Journey to the Unknown (TV Series) Poor Butterfly (1969) User Reviews

Effective Ghost Story

[Theo Robertson · 7/10 · 19 July 2011]

American Steven Miller gets an invitation from Sir Robert Sawyer to attend a fancy dress party . Puzzled that he has no knowledge about Sir Robert he attends the party and is intrigued by a young women he meets there and becomes more intrigued when she appears desperate to leave

One can't help noticing what a sometimes variable show JOURNEY can be . Some stories remain etched in to my memory from 30 years ago while some of them are something of a chore to sit through . It's no coincidence that the mediocre ones are nearly all generic murder mysteries while the better ones are unapologetically supernatural stories

Poor Butterfly is definitely one of the more involving tales from the series . It's probably not on a par of Girl Of My Dreams and you can possibly work out what the ending will be before it's revealed on screen so it's a perhaps not as unpredictable as it could have been but as an hours entertainment it does its job well

A Rose By Any Other Name

[ShadeGrenade · 8/10 · 11 March 2008]

Steven Miller is puzzled to receive an invitation to a costume party from a man he has never met. Taking his vintage Bugatti into the countryside, he asks for directions to Meachum Hall, but the old man wanders off without answering.

Miller finds the drive full of old cars, much like his own. Changing into a 'Jesse James' outfit, he attempts to find out why Sir Robert Sawyer invited him. The other guests are a pretty strange bunch too; the only welcoming face belongs to Rose, a beautiful young woman dressed as a butterfly. As the evening progresses, Miller learns that she is betrothed to John, a man she does not love.

Rose sent the invitation. She begs Miller to take her away from the house. She seems genuinely frightened as though somehow sensing impending disaster...

This was the first episode of 'Unknown' I ever saw, repeated in a late night slot in the '70's, and it encouraged me to seek out the rest of the series. Based on a story by actor William Abney, its a ghost story with a difference - the protagonists died in 1929 ( the house was hit by lightning during a storm ), but have mysteriously come back to life forty years later to recreate the tragedy. All seemed resigned to their fate, except Rose.

Chad Everett is 'Miller', while a pre-'Day Of The Jackal' Edward Fox is 'Sir Robert'. 'Rose' is played by the lovely Susan Brodrick, who later appeared in Hammer's 'Dr.Jekyll & Sister Hyde'. A special mention for the late Norman Chappell as 'Friar Tuck'; this frog-faced actor graced many comedy shows of the '60's and '70's, including 'Some Mothers Do Ave Em' ( he was the writer 'Mark Faraday' in the 'Love Thy Neighbour' episode ).

The ending, though touchingly done, does not make much sense. Why does Rose need Miller to get her away from the house? Why does she not simply walk away from the place? She is able to reach Loker's cottage without much difficulty later when she is dying, so why not go before?

Directed by Alan Gibson, later to helm the final 'Dracula' movies starring Christopher Lee.

creepy but enjoyable

[colinprunty-1 · 8/10 · 22 September 2020]

This episode sticks in my mind as arguably the best one of this series. A modern day American man is invited mysteriously to a rather odd English fancy dress party in an upper class country mansion full of rather crusty and snooty guests including a young girl who wishes to escape with the modern American chap against the wishes of the other guests. A strange story with lots of Creepy guests and the camera work skilfully zooms in on the various guests to give ten allusion that something is not quite as it should be. Memorable episode , decent story , good performances from an excellent cast and a good musical score accompanies the episode .

Middling

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 20 May 2022]

This one's okay, a quasi-romance set at a ball with interesting costumes and a lot of toffs. There's a handsome American lead and a fraught young girl he tries to help, but solving the mystery isn't going to be easy. This one's another from DRACULA AD 1972 director Alan Gibson and I found it quite middling.