1-03. The Death of Robert E. Lee.

Air Date: July 22, 1967. Written by: James Mitchell. Directed by: Robert Tronson. Produced by: Terence Feely, Lloyd Shirley. MISSING, PRESUMED WIPED.

This review is based on the camera script, available in the .pdf archive on Disc Three of the Callan: This Man Alone DVD set.


THE PLOT:

Hunter makes a deal with two CIA operatives, who agree to trade sensitive information in exchange for an American-educated Chinese operative, Li Pa Chao (Burt Kwouk), who is better known by the name he called himself in the States: General Robert E. Lee. The Americans don't care whether Lee is delivered alive or dead, so long as they can identify him.

Hunter decides to use Jenny (Francesca Tu), the former mistress of Schneider - Callan's target from the pilot - to send a message to Lee. He hopes to lure Lee to Callan by making it known that Callan can find his father. When the CIA realizes Hunter's plan, they go to Callan directly, on the grounds that the government would rather pay Callan in money than pay Hunter in information.

Now Callan and Jenny find themselves reluctant allies as they attempt to evade Hunter's men while setting up a rendezvous with Lee. Navigating a web of American, Chinese, and British intelligence operatives, it's a situation in which any mistake could instantly prove fatal...


CHARACTERS:

Callan: When the CIA agents approach him, he seems initially inclined to chase them off. He changes his mind due to a combination of the Americans' money and the realization that Lee will be coming for him regardless. He manipulates Lee's assumption that all he cares about is money... but he is quite happy to profit from the events of the episode, remarking at the end that he should have gone freelance a lot sooner.

Hunter: He may tolerate Meres' nastier tendencies, but that doesn't mean he shares them.  When a drunken Meres abuses Jenny, Hunter reacts with open disdain. He even modifies Jenny's message to Lee in order to embarrass Meres as punishment.  Still, he makes use of the encounter, dangling the prospect of an unrestrained Meres to ensure the woman's cooperation.

Meres: Though earlier episodes have shown him to be unlikable, this is the first one to portray him as actively sadistic. Early in the episode, he bruises Jenny's wrist. Later, he threatens her: "I won't touch you. Not till you do something wrong And you will do something wrong... and I'll be waiting."

Jenny: The biggest surprise of the episode is the return of Jenny, with substantial amounts of dialogue referencing her relationship to Schneider and Callan's role in his death. She is much more central to this episode, and gets choicer material as a result.  She sizes up Meres in her first scene, caustically assessing his willingness to threaten those who are weaker or older than himself, and declares that she hates him far more than she does Callan. As the plot progresses, she admits to being frightened, and the alliance between her and Callan is both convincing and enjoyable.

Robert E. Lee: The villain of the piece. American educated, at the insistence of his capitalist father, but utterly loyal to Mao Zedong and his Communist government. He is well-spoken, and presents himself as almost humorous when first introduced, but it is clear that he will kill anyone without a hint of remorse. It is a great pity that this episode is missing, as I suspect actor Burt Kwouk was splendid in the role, likely bringing a depth to the character far beyond the lines on the script pages.


THOUGHTS:

In my review of Goodbye, Nobby Clarke, I noted that if an episode had to be missing, then at least that one didn't seem like much of a loss. Reading The Death of Robert E. Lee, by contrast, leaves me absolutely gutted at its absence. Even in script form, the story is absorbing. The stakes are high for all the characters, each of whom has his own agenda - including Lee himself, who in the course of one scene goes from being a MacGuffin to a man with plans of his own.

It is the first episode to discard the template of Callan being tasked with killing/disgracing someone he likes. Instead, Callan is put into the middle of a complex situation, navigating it in a way that allows him to come out ahead. It showcases the character's intelligence and ability to improvise. We also get a lighter Callan, cracking jokes (he first identifies himself to the CIA agents as a Martian) and being protective of others. The character becomes more conventionally likeable as a result, and it's done in a way that doesn't undermine his previous characterization; he's the same man, but we're seeing additional layers to him.

Scenes I would particularly enjoy seeing if this episode was ever found include: The first display of Meres' sadism, and Hunter's disdain for that side of him; Callan's alliance with Jenny, which grows less uneasy as the episode progresses; and Burt Kwouk's performance as Lee. Honestly, the script is largely a joy to read (though as a camera script, action scenes are largely undescribed and confusing), and I would have dearly loved to have seen the actual episode.


Previous Episode: Goodbye, Nobby Clarke
Next Episode: Goodness Burns Too Bright



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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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