CASTLE ETERNAL

Welcome to the endless corridors and echoing halls of Castle Eternal. As much a mystery to the viewer as it was when first episode in 1969 by the time it finished in 1981.

This long running series was a mix of drama and action set in a medieval castle, although one vast in size. No one knew quite how large but no one ever seemed to leave the building. Despite this we did see the outside of the castle when people would stand on one of the many battlements or balconies revealing lush forests, ice capped mountains and violet coloured skies.

Rooms within the castle were several miles wide and long. Some rooms contained only earth, others only water and some only air. Servants followed the directions of the Builder, carrying the raw elements to empty rooms and creating new lands to be farmed and for the inhabitants to build small villages on. It was often said the Castle held all possible worlds within its walls. No mention was made of the impossible worlds.

The inhabitants of the castle were only known by their titles including such characters as King, Queen, Jester, Guardsman, Cook, Duke etc. This lent a fairytale feel to the stories.

The number of stories explored in 'Castle Eternal' were many and varied. The writers rotated the central characters, letting a different character take central each week.

King dealt with matters of ruling his kingdom which consisted entirely of the inhabitants of castle. King was played by Dominic Reed and a certain majestic air to him, in part due to his flowing white beard and thick eyebrows. King was wise but short tempered.

In contrast Queen was played by a young actress named Sheila Patler. She spent most of her time maintaining her image as the kings loyal wife. Behind closed doors she was trying to find the location of her family, missing since the day of her wedding.

Duke was the villain of the piece, played by Randy Kruson. Dressed all in black and with an ever present rapier at his waist he was ready to duel at the drop of a hat. The Duke wished nothing more than to usurp King from his throne and rule the castle as his own. He went about this with subtlety and cunning but none of his plans ever came to fruition.

Comedy was provided by Jester, played by former broadway comedian, Danny Underwood. He was always ready to make sly comments about the events occurring in the castle but the viewers knew he had a tormented soul. When not on duty Jester would bring food and medicine to the sick orphans, huddled beneath the Great Stairs of the castle.

A number of over arcing stories developed during the eleven year run of 'Castle Eternal'. The first was a war with 'The Enemy', a faceless faction who threatened the castle. Preparations were made for war before the King announced the doors of the castle would be locked. They would stay within the safety of the castle until 'The Enemy' had turned too dust.

The second story was the Queen's search for her family that eventually led her to delve into the origin of Castle Eternal. She was helped by Historian, keeper of the castles library. Together they uncovered terrible secrets.

In the fifth year of the series a new character was introduced, a serving boy named Prince, played by Carl Starn. Although not the child of King and Queen his name alone meant he was next in line for the throne. Prince found himself elevated from the serving classes to the upper classes where King attempted to educate his successor and the Duke attempted to eliminate him.

In the tenth year Prince was beginning to learn more of the nature of the castle, aided by the research conducted by Queen. He began what seemed an impossible task, mapping the castle and cataloguing the contents of each of its rooms.

This act spelled the end of the castle. In the final season of Castle Eternal great disasters occurred. Many fell prey to amnesia, forgetting their names and thus their position within society.

King attempted to keep order while Duke seized the opportunity to put plans in motion to overthrow him. Queen found her family only to learn that they had been searching for her since the day of her marriage when, to them, she had vanished.

In the final episode the Enemy broke through the castles defenses. The King and Duke stood side by side to defend their home, buying time for Prince to lead his people to an escape route in the basement.

Queen and Prince were stunned discover the escape route led to an identical castle. Builder closed the escape route and the people settled back into their old roles.

All except Prince who changed his name to King and took his place on the throne.

Over the years there have been many attempts to interpret 'Castle Eternal' and its themes. Hardly surprising since after an 11 year run the show had become almost an institution.

On the one level it can be enjoyed as a simple fantasy of court life. On another the use of title as name suggested it was an examination of how someone's job affected their station in life. Some have argued that 'Castle Eternal' satirises America isolationist policies. Certainly the inhabitants believe that they make up the entirety of the world but are undone by forces from the outside, a force they had dismissed as unable to breach its walls.

Others prefer to view 'Castle Eternal' as a creation myth. The Builder creates endless worlds within the rooms of the castles. Sometimes these residents would forget where they were and be surprised when a door was suddenly opened in the world, revealing much more beyond the borders of their land.

The cylindrical nature of the overall story of 'Castle Eternal' also resonates with the feeling of myth and legend. Prince becomes King in a new castle, one the same as the old one. The impression is given that the events of the series will repeat as well. Who then are the Enemy?

These questions and many more are the reason that decades after the show finished it still being repeated on countless television networks around the world.

As the Duke said to Prince in the episode 'IF THE SHOE FITS'

“Once you enter the world of 'Castle Eternal' you can never leave.”

SELECTED EPISODES:

THE GALLERY
Queen discovers a hidden chamber, filled with portraits of Kings and Queens going back centuries. To her dismay they are all identical to the current King and Queen.
Jester makes the mistake of making Duke the butt of his jokes and soon finds Duke's men seeking to take his head. Can he find a way to have the last laugh?

CALL TO ARMS
Rumours sweep through the castle that the Enemy has a spy within the building. Paranoia causes fights to break out and King struggles to regain order, especially when General, in charge of the soldiers, wishes to invoke martial law.
Meanwhile in the kitchen cook is annoyed with a new serving boy and is surprised to learn that his name is Prince. This revelation will change the castle forever.

THE DUKE'S KINGDOM
Queen becomes concerned when Prince vanishes. Little does she know that the Duke has kidnapped him and currently holding him in a room whose inhabitants worship Duke as a god.
Meanwhile Builder begins construction on a new tower, taller than all the others. Jester discovers that the plans for this structure are coming to Builder in his dreams.

TRIVIA:

Numerous castles were used to film the program including historical buildings in France, England and Germany making the series very international.

The dungeon was used in the series as a code word for death. This was due in part that anyone who was sent to the dungeon was never seen again. That and dead bodies were also placed in a chute that led to the dungeon.

Those who have tried to map the castle, as Prince did, have often met in curious accidents. This
supposed curse deters most but every through years someone tries only to meet a grisly fate.