The final episode of 'Man In A Suitcase' was 'Night Flight To Andorra', ( an odd title as the story is set in daylight hours! ), written by Jan Read and Reed De Rouen, and directed by Freddie Francis. McGill has assembled a gang of crooks - among them 'Eddy' ( Ewan Hooper ) and 'Rafael' ( Zia Mohyeddin ) - to help him break into a well-guarded fortress in the Pyrenees. He has told the others that they are going to steal one of the world's greatest art collections; but in fact Mac is working under orders from 'Maxted' ( Edward Underdown ) of British Intelligence. 'Radek' ( Peter Woodthorpe ) is planning on holding an auction to sell microfilm containing plans to the guidance system to a new type of missile. Mac wants the microfilm recovered and destroyed. Complications set in when a female architectural student 'Anne Weeks' ( Luanshya Greer ) stumbles across the team as they are rehearsing the operation. The others think she ought to be killed, but Mac won't allow this. The raid goes ahead, a glider is used to fly over the electrified fence. Then the double-crosses start...
As another reviewer notes, this bears a strong similarity to the 'caper' movies in cinemas at that time ( as well as 'Mission: Impossible' ), given an espionage twist. It is efficiently put together, and features performers who'd worked with Francis before ( Mohyeddin and Greer both appeared in the Francis-directed 'They Came From Beyond Space' in 1967 ). It is not a great climax to the series though. Peter Woodthorpe plays 'Radek' as a monocle-wearing rogue who seems to have wandered out of 'The Avengers'. Peter Swanwick ( the butler ) was 'The Supervisor' in 'The Prisoner. Ricardo Montez ( the police officer ) had previously played a bank guard in 'Variation On A Million Bucks'. The co-author of the story, Reed De Rouen, plays 'Buck', one of McGill's gang. De Rouen also co-wrote 'Jigsaw Man'.
Had 'Suitcase' depended on British ratings for its survival, it would have gotten a second and maybe a third series. But the voice of the American viewing public speaks loudest, and it did not return. It would, however, be repeated well into the '80's, and has been on 'Bravo' and B.B.C.-2. It has, in my view, stood up extremely well. Richard Bradford's performance and the mostly first-rate scripts still manage to enthral.
In the late '80's, Michael Sloan created 'The Equaliser' starring Edward Woodward which also featured an ex-American Intelligence agent working as a private eye, and even had a similar name to McGill - 'McCall'.
As another reviewer notes, this bears a strong similarity to the 'caper' movies in cinemas at that time ( as well as 'Mission: Impossible' ), given an espionage twist. It is efficiently put together, and features performers who'd worked with Francis before ( Mohyeddin and Greer both appeared in the Francis-directed 'They Came From Beyond Space' in 1967 ). It is not a great climax to the series though. Peter Woodthorpe plays 'Radek' as a monocle-wearing rogue who seems to have wandered out of 'The Avengers'. Peter Swanwick ( the butler ) was 'The Supervisor' in 'The Prisoner. Ricardo Montez ( the police officer ) had previously played a bank guard in 'Variation On A Million Bucks'. The co-author of the story, Reed De Rouen, plays 'Buck', one of McGill's gang. De Rouen also co-wrote 'Jigsaw Man'.
Had 'Suitcase' depended on British ratings for its survival, it would have gotten a second and maybe a third series. But the voice of the American viewing public speaks loudest, and it did not return. It would, however, be repeated well into the '80's, and has been on 'Bravo' and B.B.C.-2. It has, in my view, stood up extremely well. Richard Bradford's performance and the mostly first-rate scripts still manage to enthral.
In the late '80's, Michael Sloan created 'The Equaliser' starring Edward Woodward which also featured an ex-American Intelligence agent working as a private eye, and even had a similar name to McGill - 'McCall'.