LAND OF THE GIANTS-FRAMED

 

FRAMED

PRODUCTION EIGHT

AIRED-10-6-1968--THIRD

WRITER-MANN RUBIN

DIR-HARRY HARRIS

MUSIC-LEITH STEVENS, JOHN WILLIAMS

 

TEASER

Steve alerts Dan, Mark, and Val at Spindrift that the others have turned up a camera with lenses that could be used to start the solar batteries in the spaceship. They meet up with Fitzhugh, Betty, and Barry. Fitzhugh and Steve go to check the frisky giant photographer and his female model while the others struggle to get the lens out of the giant camera. The two Earth men witness the photographer fool around with the unwilling model. She slaps him and he pushes her. She falls and hits her head on a rock. The photographer didn't mean this but finds blood on her head. Fitzhugh moves in closer to see more but snaps a twig on a leaf--the giant hears this and leans forward at them, "Little people!"

 

ACT ONE

Freeze frame: the photographer moves at them, then chases them to a gopher hole and looks in at them--a giant eye. He can't grab them with his hand so he uses fire and smoke to get them out. A hobo comes along, scaring the photographer away and stamping out the fire. The hobo sees the two little men, drops his liquor bottle, and runs off, too. Steve laughs, "That's the first time we ever scared a giant."  The hobo falls asleep on a park bench near the camera while the killer arrives and plants evidence to make the hobo look like the killer! The men throw rocks to awaken the hobo but it doesn't work. Mark and Dan protest Steve's plan to take a photo of the murderer planting his evidence. Val volunteers--she knows how to develop pictures. With on way to awaken the hung over hobo, Steve and Val take a picture of the photographer planting his evidence. He hears the click of the shutter of the camera and moves toward Val and Steve, who hide behind the camera.  

 

ACT TWO

The murderer doesn't investigate further (why not?). He runs off for the police. Mark, Dan, and Fitzhugh protest the idea that Val and Steve will ride inside the camera to the photographer's darkroom to develop the film! Steve tells the others, "We've had enough of a go around on this. Unless I'm way wrong, that guy's gone for the police and he'll back to make sure the hobo's arrested for the crime."  Dan asks Steve if he's sure about this. On watch for the police and photographer giants, Barry asks Betty questions about the captain plans to develop the pictures. She doesn't know. The two warn the others, "Giants! Giants are coming!"  The police arrive, the killer putting on a good show that the hobo did it. The police take the hobo and the photographer to the police station, Val and Steve already hidden in the camera. The others follow, barely able to keep up. At night in front of the police station, Fitzhugh leaves the girls and Barry to come running to an equally restless Mark and Dan at a pole. It has been hours. Dan, running toward the station, stops short as the photographer comes out, lights a match, and throws away the empty matchbook. Dan hides behind it. Fitzhugh worries for Dan; Mark does too but also notes, "There's something else. That killer doesn't have his camera."   The photographer almost steps on the matchbook and Dan but doesn't because a policeman comes out of the doors and gives him his camera. This allows Dan time to run off and then the photographer steps on the matchbook. The others follow the killer back to his studio apartment. There, the giant drinks, then destroys photos he made of the dead girl. He brings the camera into the darkroom and starts to develop film in the other camera. Barry tells Steve that the others said there is no way into the house, no mouse hole, no rat hole. This panics Valerie. Steve has to cover her mouth to keep her quiet and tells her, "We've been through worse than this."  They can watch the killer through the lens. Val wonders what will happen to them when the killer opens their camera--the one they are hiding in.

 

ACT THREE

Fitzhugh tells Betty and Barry the captain should have turned his back on that hobo today--Val and the captain wouldn't be in this mess if he had. Betty responds, "Mr. Fitzhugh, you don't mean that, at least I hope you don't. Steve and Valerie will be all right. We'll get them out."  Dan climbs up a garden vine holder and rings the doorbell--just as the killer starts to open the camera Val and Steve are in. He puts it down and goes to answer the door. The pair get out but Dan and Mark cannot get past the giant at the door (nice mix shot of the giant, Dan and Mark near the bricks). Betty tells Fitzhugh to send Chipper---to a waiting and whistling Barry on the other side. Chipper distracts the giant outside long enough to allow Dan and Mark time to get in. Betty tells Fitzhugh to score one for Barry, Chipper, and him...not just him, giving some credit to Barry and the dog, too, not grabbing all for just Fitzhugh. Val and Steve hide behind a tray as the giant returns and begins developing the film. The giant destroys the negatives.

 

ACT FOUR

Dan distracts the giant out of the room. Mark helps Val and Steve get the print down from the table. The killer calls the police who think he is making it up. Ever since the government posted a reward on little people they've been doing nothing but tracking down bad tips from people who think they have or wanted to have seen little people. Once the killer finds the print he made of the photo gone and the pin and rope, he starts looking everywhere, throwing items all over the house. Dan throws a light bulb to distract him while the other three join Dan at the hanger--with the lens and the photo. The police arrive, leaving the door open. The killer tells them it is little people, even though they are skeptical. He says, "They're this high."  Mark wants to take off through it with the lens. Steve tosses the photo to the police.

 

TAG

The police see the photo and arrest the photographer. The real killer tells them, "It was the little people! It wasn't me--it was the little people!"  He says this over and over as they drag him out. The four have to leave without the lens--it is too heavy for them to get away as the place will soon by swarming with police and investigators. In the park the next morning, the little people try to use glass but it doesn't reflect light. The hobo leaves a box camera as a thank you to the little people for clearing him. It has no lens--unknown to the hobo that is what they needed. It probably won't even take good pictures.

 

REVIEW: A tense episode with little action but a great deal of nerve wracking situations. Add to that the excellent acting of Paul Carr as the conniving, nervous, guilt ridden, giant with flare. We believe his every move. The music is majestic for this one, even though it was in previous episodes (production wise), here it's accentuated among the quiet whisperings of the Earth group. The gang still refer to Steve as Captain or as Capt. Burton; to Fitzhugh as Mr. Fitzhugh, mixed in with references using Steve and Fitzhugh without the titles. The gang are more comfortable with itself and the special effects are outstanding in this one; the mixing of giants and humans in one shot is above anything ever done before it. The sequence with Dan hiding behind the matchbook is flawless as well as when he and Mark sneak past the murderer to get inside the doorway. The camera set up was appropriately claustrophobic while the reddish glowing darkroom was a factor to the episode's tenseness. It is also nice, plot-wise, that, for once, the little people couldn't find an easy way inside--nothing. In truth, this would be. Other places might have cracks, garage doors, etc. On the series, we found they used under the door and mouse holes a bit too much, hence the need for a electric gun which would enable them to torch their way into a home without starting a fire, mind you. This episode continued the "reward for capture"  theme begun in THE TRAP and THE BOUNTY HUNTER, production wise. Air order-wise, FRAMED is the first to mention a reward for capture. This is the first time the show mentions the giants' government. Betty is eternally optimistic (although this is not true of her character in the three Murray Leinster novels). Regular bird sound effects were used in the forest rather than the standard 20th Century Fox jungle sound effects (used in DOCTOR DOLITTLE and other movies--such as jungle war films--and tv shows--VOYAGE, LOST, AND TIME TUNNEL). Paul Carr played a semi regular role in the second season of BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY.