VHS : Rumpole of the Bailey Boxed Set, Vols. 17-21
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In association with Amazon.com
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starring: Derek Benfield, Bill Fraser, Peter Whitaker
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780783116518
Format: Box set, Color, NTSC
ISBN: 0783116519
Label: Hbo Home Video
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
Number Of Items: 5
Publisher: Hbo Home Video
Release Date: July 18, 2000
Running Time: 60 minutes
Sales Rank: 26997
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: February 12, 1980
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
Before there was Quincy and The Practice, there was Rumpole. Rumpole of the Bailey is, quite simply, one of the best television series ever and has served as a model for all law dramas that followed it. Edgy and satirical, Rumpole is based on John Mortimer's books of the same name. A determined and committed criminal defense barrister at the Old Bailey, or criminal court (whose clients have included three generations of the Timson family, among others), the antihero Rumpole is portrayed by esteemed actor Leo McKern. As champion of the downtrodden, the self-righteous Rumpole finds himself again and again in trouble variously with his wife Hilda, his peers, the head of chambers, and judges, to name but a few. A connoisseur of Wordsworth, cigars, and cheap liquor, McKern's usually disheveled Rumpole belies the character's dry sense of humor and astute skill as a barrister. The upwardly mobile Hilda is played by Peggy Thorpe-Bates, known for her Miss Toliver in Alcatraz Island (1933), and Justice Sir Guthrie Fetherston is played by Peter Bowles, known for his Richard DeVere in TV's To the Manor Born.
Each volume features two episodes:
Volume 17: First, in 'Rumpole and the Alternative Society,' Rumpole heads to the west of England to visit his old friend Sam 'Three Fingers' Dougherty from their days together in the RAF and to defend Kathy Trelawney in court, charged with selling marijuana to an undercover investigator. Second, in 'Rumpole and the Course of True Love,' Rumpole must defend a melodramatically romantic teacher charged with having an affair with a student, while Guthrie tries to become a judge.
Volume 18: In 'Rumpole and the Quacks,' Rumpole battles the formidable Phillida in court to defend his doctor, accused of sexually molesting a patient. Next, in 'Rumpole for the Prosecution,' Rumpole takes on a rare role as prosecutor to investigate a policeman who may not have been properly charged for murdering a girl.
Volume 19: In 'Rumpole and the Children of the Devil,' Rumpole again defends the Timsons as their daughter Tracy Timson is put into the custody of a social worker when her parents are accused of Satanism. Meanwhile, Rumpole's wife Hilda is stressed out about the Scales of Justice Ball and having to dance on her birthday. Next, in 'Rumpole and the Miscarriage of Justice,' Rumpole defends Detective Gannon, who changed a teenager's confession for murdering a policeman.
Volume 20: First, in 'Rumpole and the Eternal Triangle,' Rumpole flirts with a beautiful violinist but is caught off guard when she asks him to defend her jealous husband, charged with murdering her accompanist. Meanwhile, Claude raises concerns that Henry has sexually harassed their secretary. Next, in 'Rumpole and the Reform of Joby Johnson,' the barrister must defend a teenager charged with theft even after an important brief is burgled from Rumpole's house.
Volume 21: In 'Rumpole and the Family Pride,' Rumpole and Hilda are invited out to a relative's castle for the weekend--but Rumpole's concerns turn out justified as they find out the castle's owner is charged with murdering a transient woman who has been living on the estate. Then, in 'Rumpole on Trial,' Rumpole is defended in a hearing for taking a stand against Justice Oliphant by Hilda's friend Sam Ballard.
Typical of British drama, production values are low while the caliber of script-writing and acting is unsurpassed. A rare example of a television serial that is as appealing and engaging after watching it 10 times as it was the first. --Erik Macki
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Rumpole 17-21 set
Produced later in the Rumpole series, McKern's character is well established. Rumpole faces trials in his personal life as well as those at the Old Bailey. Talk of retirement in "Flooridah", prompted by hilda's desire for warmer climes eats at the old barrister. This is Rumpole between a rock and a hard place. Exceptionally well done and consistant with the earlier episodes in this superior series. A "must-have" for Rumpole fans.
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