I'm obviously easier to please than the other reviewers but I really liked
this show a lot and was very interested in the back ground story as well.
Created as a follow up to the very popular "Scotland Yard" series but
while the latter was a pretty grim, strictly business look at crime, SOJ
sometimes went for the light hearted as in "The Undesirable Neighbour"
where a nosy neighbour has it in for a pretty newly wed who makes the
mistake of wanting to earn extra money from her former profession -
modelling!!
While "Scotland Yard" was unmistakably the 1950s of "The Blue Lamp" and
"Dixon of Dock Green", SOJ tried to go for trendiness with the Tornadoes,
so up to the minute in the early 1960s, providing the very cheesy theme
music. As the series progressed, from 1965 it was made in colour and also
put more effort into finding more established (Dermot Walsh) and newer,
exciting talent (Alexandra Bastedo and Keith Barron). The latter two were
in a terrific one - "The Haunted Man" from 1966, an actor is caught up in
a jewelry store robbery, he is convinced he would know the culprit anywhere
and tries to track him down.
Others I enjoyed were "A Woman's Privilege" - complications arise on a
cruise when a woman encourages a lonely man to believe she cares for
him. It's a goodie with a surprising outcome. "Moment of Decision" - one of
the best with Ray Barrett as a despicable husband who capitalizes on his
wife's post natal depression when a baby is kidnapped from a local park.
"Personal and Confidential" - must have been publicized as "ripped from
today's headlines" as a Profumo like story of diplomats and espionage etc
as a diligent secretary makes a fatal mistake - the ending, again, is
surprising.
"Payment in Kind" was the last and really ended the series with a bang
as director Peter Duffell and cinematographer Jimmy Harvey tried to
experiment with a grittier subject and achieved psychological realism.
A young wife becomes immersed in higher purchase debt until the
collector suggests "payment in kind".
This series was the last made for Merton Park for cinema release but
was then televised for Independent Television in the early 1970s.
Very Recommended.