User Reviews

Episode 14, "Death and the Other Monkey" opens with biologist Guy Wallingford (Richard Burrell) insisting that his test monkey has not only been stolen, but also replaced, while his two associates, Nell Lawrence (Gudrun Ure) and Clarence Bartow (Victor Platt), both deny that the animal was ever taken. All three are conducting cancer research for the acclaimed Sir George Watkins (Percy Marmont, whose daughter Patricia appeared in the future episode "Error at Daybreak"), the former boy wonder who achieved his initial success over 30 years before (shades of Dr. Richard Daystrom in STAR TREK's "The Ultimate Computer"). Nell is now engaged to Clarence, which doesn't sit well with the love-stricken Guy, who is later found dead in his apartment, suffocated by gas while he slept. Inspector Ames (Ewan Roberts) is convinced it was suicide, but Colonel March believes otherwise, and the solution brings to mind the plot of an 1878 novel called "The Leavenworth Case," which inspired two Hollywood versions, one in 1923, the other in 1936. Future director John Schlesinger, who did the 1969 Academy Award-winning "Midnight Cowboy," was an actor until 1963, and his appearance as the dutch cook Thornbull is the final link to the chain of events that lead to the killer's identity. Karloff really enjoys playing this sophisticated investigator, who displays many of the actor's own quirky characteristics and humor.

A young man, Guy Wallingford, bursts into March's office and exclaims "They've stolen the monkey." Guy explains that he he had already talked to Inspector Ames and that Ames told him to go to March saying that March "handled the monkey business end of the profession." Guy is a brilliant but mentally unstable scientist who works at the lab of the eminent scientist, Sir George Watkins. Guy and two other researchers are doing cancer research using monkeys to test their theories. Guy insists one of the test monkeys has been substituted. Guy becomes increasingly distraught and when he later is found dead from gas, Ames readily believes it to have been suicide. There is a very clever solution to the mystery which March in his usual urbane manner sorts out. However, I believe even medical research experiments using animals is just plain wrong and so this episode was distasteful to me.

Death and the other Monkey starts off on pretty straightforward fashion, but as it develops it becomes slightly bonkers, that's about the best word for it.

The slightly hard to believe events, such as the other Monkey are hard to fathom, but the conclusion of this one is fiendishly clever, it is worth persevering with some of this one's foibles, because the ending is definitely worth it.

Nicely acted as always, the class of Karloff once again shines through, his irritations with The Detective on the case cause a few moments of humour.

Great ending, 7/10.