The Saint on TV

Episode 4: The Covetous Headsman

"THE COVETOUS HEADSMAN"

The Saint meets a gorgeous girl on a 'plane - and flies into drama stemming
from the death of a girl's brother, and into a flashback to wartime
resistance heroism.

Simon Templar, the Saint (ROGER MOORE), finds the very beautiful Valerie
North (BARBARA SHELLEY) seated next to him on a flight from New York to
Paris. She tells him that she is going to meet her brother, whom she hasn't
seen for twenty years. But when they arrive in Paris, they learn that her
brother, Charles, has been killed, his body only just recovered from the
Seine. In charge of the case is Inspector Quercy (EUGENE DECKERS).

The Saint's interest in the case develops when, sitting with Valerie in her
hotel, a man introduces himself as Georges Olivant (LEE MONTAGUE), an old
friend of her father who, he says, was with him in the Resistance during the
German Occupation. But he makes a slip which arouses the Saint's suspicions
about him.

Soon afterwards, Valerie is attacked in her bedroom, and an attempt is made
to steal a St. Christopher medal on a fine chain which she has always worn
around her neck. It was given to her by her father, a silversmith. Her
brother had one as well - but it is not to be found among his effects.

The Saint's inquiries result in one event after another. He succeeds in
identifying Olivant as a wartime collaborator named Henri Flandin known as
the Headsman; he also finds that a message has been etched in minute writing
on the medal, and he makes another attempt to get it by kidnapping her. But
the medal is in the Saint's possession.

Into the mystery comes the glamorous singer named Josie Claval (CAROLE
GRAY), who had been friendly with Charles before his death.

The dramatic climax is reached in Henri Flandin's villa, revealing that he
was, in fact a friend of Valerie's father who has told him that he had
engraved the two medals and extracted a promise from him that he would find
the two children after the war was over and tell them of the engraved
message, telling them where his money was hidden. Flandin has betrayed his
friend, just as he betrayed so many of his fellow-countrymen as a wartime
collaborator.

But there is a surprising twist in the drama of the Headsman before it
reaches its conclusion.

CAST

Starring

ROGER MOORE as SIMON TEMPLAR

With

Guest Stars
BARBARA SHELLY as VALERIE NORTH
EUGENE DECKERS as INSPECTOR QUERCY
GEORGE PASTELL as GEORGES OLIVANT

and

ESMOND KNIGHT as ANTOINE LOUVOIS
ROBERT CAWDRON as SERGEANT LUDOC
CAROLE GRAY as JOSIE CLAVAL
JOSEPHINE BROWNE as MADAME DURAS
MICHAEL SPEAR as KAPLAN
ANDRE BOULAY as MARIO
NATALIE BENESCH as MATRON
BARBARA ROSCOE as AIR HOSTESS


Produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman
Directed by Michael Truman
Screenplay by John Roddick