Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) Logo 'The House on Haunted Hill'
by Tony Williamson
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) Cast

For once, business is booming in the Randall and Hopkirk office: an insurance company hires Jeff to investigate the disappearance of a shipment of diamonds, and then a real estate agent hires Jeff to look into rumours that Merston Manor, a house scheduled to go on the market, is haunted - the last two investigators, Henry Mace Horsfall and Frederick P. Waller ran away after hearing clanking chains and screams emanating from the attic. Since Jean is away on holiday - her sister Jennifer currently filling-in for her instead - Jeff has no problem in taking the diamond case and assigning his ghostly partner Marty to the haunted house. Marty explores the Manor and hears terrifying noises which convince him that the house is genuinely haunted. He tells Jeff to go instead, and to his horror, Jeff agrees. The two investigate, but are both scared away by the horrifying sounds. Later on, while on the diamonds case, Jeff receives a phone call telling him to meet at a warehouse so that he can gain some interesting information on the robbery. Walter Previss is waiting there, ready to make a deal: if Jeff declares it as an outside job, he will get a cut of the profits. When Jeff, being a man of principle, turns the offer down flatly, Previss and his side-kick Lattimer take Jenny hostage to keep him quiet, and lock her up in the manor - actually the headquarters of their gang; the haunting sound effects part of a clever way to keep unwelcome visitors away. Jeff follows them but is overpowered. The gang-members are angry with Previss because their hideout has been discovered, and give him two options: kill Jenny and Jeff, or they will strike a deal with Jeff, and turn Previss over to the police. Only Marty can help, but the spectre points out hopelessly: "Who's going to listen to a ghost giving them directions to a haunted house?" He searches the nearby village and finds a meeting discussing the manor's ghostly tenants in progress at the community hall. Among those present are Horsfall and Waller, and the little Irishman Horsfall can see and hear Marty! After much cajoling and threatening he manages to relay the details of what is happening at Merston manor, and that two people are about to be killed. The villagers dash after Horsfall and Marty to the manor, rescuing Jeff and Jennifer in the nick of time.

Jeff Randall (Mike Pratt), Marty Hopkirk (Kenneth Cope), Judith Arthy (Jennifer), Jeremy Burnham (Walter Previss), Peter Jones (Frederick Waller), Dermot Kelly (Henry Horsfall), Duncan Lamont (Langford), Keith Buckley (Lattimer)

Directed by Ray Austin

TX:
UK: 16th November, 1969 @ 7.25pm

Notes:
*Featuring Jeff Randall and the late Marty Hopkirk