RANDALL AND HOPKIRK (DECEASED): THAT’S HOW MURDER SNOWBALLS
EPISODE 5 / ORIGINAL AIRDATE: October 19, 1969
DIRECTED BY: Paul Dickson
WRITTEN BY: Ray Austin
REVIEWED BY GP

“That’s How Murder Snowballs” was the fifth episode of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and is an entertaining whodunit written by stuntman and director Ray Austin.

The story’s premise involves Jeff Randall (Mike Pratt) and his ghostly partner Marty Hopkirk (Kenneth Cope) attempting to solve the murder of variety revue mind reader Fernandez (Tony Thawnton), one half of a famous mind-reading act Fernandez and Abel as he and Jeannie watch a variety show at the Palace Theatre, actually the Palace Theatre in Watford, Hertfordshire England, Abel being an early cameo role for David Jason. Jeff and Marty’s widow, Jeannie (Annette Andre) witness the killing where Fernandez is shot dead during a part of the act whereby Abel presents the gun used in this part of the act to a member of the audience. Fernandez has to guess which part of the gun the bullet (supposedly a blank will be fired from.

It is here that writer Ray Austin and the usually superb director Paul Dickson slip up. The murderer is so obvious than anyone watching really closely can solve the mystery before the opening credits.

For all that the story has a collection of fascinating characters including Fernandez’s ex wife singer and dancer Gloria Marsh (Grazina Frame who would make regular appearances in the Frankie Howerd comedy series UP POMPEII) who had had a hit LP in 1961, the rather camp Chirographer Kim (Stuart Hoyle), dancer Kay (Valerie Leon who was known for advertising the aftershave Hi Karate in the 70s), David Jason later famous for such series as Open All Hours, Only Fools and Horses, Darling Buds of May and A Touch of Frost Fernandez’s partner Abel who is wrongly arrested for his murder, Patrick Holt who four years later who find fame as the Squire of Beckindale Mr Verney in the early years of the British soap opera Emmerdale Farm as Jeff Randall’s old school friend and now a top reporter called Barry Jones.

Jones gives the story an interesting aspect which offers a pleasant distraction from the simplicity of the actual Whodunnit in the question of morality as Jones pays Jeff well for the information he has provided. Jeannie displays distaste for this by snapping at Jeff “Well did you get your blood money?” to which Jeff merely replies “The Rent’s due”. The fact that Jeff displays no compunction in indulging in a bit of skulduggery is also clearly displayed when his old nemesis Inspector Nelson (Michael Griffiths) appears at the Palace Theatre.

With Marty’s help Jeff goes undercover as Abel and Fernandez’s mind-reading replacement described by theatre manager Lang (Harold Behrens) as the best mind reading act he has ever seen. As Jeff searches the two hampers used by Fernandez and Abel we see the attractive legs of a blue skirted woman, (or is she?), slowly approaching the room where Jeff is having been directed there by stage manger Snowy (Are you Being Served’s Arthur Brough). Jeff’s investigations are interrupted when the woman sends a shelf falling towards him.

Jeff’s investigations reveal that Fernandez and Gloria had once been man and wife. Some years ago she had been involved in a drunken car accident whereby she had killed someone and Fernandez took the blame to save her from prison. With this hold over her, he refused to allow her a divorce when they grew apart, and demanded money from her while cheating on her with a string of other women. When Gloria takes a lover of her own.

Working out who the murderer is Randall, with Inspector Griffiths in tow asks the cast and staff of the revue to be on the stage in half an hour. The murderer goes on a rampage attacking Kay, and putting her in hospital with a dire warning from the doctor at the moment she has a greater chance of dying than living. Having attacked snowy by punching him viciously in the stomach. It is one of the faults of the story that we see Kay unconscious in her hospital bed with an intravenous drip but we do not find out whether she recovers or not although Marty is standing over her.

Back at the theatre the murderer fires at Jeff several times and he falls from a stage rope to which he had been clinging. With the murderer under arrest Barry Jones visits Jeff in hospital followed by Marty who although he can’t eat has developed a fondness for dining out, having been at table in the Savoy Hotel with the British Prime Minister of the time Harold Wilson.

“That’s How Murder Snowballs” is one of the most enjoyable episodes of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) despite the fact that it is incredibly easy to solve. The characters are all very entertaining and we see an unusually unscrupulous side to Jeff Randall which shocks even Jeannie. Paul Dickson’s direction is both subtle and skilled and he is not to blame for the fact that the murderer is obviously seen within the first couple of minutes. The story ranks up there with “My Late Lamented Friend & Partner, Murder Ain’t What It Use To Be”, and “The Ghost Who Broke The Bank at Monte Carlo” as one of the very best episodes and stands up to continued rewatching.