quite nicely, without succumbing to the temptation of going wildly overboard. Just a subtle, gathering wrongness (like every clock you see during the episode shows twelve o'clock) and unsettling discontinuities (such as the title character, Mr. Lovegrove, who -- to put it mildly -- wears many hats in this story) leading to an appropriately bizarre and manic crescendo.
Adrienne Corri is Alexander's sleekly sexy and unfailingly sarcastic assistant, Elaine; the inimitable Patsy Rowland plays "Mrs. Farebrother", a casino habitué who supplies comic relief, as well as some timely help and advice. And Desmond Llewelyn ("Q" from the Bond movies) brings his perpetual air of disapproval to his role as the casino's doorman.
In both style and substance, this is a fairly unique entry in the "Danger Man" series. In fact, it strongly reminded me of the sort of mind games and skewed sensibility which would become a standard for "The Prisoner". (Incidentally, the Australian band Dead Can Dance appropriated the title of this episode for a track on their 1993 album "Into the Labyrinth".)
- henri sauvage
- Jun 26, 2009
Details
- Runtime51 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1