Tales of the Unexpected (TV Series) Stranger in Town (1982) User Reviews

Wonderful performance

[omendata · 8/10 · 30 January 2021]

I am currently reliving my childhood by watching the full series 1-9 of Tales Of The Unexpected on the wonderful new Sky Arts+ Channel on Freeview and I have to say this is one of the best of the series and one I must have missed when I wur a nipper.

As I have not seen the original 1952 short film on which it was based but it actually has the same director/writer, I am judging it on no pre-conceived notions of which is best other than to say the ending is most Unexpected, unlike i would say 70% of the series so far. Replete with a masterful performance by the wonderful Derek Jacobi aided and abetted my Hyacinth Buckets husband and quality actor Clive Swift, not only that but into the bargain we get a young performance by none other than Jennifer Connolly in a very, very early role.

Swirl all this together into an evocation of a past I remember as the "good old days" and it takes me back like a time machine to an era where foul language, gratuitous violence, over sex and puerile acting were not even a thought and it made my day and what a good and unexpected day it has been after watching this delightful reminder of a time when good script and ideas combined with quality actors were not in short supply as they are now!

Early 1980s Norwich

[repo136 · 7/10 · 3 March 2021]

The wonderful Derek Jacobi makes this whole episode with his brilliant performance as an eccentric magician strolling the streets of a market town entertaining everyone who happens to meet him. Most of the episode is shot on location in the bustling streets of Norwich city centre (being that Anglia Television is located nearby) and it is great to spot the shops of yesteryear. A nice twist as well that pays off beautifully.

Beware a cunning fool

[nqure · 8/10 · 5 July 2021]

I enjoyed the idiosyncratic quality of this episode as an apparently good-natured eccentric arrives in a small town and proceeds to charm the local people with his exuberant behavior and fantastical tricks.

This episode almost had an other-worldly quality to it and it was interesting to read that it was remake of a British short made in the early 1950s. Quite a few reviews mentioned how the film had left an indelible mark on their childhood memories. You wonder if someone like Stephen King might have caught it on US terrestrial tv/seen it during a cinematic feature. It has that sinister sort of quality associated with his work.

The Pied Piper figure lures the towns-folk into a false sense of security; he has much more murderous intentions on his mind; and his cunning guise is simply a ruse to cover his tracks. Yes, it's quite implausible but then we are asked to suspend our belief as viewers, and I personally enjoyed this tale. I enjoyed how the early scenes were choreographed to the accompaniment of 'Swedish Rhapsody'.

Sir Derek Jacobi is excellent as the eccentric, jester-like figure performing with a comic flourish but whose real intention is to commit the perfect murder. It is his alter ego Columbus which provides him with this cloak of invisibility. Sally Potter, in conversation with Wendy Toye, (mid 1980s), described how the play was really about actors and the disguises they adopt.

...........................................................

Interestingly, Alan Badel played the Stranger in the original production. He went on to play a highly lauded portrayal of Edmond Dantes in a 1964 BBC production of 'The Count of Monte Cristo', a story which inhabits a similar milieu, a man in pursuit of deadly revenge and adopting a series of disguises to achieve this goal.

Top episode headed by Derek Jacobi

[aramis-112-804880 · 24 February 2023]

Derek Jacobi plays a flamboyant newcomer calling himself Christopher Columbus. He dresses wildly, acts mad, does magic tricks and charms the children like a veritable Pied Piper. And he's pretty pied. But does he have an ulterior motive? Nahhh.

Jacobi's performance highlights this late entry in the series. He grips one's attention with his first line of narration. He charms the viewer as much as the children.

Clive Swift has a fairly thankless role any competent actor could play. And he has little camera time.

The resolution takes a long time but there is a nice, switch ending. The acting is never overwrought, as some of these episodes can be.

"They'd never seen anything quite like me before."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 26 October 2021]

The whimsical nature of this episode is suddenly turned on it's heels in the final moments of the story, as a newly arrived stranger in town demonstrates his ability to perform the perfect crime. And not just any crime, but the murder of a man who framed the unlikely named Christopher Columbus (Derek Jacobi) for murder fifteen years earlier. 'Columbus' wins the confidence of the area's citizens by being a jovial if eccentric sort, befriending the locals with his odd behavior, and playing the Pied Piper to the town's children while buying them treats on their daily parades through the city streets. Patiently laying his groundwork for a period of ten days, Columbus eventually makes his way to the office of businessman Latham (Clive Swift), and proceeds to entertain him with an assortment of magic tricks before stating his real intention. On the face of it, and as described by Columbus's narration, this 'perfect crime' proceeds without a hitch, as Columbus makes his getaway without all the accouterments that made him highly visible before. Personally, I don't think this crime could have gone unsolved knowing there were people who saw the clownish Columbus enter the Latham business office, along with Latham's secretary. At the very least, one would start by assuming Columbus must have done it, and attempt to trace the killer's retreat back to the only person in town who had now gone missing. In due time and with the proper diligence, I think this crime could eventually be solved.

Be careful when you trust a fool.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 15 February 2016]

A wildly dressed stranger arrives in town, dressed in wildly coloured clothes, demonstrating his magic skills as he walks, building up a following of people who are simply dazzled by him, he books into the local hotel as Christopher Columbus. Soon after he's the life and soul of the village, funny, popular and entertaining, he sets to meet local businessman Mr Latham, to show him some magic tricks.

It is brilliantly written, all the smoke and mirrors, hiding a dark story and deeper motives. I love the transformation in the episode itself from happy, jovial little tale to sinister and intricate mystery.

Derek Jacobi is a legendary actor, he has done some amazing acting over the years, and I'd class this as one of his best ever performances, he is just dazzling, possibly one of the best acting performances in the show's history. Clive Swift is very good too, so often the good guy it's nice to see him cast against type.

Fantastic episode, entertaining, funny, dark, I love it. 9/10

Decent if unspectacular Tales of the Unexpected episode.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 11 April 2008]

Tales of the Unexpected: Stranger in Town is set in a small English town & starts as an eccentric old man (Derek Jacobi) arrives on the train, he wears a bright patchwork multi coloured coat, a top hat & entertains all the kids he comes across with amusing if somewhat useless magic tricks. The odd stranger spends ten days in town until virtually everyone there knows him & his oddball ways. Then on the tenth day he pays local businessman Latham (Clive Swift) a visit & reveals himself who he really is & why he is in town...

All the fives episode 5 from season 5 this Tales of the Unexpected story originally aired here in the UK during May 1982, the last thing ever directed by Wendy Tove Stranger in Town is actually a remake of The Stranger Left No Card (1952) which was in fact the first thing she ever directed. The script was by Sidney Caroll who also wrote the script for The Stranger Left No Card, to be honest I have never seen The Stranger Left No Card so I can't say how close the two resemble each other but by all accounts they are virtually identical. Anyway, Stranger in Town starts off in very Disney like fashion with some eccentric bloke in a multi coloured coat acting like a five year old wherever he goes in town, then there's a somewhat satisfying if a little predictable twist ending which rounds things off nicely. Like a lot of Tales of the Unexpected episodes Stranger in Town revolves a crime, at first glance a well thought out crime but has this guy never heard of finger prints? You can change your appearance sure but you can't change your finger prints... To spend ten days in a town & not leave your finger prints anywhere is a bit of a stretch. The basic concept is one of slight of hand that magicians use, the trick is to divert your audience's attention & make them look at something else & then when they are looking in one direction to make your move in the other.

Shot entirely on location on 16mm film Stranger in Town looks quite cinematic & is reasonably well made. The one thing that always impress me about Tales of the Unexpected is the cast, here Sir Derek Jacobi stars no less, British telly veteran Clive Swift makes an appearance & Stranger in Town marked the on screen debut of Oscar winning actress Jennifer Connelly.

Stranger in Town follows the same pattern as a lot of Tales of the Unexpected episodes with it's clever 'perfect' type crime scenario, that's fine if you enjoy stuff like that & Stranger in Town is fine example.

Catch the original movie!

[satwalker99-1 · 5/10 · 18 September 2008]

This is a nice,entertaining short that wastes little time in its telling & deserves its award. I am referring to the original Film production directed by Wendy Toye (once better known for her career as a dancer). As I recall it was released as a programme "support" & "introduced" the later versatile actor,Alan Badel( a sort of poor man's Alec Guinness) as "The Stranger" who is never identified. It also used the popular "Swedish Rhapsody" tune for the music. As a one-time minor Civil Service film society secretary in Westminster (London)in the 60s I recall I booked it for a show as a 16mm reel from the BFI. It has had one or two showings on TV - possibly BBC2 or Channel 4 way back so it could always pop up today,unexpectedly. I agree that this "Tales" version does not stand up to the former despite D Jacobi who probably is more at home as a daft Roman Emperor. If one thinks about it, the story could lend itself to both a decent little ballet or decently directed "silent" as it uses little dialogue. But whoever attempts the seemingly "odd" lead the twist to this tale should always bring a chuckle if not a few ideas....

What a rip-off!!

[djh255 · 15 January 2007]

This episode is a blatant copy of the far superior "The Stranger Left No Card" (1952) q.v. But since that award winning British short seems to be no longer available I suppose we can't fault the producers of the series 'Tales . .' for enabling its audience to experience this gem of a story of the perfect(?) crime. But once you've seen a classic original nothing comes close and although Derek Jacobi does his best he is woefully let down by a usually reliable Clive Swift in his pre 'Keeping Up Appearances' days who plays the villain more like a friendly old grandfather. And with modern police methods no way would this prank be successful today. Maybe not even then.