Because I’m one who isn’t necessarily frightened off by a little bit of controversy, today I’m bringing up the name of author, poet, and screenwriter Roald Dahl.
Yes, I realize that modern times ain’t all that they’re cracked up to be, and some of you may have been a bit aghast when not all that long ago there was a cultural movement underway – albeit reasonably briefly – to see the written texts of the author edited. Without going into the entire social debacle, 2023 saw one publisher hiring a team of ‘sensitivity experts’ to wade through their tomes within the Dahl catalogue and change the writer’s words in order to – ahem – reflect what they felt were better, more contemporary, and socially accepted words. Eventually, the publisher relented, offering up ‘classic editions’ which would include the author’s original text; but – let me say – we live in dark times, indeed, when a producer might think nothing of essentially rewriting some of the greatest written words in all of the English language just to make a few complainers feel better. If Dahl’s stuff offends you, how about going elsewhere? Why must we reengineer timeless masterpieces to reflect an era in which they weren’t even imagined?
In any event, I’d long known that Dahl’s imprimatur had been attached to the long-running British television anthology Tales Of The Unexpected (1979-1988), and I’d wanted to check it out. Of course, I was aware that while its various episodes weren’t always the stuff that I’d normally cover for SciFiHistory.Net; still, many of you know that I’ll apt to do what I want anyway, so there. In many ways, I’ve surmised that Dahl’s work was close to Horror in much the same way that many of Alfred Hitchcock’s yarns are considered such; so I can live with that ‘close enough’ association.
Today’s excursion: “Mrs. Bixby & The Colonel’s Coat” first aired on March 31, 1979 in the United Kingdom. Simon Langton directed the episode which was adapted from the original Dahl short story by Ronald Harwood. Actress Julie Harris takes center stage in the work, and she’s joined by Michael Hordern, Richard Greene, Sandra Payne, and Frederick Farley in key roles. It’s a tale that explores love with more than a little bit of deceit, and it reminds us that just because we want something – and are willing to go to great lengths to get it – doesn’t mean that such a thing was forever destined to be our own.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the episode’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Unable to show her dentist husband Cyril the fur coat her lover has given her Mrs. Bixby pawns it and pretends that she found the ticket. She gives it to Cyril to redeem on her behalf but is taught that two can play at her game when he comes home with rather less than she expected, and she sees that his dental assistant will be warm for the winter.”
The heart wants what the heart wants … but what if the heart wants a fabulous mink coat?
Yes, I realize that modern times ain’t all that they’re cracked up to be, and some of you may have been a bit aghast when not all that long ago there was a cultural movement underway – albeit reasonably briefly – to see the written texts of the author edited. Without going into the entire social debacle, 2023 saw one publisher hiring a team of ‘sensitivity experts’ to wade through their tomes within the Dahl catalogue and change the writer’s words in order to – ahem – reflect what they felt were better, more contemporary, and socially accepted words. Eventually, the publisher relented, offering up ‘classic editions’ which would include the author’s original text; but – let me say – we live in dark times, indeed, when a producer might think nothing of essentially rewriting some of the greatest written words in all of the English language just to make a few complainers feel better. If Dahl’s stuff offends you, how about going elsewhere? Why must we reengineer timeless masterpieces to reflect an era in which they weren’t even imagined?
In any event, I’d long known that Dahl’s imprimatur had been attached to the long-running British television anthology Tales Of The Unexpected (1979-1988), and I’d wanted to check it out. Of course, I was aware that while its various episodes weren’t always the stuff that I’d normally cover for SciFiHistory.Net; still, many of you know that I’ll apt to do what I want anyway, so there. In many ways, I’ve surmised that Dahl’s work was close to Horror in much the same way that many of Alfred Hitchcock’s yarns are considered such; so I can live with that ‘close enough’ association.
Today’s excursion: “Mrs. Bixby & The Colonel’s Coat” first aired on March 31, 1979 in the United Kingdom. Simon Langton directed the episode which was adapted from the original Dahl short story by Ronald Harwood. Actress Julie Harris takes center stage in the work, and she’s joined by Michael Hordern, Richard Greene, Sandra Payne, and Frederick Farley in key roles. It’s a tale that explores love with more than a little bit of deceit, and it reminds us that just because we want something – and are willing to go to great lengths to get it – doesn’t mean that such a thing was forever destined to be our own.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the episode’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Unable to show her dentist husband Cyril the fur coat her lover has given her Mrs. Bixby pawns it and pretends that she found the ticket. She gives it to Cyril to redeem on her behalf but is taught that two can play at her game when he comes home with rather less than she expected, and she sees that his dental assistant will be warm for the winter.”
The heart wants what the heart wants … but what if the heart wants a fabulous mink coat?
Again, I find the subject of coveting – though with a few more layers – front and center in this more conventional installment of Tales Of The Unexpected. Trapped in a somewhat loveless marriage, Mrs. Bixby (played by Julie Harris) has found that her more carnal needs can be met by a lothario who goes simply by the name of ‘The Colonel’ (Richard Greene) in lieu of her rather stodgy husband, the village dentist Cyril Bixby (Michael Hordern). After all, when the hubby spends so much time away in the mouths of so many penurious patients, what’s a woman to do to score a bit of ‘me time?’ Oblivious to the fact that The Colonel has his own growing base of female clientele, the lady faithfully travels far from home on what she leads Cyril to believe are nursing visits to an ailing and penniless auntie.
Lo and behold, it would seem that Mrs. Bixby might not be the big sexual catch she thinks she is. The Colonel has privately decided to part ways with the woman; and – to soften the blow – he gifts her a lavish mink fur coat. Forever smitten with the man’s charms in the bedroom, she now falls head over heels in love with the garment, but how can she ever come home with such an expensive commodity? Why, she’s convinced Cyril that her fictitious aunt is destitute, so it couldn’t possibly be from her as a means of recompense for all of the services she’s supplied. In the taxi on the way home, lady Bixby hatches a means to an end: she’ll place the coat ‘in hock’ at a local pawnshop but tell her husband that she found the claim ticket in the cab itself. Believing it was merely lost, she can then return to the pawnshop, retrieve the fur, and no one need ever know about The Colonel.
As tends to happen in melodramas studying infidelity, Coat has not one but two more surprises in store for Mrs. Bixby before it reaches its conclusion. Without divulging anything further, I’ll leave it simply by saying that there are always hidden agendas at play in life and love. Believing you’re the only one who has done something worthy of concealing usually is a charlatan’s first mistake; having to come to terms with the stark reality that what you perceive as being your ‘normal life’ might be far from it is the real gift that keeps on giving.
Tales Of The Unexpected’s “Mrs. Bixby & The Colonel’s Coat” was produced by Anglia Television. The episode shows available via physical or digital purchase (or rental) via a variety of platforms and vendors. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the episode’s provided sights and sounds to be good from start-to-finish. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I viewed this via streaming, there were no special features under consideration.
Alas … only Mildly Recommended.
Meh. “Mrs. Bixby’s & The Colonel’s Coat” doesn’t quite deliver anything new to the world of spousal faithlessness. It never really says anything overt about its featured disloyalty, never quite judging any of its key players as having done anything indecent. Because stories of this type really do leave it up to the eyes of the beholders, I think they’re easily forgotten – especially for anthology programs – because they just don’t make a significant statement or show the men and women seriously struggling with regret over an inappropriate relationship. In fact, it ends in such a way that – at best – mind leave viewers smirking over Mrs. Bixby’s discomfit … and that’s the easy way out.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that I’m beholden to no one for this review of Tales Of The Unexpected’s “Mrs. Bixby & The Colonel’s Coat” (S01E02). I viewed this via my very own subscription to Amazon Prime Video.
-- EZ
Lo and behold, it would seem that Mrs. Bixby might not be the big sexual catch she thinks she is. The Colonel has privately decided to part ways with the woman; and – to soften the blow – he gifts her a lavish mink fur coat. Forever smitten with the man’s charms in the bedroom, she now falls head over heels in love with the garment, but how can she ever come home with such an expensive commodity? Why, she’s convinced Cyril that her fictitious aunt is destitute, so it couldn’t possibly be from her as a means of recompense for all of the services she’s supplied. In the taxi on the way home, lady Bixby hatches a means to an end: she’ll place the coat ‘in hock’ at a local pawnshop but tell her husband that she found the claim ticket in the cab itself. Believing it was merely lost, she can then return to the pawnshop, retrieve the fur, and no one need ever know about The Colonel.
As tends to happen in melodramas studying infidelity, Coat has not one but two more surprises in store for Mrs. Bixby before it reaches its conclusion. Without divulging anything further, I’ll leave it simply by saying that there are always hidden agendas at play in life and love. Believing you’re the only one who has done something worthy of concealing usually is a charlatan’s first mistake; having to come to terms with the stark reality that what you perceive as being your ‘normal life’ might be far from it is the real gift that keeps on giving.
Tales Of The Unexpected’s “Mrs. Bixby & The Colonel’s Coat” was produced by Anglia Television. The episode shows available via physical or digital purchase (or rental) via a variety of platforms and vendors. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the episode’s provided sights and sounds to be good from start-to-finish. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I viewed this via streaming, there were no special features under consideration.
Alas … only Mildly Recommended.
Meh. “Mrs. Bixby’s & The Colonel’s Coat” doesn’t quite deliver anything new to the world of spousal faithlessness. It never really says anything overt about its featured disloyalty, never quite judging any of its key players as having done anything indecent. Because stories of this type really do leave it up to the eyes of the beholders, I think they’re easily forgotten – especially for anthology programs – because they just don’t make a significant statement or show the men and women seriously struggling with regret over an inappropriate relationship. In fact, it ends in such a way that – at best – mind leave viewers smirking over Mrs. Bixby’s discomfit … and that’s the easy way out.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that I’m beholden to no one for this review of Tales Of The Unexpected’s “Mrs. Bixby & The Colonel’s Coat” (S01E02). I viewed this via my very own subscription to Amazon Prime Video.
-- EZ
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