"Whodunnit?"

HOO! HOO! (owl impression)

Season 2 Episode 11 (episode 37 overall) 

Original broadcast date: 21st November 1989

Writer: Brian Trueman
Additional voices: Crouch/Mr Chestnut-Brown/

                              Aunt Rose/voice-off/

                              Duke of Mallardborough: 

                              Brian Trueman

                            Colonel Damson/Mr Blogham/

                             voice-off: Jack May 

                              Lavinia Lavender/Compost/

                            Willoughby-Stane/ Mr Snatchitt/

                       Judge/Usher/voice-off: Jimmy Hibbert

                      Hercules Parrot/Lawyer: David Jason  

                  

Joke Credit: Assistant Director - Mr. E. Storey.

Travel location: Ducksfordshire, England

Castle transport visual used.

Duckula must attend the reading of a will, but ends up investigating what seems to be the suspicious death of the will's writer.

As with many other entries in the series, this one takes its cues from well-known literature, in this case, murder mysteries, particularly those penned by the likes of Agatha Christie. Indeed, the large cast of gust characters in "Whodunnit?" appear to have been directly cribbed from the classic stock character types that grace the pages of Poirot, Miss Marple and others of their ilk. These stories have been in popular culture for a long time so the character types would already be familiar to viewers, even if they may not exactly be sure why. It's more than likely many viewers would be familiar with them via spoofs and pastiches more than the actual source. Of course this fits in perfectly with the titular character who can arguably trace his roots back to Bram Stoker.

The Count receives a letter stating that he is to attend the reading of a will. So for once, things are looking up. Usually all he receives are bills, not wills. Without much preamble, apart from a brief explanation of how wills work from Igor (of course) it's off to Agatha Christie land in the fictitious leafy glades of Ducksfordshire.

Once there were are introduced, bit by bit, to a checklist of stock murder mystery character types. They are as follows:

Colonel Damson: The obligatory no-nonsense retired colonel, Lavinia Lavender: glamorous American film star, Mr. Willoughby-Stane: upper-class twit and Duke's brother-in-law, Mr & Mrs Chestnut-Brown: Middle-class older couple, Aunt Rose Madders: eccentric Auntie, Miss Marbles and M. Hercules Parrot: well-known amateur detectives. My tape started recording the second the actress introduces herself. I remember there was a scramble to get the tape in the VCR! Must have forgotten what day it was back in 1989.

All these characters are name-checked for us for Mr Compost the gardener (and us!) by Crouch the bushy-browed butler.

Lasts to arrive is of course our heroes. They soon join everyone else in the library for an really amusing scene where the will (eventually) gets read by the nasally serious lawyer, Mr Snatchitt.

Nanny: Mr Chatham?

Snatchit: I am FROM Chatham, Chetham and Runn, but I am not Mr. Chatham.
Nanny: Mr. Cheetham then?
Snatchit: No.
Nanny: Mr Runn?
Snatchit: No, Mr Chatham is in Cheetham, Mr. Cheetham is in Chatham and Mr Runn has gone for a walk. I am Mr Snatchit. What did you want to know?
Nanny: I can't remember!

Jimmy Hibbert's dry, fussy voice for the legal eagle is particularly unusual. It almost doesn't sound like him at all. I don't think he ever re-used it for another character, to my knowledge, which is why it stands out to me. After numerous interruptions, mainly from Duckula, and at least one "GET ON WITH IT!" from the crowd we get to the sinister aspect. Perhaps unsurprisingly to viewers who have been observing the character types (or have read the episode title) the Duke has been - MURDERED! By someone in this room! The lawyer points out the futility of trying to escape and in fairness, such an attempt would be as good as an admission of guilt. The sudden mood whiplash is quite notable after the silliness of the rest of the scene and it leads us into a creepy night-time sequence with a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows. I remember taping this episode from its original broadcast in 1989. I missed out the first scene (started recording from the moment the actress is introduced) and the tape ran out just as (what is later revealed to be) Igor's shadow shows up in the night sequence. So when I watched it again much later, it seemed as if the tape cut out just as the murderer was about to be revealed. Just perfect! It's the video equivalent of tearing out the last page in murder mystery novel and perfectly fitting for this series, where bad luck runs rampant after our hero.

In any case, there's nothing to fear, it's only Igor trying to keep quiet as he bids his master a good morning after a bad night. The Count is terrified at the prospect of a murderer being amongst the guests. Although to be fair I would not be at all surprised if Igor was one anyway! Nanny apparently is guilty of manslaughter at best as well. She very nearly kills the Colonel after misunderstanding Duckula's suggestion that they look for a murder weapon covered in fingerprints. She interprets this as 'get a cleaver from the kitchen and cover in my own fingerprints.' Not useful, so she tosses it out the window and it biffs the Colonel on the head making everyone else suspicious.

Duckula's attempts to play detective involve questioning people over lunch and then using a blackboard to try and figure out a frankly nonsensical web of intrigue. Igor says it looks more like Custer's Last Stand ie. one figure being killed with lots of arrows. Duckula is at first annoyed then amused by this observation and decides it's time to question the brother-in-law again. Naturally he choses him because he has the most easily confusing name and it's time for another great entry in the Cosgrove-Hall pantheon of Abbot and Costello-ish 'Who's on first?' type scenes. It all stems from Willoughby-Stane sounding somewhat like 'will you be stayin'?' when said in an upper-class English accent. This bumbling farce is apparently enough to clear Stane of any guilt. 

Duckula racks his brains to come up with a suitable suspect and then, to his horror, realises he can't remember where he himself was when the murder apparently took place. Igor has been suggesting throughout the episode that all of the guests are equally under suspicion and naturally this includes Duckula as well. Of course, when you have a travelling castle, committing a crime in another country would be quite easy. The Count breaks down, believing his vampire instinct cannot be denied and he confesses. It's a pretty intense little scene, which like earlier, takes place in the library and David Jason's portrayal strays just on the side of sympathy rather than humour.

Because this is a cartoon the next scene is instantly in a courtroom. I love court scenes in comedies and cartoons. Something about the dryness and dignity of what should be a serious legal proceeding being given the silly treatment just tickles me. This one is no exception. It's like something out of a Monty Python sketch. The merits of the prosecution and the defence seem to be weighed up by how good the jury think their jokes are. They even hold up score cards!

Duckula: M'lud....or your lud even...M'lud I am conducting my own defence.

Judge: I see. Well, get on with it then.
Duckula: Thank you m'lud. (produces a baton) A-one, two, a-one two three four! Haha! Conduct my own defence! Eh? Eh members of the jury? Huh! Oh that's the way it's going to be is it? I don't stand much of a chance.

Some old faithfuls are here: Duckula's variant on the old 'how do you plead?' involves him singing 'Sonny Boy' and Nanny does the old 'take the stand' joke, which does work perfectly for her literal-mindedness and super-strength. It get replaced soon afterwards when it's Igor's turn to act as a character witness. Unfortunately Igor's idea of a favourable statement is not the same as Duckula's (is it ever?) and the Count, already caught up in his act as his own lawyer, sentences himself to "the maximum the law allows" before realising what's gone wrong. 

Jimmy Hibbert's voice for the judge is another unusual one. He re-used it as a butler in an episode of Victor & Hugo, but nowhere else as far as I can ascertain. Jack May gives the prosecution a serious tone while I, again, almost didn't recognise David Jason as the nerdy 'Finbar Saunders' like usher. This episode has quite the cast of characters and its testament to the actors that they all sound different.

The denouement is pretty ludicrous, although in fairness the legal proceeding are also amped up with enough silliness to carry it through. The fact that Duckula instantly gets put on trial without any evidence of a body is mad enough anyway, so I can forgive all that. It's quite likely a joke on how in rushed legal affairs, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing and things do tend to get out of hand - I've got three hands there. See how easily that happens? At any rate, turns out the Duke is alive and well (Brian Trueman gives him a SMASHING voice!) while the detective novel he was writing was mistaken for his will and taken too seriously, creating the panic in the first place. No murder equals no murderer. All is well that ends up well and the Count gets a comparatively happy ending, which is a rare enough occurrence, so it leaves us with an upbeat feeling, even if the jury feel a bit let down! 

Music

"Strange Goings On" (track 5, Dick Walter) - Title.

"Eccentric Walk" (Roger Roger) - Climbing the walls.

"Finders Creepers" (Paddy Kingsland) - Night-time.

"Horse Feathers" (Eric Green 5:38) - Will you be stayin'?

"Drama Bridge" (Peter Knight) - "I never killed the Duke!"

"Drama Sting No. 2" (Paul Ferris) - "Wait for it - The Duke!"

"Drama Sting No. 1" (Paul Ferris) - Question time.

"Sir Toby Belch" (Eric Spear 2:35) - Ending

Episode ends on the same music we hear at the end of the final episode of Victor & Hugo ("Do-In Yourself") and also the end of "The Show Must Go On." For some reason in that last instance it reminds me of "Rumpole of the Bailey" even though it's this episode that ends on the court scene. Probably because I was watching "The Show Must Go On" at about the same time as Rumpole back in the day. The title of this episode is also the name of music cues that play in "Dear Diary" and "Hi-Duck."

Pans and Backgrounds

Very sunny and a pleasant change of scenery. The old English charm of the country estate is depicted very well, making the atmosphere one of warmth. The stuffy feel of the library and the courtroom comes over well, especially with the bird's-eye views (haha) and long shots of the corridors adding to the sense of scale. A lot of pans including a great group shot during the will reading. It's possible these pans helped offset the expense of all the new characters, although to be fair, how else were they going to get them all onscreen! Not many clear shots as a consequence. Spanish animation.

Those bottom two shots are almost close enough to see they are part of one larger background. It doesn't pan in the traditional left to right though.

Trivia

• 

  Time for a glass of blood claret at Pomeroy's? 

  This episode shares its title with an episode of Orson's Farm/U.S. Acres, albeit spelt differently. Appropriately, it is also full of Who's on first?-isms.
• Episode opens and closes with Duckula's screams. For once they're not screams of anguish, but
  more of  excitement and joy!
• Opens in Transylvania, closes in London.
• During the opening scene, the main door is closed and the side door is open. This seems to the the servants/tradesman's entrance.
• The address of the lawyers office is 152 Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park, London W2 1ND. This is an actual place, though the post code is W2 1UD. Possibly this was changed to avoid actual legal trouble! At time of going to press it is a Days Inn hotel.
• The lawyers' firm is a pun of course. Chat to them, cheat them and run. Makes a change from Dewey, Cheetham and Howe!
• Ever on the receiving end of a lack of respect, the letter addresses him as Mr. rather than Count.
• When Duckula says 'money' £ signs show up in his eyes. This is the British symbol for pound sterling.
• The Duke is stated to be a distant Uncle of the Count, yet he is (apparently) not a vampire.
• It should be pretty obvious to mystery fans that Miss Marbles and Hercules Parrot are references to Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. A Poirot expy named Achille Maron (whose name may also be a reference to Achilles Taron AKA Walter Melon) also appears in the Victor & Hugo episode "Blunder on the Orient Express."
• There are some sly bird puns in this. HENheim Palace (possibly a pun in Blenheim Palace), DUCKSfordshire, England. Ernest 7th Duke of MALLARDborough and Hercules PARROT (OK, less subtle!).
• Crouch, Damson and Stane are all legitimate surnames as are Chatman, Cheetham and Runn.
• Second time Jack May voices a Colonel. He did so in "Arctic Circles" too. The name Colonel Damson may be a reference to Cluedo characters Colonel Mustard and Professor Plum.
• Rare episode that has Brian Trueman voice a female character besides Nanny. Second time he voices an Auntie. Rose Madders' name is a pun on the colour Madder Rose, which matches her dress and the fact that she's mad. 
• David Jason also plays a parrot (Interpoll) in Victor & Hugo.
• The Duke's 1st name is Ernest and the gardener's first name is Ernie.
• 1st time Jimmy Hibbert voices a character named Ernest (although he's called Ernie here). It's also the name of the alien in "The Return..." Cosgrove-Hall must have really like that name! It's used in Wind in the Willows too and is also Penfold's first name in Danger Mouse. Second time he plays a character named Willoughby (it's the name of the Major in "Jungle Duck") and third time a character of that name appears in the series (it's the name of the Colonel in "Arctic Circles")
• Did Guy St. John Willoughby-Stane attend the same college as Cuthbert and Denzil?
• Like Jimmy Hibbert's regular character Von Goosewing, both the solicitor and the judge wear pince-nez. 
• It may be a mistake or it may be a subtle joke, but Duckula refers to M. Parrot as a Frenchman. Hercule Poirot is Belgian, however in the stories characters often mistake him for French.
• The cleaver looks a lot like an axe.
• Duckula accidentally consumes some fish soup. If only Igor were there to see!
• The Duke was apparently murdered (or went missing) on the night of the 17th. Month not stated.
• Duckula does a spoonerism when at his blackboard. Victor would later take these and run the 2 minute mile with them.
• Another of David Jason's characters (Mr Toad) also goes on trial in "Wind in the Willows" specifically in the movie. He gets an extended sentence for being green! Duckula doesn't endure the same such bigotry though.
• The jury's response of 'all fall down!' to the judge's cries of 'usher, usher!' is not only a reference to the old song 'Ring a Ring a Roses' but is also the name of an episode of 'Danger Mouse.'
• The Duck Rogers pun is a reference to fictional space hero Buck Rogers and also possibly to Duck Dodgers, Daffy Duck's space hero alter ego. 
• A brief shot would seem to imply Igor is being used as a prosecution witness. He certainly did a good job of it in his defence!
• Record number of voices for Jack May at four characters.
• Igor insists on "Mister Igor" from the weedy clerk, which is what Nanny always calls him.
• The 'how!' reaction from the jury would get a bonus chuckle for CITV fans who also watched "How 2", although that would not be broadcast until almost a year after this episode first aired.
• This episode was released on VHS in 1990 along with two other mystery themed episodes - "Private Beak" and "The Great Ducktective."

Goofs and Nitpicks

• Nanny's collar miscoloured before she throws away the cleaver.
• Igor's eyes briefly turn white when in the witness stand.
• The jury box looks a little empty from one angle.