A year before London welcomes the world to the Olympic games there is rioting in several parts of the capital as youth gather allegedly in response to social media contacts via the mobile phone and break into stores to steal goods for their personal use and to sell within their community.
A police raid countering gun crime stopped a vehicle and the occupant was shot and killed in circumstances being investigated by the Police Complaints Commission. Family, friends and associates of the young man then held what was described as a peaceful march to the police station after which there was significant rioting in the centre of Tottenham during which shops were looted and set on fire and a running battle developed between the police riot squad and the young men.
This is the second time the area has rioted leading to the death of a police man on the last occasion in 1985 centred on the Broadwater Estate high density social housing but where considerable efforts over past decades result in a zero burglary rate and with an ethnic mix with some 40 countries being represented. The suggestion is that youths from outside the area used the march as a cover for their organised activity. Last night the lawlessness spread to central and South London including Brixton also scene of rioting two decades before and to other parts of North London including Islington and Enfield, Walthamstow and Ponders End.
It is possible there is no link with the state of moral of the police in London following the resignations of Commissioner and Assistant Commissioners and the inquiry into corrupt payments, or the attention given to the use of social media in revolutions in North Africa and attempted revolutions elsewhere; or the collapse of confidence in the capitalism system in the west as power moves to the East with China the increasingly dominant economy, or to government leaders taking an annual holidays with their families, Cameron in Italy, Osborn in California, Clegg returning this morning and Opposition leader Ed recovering fro his nose operation in Devon.
I try and cheer myself on a miserable Monday morning cold and wet with The Entertainer Chris Barber and his band Down home Rag; Baby won’t you please come home, The Entertainer, New St Louis blues, Ory’s Creole trombone; Bourbon Street Parade; High Society/When the Saints; Stevedore stomp; The Sheik of Araby; Georgia Cakewalk Li’l Liza Jane; Burgundy street blues, On the Sunny side of the Street; when the saints go marching in featuring Pat Halcox Monty Sunshine Lonnie Donegan Micky Ashman Ron Bowden and Ottile Paterson also Eddie Smith Dick Smithy Graham Burbage, Edmond Hall, Hank Duncan, Hayes Alvis Joe Marshall and, Ian Wheeler
I have recovered just about from Durham‘s bad defeat at the Rosebowl on Sunday evenings in 20 20 quarter final. The first game on Saturday evening was great with both teams scoring over 200 runs. Kent appeared unbeatable as Mahmood scored 91 and Van Jaarsveld 63 not out reached 203 for 3 setting a rate of 10 runs an over for Leicestershire with Paul Nixon celebrating his 40th birthday and last home appearance before retiring capped a home side performance as the team stood up at the plate and kept the score within reachable distance with McDonald 53, young and diminutive Taylor England hopeful scoring a quick 21 and Nixon himself just missing out on the making the winning strike with a creditable 31 off 17 balls. In this high scoring and entertaining game Kent scored 6 sixes 21 fours while Leicestershire 7 sixes and 23 fours reaching 206 with 4 balls left. At the end of the game Nixon was chaired off by the delighted crowd which had packed the small home side ground and he rose to the occasion showing his unbridled joy and joining in the fun. It was the first of the midlands/north clubs to win.
It was inevitable that Sunday would prove an anti climax as Somerset came from behind to beat Notts at an almost full Trent Bridge. Hales never to be forgiven for standing on the rope and claiming catch out made 78 to give the home side a chance with a score of 169 scoring 3 sixes and six fours, When Trescothick was out for 3 runs it seemed as if it was going to Notts day but Kieswetter 49, Pollard 47 of 25 with 4 sixes and 2 fours and Buttler saw the away team reach their second finals day in two years.
The less said about the Durham performance the better after losing the toss and Paul Collingwood staying home with a continuing bad back, Durham started well as Afridi was run out on the first ball by Borthwick who caught hold of a high pitching ball and through down the stumps and when Vince was caught of a high level shot from Onions with the total 26 and then another magnificent run out saw Adams go with the total 24 but then a bad over from young Borthwick. Who went 4 for 34 in the end and Benkenstein and Breese also unable to control the scoring rate to less than 5 an over, It was Blackwell who go the ball to spin missing the stumps to the side and just over several times but who also yielded runs going from two overs for 7 to 4 for 26 which meant that the home side reached what everyone said was going to be an impossible target of 154. I hoped they would make a better fist of it but were all out for 99 in the 19th over shattering hopes and dreams. The draw for finals day takes place this evening after the floodlit game between Sussex and Lancashire but it be that three of the most successful I day sides of recent year will again make the finals day another memorable occasion alas without the presence of Durham
I enjoyed Durham’s home championship game against Nottingham at the riverside last week although a draw always appeared the likely result as rain throughout the third day was forecast and proved accurate. Durham won the toss and decided to bat with Di Venuto scoring and excellent 132 but was later injured and did not bat in the second innings. It is understood he has a badly bruised finger. Captain Mustard made an excellent 88 runs not out as the home side reached a total of 351 runs and four batting points. Collingwood was out to Adams for 0 and Stokes making only 6. He still has pins in his broken finger which remains strapped and makes it difficult for him to hold the bat and he will not bowl for the rest of the season a double blow.
Although for Notts Voges 80 and Chris Read 133 runs not out the rest of the team failed to add more so that at 261 Durham had a useful lead rather than a commanding one given the extraordinary start where Notts lost four wickets with the total 21 and both Onions and Thorp on hat tricks.
Because of the interruption for the rain Durham decided to declare at 181 for 3 on the fourth day setting Notts total of 250 with 60 overs which seemed a risk taking challenge. At 37 for 2 the risk appeared to being paying off but the wicket offered little and Notts were not in the mood to lose the three points for the draw and the matched ended with a handshake 172 for 5 with only 6 overs to go. In form Voges scored another match save 68 runs not out.
Durham still lead the championship with 183 point from 12, Lancashire have six points less, Somerset now in third are 12 behind while Warwickshire who have played a game less are on 168. Notts look comfortable next with 134 and out of the relegation battle between Yorkshire and Worcestershire who are 17 points behind Yorks but with two games in hand.
The Championship and League football season also was underway this weekend and I was delighted to see that the first game of Wimbledon back in the League was being televised, As a school boy and young man my local club was Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park three stations away from Wallington or a couple of bus rides both via Croydon. In the opposite direction, a little further away was the other South Greater London club of Wimbledon Plough Lane via Sutton and Kingston, Whereas Selhurst Park was a natural Amphitheatre easily adapted to become a First division club with a capacity of 25000 Palace rivals were always Brighton and Hover Albion on the South Coast and Millwall and not Wimbledon.
I was not surprising therefore that when Wimbledon had to leave its Plough Lane site it ground shared with Crystal Palace for twelve years until 2002. The Club then moved to Milton Keynes as the MK Dons with the majority of supporters deciding to form their own club from scratch finding their own ground which they purchased and getting promotion five times in 9 years in order to enter the league this year. I have abiding memories of visiting the Plough Lane Ground when I went to purchase a ticket for a home game and was invited into the office where a seat ticket was taken out of the safe. This entitled not only a seat in the main and only stand but to the club where it was possible to possible to eat and drink at reasonable prices and watch the TV including re run of the match at the end. The second was to get a Cup final ticket in 1988 when they beat Liverpool 1.0 in the FA cup. Whereas Crystal Palace never made the Premiership, Wimbledon did. Unfortunately they lost their opening game 2.3 at home as did West Ham ion their return to the Championship. Meanwhile Brighton who like Wimbledon faced years of seeking permanent home and who now have a new stadium won their first game.
I used to watch Acker Bilk and his traditional Jazz band at the 100 Club so do not begrudge his popularity following the orchestral Stranger on the Shore the title of a 23 track CD featuring his talents from the period 1972-1986. I like Windmills of the Mind, As Time Goes By, Autumn Leaves and She’s leaving Homes standards. Music for Monday afternoon. I followed this up with George Melly with a collection featuring Digby Fairweather over the years and various friends. I loved Everybody loves my Baby; Georgia on my Mind and As time goes by, there are also Midnight Cannonball, Kitchen Man, Let’s call the whole thing Off; Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans, Mrs Gallagher and Mr Shean; God bless the child; T’aint No Sin; Backwater Blues; Goody Goody; The Big Butter and Egg Man; Winin Boy Blues; Straighten Up and Fly Right; Roll ‘em Petel; The Trudge.
The mood of melancholy continued to prevail. I had enjoyed an early (1924) Agatha Christie novel made into a film for TV in 1988, The Man in the Brown Suit.
According to Wikipedia the story of the novels is as follows
“Nadina, a "Russian" dancer receives a visit in her dressing room from Count Sergius Paulovitch. Both are in the service of a man they call "the Colonel", an international agent provocateur and criminal. After many years, 'the Colonel' is retiring, leaving his agents high and dry. Nadina has double-crossed the Colonel, however, keeping some De Beers diamonds from a crime years before. She now plans to blackmail the Colonel with the diamonds.
Anne Beddingfeld, a young English woman recently orphaned, longs for adventure and jumps at the chance when her father's solicitor suggests she lives with him and his wife in London. Returning from an unsuccessful job interview, Anne is on the platform at Hyde Park Corner tube station when a man falls onto the live track, dying instantly. A doctor examines the man, pronounces him dead and leaves, dropping a note on his way. Anne picks up the note which reads "17.1 22 Kilmorden Castle".
The inquest on the dead man, 'L. B. Carton', brings a verdict of suicide. In his pocket was a house agent's order to view a house for let – The Mill House in Marlow – and the next day the newspapers report that a dead woman has been found there – strangled. The house is owned by Sir Eustace Pedler MP. A young man in a brown suit is identified as a suspect, having entered the house soon after the dead woman.
Anne realizes the 'doctor' did not examine the dead man in an appropriate manner and gets suspicious. After fruitless investigations at Mill House where she finds an undeveloped canister of film, Anne finds out that Kilmorden Castle is the name of a boat sailing on 17 January 1922 from Southampton to Cape Town. She books a passage on it.
On board ship, Anne meets Suzanne Blair, Colonel Race, and Sir Eustace Pedler himself. In addition to his normal secretary, Guy Pagett, he has employed a man who goes by the name of Harry Rayburn.
At 1.00am on the morning of the 22nd, a young man staggers into Anne's cabin having been stabbed. Anne is able to dress the man's slight wound but the man is not in the least bit grateful and leaves after an altercation with her.
One evening on the ship, Colonel Race recounts a story of the theft of a hundred thousand pounds' worth of diamonds some years before, supposedly by the son of the South African gold magnate, John Eardsley and his friend Lucas. John and his friend were arrested but John's father, Sir Laurence, disowned his son. John Eardsley was killed in the War and his father's huge fortune passed to a next of kin. Lucas was posted as "missing in action". Harry Rayburn walks into the cabin as the story is being told, overhears it, looks sickly and leaves. Race reveals he himself is the fortunate next of kin.
Anne confides in Suzanne and they examine the piece of paper Anne obtained in the Underground station. They realize that the paper could refer to cabin 71 – Suzanne's cabin, originally booked by a Mrs Grey, a pseudonym for Nadina. Anne and Suzanne speculate that Nadina was the dead woman in the Mill House. Anne suddenly connects finding the film roll in Mill House with a canister of returned film that was dropped into Suzanne's cabin on night of the 22nd. They look in the canister and find uncut diamonds. They speculate that Harry Rayburn is the "Man in the Brown Suit".
Anne is attacked as she walks the deck of the ship. Harry Rayburn saves her. Anne amazes Harry with her knowledge of events in Marlow and at Hyde Park Corner station and suggests that Harry may be Lucas and the "Man in the Brown Suit". They again part on bad terms.
Once they arrive in Cape Town Anne is lured to a house at Muizenberg, where she is imprisoned in the attic by a bearded Dutchman. Anne overhears the Rev. Chichester speaking with the Dutchman about "the Colonel" wanting to question her tomorrow. The next day she escapes and makes her way back to Cape Town.
There she finds that Harry is wanted as the "Man in the Brown Suit" but has gone missing. Pedler offers Anne the role of his secretary on the train trip to Rhodesia, which she accepts at the last second, and is reunited with Race, Suzanne and Pedler, who has a new secretary named Miss Pettigrew.
In Bulawayo, Anne receives a note from Harry which lures her out to a ravine near their hotel. There she is chased and falls into the ravine.
Almost a month later, Anne awakens in a hut on an island in the Zambezi with Harry Rayburn, who rescued her. He reveals that someone deliberately caused her to fall.
Anne and Harry fall in love. Harry tells her of the diamond discovery he and John Eardsley made years earlier. They were duped by a young woman called Anita Grünberg, who substituted their diamonds for ones stolen from De Beers. After being listed as missing in action, Harry disappeared, coming to Africa under the name of Harry Parker.
Some time later he came across a man – Carton - and recognised him from the incident with Anita Grünberg. Carton is revealed to be the man who fell in the Tube station and dropped the note Anne found. Harry followed Carton to London and Nadina to the Mill House, but insists Nadina was already dead. He realised that the diamonds were probably still on the Kilmorden Castle. Anne confirms they were, and were handed to Suzanne in her cabin on the night of the 22nd.
Harry's island is attacked that night by a party led by the red-bearded Dutchman, but the two manage to escape and Anne plans to return to Pedler's party where she can keep an eye on developments. They exchange codes to be used in order that neither can be duped again.
Reunited with Suzanne, Anne is told that the diamonds are with luggage sent on with Sir Eustace. She also receives a telegram from Harry telling her to meet him.
Anne goes to the meeting with Harry and again bumps into Chichester, alias Miss Pettigrew. She is led to Sir Eustace, alias "the Colonel". Pedler forces Anne to write a note to Harry to lure him to the curio shop, which she does but she does not include their code in it. Harry turns up and Pedler is exultant – until Anne pulls out a pistol and they capture Pedler. Race turns up with reinforcements and Pedler tries to bluff matters out, but is unsuccessful.
Sir Eustace manages to escape. Anne is somewhat pleased, having developed a fondness for him. Race tells her that Harry is in fact John Eardsley, not Lucas, and therefore the heir to the fortune. Harry however has found his happiness with Anne, and they marry and live on the island in the Zambezi.”
Now apart from the having the same characters, diamonds and a boat voyage on craft called the Kilmorden Castle and some other basic story similarities, the setting and environment are changed for the film.
The main character Anne Beddingfeld and a female friend have been on holiday in Egypt and are at the airport with Anne complaining about their lack of adventure when she finds a man in Brown suit bending over a murder victim and then rushing off leaving her to hold a piece of paper on which is written and two other numbers plus Modern Castle. Because she is found looking over the deceased she is taken into custody while her friend returns home. Anne is then released with the help of a Gordon Race who insists that she takes the first plane out rather than stay to find out what happened and why. Anne sees a newspaper which reveals that another person has died at the villa of a Sir Eustace Pedler who was away at the time as was his secretary making a separate trip. The murdered woman was a well known night club singer and the man at the airport was with her (cannot remember the nature of their relationship).
Anne works out that Kilmorden Castle is a small ship with different levels of accommodation and she has sufficient funds after cashing in the airline ticket to take steerage class, a cabin without a porthole. On board she finds in the first class area with Sir Eustace Pedler played by Edward Woodward, and his secretary who he bullies, and Gordon Race together with a suspicious looking clergyman the Rev Edward Chichester and a much married (3 times) lady who knows Mr Race.
Developing a friendship with this older woman Anne finds herself in first class cabin 7 where she finds the man the brown suit at some point who then rescues her as an attempt is made to throw her overboard.
Eventually the story unfolds although I remain confused about certain aspects. The main villain is the Colonel who is eventually revealed as Sir Eustace Pedler. He has arranged for the Rev Chichester, one of his agents to attempt to kill Anne on the ship and then when they take a detour off the ship by train to visit some falls. He also plays the secretary when the actual secretary returns to Cairo and also a nurse on the boat.
The reason for the attempted killings is the correct assumption that Anne has discovered the whereabouts of four large pink diamonds hidden behind tiles in cabin 71 which was booked by the man murdered at the airport for his companion the night club singer. They were involved in attempting to blackmail the colonel who had been involved with the theft of diamonds from a mine in South Africa.
The man in the brown suit is someone believed to have died in South America, the son of landed aristocracy and the companion who disappeared at the same time. Both men had been accused of the theft of the diamonds stolen by the Colonel and as his true self John Eardsley, son of the recently deceased Sir Laurence Eardsley is thought to be the other young man Harry Rayburn. By recovering the diamonds he can clear his name and that of his friend, return to England to inherit his title and marry Ann who had had enough adventuring for a lifetime. Woodward is apprehended and Race who turns out to be CIA marries the already much married friend of Anne. The reason why the Colonel is unmasked as having been responsible for the villa murder is that his secretary who was supposed to have gone on a trip had in fact being visiting his wife and children as being single was a condition of the job and he had seen the colonel return when he was also supposed to be away. There were lots of twists and turns and actions with Anne captured and breaking out of a high barred window.
A police raid countering gun crime stopped a vehicle and the occupant was shot and killed in circumstances being investigated by the Police Complaints Commission. Family, friends and associates of the young man then held what was described as a peaceful march to the police station after which there was significant rioting in the centre of Tottenham during which shops were looted and set on fire and a running battle developed between the police riot squad and the young men.
This is the second time the area has rioted leading to the death of a police man on the last occasion in 1985 centred on the Broadwater Estate high density social housing but where considerable efforts over past decades result in a zero burglary rate and with an ethnic mix with some 40 countries being represented. The suggestion is that youths from outside the area used the march as a cover for their organised activity. Last night the lawlessness spread to central and South London including Brixton also scene of rioting two decades before and to other parts of North London including Islington and Enfield, Walthamstow and Ponders End.
It is possible there is no link with the state of moral of the police in London following the resignations of Commissioner and Assistant Commissioners and the inquiry into corrupt payments, or the attention given to the use of social media in revolutions in North Africa and attempted revolutions elsewhere; or the collapse of confidence in the capitalism system in the west as power moves to the East with China the increasingly dominant economy, or to government leaders taking an annual holidays with their families, Cameron in Italy, Osborn in California, Clegg returning this morning and Opposition leader Ed recovering fro his nose operation in Devon.
I try and cheer myself on a miserable Monday morning cold and wet with The Entertainer Chris Barber and his band Down home Rag; Baby won’t you please come home, The Entertainer, New St Louis blues, Ory’s Creole trombone; Bourbon Street Parade; High Society/When the Saints; Stevedore stomp; The Sheik of Araby; Georgia Cakewalk Li’l Liza Jane; Burgundy street blues, On the Sunny side of the Street; when the saints go marching in featuring Pat Halcox Monty Sunshine Lonnie Donegan Micky Ashman Ron Bowden and Ottile Paterson also Eddie Smith Dick Smithy Graham Burbage, Edmond Hall, Hank Duncan, Hayes Alvis Joe Marshall and, Ian Wheeler
I have recovered just about from Durham‘s bad defeat at the Rosebowl on Sunday evenings in 20 20 quarter final. The first game on Saturday evening was great with both teams scoring over 200 runs. Kent appeared unbeatable as Mahmood scored 91 and Van Jaarsveld 63 not out reached 203 for 3 setting a rate of 10 runs an over for Leicestershire with Paul Nixon celebrating his 40th birthday and last home appearance before retiring capped a home side performance as the team stood up at the plate and kept the score within reachable distance with McDonald 53, young and diminutive Taylor England hopeful scoring a quick 21 and Nixon himself just missing out on the making the winning strike with a creditable 31 off 17 balls. In this high scoring and entertaining game Kent scored 6 sixes 21 fours while Leicestershire 7 sixes and 23 fours reaching 206 with 4 balls left. At the end of the game Nixon was chaired off by the delighted crowd which had packed the small home side ground and he rose to the occasion showing his unbridled joy and joining in the fun. It was the first of the midlands/north clubs to win.
It was inevitable that Sunday would prove an anti climax as Somerset came from behind to beat Notts at an almost full Trent Bridge. Hales never to be forgiven for standing on the rope and claiming catch out made 78 to give the home side a chance with a score of 169 scoring 3 sixes and six fours, When Trescothick was out for 3 runs it seemed as if it was going to Notts day but Kieswetter 49, Pollard 47 of 25 with 4 sixes and 2 fours and Buttler saw the away team reach their second finals day in two years.
The less said about the Durham performance the better after losing the toss and Paul Collingwood staying home with a continuing bad back, Durham started well as Afridi was run out on the first ball by Borthwick who caught hold of a high pitching ball and through down the stumps and when Vince was caught of a high level shot from Onions with the total 26 and then another magnificent run out saw Adams go with the total 24 but then a bad over from young Borthwick. Who went 4 for 34 in the end and Benkenstein and Breese also unable to control the scoring rate to less than 5 an over, It was Blackwell who go the ball to spin missing the stumps to the side and just over several times but who also yielded runs going from two overs for 7 to 4 for 26 which meant that the home side reached what everyone said was going to be an impossible target of 154. I hoped they would make a better fist of it but were all out for 99 in the 19th over shattering hopes and dreams. The draw for finals day takes place this evening after the floodlit game between Sussex and Lancashire but it be that three of the most successful I day sides of recent year will again make the finals day another memorable occasion alas without the presence of Durham
I enjoyed Durham’s home championship game against Nottingham at the riverside last week although a draw always appeared the likely result as rain throughout the third day was forecast and proved accurate. Durham won the toss and decided to bat with Di Venuto scoring and excellent 132 but was later injured and did not bat in the second innings. It is understood he has a badly bruised finger. Captain Mustard made an excellent 88 runs not out as the home side reached a total of 351 runs and four batting points. Collingwood was out to Adams for 0 and Stokes making only 6. He still has pins in his broken finger which remains strapped and makes it difficult for him to hold the bat and he will not bowl for the rest of the season a double blow.
Although for Notts Voges 80 and Chris Read 133 runs not out the rest of the team failed to add more so that at 261 Durham had a useful lead rather than a commanding one given the extraordinary start where Notts lost four wickets with the total 21 and both Onions and Thorp on hat tricks.
Because of the interruption for the rain Durham decided to declare at 181 for 3 on the fourth day setting Notts total of 250 with 60 overs which seemed a risk taking challenge. At 37 for 2 the risk appeared to being paying off but the wicket offered little and Notts were not in the mood to lose the three points for the draw and the matched ended with a handshake 172 for 5 with only 6 overs to go. In form Voges scored another match save 68 runs not out.
Durham still lead the championship with 183 point from 12, Lancashire have six points less, Somerset now in third are 12 behind while Warwickshire who have played a game less are on 168. Notts look comfortable next with 134 and out of the relegation battle between Yorkshire and Worcestershire who are 17 points behind Yorks but with two games in hand.
The Championship and League football season also was underway this weekend and I was delighted to see that the first game of Wimbledon back in the League was being televised, As a school boy and young man my local club was Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park three stations away from Wallington or a couple of bus rides both via Croydon. In the opposite direction, a little further away was the other South Greater London club of Wimbledon Plough Lane via Sutton and Kingston, Whereas Selhurst Park was a natural Amphitheatre easily adapted to become a First division club with a capacity of 25000 Palace rivals were always Brighton and Hover Albion on the South Coast and Millwall and not Wimbledon.
I was not surprising therefore that when Wimbledon had to leave its Plough Lane site it ground shared with Crystal Palace for twelve years until 2002. The Club then moved to Milton Keynes as the MK Dons with the majority of supporters deciding to form their own club from scratch finding their own ground which they purchased and getting promotion five times in 9 years in order to enter the league this year. I have abiding memories of visiting the Plough Lane Ground when I went to purchase a ticket for a home game and was invited into the office where a seat ticket was taken out of the safe. This entitled not only a seat in the main and only stand but to the club where it was possible to possible to eat and drink at reasonable prices and watch the TV including re run of the match at the end. The second was to get a Cup final ticket in 1988 when they beat Liverpool 1.0 in the FA cup. Whereas Crystal Palace never made the Premiership, Wimbledon did. Unfortunately they lost their opening game 2.3 at home as did West Ham ion their return to the Championship. Meanwhile Brighton who like Wimbledon faced years of seeking permanent home and who now have a new stadium won their first game.
I used to watch Acker Bilk and his traditional Jazz band at the 100 Club so do not begrudge his popularity following the orchestral Stranger on the Shore the title of a 23 track CD featuring his talents from the period 1972-1986. I like Windmills of the Mind, As Time Goes By, Autumn Leaves and She’s leaving Homes standards. Music for Monday afternoon. I followed this up with George Melly with a collection featuring Digby Fairweather over the years and various friends. I loved Everybody loves my Baby; Georgia on my Mind and As time goes by, there are also Midnight Cannonball, Kitchen Man, Let’s call the whole thing Off; Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans, Mrs Gallagher and Mr Shean; God bless the child; T’aint No Sin; Backwater Blues; Goody Goody; The Big Butter and Egg Man; Winin Boy Blues; Straighten Up and Fly Right; Roll ‘em Petel; The Trudge.
The mood of melancholy continued to prevail. I had enjoyed an early (1924) Agatha Christie novel made into a film for TV in 1988, The Man in the Brown Suit.
According to Wikipedia the story of the novels is as follows
“Nadina, a "Russian" dancer receives a visit in her dressing room from Count Sergius Paulovitch. Both are in the service of a man they call "the Colonel", an international agent provocateur and criminal. After many years, 'the Colonel' is retiring, leaving his agents high and dry. Nadina has double-crossed the Colonel, however, keeping some De Beers diamonds from a crime years before. She now plans to blackmail the Colonel with the diamonds.
Anne Beddingfeld, a young English woman recently orphaned, longs for adventure and jumps at the chance when her father's solicitor suggests she lives with him and his wife in London. Returning from an unsuccessful job interview, Anne is on the platform at Hyde Park Corner tube station when a man falls onto the live track, dying instantly. A doctor examines the man, pronounces him dead and leaves, dropping a note on his way. Anne picks up the note which reads "17.1 22 Kilmorden Castle".
The inquest on the dead man, 'L. B. Carton', brings a verdict of suicide. In his pocket was a house agent's order to view a house for let – The Mill House in Marlow – and the next day the newspapers report that a dead woman has been found there – strangled. The house is owned by Sir Eustace Pedler MP. A young man in a brown suit is identified as a suspect, having entered the house soon after the dead woman.
Anne realizes the 'doctor' did not examine the dead man in an appropriate manner and gets suspicious. After fruitless investigations at Mill House where she finds an undeveloped canister of film, Anne finds out that Kilmorden Castle is the name of a boat sailing on 17 January 1922 from Southampton to Cape Town. She books a passage on it.
On board ship, Anne meets Suzanne Blair, Colonel Race, and Sir Eustace Pedler himself. In addition to his normal secretary, Guy Pagett, he has employed a man who goes by the name of Harry Rayburn.
At 1.00am on the morning of the 22nd, a young man staggers into Anne's cabin having been stabbed. Anne is able to dress the man's slight wound but the man is not in the least bit grateful and leaves after an altercation with her.
One evening on the ship, Colonel Race recounts a story of the theft of a hundred thousand pounds' worth of diamonds some years before, supposedly by the son of the South African gold magnate, John Eardsley and his friend Lucas. John and his friend were arrested but John's father, Sir Laurence, disowned his son. John Eardsley was killed in the War and his father's huge fortune passed to a next of kin. Lucas was posted as "missing in action". Harry Rayburn walks into the cabin as the story is being told, overhears it, looks sickly and leaves. Race reveals he himself is the fortunate next of kin.
Anne confides in Suzanne and they examine the piece of paper Anne obtained in the Underground station. They realize that the paper could refer to cabin 71 – Suzanne's cabin, originally booked by a Mrs Grey, a pseudonym for Nadina. Anne and Suzanne speculate that Nadina was the dead woman in the Mill House. Anne suddenly connects finding the film roll in Mill House with a canister of returned film that was dropped into Suzanne's cabin on night of the 22nd. They look in the canister and find uncut diamonds. They speculate that Harry Rayburn is the "Man in the Brown Suit".
Anne is attacked as she walks the deck of the ship. Harry Rayburn saves her. Anne amazes Harry with her knowledge of events in Marlow and at Hyde Park Corner station and suggests that Harry may be Lucas and the "Man in the Brown Suit". They again part on bad terms.
Once they arrive in Cape Town Anne is lured to a house at Muizenberg, where she is imprisoned in the attic by a bearded Dutchman. Anne overhears the Rev. Chichester speaking with the Dutchman about "the Colonel" wanting to question her tomorrow. The next day she escapes and makes her way back to Cape Town.
There she finds that Harry is wanted as the "Man in the Brown Suit" but has gone missing. Pedler offers Anne the role of his secretary on the train trip to Rhodesia, which she accepts at the last second, and is reunited with Race, Suzanne and Pedler, who has a new secretary named Miss Pettigrew.
In Bulawayo, Anne receives a note from Harry which lures her out to a ravine near their hotel. There she is chased and falls into the ravine.
Almost a month later, Anne awakens in a hut on an island in the Zambezi with Harry Rayburn, who rescued her. He reveals that someone deliberately caused her to fall.
Anne and Harry fall in love. Harry tells her of the diamond discovery he and John Eardsley made years earlier. They were duped by a young woman called Anita Grünberg, who substituted their diamonds for ones stolen from De Beers. After being listed as missing in action, Harry disappeared, coming to Africa under the name of Harry Parker.
Some time later he came across a man – Carton - and recognised him from the incident with Anita Grünberg. Carton is revealed to be the man who fell in the Tube station and dropped the note Anne found. Harry followed Carton to London and Nadina to the Mill House, but insists Nadina was already dead. He realised that the diamonds were probably still on the Kilmorden Castle. Anne confirms they were, and were handed to Suzanne in her cabin on the night of the 22nd.
Harry's island is attacked that night by a party led by the red-bearded Dutchman, but the two manage to escape and Anne plans to return to Pedler's party where she can keep an eye on developments. They exchange codes to be used in order that neither can be duped again.
Reunited with Suzanne, Anne is told that the diamonds are with luggage sent on with Sir Eustace. She also receives a telegram from Harry telling her to meet him.
Anne goes to the meeting with Harry and again bumps into Chichester, alias Miss Pettigrew. She is led to Sir Eustace, alias "the Colonel". Pedler forces Anne to write a note to Harry to lure him to the curio shop, which she does but she does not include their code in it. Harry turns up and Pedler is exultant – until Anne pulls out a pistol and they capture Pedler. Race turns up with reinforcements and Pedler tries to bluff matters out, but is unsuccessful.
Sir Eustace manages to escape. Anne is somewhat pleased, having developed a fondness for him. Race tells her that Harry is in fact John Eardsley, not Lucas, and therefore the heir to the fortune. Harry however has found his happiness with Anne, and they marry and live on the island in the Zambezi.”
Now apart from the having the same characters, diamonds and a boat voyage on craft called the Kilmorden Castle and some other basic story similarities, the setting and environment are changed for the film.
The main character Anne Beddingfeld and a female friend have been on holiday in Egypt and are at the airport with Anne complaining about their lack of adventure when she finds a man in Brown suit bending over a murder victim and then rushing off leaving her to hold a piece of paper on which is written and two other numbers plus Modern Castle. Because she is found looking over the deceased she is taken into custody while her friend returns home. Anne is then released with the help of a Gordon Race who insists that she takes the first plane out rather than stay to find out what happened and why. Anne sees a newspaper which reveals that another person has died at the villa of a Sir Eustace Pedler who was away at the time as was his secretary making a separate trip. The murdered woman was a well known night club singer and the man at the airport was with her (cannot remember the nature of their relationship).
Anne works out that Kilmorden Castle is a small ship with different levels of accommodation and she has sufficient funds after cashing in the airline ticket to take steerage class, a cabin without a porthole. On board she finds in the first class area with Sir Eustace Pedler played by Edward Woodward, and his secretary who he bullies, and Gordon Race together with a suspicious looking clergyman the Rev Edward Chichester and a much married (3 times) lady who knows Mr Race.
Developing a friendship with this older woman Anne finds herself in first class cabin 7 where she finds the man the brown suit at some point who then rescues her as an attempt is made to throw her overboard.
Eventually the story unfolds although I remain confused about certain aspects. The main villain is the Colonel who is eventually revealed as Sir Eustace Pedler. He has arranged for the Rev Chichester, one of his agents to attempt to kill Anne on the ship and then when they take a detour off the ship by train to visit some falls. He also plays the secretary when the actual secretary returns to Cairo and also a nurse on the boat.
The reason for the attempted killings is the correct assumption that Anne has discovered the whereabouts of four large pink diamonds hidden behind tiles in cabin 71 which was booked by the man murdered at the airport for his companion the night club singer. They were involved in attempting to blackmail the colonel who had been involved with the theft of diamonds from a mine in South Africa.
The man in the brown suit is someone believed to have died in South America, the son of landed aristocracy and the companion who disappeared at the same time. Both men had been accused of the theft of the diamonds stolen by the Colonel and as his true self John Eardsley, son of the recently deceased Sir Laurence Eardsley is thought to be the other young man Harry Rayburn. By recovering the diamonds he can clear his name and that of his friend, return to England to inherit his title and marry Ann who had had enough adventuring for a lifetime. Woodward is apprehended and Race who turns out to be CIA marries the already much married friend of Anne. The reason why the Colonel is unmasked as having been responsible for the villa murder is that his secretary who was supposed to have gone on a trip had in fact being visiting his wife and children as being single was a condition of the job and he had seen the colonel return when he was also supposed to be away. There were lots of twists and turns and actions with Anne captured and breaking out of a high barred window.
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