Catweazle Episode 26- THE THIRTEENTH SIGN (SCENE BY SCENE *FINAL EPISODE *)

[michaellevenson]

Spoiler Alert
This is the final episode of Catweazle where we find out what happens to poor old Catweazle. If you've enjoyed reading my threads on this show, and haven't seen it and plan to , perhaps you shouldn't read this final episode. If you are reading this, enjoy it.

For the general background to the series see other in depth threads I've done , I won't repeat it here.
Catweazle has found examples of all 12 signs of the zodiac in his quest to fly. He has been assisted by Cedric and have followed the flying spell, written by Cedric's grandfather in the cellar of King's Farthing, the ancestral home of the Collingfords.
" twelve are they that circle round, if power you seek they must be found. Look for where the thirteenth lies, mount aloft the one who flies. "
The Collingfords are not particularly rich, in fact in financial difficulties, their ancestral home inherited , and a long dead ancestor Lord Alfred hid some treasure somewhere in the grounds of King's Farthing. Numerous attempts have been made to locate the treasure over the previous century but to no avail. Now , the story comes to a conclusion .

 

[michaellevenson]

In Duck Halt, disused railway station that is home to Catweazle he is listening to a record on a old wind up turntable he found. He doesn't really understand what records are, he thinks voices are trapped in the vinyl, departed spirits. But he is singing along to a tune. The song reaches the chorus, we hear the female singers;
Female Singers " tara ra boom de ay, tara ra boom de ay, tara ra boom de ay"
Catweazle is tapping his feet and singing along.
Catweazle ( singing) " boom de ay! boom de ay"
The record unfortunately gets stuck...not for the first time.
" ta ra ra ta ra ra ta ra ra ra ra ra "
C " boom de ay, thy spinning spirit, has thou forgotten again. I know the spell better than thee"
Catweazle climbs onto a crate , picks up his magician's stick.
C " O spirits of the brazen vessel. Once more I call on thee. What is the 13th sign. Salmy Dalmy Boom de Ay"
Geoffrey Bayldon is Catweazle.

 

[michaellevenson]

In the drawing room at King's Farthing Lord and Lady Collingford look miserable as sin.
LyC " was he very upset?"
LC " yes as a matter of fact he was "
LyC " what did he say?"
LC " he said if he'd known he wouldn't have ordered the manure....for the roses"
LyC " yes of course...the roses"
LC " have you told Mrs Gowdy?"
LyC " no, have you told Cedric?"
LC " er...no"
LyC " aren't we a couple of cowards "
Moray Watson is Lord Collingford ( Charles) and Elspet Grey is Lady Collingford ( Dotty)

 

[michaellevenson]

Handyman and gardener Henry Groome is helping Cedric to carry a large trunk down the stairs and into the hallway. Cedric returns to boarding school soon, his belongings all packed.
G " school isn't too bad is it?"
Cd " no, it's okay I suppose "
G " here I got something for you."
Groome pulls out from his inner jacket pocket a pocket telescope. Brass in colour it extends to reveal a good length telescope.
G " belonged to an uncle of mine in the merchant navy "
Cd " thanks it's great"
G " no, it's just an old telescope, no good to me"
Cd " I think it's smashing, thanks ever so much Mr Groome "
G " sort of souvenir "
Cd " souvenir? Not leaving are you "
G " well I wouldn't want to stay on here after you've all gone"
Cedric looks shocked, Groome grimaces, he has let the cat out of the bag.
Peter Butterworth is Groome,

Mavis Gowdy ,housekeeper, is in tears as Dotty tells her the news.
MG " but it's my home as well m'lady"
LyC " yes I know "
Cedric runs in,
Cd " Groome says we're selling up, is it true "
Mavis in tears leaves for her kitchen.
Cd " then it is true"
LC " I'm afraid so Cedric "
Cd "why didn't you tell me?"
LC " I didn't want to spoil your last day"
Cd ( tearful) " well it's ruined now isn't it!"
Cedric runs out of front door across lawns.
Gary Warren is Cedric, Gwen Nelson is Mavis Gowdy.

 

[michaellevenson]

Catweazle is just outside the grounds as Cedric runs towards him. Even Catweazle can see Cedric is upset as they meet by a tree, Cedric squats down.
C " Owlface what ails thee?"
Cd " it's dreadful we're leaving going away "
C " away?"
Cd " yes, even Groome is upset, look what he has given me."
C " tis magic?"
Cd " no , it makes far away things look much nearer"
C " it is magic!"
Cd " if only I could find the treasure "
Catweazle takes telescope and points it to the ground,

 

[michaellevenson]

C " oh 13th sign draw thou nearer"
Cd " not like that, point it at something "
Catweazle points to tree.
Cd " no, oh I'll show you ..erm...see the clock tower?"
C " aye"
Cedric focuses the telescope on the clock tower that tops the huge King's Farthing home. It's a big four sided clockface, a spire above it, and an old father time weather vane on top of spire.
C " let me look'"
Cd " just a minute, thirteen, it says thirteen"
The clock numbers are in roman numerals, but the twelve is XIII

C ( not understanding) "wondrous wondrous thou has found the 13th sign"
Cd " twelve are they that circle round, if power you seek they must be found..."
C " look for where the thirteenth lies"
Cd" it says 13"
C " what sayest thou"
Cd " power you seek....it's the treasure Catweazle "
C " treasure?"
Cd " look for where the thirteenth lies, and it lies, it's pretending to be twelve. Mount aloft the one who flies. It's up there it's just got to be...come on"
C " I shall fly! I shall fly"
They run off to the clock tower.

 

[michaellevenson]

Cedric and Catweazle look down at the ground below from the base of the spire, the huge clock behind them , there is a walkway with railings that encircle the four faced clock.
Cd " it's hidden up here somewhere "
C( looking down) " must I fly from up here?"
Cd ( snaps fingers) " I've got it"
C " then give it to me"
Cd " Lord Alfred built this tower, it must be inside it"
They enter the inner part of the spire through a hatch, and find a cobwebbed room, wooden floorboards, dust everywhere, but empty of anything other than some old tools.
Cd " come on Catweazle do something"

Catweazle pulls out his witch knife and spins round the room pointing it, and finally points it upwards to the ceiling.
Cedric climbs on box and knocks on ceiling , it sounds hollow.
Cd" I think you're right Catweazle "
Cedric picks up metal pole, and prods ceiling with it, and again harder.
The ceiling gives way, the treasure pours out, gemstones, jewellery, a gold chalice, gold goblets.
Cd " we've done it!!"
C ( jubilant) "the thirteenth sign "
Cedric finds a rolled up piece of parchment, words on it written by the same great grandfather that wrote the flying spell.
Cd " listen to this, .....the hours are they that circle round, the 13 you have surely found. The one who flies is father time the spells' undone the treasures' thine"
They proceed to put all the valuables into a sack.
C " but the sign, where is the sign?"
Cd " don't you see, there is no sign"
C " but thou has promised "
Cd " I can't explain now, I'll see you back at Duck Halt "
Cedric clambers down through hatch leaving Catweazle alone with sad thoughts , the understanding that the flying spell he translated was nothing of the sort, but a treasure clue, is beyond his reasoning.
C " then I shall never fly, the quest is over, and thou also Catweazle "

 

[michaellevenson]

In the drawing room Cedric empties the sack on the table, Charles and Dotty stare at the treasure.
LyC " I can't believe it"
LC " where did you find it?"
Cd " in the spire, we won't have to sell the house now will we "

Major Spoilers Ahead. You Have Been Warned

 

[michaellevenson]

At Duck Halt Catweazle is furious, angry, hurt, raging at the spirits who have let him down.
C " by the mysteries of the deep ? by the power of Hecate? by the power of the east wind? It's all ( shouting) IDLE GIBBERISH!!"
He stamps on his magic book , and picks it up and rips out pages.
C " THE FLYING SPELL IS GIBBERISH, ALL MAGIC IS GIBBERISH "
He picks up a porcelain bowl and hurls it across room smashing it to pieces.
C " spirits of the brazen vessel NOTHING WORKS! The 13th sign ...I Catweazle that have flown through time, jumped 900 years, FOOLED, DUPED, CHEATED There is no magic..none"
He stands on crate, holds his magician's stick and breaks it in half.


He turns to Touchwood his toad, picks it up and speaks softly to it.
C " Touchwood am I thy master?...nay..nay..I cannot keep thee, I have forsaken magic. Go, find thee a true magician one worthy of thee"
Outside on the platform of Duck Halt he places Touchwood down , the toad hops off.
C " merry meet, merry part. Hide from hungry crows, beware of foxes, swallow no bees"
Catweazle returns to waiting room and sits moroseness engulfs him.
C " I knew him when he was a tadpole...and I have the heartache "

 

[michaellevenson]

At King's Farthing,
LC " it's fantastic there's an absolute fortune here"
LyC " how did you know it was in the spire"
Cd " well it was the rhyme really I suppose "
LyC " what rhyme?"
Cd " sort of magic writing, I wouldn't have been able to translate it in the first place if it hadn't been for....oh dear"
LyC " hadn't been for what?"
Cd " excuse me, I'll be back in a minute "
At Duck Halt Catweazle can hear croaking from outside,
C " I say thou should leave me, ( more croaking) where art thou, ( walks out onto platform) it is no croaking matter "
Catweazle gasps in wonder, a hot air balloon has landed about a quarter of a mile away, the huge balloon dominates the immediate horizon. He picks up Touchwood and runs towards it.

Catweazle arrives in the field where the balloon has landed. In awe he walks around it
C " tis wondrous round like a circle. Touchwood what's the 13th sign of the zodiac, a circle, no beginning no ending. Nothing and everything. Why does this great ball hang in the air, it is the moon perhaps "
Catweazle has been taught rudimentary
reading by Cedric, he shows Touchwood the name of this balloon, printed on the front of the basket. The name is Zodiac, that clinches it for Catweazle.
C " see Touchwood the 13th sign."

 

[michaellevenson]

Cedric is at Duck Halt, no sign of Catweazle, he walks out of waiting room and onto platform, takes telescope out of pocket, extends it and looks through it. He sees Catweazle dancing around balloon, he sets off in pursuit.
Catweazle can't contain his curiosity, he climbs into basket, then sees Cedric running towards him, he ducks down.
Cd " come on out"
C " it is the 13th sign "
Cd " no it isn't it's a balloon "
C " aye, the 13th sign"
Cd ( grabbing Catweazle) " please come out, you'll get caught "
C " unhand me "
Catweazle pushes Cedric away, and looks above his head, a lever, what does that do ? Curiosity again.....he pulls it, gas jet fires up into balloon. BALLOON LIFTS.
Cd " Catweazle, please it's dangerous, don't touch anything!"
Too late, the balloon lifts higher.
Catweazle is totally at ease with this experience.
C " I fly I fly "

 

[michaellevenson]

At King's Farthing the owner of the balloon is nursing a slightly twisted ankle, rough landing, he is a family friend. He sits as Charles offers him a drink.
LC " where is your balloon Boris"
B " only about half a mile away....cheers "
LyC " I'd love to see it"
B " come on I'll show you..( trying to get up)...arrgh my ankle "
LC " you better stay here and rest your leg"
B " you know you're right Pongo, why don't you two pop along and I'll keep an eye on this amazing find of Cedric's, by the way where is he?"
LC " I wish I knew "
Roger Hammond is Boris

Charles and Dotty walk out of King's Farthing and across lawn, they look up, the balloon is sailing over the property and it's quite low, but who's in it?

LyC " oh my god, Cedric "
But they see Cedric running towards them.
LC " thank goodness "
The balloon skims the top of King's Farthing just missing the spire before ascending again, Catweazle looking down, presses the lever again and another gas jet is released.
LC " whoever is in that must be mad"
Cd " no he's not"
LC " what d'you mean?"
Cd " well, he always said he'd fly"
LyC " always?"
LC " you mean you knew him?"
Cd " he helped me find the treasure "
L " who was he?"
Cd " you'd never believe me"
LyC " come on Cedric who was he?"
Cd " he was a magician called Catweazle "
Cedric runs off in the direction of the balloon.

 

[michaellevenson]

Catweazle is loving every minute of the incredible experience, he looks down at the ground below, he sees horses galloping along fields, looking tiny from up in the air.
C " I fly, EVERYTHING WORKS, EVERY EVERY THING WORKS"

Cedric is at Duck Halt , a bit sad, he knows he is unlikely to see his amazing and very strange friend again. He sits looking at Catweazle's belongings, his collection of examples of the zodiac signs, his tricycle he occasionally rode, the Wellington boot that Touchwood lived in. He winds up the record player and hears,
(Singers) " ta ra ra boom de ay ta ra ra boom de ay ta ra ra boom de ay"
He leaves the waiting room for the last time and sees the balloon miles off in the distance and smiles and gives a hand salute to his friend.
Cd " goodbye Catweazle "

Catweazle holding Touchwood in his palm,
C " where the wind blows Touchwood we go, fear not my minion. Magic will lead us. EVERYTHING WORKS TOUCHWOOD "
Catweazle floats away to .....who knows where ?

A lovely end to a great series.
THE END