"Five Fall into Adventure"

[Viking Star]

Fantastic Petermax. Thanks!

What a brutal 'thwack' as Dick hits Jo at the end. How could you Gary?

[Gary Russell]

Those of a delicate disposition please look away. Fight Scene

What a bitch! And as for her!!!

[Pippa-Stef]

[Dick Kirrin]

Five fall into adventure is my favourite story of the series. The way it was turned into a TV episode in 1978 is just great.
The episode is rather gloomy, which is reflected in the acting. They all do a very good job, so let's just highlight some of the best parts:
Markhoff looks scary enough, he looks like he would actually use his pistol, Red Towers really looks the part of a Chief Villain (if there are Chief Inspectors, there should be Chief Villains, too).
The way Julian and Dick play "good cop, bad cop" with poor Jo is absolutely fabulous. The way Jo looks when she is troubled by her conscience is very realistic. Just the way someone might look who stands to either betray one's dad to the police or to let very bad things happen to four children and a dog who one likes. Jo and Dick, there are hints of affection in the book which have been nicely put into the film. (She unties Dick first, although Julian is closer to the door and generally treats her in a more friendly way. And the undertones when they speak to each other... )
Dick and Julian out to rescue poor George and Timmy, and Dick's comments about Julian's managing the situation are just great. If my big brother got me running round and round in circles trying to get out of a wood while my much-liked cousin is in danger, and then leading me to an island just to be captured and shamefully being left tied up in a dark and damp-looking room, well, my reactions might have been along the same lines.
The way Anne is on the one hand very worried about the rest of the Five while on the other hand trying to keep Rogers out of the game is very remarkable, so I wouldn't say that she is sidelined in the story. "Where are the others?" - "Nowhere special. They are just hanging around", there is some irony in that, considering that the others cannot do much else just then. Markhoff and Red Towers have seen to that.
The kids carrying Timmy to the beach, and then the scene with Markhoff ("Get out of the boat and come to me .......... slowly.") are just great pieces of child acting. George in the caravan, struggling against her bonds was a bit too brutal for the German TV back then, a pity considering Michelle's wonderful acting.

[Jack400]

Moved from 'General Natter Room'.

I've just watched "Five Fall into Adventure" (1970s series)- The ending doesn't impress/please me at all. Basically, they take a phone call from Uncle Quentin (who is in Spain) their answer is to put the phone down. If that happened to me(by four kids that I was responsible for) that would be the last time they'd be on holiday alone (together). Pretty much the end of the FF series! Of course, the books thankfully were different...

[Lucky Star]

There sure are a lot of old nostalgic names on the previous posts of this thread.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Gosh, yes - I hadn't realised most of the posts were from 2008!

[Nick]

Wonder what Petermax and Viking Star are doing these days?

[nlgbbbblth]

Just re-watched this today.
One of the best of the entire series.
Agree that Markoff is deeply sinister, absolutely horrible in fact - in 1979 he gave a couple of my friends nightmares. The actor died a few months later.
Red Tower actor was in Softly Softly Taskforce. Welsh Sergeant. Not likeable there either.
Love Jo's torn loyalties.

[Debbie]

I've just watched it for the first time. I'd agree Markoff is sinister, even if inept at catching children. Red Tower didn't feel anything like as horrible.
It's the only adventure where Anne totally chooses to stay behind, and I think they portrayed her worry as a stay-at-home really well. The responsibility of having to be the one to decide when to go for the police!

One thing: Dick (I think) describes Jo as climbing "like Tinker's Monkey" and I don't think they meet Tinker's monkey until Demon Rocks, so if you go by the book order then they wouldn't have known the monkey.

And I'd agree about the ending: Why did they just leave the phone? Although it was a difference from the usual laugh, which is odd because it was something they would have genuinely laughed about.

[Jack400]

I imagine that they were trying to have a "different" ending- to the 'usual' standing around and false laughing ending(that used to puzzle/bore me). But, as I wrote earlier, and I imagine- you are commenting on- it is a stupid ending. ( See my post on 5th December 2018)

[Debbie]

I imagine that they were trying to have a "different" ending- to the 'usual' standing around and false laughing ending(that used to puzzle/bore me). But, as I wrote earlier, and I imagine- you are commenting on- it is a stupid ending. ( See my post on 5th December 2018)

It's an odd one to choose not to have the laughing at the end. Most of the end of episodes the reason for the laughter feels forced, but that one would have seemed quite natural.
To walk away leaving the phone off the hook does come across as uncharacteristically rude from the five-especially as there was nothing to merit walking off.
I wonder if it was a spur of the moment decision not to have them laugh for that one, so not really thought through.

[number 6]

One for Gary Russell, me thinks. He should be able to shed some light on the reason for the ending, assuming he reads this post! Alternatively, you could ask the same question on the Famous Five locations thread.

[Gary Russell]

I dion't know. I certainly guarantee we were all overjoyed not to be laughing. But it's in the script that it ends that way so it was decided a long while before we filmed it.

[Rob Houghton]

It was strange how many children's TV series' ended with 'fake laughter' at the end - as if to signify everything had come right in the end. In fact growing up in the 1970's I presumed that was the accepted and 'correct' way for children's TV series' to end! Obviously it happened in The Famous Five (and also quite often in the 1990's FF too!) - and it happened quite often at the end of 'Scooby Doo' and probably a few others too.