0-0. A Magnum for Schneider.

Callan (Edward Woodward) plays a war game
against his target, Schneider (Joseph Furst).

Air Date: February 4, 1967. Written by: Terence Feely, James Mitchell. Based on the Novel, A Red File for Callan, by James Mitchell. Directed by: Bill Bain. Produced by: Leonard White.


THE PLOT:

Colonel Hunter (Ronald Radd), head of an unspecified British intelligence section, has a problem: Schneider (Joseph Furst), a German-born businessman, whom Hunter has marked for death. Only he doesn't want the Section connected with the killing.

Callan (Edward Woodward) used to be Hunter's best assassin. But he was too "soft" - He was bothered not only by the deaths of innocents, but by those of his targets as well. Now stuck in a thankless job under an abusive supervisor (Ivor Dean), Callan is desperate to return to a world that has a place for him. But though he agrees to kill Schneider, he decides he must first know why - and in the process, finds that he personally likes his target, even as he despises the men he works for.

Callan menaces his contact, Lonely (Russell Hunter).

CHARACTERS:

Callan: Edward Woodward's performance arrives basically fully-formed. He is physically unimposing. He mostly alternates between seeming morose and, when sharing with Schneider his enthusiasm for battles with model soldiers, almost childlike. But he will turn on a dime, sometimes in mid-line, and become truly threatening - as when his street contact, Lonely (Russell Hunter), starts to walk away after one insult too many only for Callan to freeze him in place with a single, hard look.

Hunter: Ronald Radd matches Woodward's performance with a dominating screen presence. He doesn't really do much. But with his cold, unruffled manner, he makes it clear at all times that he is in control - so much so that when he stammers slightly in his final scene, after things don't quite go to his plan, this tiny shift instantly catches our attention. Later, "Hunter" would become a job description, a title denoting all section chiefs. Here, it seems clear enough that it's simply the man's name.

Schneider: Though Schneider is the story's ostensible villain, Joseph Furst wisely never plays him as such. Late in the episode, Callan notes that he likes Schneider and hates Hunter, and in many ways Schneider is Hunter's opposite. Schneider as warm and affable as Hunter is cold and aloof. Schneider enjoys his ill-gotten gains with the attractive young Jenny (Francisca Tu), who seems genuinely fond of him, and with his games of strategy with model soldiers; if Hunter has any enthusiasm in him, we don't see it. It's easy to see why Callan hesitates to act on his contract, as it's hard even for the audience to truly hate Schneider even once his secrets are revealed.

Callan receives orders from the hated Col. Hunter (Ronald Radd).

THOUGHTS:

The first Callan episode (based on the first novel) actually belonged to a different series: Armchair Theatre, a series of weekly plays for television. Even before it aired, a series was planned - likely why the series followed so quickly, and with only one major casting change (Callan's rival, Meres, is here played by Peter Bowles; Anthony Valentine would replace him in the series proper).

Callan serves as very much an anti-Bond. He is working class, morose to the point of depression, and borderline alcoholic. "I'm not particularly nice," he says at one point, and it's true. He has an adversarial relationship with both of his employers. He is casually abusive to Lonely, the man he relies on to get him a gun to complete his assignment. The only person to whom he is genuinely pleasant is his intended target!

Still, the story balances Callan's unpleasant traits carefully, making sure we are on his side throughout. The opening establishes that he has problems with killing, and that he ran afoul of his superiors by wanting to know why his targets were selected. Though he agrees to kill Schneider, he hesitates, breaking into the man's home and office to find out what he did; it's unspoken but clear that he will only go through with it if Schneider is guilty. He is also shrewd, anticipating that Hunter might try to make a patsy out of him and countering that. All of this makes him the hero by default - Less callous than his employers, less amoral than Schneider.

More than 50 years later, the episode holds up well. Performances are strong across the board, and the simple-yet-moody theme is such a perfect fit with the tone, I was actively surprised to learn that it was not specifically composed for it (it's a library piece, titled Girl in the Dark). Pacing is good, and other than one poorly-choreographed moment of violence, it's rather well-made.

A Magnum for Schneider would be an excellent television play in its own right, and it's no surprise that it led to a rapid series pickup.  I can't imagine that a better pilot to Callan could have been produced, and it stands up as a fine piece of television today.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Next: The Good Ones Are All Dead



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