ABTS AND ENTEBTAINMENT Box Populi Jasper Shrig On The Trail

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30979, 8 February 1966, Page 10

ABTS AND ENTEBTAINMENT Box Populi Jasper Shrig On The Trail

Who are the great detectives of fiction? Mar- viewers if they had to answer the question, would plump for Sherlock Holmes, Inspector Maigret, and Hereule Poirot. Few, I am sure, would include Jasper Shrig. But Shrig, the Bow Street runner, who appeared on our screens in “The Loring Mystery” last week, is entitled to inclusion among the “greats.” His creator, Jeffrey Farnoi, is vaguely remembered as a writer of romantic adventure stories in a period setting. Shrig is a more enduring character than those Farnol wrote of in such novels as “The Broad Highway” and “The Amateur Gentleman.” He is a true detective—patient, tenacious, determined, and incorruptible.

“The Loring Mystery,” which was not attributed to Jeffrey Farnoi in the programme notes, was the first -in a series from the 8.8. C. under the title of “Detective.” There are better stories to eome from the file; the first was only an average one of its kind. It had a place in the series because it had an unforgettable character. The high-flown dialogue and the conventional plot were forgotten when the Bow Street

runner appeared and announced: “I’m Shrig, of Bow Street Capital coves is my meat.” ■

Any viewer who had read “The Broad Highway” or ‘The Amateur Gentleman” could have identified ‘The Loring Mystery” as pure Jeffrey Farnoi without being given a due. It had the wicked, crippled baronet with lusting arms, the rightful heir come to claim his birthright, and a typical Farnoi heroine—a red-haired “tempestuous petticoat” of a girl, the little vixen who was proud as an eagle. Even when translated to the television screen some of these people seemed to speak in capital letters like the Farnoi characters of long ago. But the melodrama did not mar the mystery; the grim figure of Jasper Shrig dominated every scene.

When the 8.8. C. presents a period piece or an adaptation of a classic it never seems to lack a fine actor for the leading role. Patrick Troughton, remembered by many viewers as Quiip in “The Old Curiosity Shop,” played Shrig, and played him superbly. He cut through all the high-faluting nonsense to present Jasper Shrig as a menacing, relentless figure. There were times when Shrig appeared to have some of the Cockney cheerfulness of Sam

Weiler, but they were infrequent His chief concern was with the capital act and the capital coves—murder and murderers.

“The Loring Mystery” is unlikely to induce viewers to seek out Jeffrey Farad's novels which were written many years ago. But those who watched it can give him credit for the creation of Jasper Shrig, a detective who will not b. overshadowed by Sir John Appleby, Roderick Alleyn or Philip Trent, some of the other “greets” still to appear in “Detective.” ♦ » •

Detectives in the Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett tradition have become know as private eyes to readers of American crime stories. “Candid Camera” is a private eye kind of programme although it has nothing to do with detection. It brings unsuspecting people in front of a camera so others can laugh at their reactions, and is supposed to be amusing. But the sooner this private eye is closed the better I will be pleased. Programmes of the “Candid Camera” type have been criticised overseas as a form of intrusion of privacy, and the N.Z.B.C. is reported to have taken a long look at the series before deciding to buy it. The corporation should have taken a longer look. The episodes I

have seen so far have been pointless and not particularly funny. There are many better ways to amuse TV audiences; the “Candid Camera” method is a cheap way of raising a laugh. The humour of “Candid Camera” is pitched at a low level; and the jokes are carefully explained so that nobody misses the point. But basically the programme is unfair to its victims. They are trapped in front of the camera, and have to smile and make the best of it when made to look foolish. And the intelligent viewer wonders whether each episode is genuine, whether the victims have some inducement to appear so dumb? # * *

People-baiting is not really funny. If I want a laugh I prefer to watch “Mr Ed” instead of “Candid Camera.” A talking horse is ridiculous, and some viewers think the programme is childish. But last week I was genuinely amused by Mr Ed’s encounter with a parrot which had watched too many medical programmes on TV. Even the most serious-minded viewers would have responded to a parrot which called repeatedly for Dr. Ben Casey (apparently it had not seen Dr Kildare) and kept instructing everyone to “remove the gall bladder.” —Argus