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Tales Of The Unexpected - The Complete Fourth Season
01/10/2007 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
Region 2 DVD. pub: Network 7952679. 3 DVDs 425 minutes. 17 * 25 minute episodes and no extras. Price: £24.99 (UK). Buy Tales Of The Unexpected in the USA - or Buy Tales Of The Unexpected in the UK  check out website: www.networkdvd.co.uk
For the original 1981 TV viewing of 'Tales Of The Unexpected', the anthology series was nearly devoid of all things Roald Dahl except for one story. As commented in previous reviews, Dahl had only written a few short stories at the time and now the pot was nearly dry. Instead, stories were chosen to fit the theme and apart from one by Ruth Rendell, none of the other names struck me with familiarity. This doesn't mean that none of the stories were any good, quite the reverse actually, just that there weren't what you would call 'star' author names. The same could not be said of the cast. There were many more Americans with the likes of Stuart Whitman, Tony Franciosa, Eli Wallach, Telly Savalas and even Gary Burkhoff (formerly Radar O'Reilly from 'M*A*S*H'), all no doubt used to ensure sales to the States. The British cast was equally formidable including Anthony Quayle, Colin Blakely, Frank Finlay, Michael Kitchen, Nigel Hawthorne, Nigel Havers, Joan Greenwood and Denis Quilley. The locations varied, including some abroad, off-set occasionally by stories with smaller casts and studio settings. This was always in-line with making as big a splash as possible when it was originally shown.
Probably the most common theme throughout the stories was getting away with murder, which wasn't always that successful for the culprits, and leaving the story on the edge leaving you to imagine what happened next. There was also a heavy dose of black humour and misdirection so you were caught out at the end. If anything, because of this, the series really should be treated with a little respect and watch only one episode a day than do a bulk viewing or you'll fail to let it sink in. If anything, much of the time you'd get the feeling of the audacity of the characters, the events and how some things simply don't go to plan.
Picking out favourites from these episodes is going to be tough without giving away the endings. 'The Best Of Everything' starring Michael Kitchen as a man who wants to up his status where he works is interesting as he turns from a duckling into a swan, engineering it from a chance meeting and opportune lodger only to neatly have the rug pulled away at the end. 'The Last Bottle Of Wine' is really a tour de force for Anthony Quayle and his perchance for changing accents (compare to how he normally sounds in 'The Strange Report') and how he publicly kills his wife's lover with a little shock. 'Kindly Dig Your Grave' deviates from the murder theme with a tale about how an artist's girl-friend nobbles the art dealer by her own tactics. The same could also be said for 'There's One Born Every Minute' where the husband, played by Frank Finlay, out to con his wife out of her inheritance and loses out instead. 'Bosom Friends' is a lot slower in build-up and just as you expect it to go in one direction, gives the...er...unexpected twist and comeuppance at the end. The ultimate gag is the final story, 'Hijack', starring Denis Quilley by its audacity and guessing who was actually involved.
Notice, the stories I've pointed out aren't necessarily in our remit but there are a few more fantasy based ones. The Roald Dahl story 'The Boy Who Could Talked With Animals' starring Stuart Whitman where a boy prevents people killing a giant turtle runs off with it. Although I'm not convinced such a story would be allowed today it was no doubt Dahl's return to youth that triggered it. 'The Sound Machine' has an inventor whose device allows him to hear plants talk and the pain they suffer when cut ends up with his own problems.
If anything, the chances are you'd end up picking your own favourites from this series. Over a period of time, you'll no doubt watch them again with friends, seeing them getting caught out the way you were the first time. It's also a good lesson in story dynamics for neo-writers out there in putting short stories together so hitting a lot of bases.
GF Willmetts
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