Post by owlcroft on May 3, 2015 15:13:41 GMT -5
Leave all your preconceptions at the door when you step into the den for this week's episode of Hardcastle and McCormick. Of course things *look* perfectly normal; the judge is watching a basketball game, and McCormick is pondering a volume of Irish lore that features . . . leprechauns.
He discusses his newfound obsession with Hardcastle, who'd prefer to have him take an interest in grounds-keeping, The annual SoCal garden contest is fast approaching, and Gull's Way is on the short list. Hardcastle hopes to cinch it.
Meanwhile, Mark's leprechaun fascination may have ulterior motives. He could use a little ready cash to ransom the Coyote from the body shop where it has been languishing (more or less) since the end of "When I Look Back On All the Things".
Meanwhile, out on the highway, the door to a moving truck opens. A half-dozen diminutive men tumble out and make their escape.
Back at the estate, Mark has retreated to the gatehouse. He hears noises in the yard and goes to the loft window. To his amazement he sees little men busily scurrying across the yard. He cross-checks what he's looking at against his reference materials. There's no doubt, it's a flock of vagrant leprechaunes hibericis.
He hurries back to the main house and informs the judge. No takers there. He grabs a fire poker and sallies forth to the place where he last saw the wee creatures, only to find a chest lying in a hole in the yard. He opens it and is staring the horde of gold coins within, when an unseen assailant knocks him unconscious.
Morning comes and Hardcastle, inspecting the grounds, finds no titivating going on. McCormick stumbles into view, claiming to have been assaulted, probably by leprechauns. There is, of course, no evidence to support any of this. Hardcastle is unsympathetic.
In the office of a traveling circus, Marvin, a two-bit impresario, is missing part of his troupe. It's his star acrobatic act and he tells his henchmen to find them.
At the body shop, Mark's mechanic, Benny, refuses to put the Coyote back together until Mark forks over the cash, which he doesn't have.
Elsewhere, in a consulate office, a Russian diplomatic type fumes because a group of acrobatically-inclined, vertically-challenged defectors are still at large. He sends his henchmen in pursuit of them.
Mark, returning home, head-and-foot sore, is put back to work by the judge, whitewashing the statuary. In mid task he notices tiny footprints on the ground.
The hunt for the little gold-burying, political refugee, former circus performers commences. Mark hastily booby-traps the estate. The henchmen from the consulate arrive at Benny's, buy gas, and make inquiries. Marvin's goons also make a pit stop. They beat up Benny (who pretty much richly deserves it) and he snitches on Mark.
At the estate, Hardcastle has a telephone conversation with Mrs. Vassah, one of the SoCal Garden judges. He tells her all is ready and awaiting her inspection. Then he wanders out into his garden and triggers one of the booby-traps. During the scene break he apparently wallops his already beleaguered sidekick.
The next morning, possibly out of guilt, but more probably because an excuse was needed for the guys to meet up with Benny again, Hardcastle is seen paying the mechanic, who informs them that there are people interested in Mark's hallucinations.
There, see? Mark seizes on this further evidence that he really did see leprechauns. Hardcastle demurs, but eventually agrees to hide in the garden overnight with Mark, watching for the little guys.
That night, while the various henchmen make plans to converge on the estate, Mark and Milt take up their vigil and soon encounter their first intruder. It's a skunk. All is not for naught, though. The guys eventually hear an Irish jig and spot some suspiciously small and rustic characters dancing by a campfire. As they approach, the little men scatter. Milt grabs the smallest. The others do not desert him. Their leader, Cluracan, tells the judge he and his cousins fled Eastern Europe and were forced to work by the circus owner. He promises to talk to the police in the morning. Against Mark's strong protests, Milt lets everyone go under their own recognizance.
Naturally, in the morning when Frank arrives to take their statements, the little guys have decamped. Mark is still insisting the judge let leprechauns go.
The garden contest "judges" arrive, looking suspiciously like the Russian henchmen in drag. Mark lets them in. Marvin's men sneak over the wall, armed with submachine guns. Frank and Milt chat, and Frank lets slip that this is the tenth anniversary of Nancy Hardcastle's last winning entry in this contest, and the fifth anniversary of her death.
The real garden judges arrive, looking only slightly less threatening than the Russian guys. Shortly after that, mayhem ensues when Marvin's men and the Russians encounter each other. The chaotic battle ends with Frank wounded, and Marvin's team having the upper hand.
But it's not over till it's over. Cluracan and his troupe swing into action, ambushing and overwhelming Marvin's men. Mark takes off after Cluracan, determined not to lose him this time. His chase ends in an encounter with Marvin himself, who's grabbed Cluracan, still insisting that he's a world-class acrobat.
Cluracan is saved when Marvin is taken out by one of Mark's booby-traps. The little man turns to escape but is stopped by Mark. Cluracan then unveils, for the first time, his Irish lilt, and finally comes out of the leprechaun closet.
He offers Mark his wish gold, presumably, but McCormick has come to the realization that he doesn't want someone else's treasure. He's already got precisely what he needs: a good friend who's even willing to hunt pixies with him. He turns his back, allowing Cluracan to make his exit.
In the epilogue, Mark wakes up on the couch in the den. He was reportedly knocked out cold by the same booby-trap that took down Marvin. Hardcastle, still trying out skunk smell remedies, gives him an explanation of who was who that doesn't include legendary supernatural Irish creatures. Hardcastle is adamant that there's no such thing as pots of gold, free for the finding that is, until he steps over to the window and discovers that the après storm rainbow, in the front yard, leads down to a beautifully restored estate and a gleamingly perfect Coyote.
Written and directed by Daniel Hugh Kelly
Premiered on March 17, 1986
He discusses his newfound obsession with Hardcastle, who'd prefer to have him take an interest in grounds-keeping, The annual SoCal garden contest is fast approaching, and Gull's Way is on the short list. Hardcastle hopes to cinch it.
Meanwhile, Mark's leprechaun fascination may have ulterior motives. He could use a little ready cash to ransom the Coyote from the body shop where it has been languishing (more or less) since the end of "When I Look Back On All the Things".
Meanwhile, out on the highway, the door to a moving truck opens. A half-dozen diminutive men tumble out and make their escape.
Back at the estate, Mark has retreated to the gatehouse. He hears noises in the yard and goes to the loft window. To his amazement he sees little men busily scurrying across the yard. He cross-checks what he's looking at against his reference materials. There's no doubt, it's a flock of vagrant leprechaunes hibericis.
He hurries back to the main house and informs the judge. No takers there. He grabs a fire poker and sallies forth to the place where he last saw the wee creatures, only to find a chest lying in a hole in the yard. He opens it and is staring the horde of gold coins within, when an unseen assailant knocks him unconscious.
Morning comes and Hardcastle, inspecting the grounds, finds no titivating going on. McCormick stumbles into view, claiming to have been assaulted, probably by leprechauns. There is, of course, no evidence to support any of this. Hardcastle is unsympathetic.
In the office of a traveling circus, Marvin, a two-bit impresario, is missing part of his troupe. It's his star acrobatic act and he tells his henchmen to find them.
At the body shop, Mark's mechanic, Benny, refuses to put the Coyote back together until Mark forks over the cash, which he doesn't have.
Elsewhere, in a consulate office, a Russian diplomatic type fumes because a group of acrobatically-inclined, vertically-challenged defectors are still at large. He sends his henchmen in pursuit of them.
Mark, returning home, head-and-foot sore, is put back to work by the judge, whitewashing the statuary. In mid task he notices tiny footprints on the ground.
The hunt for the little gold-burying, political refugee, former circus performers commences. Mark hastily booby-traps the estate. The henchmen from the consulate arrive at Benny's, buy gas, and make inquiries. Marvin's goons also make a pit stop. They beat up Benny (who pretty much richly deserves it) and he snitches on Mark.
At the estate, Hardcastle has a telephone conversation with Mrs. Vassah, one of the SoCal Garden judges. He tells her all is ready and awaiting her inspection. Then he wanders out into his garden and triggers one of the booby-traps. During the scene break he apparently wallops his already beleaguered sidekick.
The next morning, possibly out of guilt, but more probably because an excuse was needed for the guys to meet up with Benny again, Hardcastle is seen paying the mechanic, who informs them that there are people interested in Mark's hallucinations.
There, see? Mark seizes on this further evidence that he really did see leprechauns. Hardcastle demurs, but eventually agrees to hide in the garden overnight with Mark, watching for the little guys.
That night, while the various henchmen make plans to converge on the estate, Mark and Milt take up their vigil and soon encounter their first intruder. It's a skunk. All is not for naught, though. The guys eventually hear an Irish jig and spot some suspiciously small and rustic characters dancing by a campfire. As they approach, the little men scatter. Milt grabs the smallest. The others do not desert him. Their leader, Cluracan, tells the judge he and his cousins fled Eastern Europe and were forced to work by the circus owner. He promises to talk to the police in the morning. Against Mark's strong protests, Milt lets everyone go under their own recognizance.
Naturally, in the morning when Frank arrives to take their statements, the little guys have decamped. Mark is still insisting the judge let leprechauns go.
The garden contest "judges" arrive, looking suspiciously like the Russian henchmen in drag. Mark lets them in. Marvin's men sneak over the wall, armed with submachine guns. Frank and Milt chat, and Frank lets slip that this is the tenth anniversary of Nancy Hardcastle's last winning entry in this contest, and the fifth anniversary of her death.
The real garden judges arrive, looking only slightly less threatening than the Russian guys. Shortly after that, mayhem ensues when Marvin's men and the Russians encounter each other. The chaotic battle ends with Frank wounded, and Marvin's team having the upper hand.
But it's not over till it's over. Cluracan and his troupe swing into action, ambushing and overwhelming Marvin's men. Mark takes off after Cluracan, determined not to lose him this time. His chase ends in an encounter with Marvin himself, who's grabbed Cluracan, still insisting that he's a world-class acrobat.
Cluracan is saved when Marvin is taken out by one of Mark's booby-traps. The little man turns to escape but is stopped by Mark. Cluracan then unveils, for the first time, his Irish lilt, and finally comes out of the leprechaun closet.
He offers Mark his wish gold, presumably, but McCormick has come to the realization that he doesn't want someone else's treasure. He's already got precisely what he needs: a good friend who's even willing to hunt pixies with him. He turns his back, allowing Cluracan to make his exit.
In the epilogue, Mark wakes up on the couch in the den. He was reportedly knocked out cold by the same booby-trap that took down Marvin. Hardcastle, still trying out skunk smell remedies, gives him an explanation of who was who that doesn't include legendary supernatural Irish creatures. Hardcastle is adamant that there's no such thing as pots of gold, free for the finding that is, until he steps over to the window and discovers that the après storm rainbow, in the front yard, leads down to a beautifully restored estate and a gleamingly perfect Coyote.
Written and directed by Daniel Hugh Kelly
Premiered on March 17, 1986
