If It's a Man - Hang Up! - Series 5 Episode 1, 12th April 1975

The story...

Suzy Martin - an American model based in London - seems to have everything going for her. That is until she starts to receive disturbing, threatening phone calls from an unknown man. Suzy's predicament intensifies when her brother Peter is knocked down and killed by a hit-and-run driver; while the police believe it was an accident she is convinced it was a deliberate act by the phone-caller who had mistaken Peter for a boyfriend. The calls do not stop and there seems a real risk of her being physically attacked so a policeman involved in her case called Henry Venner persuades her to spend some time at his country cottage for her own safety. However is Suzy really going to be safe there?

Review

Whichever way you look at it, this is an exceptional episode. It is certainly exceptional in a factual sense. It was the only original story made in an extended format to fit a ninety minutes slot (seventy-five of screen-time).  The original extended version also had its own unique titles and score using strings and brass. However a shorter version using the conventional Thriller music has been available as well in addition to the ITC movie version. As a result it has a complicated history covered more fully in Martin Marshall's excellent book A Thriller in Every Corner.. In terms of quality fans are divided but it probably has more supporters than detractors and in my view it is one of the strongest and most entertaining instalments. The review will concentrate on the extended version, which seems to be the one that aired originally in the UK in 1975 although there's no particular difference in quality between the longer and shorter ATV ones.

Voyeurism is the key subject of this story. Suzy is a model and as such is being observed all the time. As a woman she is aware - and uneasy - about being judged in terms of her appearance. The stalker though is going much further. Not only is he spying on Suzy in her most private moments but he is terrorising her. She knows she is being watched and his phone calls are very frightening. How far will he go? The story focuses on a common fear of women. The heavy breathing and tormenting voice of the stalker even from the start are very disturbing, with skilful direction adding to the fear.

This is a whodunit, and a classic of its type. An assortment of suspects is arrayed very quickly. There are two would-be / ex-boyfriends in photographers Greg and Terry both of whom are angling for Suzy, but how far will they go? The fact that the two see each other as bitter rivals both in a professional and romantic sense adds to the intrigue. The caretaker Murchison perhaps fits the stalker stereotype more closely: a middle-aged man, infatuated with Suzy but clearly out of her league, and already seen to eavesdrop on her. Italian student Bruno has no past history with her but does show an interest. However his attitude seems ambivalent. He remarks on her being "smug" and that she should not live alone: he cannot be discounted. Later the young policeman Henry (or Hal) joins the fray. Hal appears to be very supportive but struggles with anxieties about his disfigured face and relations with women. He is smitten by Suzy but may not be as faithful as he seems. Of course such is the formula that one should doubt whether any of these suspects is the guilty man. In the whodunit the obvious suspect is rarely guilty - or is this one of the exceptions? Innocent or not, none of them inspire total confidence. If it isn't one of them, who could it be? Formulaic it may be but the suspects are still lined-up with great aplomb by Brian Clemens. Excellent suspenseful direction and fine acting makes the results very convincing and satisfying.

Suzy with photographer Terry Cleeves - one of a number of suspects in her case

Carol Lynley does a great job in conveying Suzy's terrible predicament. She does not know with whom she can feel safe. She can no longer live her own life and feels dictated to by her pursuer. She knows he is not a man to be ignored after the murder of her brother. He even cruelly toys with her devotion to her dog Toby. He clearly knows a lot about her and how she can be manipulated.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Suzy is her feminism. Thriller was a very traditional programme and this is the only example of an openly feminist character. Refreshingly Suzy stands up for herself and leads an independent, single life - until the stalker makes it impossible for her. She is assertive in resisting both Greg and Terry and maintains her right to write for a feminist magazine. She picks up on Hal's lazy remark that, "All women are late." In other episodes these sorts of generalised sexist remarks passed uncorrected but not here. There is of course the arguable contradiction about a feminist working as a model but Suzy feels quite correctly that support for women's rights does not have to be at the expense of physical attractiveness. Intriguingly Carol Lynley expressed similar feminist viewpoints and had a similar professional background to Suzy, so it's possible that this influenced the casting or the writing of the part.

Another likeable aspect of Suzy is her open-mindedness. She is a beautiful woman who could pick almost any man but she is happy to consider a relationship with Hal despite his facial disfigurement. She appreciates his personality and supportiveness. The anxiety of Hal about his appearance is though an understandable one, rarely covered in film and TV. In a society obsessed with physical attractiveness someone like Hal can feel neglected and unhappy. She helps to build his confidence but never in a patronising way.

Away from the main story there are some interesting relationships. Betty's play for Greg is notable. She appears to offer him support given his frustrations with Suzy and altercations with Terry. Maybe a romance is on the cards or is Greg still more focused on Suzy and keeping his ex-wife onside? Sue Holderness early in her career makes a strong impression as this enigmatic character. Unusually the policemen featured are constables with no senior ranks involved. The banter between these officers (Richard Lovell and Hal) is also highly engaging - friendly but still with a competitive edge..

The final stages as Hal takes Suzy to hoped-for refuge are very well-done and it soon becomes apparent that Suzy hasn't found a place of safety. The closing minutes are both nerve-racking and poignant and involve so many twists that even at the end one wonders if another one may come. 

Overall Shaun O'Riordan's direction is first-class but the acting performances are uniformly impressive. Gerald Harper was the billed British star but he has very fine support. David Gwillym, always a fine actor, deserves particular credit as Hal - protector or persecutor? In a very small role Michael Cronin will stand out to many viewers as the future "Bullet" Baxter, the very firm but fair PE teacher in Grange Hill. There is a great deal to appreciate here. Probably the shorter version - appearing erroneously as the "official" one on the DVD set - is a little better for the viewer as it is tighter and has the benefit of the superior woodwind score but it is excellent to have the choice of two very impressive versions. The new titles and music produced for the extended version when it premiered also show the very satisfying results that can occur when these are produced at the time by the original creators with the original cast as compared to those added long afterwards by different companies for the ITC movie versions. It is certainly a shame that no other extended editions were made - this one shows there was potential in a longer format even if the standard length probably fits Thriller the best.

Notes

The ITC movie version was the only to be given an on-screen copyright date other than 1974 - here given its correct production date of 1975. All the others were billed as being made in 1974 even though most were made in 1973 and 1975.