"A Fright At The Opera"

Season 1 episode 21 (episode 21 overall)

Or a study in Gothic feudal loyalty.

Original broadcast date: 7th February 1989

Writer: Jon Sayle

Additional voices: The Phantom of the Opera:
                               Brian Trueman
                               Krool/The Great Elvira/
                               stage-hand: Jimmy Hibbert

 

Travel location: Paris, France

Castle transport visual not used

                     
Joke Credit: Conductor - Phil R. Monik.

I wonder if he played for the opening titles?

A classic episode from the first season. Full of creepy suspense and the characteristic character comedy. Guest writer Jon Sayle, most known for his scriptwriting duties on BBC's long-running "Chucklevision" does a fine job here, especially considering this is a one-off for him. Whether he came up with the full idea or not is not important, the main deal is that it's an all-round great episode. Brian Trueman and Jimmy Hibbert are standout here too as the guest characters, giving us the typical haughty villain and abused underling double-act, with a touch of dark humour.

The story starts, atypically, with a mysterious guest villain in his lair (the sewers of Paris), rather than with the main trio in their usual setting and/or shtick. Beneath the Paris Opera House, the Phantom of the Opera extols his own virtues while playing the organ. The only thing that takes the edge of this scene is the fact that his musical ability is deliberately not the best and by his own admission his song "doesn't quite rhyme." All the shots are staged mostly in shadow so as to never reveal the Phantom's face. Anyone familiar with the character will know that his face is notoriously ugly. It's definitely a case of 'the unknown' making something all the creepier. Fortunately for us (and the artists!) he then calls his servant to his aid as he needs his cloak and mask. I particularly like how he summons him. He simply shouts, allowing his voice to travel upwards to the main Opera House where somehow, only the servant Krool can hear him. No-one else in the crowd of patrons reacts. It's almost like some sort of bond between the two, not unlike Duckula and Igor.

Speaking of those two, they're here too, along with Nanny of course. Duckula is acting a little snobby in this one and assumes himself to be some kind of 'opera buff.' At least Igor doesn't seem too disapproving, but it soon afterwards becomes clear that he'd rather not be at the opera. More on that in a bit. Duckula and Nanny make their way to their box, while Igor checks in his master's hat and cane (but not his cloak!) to the cloakroom. This allows for Igor's (literal) run-in with Krool whom he recognises as an old schoolmate. It's rather sweet to allow Igor, usually the gloomiest character on the show, to have some warmer moments, even if it is because the two of them have their sinister aspect as a common factor. Krool collects his master's accouterments as Igor checks his master's ones in and they have a bit of an old chat during which Krool reveals the Phantom's evil plan. He shows enough concern for Igor to advise him to leave, but Igor is so impressed with the villainy and the fact that Krool really 'made the grade' by having such an evil master that he cuts him short and then has to leave anyway. Basically the plan involves kidnapping the prima donna and forcing her to sing one of The Phantom's own works and then....well we'll get to that later too!

Igor catches up with the others in the box just as the performance is about to start but it's soon clear his meeting with Krool has distracted him. He shortly begins to wish he could get involved the evil scheme that's brewing, so he sneaks out during the interval in order to have a go, using a hatch to make his way to the sewers. After all, Krool told him his master's lair was down below. I like how Igor looks bored when Duckula scolds him for muttering to himself then in the very next shot, Igor has left and Duckula now looks bored! Nanny is also fast asleep by this stage. 

Igor manages to find Krool under the opera house and in the dark ("I'd recognise that squint anywhere!") and in a dramatic reveal he meets The Phantom. They seem to hit it off rather well and Igor offers his assistance in carrying out in the dastardly deed. It's worth noting that The Phantom seems to accord Igor with a lot more respect than he does his own servant. That will not last long however as we shall soon see.

Duckula has noticed that Igor is not by his side (again!) so he's off looking for him and Nanny is still dozing. I guess no-one in the group truly enjoys the opera! Nanny even earlier mistook the musicians tuning their instruments as a genuine piece of music. The start of the second act however wakes her up and she goes off in search of the other two. So while Duckula is searching for Igor, Nanny is searching for Duckula and Igor as well. Igor is with his 'fiends' I mean friends, preparing for the kidnapping and all are hiding backstage. At the Phantom's signal, Krool shuts off the power to the lights and the deed takes place - in pitch darkness! Who do you think they manage to kidnap? Well it wasn't the Great Elvira I can tell you that much.

Back in the sewers, Igor congratulates The Phantom, who then goes on to describe in detail what the next stage of his plan is. The moment the singer hits a top C, the organ will trigger an explosive device that will literally bring the house down! Igor is impressed, but he can't allow it to go ahead without first warning his master. It's a great little bit where Igor is almost conflicted between having some evil fun and doing his duty. Of course duty wins easily, which perfectly displays Igor's best quality, his loyalty. He grabs the kidnapped victim (with difficulty) and makes a break for it - only to tumble and get crushed under the victim. This segment also displays Krool's loyalty. He may be Igor's friend, but his first duty, like Igor himself, is to his master, The Phantom. At his master's behest, he ties Igor up in readiness for 'the show.'

Duckula now has a tumble himself. He falls into the open trap door that he only just avoided earlier, then continues his search through the sewers. Meanwhile, the kidnapped victim is revealed to be not the expected opera singer at all, but Nanny! Mistake number 1. This causes the Phantom to rethink his plan and get Nanny to sing instead. Which will henceforward be known as mistake number 2. Duckula passes by the lair in a boat and is also summarily tied up and placed next to Igor, in readiness for Nanny's singing, which is of course loud and awful. The Phantom has had enough, he and Krool grab some luggage and make a hasty departure, leaving Nanny upset that her wonderful singing went unappreciated. A cute bit as Duckula throws her a bone by praising her, implying the Phantom had no taste.

 They make it back to their box to try and catch the last of the opera. A surprise is in store as it seems Nanny's singing really did bring the house down, or at least partially although Duckula trips up a little when he casually insults Nanny's singing by mistake! Ruin lies all over the stage and seats and everyone has left which is just as well, as when Igor slams the door on Duckula's foot (not Nanny's fault for once!) the Counts screams out a perfect top C. This triggers the explosive device just seconds after they flee the opera house in panic!

Later, at the Grand Ole Opry, The Phantom is demanding to be taken seriously as a great country and western singer in a phony American accent.

Phantom: Now see he-ah you-all! You jest gotta lemme i-un, I tell yuh! I am the grrrreatest country and western sing-ah, the worrrrld has ever knowed!
Man: Yep, an' I'm Davy Crockett. Now get!

Above the sewers and in broad daylight, The Phantom just comes off as ludicrous and not at all scary! It's a pretty funny conclusion to the tale. I get the impression he just gets rejected by every music hall establishment due to his lack of talent. In this respect, he has a lot in common with our titular character. He swears revenge and asks Krool for a map of the sewers claiming he is now "The Phantom of the Opry!"

An all-round winner and one of my personal favourite episodes. Some great character development too with the whole conflicting decisions and loyalty issues. The Phantom and Krool are also among my favourite guest characters as they have just the right balance of disturbing creepiness and dark humour as well as great designs and voices. Almost like pantomime villains in the lighter moments. I remember attaining the VHS of this on a holiday to Jedburgh in 1997 at a 2nd hand video store. I subsequently lost the cover and damaged the tape, so I ordered another one online a few years later! Art and animation is top notch work by Alfonso Studios.


Music
"Fog Bound" (Ivor Slaney) - Igor meeting Krool.
"Finders Creepers" (Paddy Kingsland) - Backstage creeping.
"Drama Sting No. 3" (Peter Knight) - Threatened with Krool's 'hobby.'
"Scream and Scream Again" (Tom Souster) (tail end of cue) - Igor comes to, all tied up.
"Sweet Sorrows" (Eric Allen and Frank Reidy) - Nanny is upset.

Some of the other cues sound familiar too (Igor going through the trap door, Duckula meeting The Phantom and Krool), but I haven't IDed them yet. Lots of organ music, naturally.

Pans and backgrounds

Lots to look at here! A great-looking episode with some beautiful scenics on show, my favourites being The Phantom's underground lair in the sewers. I like how they've managed to use green, amber and red all at once (like a Rasta flag), yet still manage to make it look damp and gloomy. Quite a number of up and down and left and right pans too, as well as pans to and from pitch blackness. One of those is posted above too.

Trivia

• The episode begins on The Phantom's singing and ends on his enraged shouting. The main trio's final line however is a collective scream.
• This episode opens with the guest character's first scene and closes on him/them too. This is one of the only episodes in the series to do this. "A Christmas Quacker" does the same with Santa Claus in the opening pan and the very last long shot.
• Castle Duckula is not seen at all in this episode. Neither is Transylvania
• An episode of "The Real Ghostbusters" has the same title, which takes place at an opera house and also features a phantom near the end. The title is a pun on the phrase 'a night at the opera.'
• First appearance of The Phantom of the Opera and Krool.
• It should be fairly apparent that The Phantom of the Opera is a take on the character from the Gaston Leroux novel of the same name. I recommend reading the book. Count Duckula was my gateway into a lot of literature.
  
  
• Right - A cel I own of the Phantom himself. The inking on his clothes is done in silvery white to show up on the black. This is explained on the pencil drawing too, using light blue. Usually, any character with overlapping blacks are coloured very dark grey or blue. See The Crow Brothers.
• Krool's name is homonymous with cruel, which is apt given his qualifications in 'dungeon maintenance and torture techniques.' Since his name is not written down, it may even be spelled the same way, but I have seen sources that spell it as Krool, including the DVD subtitles,
  so we're sticking with that.
• Krool's design and voice are patterned after veteran horror actor Peter Lorre. Jimmy Hibbert would take this concept even further with another, similar character, Harry Slime in "Avenger Penguins." Like Krool, he is subservient to an overblown master who fancies himself good on the organ. Krool's closest counterpart in the Leroux novel would probably be The Persian.
• It's possible that while Krool was the precursor to Slime, The Phantom was the precursor to Caractacus P. Doom. Both are reclusive, self-important criminal masterminds who are abusive to their lackeys, both play the organ and both are prone to malapropisms.
• The Phantom and Krool would reappear in "Venice a Duck Not a Duck." This makes Igor's emotional 'We may meet again" line somewhat poignant, as they never actually do meet again in that episode.
• Joke I didn't get as a child #101 - When Krool responds to Igor's question "It is Krool isn't it?" with "Usually" he's implying that he gets called a lot of possibly unsavoury names.
• There's a lot of wordplay featuring the word evil, paired up with words like 'pleasant' and 'good' as adjectives.

  

  Some ancient fan art.

• The trio are seated in box 13. Very lucky(!) 
• Nanny states the opera is 'hardly worth getting all dressed up for' but everyone is dressed like they normally are! At least the Count brought a top hat and cane. 
• Both Jimmy Hibbert's characters have ceres on their beaks.
• Jimmy Hibbert gets another chance to sing very high as he also did in "The Mutinous Penguins."
• If Cosgrove-Hall shows have taught me anything it's that this general formula usually applies - if Brian Trueman plays the boss, Jimmy Hibbert will play the sidekick. If Jimmy Hibbert is the boss, David Jason will be the sidekick. If David Jason is the boss, Brian Trueman will be the sidekick. There are a few exceptions though.
• Brian's voice for The Phantom is similar to his Bully Bundy voice from "Jamie and the Magic Torch" and 2 guest villains from Danger Mouse; The Demon from "Demons Aren't Dull" and Copper Conk Cassidy from "Where There's a Well, There's a Way." Amazingly, they're all varied up just enough so as to sound distinctly their own characters. Sounds like his imitation of his own father, which I heard him do during an interview.
• Igor says that he and Krool were both from the class of '33, though he doesn't state which century! Age is a very elastic concept in this show.
• A number of oddly humanoid faces can be seen in the decor, including a clown!
• The actors in Egyptian garb resemble Hoomite and Yubee from "No Sax Please, We're Egyptian." 
• Duckula briefly uses binoculars to get a better view of the show. 
• Another instance of a guest character repeating the phrase 'duckyboos' in confusion. The Phantom does so after Nanny says it.
• For some strange reason the DVD subtitles define The Phantom's "Prompt! Prompt!" line as "Crumpt! Crumpt!" Maybe they're not to be trusted after all!
• When The Phantom sings 'mi mi mi' Nanny responds 'you you you.' This is a joke on Solfège, which is a system of learning musical scales (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti). A high C is a music term too, being first note of the C major scale, or 'do.'
• If you've been paying attention since the very start you'll notice that there are in fact two boats, which allows Duckula to find and use one on his search.
  
• The episode starts at the Opera House of Paris, France and ends at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Apparently there's one in Glasgow, Scotland as well.
• A confederate flag can be seen outside the Opry. Unsure who the poster is refering to.
• The Narrator ends off with "Goodnight you-all whatever you are. You take care now!" because of the American setting at the end. He would also do this in "Deadeye Duck."
• A lot of production cels from this episode show up on eBay. I managed to snag a good one of The Phantom. See above and below.
• Only episode attributed to "Chucklevision" writer Jon Sayle. Jimmy Hibbert is credited as script editor. As it happens, Barry Chuckle is seen sleeping in Duckula bedsheets in one episode!
• The Phantom would reappear in an issue of the Marvel comic.
• The joke credit is a pun on the word philharmonic.
• This episode was released on VHS in 1988 along with the similarly Parisian "Hunchbudgie of Notre Dame" and "Dr. Goosewing and Mr. Duck" all prior to their ITV broadcast. All three episodes take their cues from popular horror and fiction. I remember seeing a review/preview of the tape on a childrens' show around about the time of release in late 1988 and seeing the actual episode during broadcast at my grandparents'. The VHS cover also credits Jimmy Hibbert under 'Title.' Can anyone explain that one?

I also have a print of the cover art somewhere. If I find it, I'll update.

Goofs and Nitpicks

• Mild scenery layering nitpick as Igor first converses with Krool and his eye rims colour error very briefly as he checks in the hat and cane.
• Usually only The Phantom's left eye is visible, but his right eye becomes visible when he's rethinking his plan. His neck is briefly coloured as his chin shortly afterwards. Lighting makes this barely noticeable.
• The trio's box door has a small window that sometimes is not drawn in. A door also appears further up the corridor that wasn't there before when they return. Unless they returned to the wrong box of course, which is does look like they do. Can't blame them after all the excitement.

 My wife and I with Brian Trueman himself. He kindly signed a couple of cels of his characters for us.