After Richard Hazard and Robert Prince, enter a newcomer in the series realm who leaves one score: George Romanis. Mostly a television composer, he used to work for producer Bruce Geller on his series: Mission: Impossible, Mannix and Bronk. For Mannix, he has composed two scores (the season 5 “The Glass Trap” and the season 6 “To Kill a Memory”). He was commissioned to write two scores for Hawkins: “Murder in Movieland” and “Die, Darling, Die” and three for Hawaii Five-0 as the season 3 “The Reunion”, the season 6 “Tricks are Not Treats” and the season 7 “Ring of Life”. He did a lot of music for the 1972 series Medical Center. He has fashioned the music of the detective movie entitled Chandler (1971), directed by Paul Magwood, starring Warren Oates and Leslie Caron.

ROMANIS' SOLO SYNDICATE SCORE

For The Visitors, George Romanis' only score is well-paced with a lowkey ominous motif, a groovy hip melody, a hectic car chase music (Act 4), oddball electronic space cues in Act 2 (in his bed, Granger sees the alien light and Jim and Casey cure Granger with alien tools) - Act 3 (Casey meets Granger in his Mercedes) and in Act 4 (in the resurrection room, Jim leads Granger to the coffin), the theme of Mission: Impossible during Act 1 (Jim and Willy rig the power boxes in the garage; Jim and Willy break in Granger's study; Jim cracks Granger's safe hidden behind a bookcase; alone in his room, Barney searches his bag and looks at the glass box of the bee; Barney climbs up the roof and the chimney of Granger's house; Barney switches on the fan and releases the bee in the chimney) - Act 2 (at night, Barney climbs down the roof and stops at the balcony of Granger's bedroom to install the smoke screen) - Act 3 (in his room, Barney shows Jim the backfiring mechanism and leaves) and Act 4 (Casey drives under a concrete bridge and honks the horn to signal Willy; Willy drops Casey near a burning car and leaves when Jim and Granger arrive and examine her old body; Willy finds again Barney who drives him to the warehouse) and some sound effects from Star Trek are recycled during Granger’s medical exam of Act 2. Romanis’ score is tracked in six episodes for this season and well-highlit in the spiritual-oriented “Image” which subverts the outer space cues. This original composition has some stock music.
• Markowitz's “Live Bait” (Act 2: From the Venom Center, Casey and Jim talks to Dr. Laurence over the phone)
• Hazard's “The Bride” (Act 1: at the warehouse, Jim asks Willy if the antenna is connected; Act 2: Barney tidies up the special effects equipment; Jim and Casey tidy up the bedroom and leave)
• Golson's “Blind” (Act 3: in his bedroom, Granger talks to Kellog and his doctor while the radio plays a Spanish guitar recital)
• Schifrin's “Encore” (Act 4: Granger makes a bulletin on the air and Kellog shoots down his ex-boss in the white room)

End music credits for "The Visitors".

 138-THE VISITORS (episode #11, airdate: November 27, 1971)

 

 Prologue

A helicoptere stands in the middle of a highly-protected property and chauffeur Leonard cleans up the windshield of a limo. While reading a “hot” dossier about corruption of the local elits (State’s leading judges, legislators and law enforcement officers), 55 years old Edward Granger steps into his library followed by journalist Ralph Robertson and Syndicate man Kellog. Granger congratulates Robertson about his courage and the quality of his article. Granger asserts he will back him up and asks him if he has copies of the material. Robertson tells he has no copies because he fears leaks. Granger orders him to make a copy and store it in his private vault. Kellog opens the curtains which signals Leonard who comes closer to the helicoptere, talks to the pilot and asks him to look around the vehicle. Leonard moves to the other side, draws a mini explosive from his pants, switches it on, inserts it and sticks it inside the trap door of the transmission. Granger congratulates again Robertson by shaking his hands warmly who leaves satisfied. Granger goes to the window to watch Robertson takes off and orders Kellog to call the New York connection. Granger confirms the death of Robertson over the phone. Leonard keeps on cleaning up the windshield of a limo. Up in the air, the helicoptere blows up.

 Tape scene

Recycled and shortened scene from the season 5 “The Merchant”.

 Summary

The IMF poses as alien beings from another world to offer immortality and fool Edward Granger, a communication tycoon who works for the Syndicate, and leads him to officially denounce the soon elected corrupted figures.

 Cast and details

• The mass media head and UFO believer Edward Granger (with a moustache) played by Steve Forrest
• Syndicate lieutenant Kellog played by Frank Hotchkiss
• Dr. Laurence (with a moustache and spectacles) played by Richard Bull (returning from the season 3 “The Test Case" but first seen in the season 1 “The Train”)
• Chauffeur hood Leonard (with a moustache) played by Jack Donner (returning from the season 5 “Homecoming” but first seen in the season 1 “The Ransom”, the season 2 “Trek”, the season 3 two-parter “The Bunker” and the season 4 “The Falcon”)
• Journalist Ralph Robertson played by Gene Tyburn (returning from the season 5 “The Innocent”)
• Robertson‘s helicopter pilot played by James Gavin
• Granger’s old nightwatchman played by Tom McDonough

Jim poses as Dr. Galer (see a variation on the last name of Mission: Impossible creator Bruce Geller) over the phone from the Venom Center. Jim also poses as alien being Doctor Townsend who carries a geometric white medical bag with a mini screen a la Star Trek and then drops an orange capsule into a white raygun needle to cure Granger’s paralysis.

Barney poses as former convict and the new chauffeur Marty Dix (with sunglasses) that is hired by Kellog to replace Leonard. As in most episode, an IMFer uses the famous golden needle-ring (that is not seen). Barney keeps on finishing his lines with a “Maaan”.

Casey poses as a Venom Center operator, nurse Dorset and the old Helen Prescott with her hand’s birthmark (looking like a moon) and her black hair that she dyes with a thin white lock located in the middle of her hair. Casey applies an old woman mask and lied down near her burning car.

Willy poses as an operator from the Venom Center and as an alien being, wearing a white medic outfit with white gloves and act as the usual stereotyped stoic and cerebral space traveler. Before his parts, Willy wears his light brown casual jacket. He launches a series of fake broadcasts and recordings from a control table to excite Granger and also triggers Casey’s car explosion by remote control.

Security head Kellog is contacted to let in Barney as Dix | Press tycoon Granger is stung by a bee in his study

Casey and Jim as alien beings pretend to heal Granger | Granger is scared stiff by Jim's alien instrument

Granger meets Casey as the alien nurse in his limo | Granger finds Casey waiting in his study

Jim carries dying Casey close to Granger | Granger and two IMFers witness the "phony" resurrection of Casey

 Comments

Actor Steve Forrest (real name William Andrews) is the younger brother of actor Dana Andrews, he is known for the 1954 Film Noir Rogue Cop and on television for the 1965 ITC series The Baron and the 1975 cop series S.W.A.T. (a spin-off of The Rookies). Character-actor Richard Bull is known for two television parts: the Seaview doctor in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964-1968) and mercantile owner Nels Oleson in the 70’s family show The Little House in the Prairie and also appears in two germ contamination movies (John Sturges' 1965 The Satan Bug and Robert Wise's 1971 The Andromeda Strain). The spaceman side of the plot is not unknown to Forrest because he used to play in the NASA episode of The Twilight Zone entitled “The Parralel”: notice the telescope, the rocket and shuttle craft models and moon exploration pictures and articles on display in the library of Granger. During the prologue, the cynical duplicity of Granger that he expresses in front of Robertson is rather scary. Granger’s rectangular sunglasses that he carries inside his Mercedes limo while meeting Casey are Jim’s ones from “Underwater”. The Act 4’s scene that depicts the coming out of Granger is lyrical and strong and intercut with Kellog inside his car, Barney waiting outside and the leaving of the IMFers: “People of this state, organized crime has spread its insidious tentacles into the highest levels of our government. And I, Edward Granger, can speak with authority, for I have been taken in by them, as you have. I have unequivocal proof that the following candidates for state office are controlled part and parcel by a criminal syndicate. Arnold Webb, who is running for governor. Boyle Armstrong, who is running for state attorney general. Stephen Phillips, who is a candidate for sheriff of Casael County. Steven Andrews, who, is a candidate for Superior Court judge. And Joe Wellman, who is a candidate for sheriff of Forrester County. The list of criminal transgressions in this state is a long and tawdry tale. But people of the state, you have an unequaled opportunity to rid yourself of the criminal cancer that is sapping your vitality and wealth. Be assured that in subsequent broadcasts. I intend to document the charges I have brought today. This is Edward Granger for better government in your state.” As in “Live Bait”, a hidden microphone is covered up with a glass box. As in “Shape-Up” and “The Miracle”, the foe used to undergoe a trauma or a failure (here, he faced bankruptcy ten years ago) in his past and went downhill with the Syndicate. The character of Granger is the flip side of another press tycoon named Glenn Howard (played by Gene Barry) from the Universal series The Name of the Game (1968-1971). As in “Minbend”, Barney poses as a convict. As in the season 2 “The Killing”, Barney installs a smoke releaser device to cover the window of Granger and also turns on a special portable flare lamp to create a space age effect. As in “The Freeze”, there’s a “magic” cylinder. As in “Shape-Up” with Casey and “Blues” with Barney, the same small apartment with a closet on the right is occupied by one IMFer. As in “Underwater”, Jim wears Berlinger’s blue windjammer and the same 1970's minimalistic set is recycled and Berlinger’s torture room is turned into an alien resurrection room: the sterilized white large room, the control room with its light display wall and its phony outer space computer. During the apartment scene, Barney informs us that the harmless mutant bee is an Apris Dorsata and the Biorene he feeds the bee provokes paralysis but the subject is able to see, think and react. Note that this is the first of two recycled tape scenes during season 6.

 Review

Thanks

again to Reza Badiyi’s inspired film-making, this semi-ludicrous plot is very entertaining and recycles the fountain of youth ploy from the season 3 “The Elixir” combined with the modus operandi from the season 3 “The Cardinal” (the intrusion of an insect which stings the foe), decorated with some Star Trek tapestry that’s centered around a UFO believer! Notice the stagey setting of the dark corridor leading to the white resurrection room that refers to a season 3 of Star Trek entitled “The Empath”. As in “Encore”, Peter Graves plays an authoritarian character who raises his voice, tells off the foe (Granger) in the resurrection room and exclaims: “Don’t touch that!” and “Do not touch her!” The twist ending of Act 4 remains the best moment (feeling guilty, Granger accepts the pact of the “aliens”: to denounce the activities of the Syndicate in exchange of eternal life. Too bad, the IMF takes the French leave. Granger is left alone. Kellog listens to Granger’s radio statement and phones the Syndicate which orders him to get rid of him straight. Kellog goes to the warehouse and guns Granger down who naively crawls to the “space” cylinder). Writer Harold Livingston closes his sci-fi premise diptych, started in “Encore” with the time-traveling theme and, here, alien contact theme.