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Tales of the Unexpected

 Tales of the Unexpected
type
TVTItem
 Tales of the Unexpected
label
Tales of the Unexpected
 Tales of the Unexpected
page
TalesOfTheUnexpected
 Tales of the Unexpected
comment
Tales of the Unexpected is a Dramatic Half-Hour series that aired between 1979 and 1988 by ITV. It was produced by Anglia Television, and it proved a big success for them.The series began as an adaptation of Roald Dahl's series of short stories by the same name. They ran out of adaptable stories (there were a few more they could have done but they did not lend themselves to a TV adaptation) after about one and a half seasons and started using other works. Dahl did an introduction for every story for the first two seasons, but severed ties with the project before series 3. They then ran up until series 9.The tone varied from story to story but on the whole it has been described as like The Twilight Zone (1959), but with a darkly humorous slant, especially in the Roald Dahl stories. The show had a low budget but the writing lead to an amazing list of Guest Stars including: Cyril Cusack, Anna Neagle, BRIAN BLESSED, Timothy West, John Gielgud, Richard Johnson, Elaine Stritch, Gloria Grahame, Peter Cushing, John Mills, Julie Harris, Wendy Hiller, Joseph Cotten, Derek Jacobi, Janet Leigh and Siobhan McKenna.Examples of the more famous Dahl stories are William and Mary, in which Mary learns that her husband has cheated death via a brain transplant; The Landlady, in which a seemingly charming old lady is really murdering and stuffing her tenants; The Way Up to Heaven, in which an abusive husband is trapped in a lift, and his long-suffering wife deliberately leaves him there to die, and Lamb to the Slaughter, in which a wronged wife batters her husband to death with a frozen leg of lamb and then gets away with it by getting the detectives (including BRIAN BLESSED) to Eat the Evidence.Several episodes are remakes of stories that had already been adapted for other series, such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents ("Lamb to the Slaughter", "The Man from the South") and Way Out ("William and Mary").Not to be confused with the much less successful 1977 series Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected. This series was also aired on ITV in the UK, but under the name Twist In The Tale.
 Tales of the Unexpected
fetched
2024-03-05T21:31:32Z
 Tales of the Unexpected
parsed
2024-03-05T21:31:32Z
 Tales of the Unexpected
processingComment
Dropped link to AnAesop: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Tales of the Unexpected
processingComment
Dropped link to NotInFrontOfTheParrot: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Tales of the Unexpected
processingComment
Dropped link to SheFellAmongThieves1964: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Tales of the Unexpected
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_12336d7d
type
Table Space
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_12336d7d
comment
Table Space: "The Colonel's Lady" opens with Eve Peregrine and her cloddish husband sitting at opposite ends of an enormous dining room table.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_12336d7d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_12336d7d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_12336d7d
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1994ba0b
type
Gone Horribly Right
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1994ba0b
comment
Gone Horribly Right: Albert Taylor in "Royal Jelly" feeds his undersized baby daughter royal jelly, hoping this will make her bigger. It certainly does.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1994ba0b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1994ba0b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_1994ba0b
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1ba17583
type
The Ghost
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1ba17583
comment
The Ghost: Harry in "Shatterproof" is never seen.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1ba17583
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1ba17583
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_1ba17583
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1c26120d
type
New Season, New Name
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1c26120d
comment
New Season, New Name: In the first series it was Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected. The second series, using fresh material by other writers, was Tales of the Unexpected (introduced by Roald Dahl. In the third seeason, after Dahl severed his association with the production, it simply became Tales of the Unexpected.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1c26120d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1c26120d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_1c26120d
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1c6ded94
type
Wicked Cultured
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1c6ded94
comment
Wicked Cultured: The blackmailing antique booksellers in "Clerical Error" listen to classical music while poring over the obituaries for the next widow to extort money from.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1c6ded94
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_1c6ded94
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_1c6ded94
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_20d965e
type
Gentleman Thief
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_20d965e
comment
Gentleman Thief: The elderly con artist in "The Umbrella Man" who tells one of his marks that "no man is worth the tears of a beautiful woman."
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_20d965e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_20d965e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_20d965e
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2169c95c
type
Taxidermy Is Creepy
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2169c95c
comment
Taxidermy Is Creepy: The title character in "The Landlady" keeps all her beloved pets stuffed in her bed-and-breakfast, including a dog, a parrot, and two former tenants. Her new tenant soon joins them.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2169c95c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2169c95c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_2169c95c
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_22071825
type
I'm a Humanitarian
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_22071825
comment
I'm a Humanitarian: "Scrimshaw" Eric need bones for his art, and nowadays the species that traditionally supplied scrimshaw artists with their...canvas are endangered species, so he gets his bones from...human beings.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_22071825
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_22071825
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_22071825
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_23473ae7
type
Adaptation Expansion
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_23473ae7
comment
Adaptation Expansion: "Flypaper" is based on a very short story by Elizabeth Taylor (not THAT one). The short story never names a specific threat, going for all-around paranoia. The episode ends with the very strong implication that the lonely schoolgirl whom the story revolves around is about to be the next victim of a loving couple of pension-age murderous paedophiles.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_23473ae7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_23473ae7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_23473ae7
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2764d432
type
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2764d432
comment
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: The motherly woman in "The Flypaper" who saves Sylvia from the elderly stalker turns out to be his partner in crime (murder and probably rape).
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2764d432
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2764d432
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_2764d432
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2a154192
type
Impossibly Tacky Clothes
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2a154192
comment
The titular "Stranger in Town" arrives wearing Impossibly Tacky Clothes, complete with top hat, just to shed his disguise, kill the man who wronged him, and then leave with no one noticing in the slightest.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2a154192
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2a154192
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_2a154192
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2a4e8051
type
Sexual Karma
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2a4e8051
comment
Sexual Karma: In "I'll Be Seeing You," put-upon Roland makes sweet love with his kind and understanding mistress Anna. (This may change when, thanks to an eye transplant, Anna ends up with the icy blue eyes of Roland's hateful wife.)
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2a4e8051
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2a4e8051
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_2a4e8051
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2b417e45
type
Scamming the Bereaved
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2b417e45
comment
Scamming the Bereaved: The booksellers in "Clerical Error" send fake invoices for expensive pornography to the families of prominent, recently deceased men, hoping the families will pay to avoid a scandal. They make the mistake of trying this on the family of a man who had, unknown to the public, become blind.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2b417e45
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_2b417e45
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_2b417e45
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_30725d31
type
Medication Tampering
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_30725d31
comment
Medication Tampering: In "Force of Evil", the doctor attempts to kill the psychopath who is stalking his family by poisoning the stalker's insulin.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_30725d31
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_30725d31
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_30725d31
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_315a122
type
Hospital Hottie
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_315a122
comment
"A Woman's Help" - Wealthy invalid Elizabeth Bourdon makes her husband Richard's life a misery - so and addition to having an affair with his wife's attractive nurse, the two are plotting to slowly kill Mrs. Bourdon. But Elizabeth finds out and fires the hot nurse, deciding she'll pick the replacement. She picks one who's much more matronly. She happens to be Richard's mother. And she really cares about her son's happiness.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_315a122
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_315a122
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_315a122
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_319e4a2f
type
Even Evil Has Standards
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_319e4a2f
comment
Even Evil Has Standards: The creepy hitch-hiker and serial killer fan in "Number Eight" is disconcerted when told that one of the said killer's victims was a five-year-old boy.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_319e4a2f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_319e4a2f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_319e4a2f
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_339b3062
type
Quintessential British Gentleman
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_339b3062
comment
Quintessential British Gentleman: Played straight with Paul Standing from "Clerical Error": he has a posh accent, a black umbrella, an understated demeanor and a determination to protect the vulnerable.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_339b3062
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_339b3062
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_339b3062
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_3af4d3a3
type
Hollywood New England
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_3af4d3a3
comment
Hollywood New England: "The Open Window" is set at a hunting lodge in Connecticut during autumn.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_3af4d3a3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_3af4d3a3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_3af4d3a3
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_40b98588
type
Adaptational Location Change
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_40b98588
comment
Adaptational Location Change: In the original story of "The Way Up to Heaven" the Fosters live in New York City with Mrs. Foster going to Paris. In the TV episode they live in London, and Mrs. Foster is going to New York City.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_40b98588
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_40b98588
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_40b98588
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_40cc0c7e
type
Bittersweet Ending
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_40cc0c7e
comment
Bittersweet Ending: George Peregrine in "The Colonel's Lady" is convinced that his middle-aged wife is having an affair when she writes a racy bestseller. When he demands that she reveal her lover's name she says the man is actually him, as he was years ago.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_40cc0c7e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_40cc0c7e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_40cc0c7e
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_41dee1c9
type
Children Are Special
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_41dee1c9
comment
Children Are Special: David from "The Boy Who Could Talk to Animals" saves a stranded sea turtle from a bunch of callous adults who want to make soup out of it. He later disappears and in a dreamlike sequence is spotted at sea riding the turtle's back.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_41dee1c9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_41dee1c9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_41dee1c9
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_43b154c9
type
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_43b154c9
comment
Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Brits David Suchet and Jemma Redgrave, and Danish Nina van Pallandt play French people in "A Time to Die" with no sign of a French accent (van Pallandt plays Suchet's wife with an English accent!).
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_43b154c9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_43b154c9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_43b154c9
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_4e7c4536
type
Wham Line
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_4e7c4536
comment
Wham Line: The German father at the end of "Genesis and Catastrophe," choosing a name for his newborn son, says "I hope they don't call him Adolf."
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_4e7c4536
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_4e7c4536
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_4e7c4536
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_50b05d30
type
Disproportionate Retribution
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_50b05d30
comment
Disproportionate Retribution: In "Depart At Peace" Lionel gets back at his girlfriend Janet for supposedly calling him boring by displaying a portrait of her in her underwear in front of all their friends. Janet, in her turn gives Lionel a jar of poisoned caviar.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_50b05d30
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_50b05d30
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_50b05d30
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_50f5dabe
type
Reincarnation
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_50f5dabe
comment
Reincarnation: The cat in "Edward the Conqueror" may be the reincarnation of Franz Liszt!
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_50f5dabe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_50f5dabe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_50f5dabe
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_510e5a9
type
Sassy Black Woman
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_510e5a9
comment
Sassy Black Woman: Grace, the dance instructor in "In the Cards." ("You mean to tell me you're going to marry that rhinoceros?")
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_510e5a9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_510e5a9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_510e5a9
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_537dd8fe
type
Affably Evil
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_537dd8fe
comment
Affably Evil: Gerry Williams from "Shatterproof", a wealthy, mild mannered and charismatic tycoon (played by Eli Wallach) who finds out that an assassin is sent by his cheating wife Ellen to kill him, only to blackmail the assassin into going over to kill Ellen.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_537dd8fe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_537dd8fe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_537dd8fe
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_60c90bd5
type
Orphan's Ordeal
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_60c90bd5
comment
Orphan's Ordeal: Sylvia from "The Flypaper" lives with a grandmother who barely tolerates her (which sadly turns out to be the least of her ordeals.)
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_60c90bd5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_60c90bd5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_60c90bd5
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_6974708f
type
It Must Be Mine!
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_6974708f
comment
It Must Be Mine!: How the shady archaeologist Tanner feels about the statue he and his partner are trying to smuggle out of Jordan in "Would You Believe It?" ("I'd rather die than give her up!")
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_6974708f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_6974708f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_6974708f
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_71748a39
type
Named by the Adaptation
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_71748a39
comment
Named by the Adaptation: Mrs. Foster in "The Way Up To Heaven" receives a first name, Alice.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_71748a39
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_71748a39
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_71748a39
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_7d49d74a
type
Cultural Translation
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_7d49d74a
comment
Cultural Translation: The opening narration was replaced in the American version.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_7d49d74a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_7d49d74a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_7d49d74a
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_82a64c4b
type
Adaptational Nice Guy
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_82a64c4b
comment
Adaptational Nice Guy: Miller in "Would You Believe It?" morally protests Tanner's plan to steal the statue several times. Miller in "She Fell Among Thieves" is fine with the theft and specifically teamed up with Tanner to learn about smuggling. Unlike his literary counterpart, William Botibol from "Dip in the Pool" expresses great love from his (absent) wife and is ecstatic at the prospect of seeing her face when he buys her a new car with his expected winnings. This gives the irony of his fate a tragic sting.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_82a64c4b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_82a64c4b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_82a64c4b
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_859bbabc
type
The Cassandra
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_859bbabc
comment
The Cassandra: Bookseller and con artist Michael Carey in "Clerical Error" repeatedly tells his brother that trying to extort money from the Standings is too risky.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_859bbabc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_859bbabc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_859bbabc
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_88abba17
type
Horror Host
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_88abba17
comment
Horror Host: Tales from the first two series were introduced by the grandfatherly, perpetually cardigan clad Roald Dahl. Later they were introduced by John Houseman.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_88abba17
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_88abba17
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_88abba17
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_957e5fc2
type
Villainous Breakdown
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_957e5fc2
comment
Villainous Breakdown: Tanner in "Would You Believe It?" when he realizes the statue he stole is Lot's Wife—and she has dissolved in the rain.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_957e5fc2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_957e5fc2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_957e5fc2
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_9e1548b4
type
Old Retainer
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_9e1548b4
comment
Old Retainer: Jenks the butler in "Neck" who'll do anything to protect Sir Basil.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_9e1548b4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_9e1548b4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_9e1548b4
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_9e86e227
type
The End... Or Is It?
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_9e86e227
comment
The End... Or Is It?: The Stranger from "Stranger in Town" assumes he has gotten away with murder, but the confetti that falls from his coat as he's leaving town makes the newsboy suspicious.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_9e86e227
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_9e86e227
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_9e86e227
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_9f279a3e
type
You Make Me Sick
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_9f279a3e
comment
You Make Me Sick: In "Clerical Error," when sleazy Ronnie Carey insists Paul Standing's father bought expensive pornography from his shop, Paul Standing knowing this is impossible replies "You disgust me."
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_9f279a3e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_9f279a3e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_9f279a3e
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_a4c37cbe
type
Mood Whiplash
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_a4c37cbe
comment
Mood Whiplash: The final seconds of "Neck" go from farce to horror when it appears that Sir Basil is about to decapitate his wife. The end of "Stranger in Town" when the lovable eccentric removes his disguise and reveals why he is really in town.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_a4c37cbe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_a4c37cbe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_a4c37cbe
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_a70223
type
Karma Houdini
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_a70223
comment
Karma Houdini: In "Wet Saturday," Mr. Princey apparently gets away with framing an innocent neighbor for a murder committed by his daughter.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_a70223
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_a70223
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_a70223
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_a939d96a
type
Adults Are Useless
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_a939d96a
comment
Adults Are Useless: The adults who aren't downright dangerous in "The Flypaper" are either ineffectual or uncaring.
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_a939d96a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_a939d96a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tales of the Unexpected
hasFeature
Tales of the Unexpected / int_a939d96a
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_ae3d6438
type
Deadpan Snarker
 Tales of the Unexpected / int_ae3d6438
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Deadpan Snarker: Actresses Pat Lewis and Suzy Starr in "A Girl Can't Always Have Anything." Much of their dialog consists of their trying to out-snark one another.
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Parody: Prankster radio comedy show The Burkiss Way envisioned Anglia TV being so strapped for cash that the creative directors worked by pulling letters blindfold from a Scrabble bag and making anagrams from them. Burkiss had two harrassed producers deciding that they could get Somebody or Other's Tales of the Unexpected from the available letters, but the nine letters left over were so horribly random that nothing they could do with them could ever make a plausible name in any language.
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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Be Careful What You Wish For: "A Woman's Help" - Wealthy invalid Elizabeth Bourdon makes her husband Richard's life a misery - so and addition to having an affair with his wife's attractive nurse, the two are plotting to slowly kill Mrs. Bourdon. But Elizabeth finds out and fires the hot nurse, deciding she'll pick the replacement. She picks one who's much more matronly. She happens to be Richard's mother. And she really cares about her son's happiness. In "Royal Jelly," Albert and Mabel Taylor are desperately worried about their underweight baby and her refusal to take any food. Mabel in particular wishes she would start eating again. Albert, a beekeeper, has the idea to mix royal jelly, which bees feed to their young to make them grow, with the baby's formula. Sure enough, the baby starts eating...and eating...and eating... By the end, it's implied that both Albert, who's secretly been taking royal jelly to improve his fertility, and the baby are transforming into bee-human hybrids.
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My Beloved Smother
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My Beloved Smother: When Rev. George Duckworth from "Georgy Porgy" was a child, his overbearing mother forced him to watch a mother rabbit give birth. The rabbit immediately devoured her offspring.
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Adaptational Backstory Change: Mrs. Foster in "The Way Up To Heaven," whose obsessive fear of being late is unexplained in the original, tells a bartender in the airport lounge that it comes from being raised by a strict military father.
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Unexpected Inheritance
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Unexpected Inheritance: Myra in "In the Cards" receives a three hundred thousand dollar inheritance from a maiden aunt she barely knew who "invested wisely."
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Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
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Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Albert and Mabel Taylor in "Royal Jelly" Two of the IMDb user reviews of this episode speak very highly of Susan George in this for fairly obvious reasons.
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Buses Are for Freaks
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Buses Are for Freaks: In "The Flypaper" the middle-aged kidnappers and murderers target Sylvia on a city bus when she is on her way home from a piano lesson.
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Murder by Inaction
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Murder by Inaction: In "The Way Up to Heaven," Mrs. Foster leaves to spend six weeks in New York, knowing her husband is trapped in the elevator.
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Lighter and Softer
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Lighter and Softer: Compared to rest of the series, "The Boy Who Could Talk to Animals" is this. With a boy bidding to save a turtle from being eaten riding off with it at the end. As opposed to the episodes "A Harmless Vanity" and "Scrimshaw" for instance. Which both involve beachside settings and murder.
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Cool Old Lady
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Cool Old Lady: Mrs. Standing in "Clerical Error" helps her son entrap the booksellers who falsely claim her late husband ordered some very expensive pornographic books from them.
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Refuge in Audacity
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Refuge in Audacity: Once you know the twist, "Hijack" becomes this as a result of the airplane crew managing to fake a hijacking in order to make off with the cash. The titular "Stranger in Town" arrives wearing Impossibly Tacky Clothes, complete with top hat, just to shed his disguise, kill the man who wronged him, and then leave with no one noticing in the slightest.
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Creepy Gas-Station Attendant
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Creepy Gas-Station Attendant: The perpetually smiling, hymn singing (and completely dishonest) gas station owner and mechanic in "Nothin' Short of Highway Robbery."
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Gold Digger
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Gold Digger: Suzy the struggling actress in "A Girl Can't Always Have Everything" blatantly refers to her rich fiancee as a "golden goose."
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Deadly Doctor
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Deadly Doctor: Dr. James Carpenter, renowned transplant surgeon, methodically dismembers his controlling wife in "Back for Christmas."
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Beware the Nice Ones
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Beware the Nice Ones: Paul Standing, the mild-mannered businessman in "Clerical Error" ruthlessly turns the tables on the blackmailing booksellers who targeted his widowed mother. A nebbishy psychologist saves two women from an apparent serial killer in "Number Eight." It turns out he's actually the killer. Mary from "Lamb to the Slaughter" a devoted wife who smashes in her husband's skull with a frozen leg of lamb when he tries to leave her.
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With Friends Like These...
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With Friends Like These...: Beautiful and popular Suzy Starr in "A Girl Can't Always Have Everything" openly condescends to her best friend Pat Lewis. Pat in turn lets Suzy die when Suzy fakes a suicide attempt to win back her rich estranged husband, snagging the grieving widower for herself.
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Adaptational Nationality
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Adaptational Nationality: Mr. Foster in "The Way Up to Heaven" becomes a Brit.
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Tales of the Unexpected

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