Gideon's Way picspam (1965)

[thisbluespirit]

Gideon's Way was a 1960s ITC show about Commander Gideon of Scotland Yard. I was watching it because one of its episodes features David Collings as an emotionally disturbed young man who goes round London in a mask stealing girls' hair.

It is amazing the things that you don't need to make up about his career, it really is.

This picspam has mainly Mr Collings, but that's not me being biased, the episode is nearly all him. Sadly, it also upset me for reasons, which is a shame because otherwise my main problem for this entry was how many close ups of the young David Collings does a person need in a picspam? it's not in colour, though.

(It was dealing with mental illness, but then remembered it was an ITC action thing shot on film and wound up with drama at knife-point and on roof-tops and I was already shaky from the weird camera angles. Aargh.) So, do note, if such things trouble you, there will be references here to mental illness and suicide.

For liadt, who put this picspam on her Fandom Snowflake wishlist, and who is curious about the ring David Collings wears in 60s things. Never say that I don't grant wishes from time to time. ;-)

There is a sinister figure lurking round 1960s London in the fog in a mask!


So, you know, I don't know what that was I just watched, but it did at least have a lot of David Collings.

Gideon's Way is now my least favourite of the old TV I've seen, but I do mean to watch some more of it at some point - there are episodes by Malcolm Hulke and Norman Hudis (who wrote the early Carry Ons) and an episode with Angela Douglas. But it meshes kitchen-sink type things (the whys and hows of people becoming mixed up in criminal activity) with the very packaged adventure style of ITC serials and it feels very weird, even in the other episodes I saw.

Comments

[mab_browne]

While I don't share the DC obsession :-) I've always been interested in him and enjoyed his work - so thank you for this very thorough pic spam.

[thisbluespirit]

Ha, I don't know what's with the obsession myself, either. I wish I did; I'd be less worried. :lol: (Something to do with seeing him in things when I was tiny, I think.) Glad you enjoyed the picspam - and he has certainly had an interesting career. It's been great watching so many of the old things he's been in that I might not otherwise have got round to seeing.

[wytchcroft]

B'Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!
oh crikey.

[thisbluespirit]

:loL:

You never know what you will find in old TV.

[wytchcroft]

LOL! Jeremy Brett probably!

but these pics are fab :))

oh btw; question: Am i late on this or has no/one noticed the resemblance to Dr 9...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Jones_Made
i'm calling it - that's where the 'look' comes from, IMO.
and i still think David Harewood will be the next Doctor...

[jjpor.livejournal.com]

This could either amuse or appal you, but I have to confess that my immediate and instinctive reaction on seeing that first picture of the young Mr Collings with short hair was "Turlough?!"

;)

[thisbluespirit]

Yes, it appals me! I am APPALLED. ;-p

I suppose there's a shifty bloke with ginger hair link there, true. :loL:

[gillo]

Those scars are hilarious. They move all over the place and then disappear.

He reminds me oddly of Damian Lewis.



I think I'm far better off for having seen pretty pictures with your commentary than if I'd watched it for myself. It's a service to humanity you're doing there!

[jjpor.livejournal.com]

:D

I think it's more the put-out expression he's got in that one where he's talking to his evil mum. Understandable, in the circumstances, though.

[singeaddams.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping it was the mother who was gassed and chased over the rooftops. Also, forget Turlough, the pinkie ring reminds me of Barnabas Collins.

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry you were upset by the episode, but I still loved your picspam. ::is obviously a bad person:: :o\

Yes, every week you got David Collings lurking about in the shadows. He is the scariest thing in London.)

I always suspected that of him.

(Making this the second time I've seen David Collings in a role where he's engaged to someone. In this one she killed herself; in the other he killed himself. So, I now assume in all things where his character is married, that there must have been a very short engagement, thus enabling everyone to survive to the wedding.)

I'm thinking of that Miss Marple ep where he's married to Bunch (I think that was her name) and giving the local bigwig pitying looks for *not* being married to Bunch, as Mrs. Bigwig is obviously inferior. Thank goodness it was a short engagement - he seemed so happy with her. :oD

[swordznsorcery.livejournal.com]

From the first pictures I thought he must be a dastardly murderer. A dastardly stealer of locks of hair is just slightly less dramatic. ;) And he does look a bit like Turlough! Only here, with his hair so short, though. And possibly being so much younger than I'm used to.

It became quite fashionable for blokes to wear a ring on the little finger of their left hand back then (often the right instead if they were married). Everybody was at it. It began as gay code, and spread into the entertainment industry in particular, probably in big part due to the Rat Pack. Hello pointless trivia. :)

[pedanther]

I'm hoping it was the mother who was gassed and chased over the rooftops.

+1

[thisbluespirit]

Heh. This is obviously the David Collings red-headed look-alike post. :loL: (Well, I like Damian Lewis, too. He's always pretty good in stuff.)

I think I'm far better off for having seen pretty pictures with your commentary than if I'd watched it for myself. It's a service to humanity you're doing there!

Ha, I like to think of it that way! On the other hand - not this particular show, though - I have seen some great things I wouldn't otherwise have watched this way. But, yeah, this one not so much really.

[thisbluespirit]

I wish. Sadly, it was Inspector Keen who scaled the roof-tops in order to throw tear-gas at David Collings who was holding the girl at knife-point.

*sigh*

:-)

[thisbluespirit]

No! Or at least, no more a bad person than I am for finding the idea of wee David Collings as a terribly sinister threat ridiculous, even when he wears a mask and jumps out a girls on foggy nights...

I'm thinking of that Miss Marple ep where he's married to Bunch (I think that was her name) and giving the local bigwig pitying looks for *not* being married to Bunch, as Mrs. Bigwig is obviously inferior. Thank goodness it was a short engagement - he seemed so happy with her.

Aw, yes, Bunch and Julian. ♥ They're even cuter in the book. A Murder Is Announced is definitely one of my favourites. I expect they hastily eloped. It's the only explanation...

[thisbluespirit]

From the first pictures I thought he must be a dastardly murderer. A dastardly stealer of locks of hair is just slightly less dramatic

Not according to the incidental music, I tell you. :-)

Ah, no, that's interesting about the ring. I'd seen other people sometimes wearing one in 1960s things, so had gathered it was a fashion thing. Hadn't realised there might be other things behind it. (liadtbunny was curious - so was I, really - because he wears it in this, The Strange Report, Special Branch and UFO, so presumably it's his own. Anyway, worrying obsessiveness ahoy. *cough* :lol:)

[liadt]

\o/ for the picspam and granting my wish, though I can see now why you didn't like it. And for the close up of the ring, the most important thing XD. I was worried he'd suffocate himself sniffing hair(?). How short is David Collings' hair? Looked longer in 'Julius Ceasar'! Explains all the extreme close-ups if he had longer hair the director wouldn't have bothered in my informed opinion(!). Personally I thought he looked like Buster Keaton (I like Buster) in close up on the pic captioned "Which upsets him alot...", I think short hair makes his eyes look bigger.

Alexander Davion's not as pretty as Rago (Ronald Allen) in the Avengers, I nearly fell off my sofa, Sylvia James is one make up artist! Malcolm Hulke wrote for The Avengers that's my OT excuse.

[thisbluespirit]

:-)

It wasn't too difficult a wish to grant, since I did always intend to picspam it, really!

Okay, clearly this is the official David Collings look-alike post, I just forgot to announce it... :lol:

[liadt]

LoL

Do I win a biscuit for being the only person not to compare David Collings to another red head, Louis Walsh style?

[thisbluespirit]

Okay, here, have a disgestive! ;-p

[liadt]

Ta, chocolate caramel I presume? (Like a streamrollered twix)

[thisbluespirit]

Ooh, you're high maintenance - how about a Rich Tea?

;-p

[liadt]

OK, as long as it's not a nice biscuit. I like nices but nobody else likes them, therefore I reguard them as biscuits of insult(?).