Quartermassters Store Double S

[GuitarPhil]

One of the more repeatable stanzas goes something like

"There were rats, rats, rats as big as cats
In the store, in the store
There were rats, rats, rats as big as cats
In the Quartermasters store"

Thanks for the earlier link to the wonderful BBC serial "Quatermass and the Pit". Like many, as a young lad I watched this from behind the sofa and was proper terrified

I've just watched it again on YouTube and now I marvel at how good it was. Superb, intelligent script by Nigel Neale, Andre Morell is just the perfect Professor Quatermass and the sound effects and special effects were wonderful.

I never liked Brian Donleavy's Quatermass in the early Hammer B&W versions but John Mills was good in the later Hammer colour remake of "Quatermass and the Pit" which featured Colonel Breen being 'melted' by the energy from the Martian ship

[MikeAB]

John Mills was not in 'the Pit' - the for once better remake of a TV series. But he was Quatermass in the last TV show 'Quatermass' - ie the 'Stonehenge' one. Also a great story. Andrew Keir was 'the man' in the Pit remake, and also was great in the role. Fans should catch the Quatermass memoirs - an audiobook on itunes where Keir again voices the great Q.

[captainhaddock]

With reference to Quatermass and the pit. I believe that much credit for the film has to go to James Donald. He played the part of Dr James Roney a paleoentologist. I can still see him driving a tower crane into the figure of the devil that had been released by the excavation of Hobs lane tube station. The film must have had an influence on me, because even today I only have to see a tower crane and it all comes flooding back.!. I even have qualms about the excavations in London today amongst the plague pits , can we still catch the Black Death ?!

[MikeAB]

Yep - and no modern film frightens me no matter how horrific they get, but if I watch 'the Pit' whilst t'other half is out I still have to check the windows and doors are locked -at 66!

[SHADADDICT]

@Tone - Going back to 'Journey into Space' - I used to listen to that as a kid too and remember the characters of Jet, Doc, Mitch & Lemmy quite well. I know that Andrew Faulds was 'Jet' for the first stories but someone else took over later, and as Phil (Captain Haddock) say's 'Lemmy' was originally played by David Kossoff! . Alfie Bass took over the role from him. - 'Guy Kingsley Poynter' was 'Doc' and Bruce Beeby was 'Mitch'
All the characters changed later in the series and I can't remember who they all were. - except I know Ed Bishop played one of them, a long time before appearing in UFO as Commander Ed Straker! . complete with blond wig!

I also remember watching the television series of Quatermass, with John Mills as the professor, and although it was a very enjoyable story it somehow lacked the 'fear' factor of the earlier series.

Tony R

[GuitarPhil]

John Mills was not in 'the Pit' - the for once better remake of a TV series. But he was Quatermass in the last TV show 'Quatermass' - ie the 'Stonehenge' one. Also a great story. Andrew Keir was 'the man' in the Pit remake, and also was great in the role. Fans should catch the Quatermass memoirs - an audiobook on itunes where Keir again voices the great Q.

Of course you're right Mike. I realized this morning when I got up that I'd got the TV series with John Mills and the Hammer 1967 film with Andrew Keir mixed up. As you say, Keir was also an excellent Quatermass.

[GoldenStreet]

[i] @Tone - Going back to 'Journey into Space' - I used to listen to that as a kid too and remember the characters of Jet, Doc, Mitch & Lemmy quite well. I know that Andrew Faulds was 'Jet' for the first stories but someone else took over later, and as Phil (Captain Haddock) say's 'Lemmy' was originally played by David Kossoff! . Alfie Bass took over the role from him. - 'Guy Kingsley Poynter' was 'Doc' and Bruce Beeby was 'Mitch'
All the characters changed later in the series and I can't remember who they all were. - except I know Ed Bishop played one of them, a long time before appearing in UFO as Commander Ed Straker! . complete with blond wig!

Wikipedia gives all the details...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_into_Space

Bill

[ecca]

The very name ; Hobs Lane, fills me with terror.

[MikeAB]

Yep - and some of the dialogue eg ''it was inside'' ''they'd have been felling trees'' - NOTHING as good these days as crash bang wallop effects and noises seem to leave no room for chilling dialogue. Matrix not bad I suppose ''he's beginning to believe''.

[neil2726]

Aparently Brian Donleavey was cast to satisfy the USA distributors - seems they like one of their own in the cast! A bit like Steve McQeen in "The Great Escape" - an entirely fictional character - the motor bike escapade never happened! Robert Wagner was in the TV version of Colditz - just to satisfy the USA market! But we know how good the Yanks are at destorting the truth in films!