Department S - The Ghost Of Mary Burnham

I watched "Department S" as a girl, but for those whose memory doesn't go back to 1968-69, this TV series featured the adventures of an elite team of Interpol agents who solved "unorthodox" cases that baffled Scotland Yard, FBI, Sûreté etc. Think of "The X Files" meets "Jonathan Creek"...

This clip is from the episode "The Ghost Of Mary Burnham", and features quite a decent unmasking. Note the nice touch that the mask has open eye-holes, and the masker's eye make-up *doesn't* come off with the mask.

For those interested in the story, Dr. John Burnham is a leading economist who, though he does not know it yet, is about to be appointed head of the International Monetary Fund. He has revolutionary theories that will stabilise the economies of the Free World and usher in a new age of peace and prosperity! Naturally, sinister agents of the Eastern Powers, who want to see the western economies collapse, scheme to neutralise Dr. Burnham. Rather than simply assassinating Dr. Burnham, which might simply lead to his ideas being implemented by somebody else, the sinister agents seek to discredit the economist by making him seem mentally unstable, so that his ideas will be dismissed as the ravings of a madman. To this end they murder his wife, Mary Burnham, in front of him, and then engage in a campaign of dirty tricks to make the economist believe he is being haunted by his wife's ghost. Many of these involve one of the sinister agents impersonating Mary so that Dr. John will keep raving about seeing his dead wife.

The clip shows "Mary" being apprehended and unmasked as she attempts to escape. It's not very clear in the clip, but the sinister agent disguised as the dead wife is actually a guy, possibly because ITC was not ready to show heroic Stewart Sullivan pistol-whipping a woman (remember it was 1968 and this program was shown during "family hours"). Earlier in the episode the male agent is shown playing cards with the obligatory psychopathic gunman, but they didn't show him unmasked in women's clothes or putting on his disguise, so I didn't bother with it.

Pop culture fans may notice that Mary Burnham, and the disguised agent of course, are played by veteran Canadian actress Lois Maxwell, best known for her portrayal of Miss. Moneypenny in most of the James Bond films.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• disguise
• mask
• wig
• unmasking
• TG
• transgender
• Lois
• Maxwell

[paulblanco69]

Saw this episode on Men & Motors channel the other week !!! Anyone remember the one where the guy breaks into this house and superglues a clowns mask to the sleeping man who eventually wakes up and drops dead trying to rip it off ??? I was about 8 when I first saw that episode back in the 70's...scared the shit outta me !!

[AndiJF]

I remember it well Paul, and it gave me nightmares for days.

[mutinyonthekitkat]

It's a funny thing, I must be about the same age as you that exact sequence is the only clear memoory I have from the series. Have never even been sure whether it was in Department S, Jason King ot The Champions. Would be interesting to know which episode and take another look after all these years.

[AndiJF]

The "glued-on clown mask" sequence was part of the Department S episode "The Man Who Got A New Face". I doubt if I'll feature it though, because it doesn't really fit with the theme of this collection.

[norb1937]

Is that Geraldo Rivera in the afro hairdo?

[AndiJF]

Nope, that's Peter Wyngarde, once voted "Sexiest man alive" by the British press. As for his distinctive appearance as Jason King, that was the "Easy" look of the time, which Wyngarde brought into public culture.

[adebarde1]

Jason King got knocked out in every episode.

[zenarcade64]

In the next scene someone peels off Zapata's mustache

[parkender]

paulblanco69 - thanks for that - couldn't remember which series that superglued clown mask was from - super scary - I love this era - so much good stuff - The Champions, Dept S, Randall & Hopkirk, The Avengers etc etc - will never be matched in my opinion!

By the way after Peter Wyngarde appeared in 'Jason King' he fell from grace after an 'alleged' incident in a public toilet. He was certainly an icon.

[norb1937]

I watch British tv sometimes. PBS has a lot of it on. Usually Poirot the belgian detective and of course the old Sherlock Holmes series. I never really liked Monty Python although my daughter did. I thought he was silly. Norbo Norebo