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The Scarlet Pimpernel Radio Program

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Baroness Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála "Emmuska" Orczy de Orczi, a British novelist, artist and playwright created the charactor Sir Percy Blakeney and his League of The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel from 1905

The 1934 posters for The Scarlet Pimpernel prominently featured the Guillotine as a backdrop to Sir Percy Blakeney's adventures

Leslie Howard as Sir Percy Blakeney in 1934's The Scarlet Pimpernel

One of The League of The Scarlet Pimpernel's driving forces was the widespread use of Madame la Guillotine during France's Reign of Terror of the 1790s

The Billboard of May 3rd 1952 first teased The Scarlet Pimpernel project over Radio

Spot article on Marius Goring in his role as The Scarlet Pimpernel from August 5th 1952

The Adventures of The Scarlet Pimpernel first aired in 52 complete episodes over 'pirate' Radio station Radio Luxembourg beginning on December 1st 1952

The Scarlet Pimpernel began airing over Lourenço Marques Radio (LM Radio) to South Africa during 1953

The Scarlet Pimpernel's first Canadian broadcasts were over Canada's CBC Network station CKRC beginning in November 1953

Kelvinator sponsored the 1953 run of The Scarlet Pimpernel over CKRC in Canada

Esquire Boot Polish was yet another of The Scarlet Pimpernel's Tandem Plan sponsors

Smith Bros. Hops sponsored The Scarlet Pimpernel under the NBC Tandem

Bromo-Seltzer was one of NBC's Tandem sponsors for The Scarlet Pimpernel

Background

Adventure and mystery dramas were as popular and strong as ever over Radio during the late 1940s to mid-1950s. With the inexorable transition from Radio to Television, many producers weren't quite ready to immerse themselves in Television--in spite of the exponential sales of consumer televisions to American homes. The solution for many of those producers was to straddle both Radio and Television with their projects.

Several of Radio's most popular adventure heros came to the air from the characters immortalized by popular novelists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Several examples follow:

Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes
- (Film - 1900)
- (Radio - 1931)
Baroness Emmuska 'Emma' Orczy's Sir Percy Blakeney
- (Stage - 1903)
- (Film - 1917)
- (Radio - 1952)
O. Henry's [William Sydney Porter's] Cicso Kid
- (Film - 1914)
- (Radio - 1942)
- (Television - 1956)
Louis Joseph Vance's Lone Wolf (Film - 1917)
Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan
- (Film - 1918)
- (Radio - 1931)
- (Television - 1966)
Jack Boyle's Boston Blackie
- (Film - 1918)
- (Radio - 1944)
James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans
- (Film - 1920)
- (Radio - 1932)
- (Television - 1957)
Earl Derr Biggers' Charlie Chan
- (Film - 1926)
- (Radio - 1932)
Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot
- (Stage - 1928)
- (Film - 1931)
- (Radio - 1945)
Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade
- (Film - 1931)
- (Radio - 1943)
Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason
- (Film - 1934)
- (Radio - 1947)
- (Television - 1957)
Dashiell Hammett's Nick and Nora Charles
- (Film - 1934)
- (Radio - 1941)
Clarence E. Mulford's Hopalong Cassidy
- (Film - 1935)
- (Radio - 1950)
- (Television - 1952)
Ellery Queen's Ellery Queen
- (Film - 1936)
- (Radio - 1939)
John P. Marquand's Mr. Moto (Film - 1937)
Leslie Charteris' The Saint
- (Film - 1938)
- (Radio - 1945)
Michael Arlen's The Falcon (Film - 1941)
Drexel Drake's The Falcon (Radio - 1943)
Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe
- (Film - 1944)
- (Radio - 1943)
Francis and Richard Lockridge's Mr. and Mrs. North
- (Film - 1942)
- (Radio - 1941)
Davis Dresser's Michael Shayne
- (Film - 1940)
- (Film - 1944)

Baroness Emmuska 'Emma' Orczy's popular novel, The Scarlet Pimpernel was initially rejected in 1903 by a reputed twelve publishers of the era. Orczy and her husband quickly refashioned her story as a play to moderate success at London's West End. The success of the play created a demand for the novel and Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel was ultimately published in 1905. Set during a French Revolution of 1792-1799, Orczy's novel centered around British aristocrat Sir Percy Blakeney, to all outward appearances a stereotypical preening fop of England's aristocracy. Married to the former French actress Marguerite St. Juste (Lady Blakeney), Sir Percy was secretly an heroic, swashbuckling swordsman and the leader of 'The League of The Scarlet Pimpernel,' a band of English citizens, French expatriates and French revolutionaries united by their fight against the excesses of the French aristocracy in attempting to quash France's protracted citizens' revolution of the era.

Often mischaracterized as a modern Robin Hood, Sir Percy was less concerned about robbing from the rich and giving to the poor as he was with rescuing the various members of the French aristocracy who had sided with the citizens' revolt. Throughout both Madame Orczy's novel and its multimedia derivatives, Sir Percy was more accurately characterized as both a defender of the more democratic members of the French aristocracy and passionate opponent of 'Madame de la Guillotine,' France's gruesome execution method of choice.

By 1951 Orczy's Sir Percy Blakeney had appeared in print, on Stage, in Film and over early Television:

1903 The Scarlet Pimpernel [play]
1905 The Scarlet Pimpernel [novel]
1906 I Will Repay [novel]
1908 The Elusive Pimpernel [novel]
1913 Eldorado [novel]
1913 The Laughing Cavalier [book]
1915 The Bronze Eagle
1917 Lord Tony's Wife [novel]
1917 The Scarlet Pimpernel [silent film]
1919 The League of The Scarlet Pimpernel [short story compilation]
1919 The Elusive Pimpernel [silent film]
1920 The First Sir Percy [book]
1922 The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel [novel]
1924 Pimpernel and Rosemary [book]
1927 Sir Percy Hits Back [novel]
1928 The Scarlet Daredevil [film]
1929 Adventures of The Scarlet Pimpernel [short story compilation]
1932 A Child of the Revolution [novel]
1933 The Way of the Scarlet Pimpernel [novel]
1933 The Scarlet Pimpernel Looks at the World [book]
1934 The Scarlet Pimpernel [film]
1935 A Gay Adventurer: A biography of Sir Percy Blakeney, Baronet [written by John Montagu Orczy Barstow]
1936 Sir Percy Leads the Band [novel]
1937 Return of The Scarlet Pimpernel [film]
1938 The Life and Exploits of the Scarlet Pimpernel [written by John Montagu Orczy Barstow]
1940 Mam'zelle Guillotine [novel]
1950 The Fighting Pimpernel [film]
1950 The Scarlet Pimpernel [BBC Television episode from BBC Sunday Night Theatre]
1951 The Scarlet Pimpernel [BBC Television episode from BBC Sunday Night Theatre]

1934's 'The Scarlet Pimpernel.' Watch it here or download it here

With the enduring international popularity of The Scarlet Pimpernel the character's adoption as an American Radio or Television program would seem to have been a no-brainer. But it took independent media producer Harry Alan Towers and his Towers of London production house to bring The Scarlet Pimpernel to North American audiences. Harry Alan Towers and his London-based Towers of London transcription house had been the producer of many of the Golden Age of Radio's most popular and enduring programs, among them:

1948 Secrets of Scotland Yard
1951 The Lives of Harry Lime
1952 The Scarlet Pimpernel
1952 The Black Museum
1952 The Hardy Family [as a licensed distributor only]
1953 Box Thirteen [as a licensed distributor only]
1953 Theatre Royal
1954 The Queen's Men
1955 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

NBC first envisioned either Alec Guiness or Robert Donat in the role of The Scarlet Pimpernel. But with weekly package costs set at $3,500 neither award-winning actor was interested.

NBC and Towers of London bring Sir Percy to North America

The Scarlet Pimpernel arrived during NBC's Silver Jubilee promotional campaigns of 1951-1952. Initially conceived as a medium-budget [$3,500 per installment], big-name adventure serial, British actors Alec Guiness and Robert Donat were initially proposed for the role of Sir Percy Blakeney, with Emlyn Williams as Marguerite St. Juste [Lady Blakeney]. But by the time the series entered production in London, NBC had pared the per-installment costs down to around $2,000 by rolling the proposed production into NBC's ongoing Tandem Plan for sponsors and affiliates. The streamlined budget for Towers of London's The Scarlet Pimpernel included the services of versatile British character actor Marius Goring, still basking in the critical acclaim of his role as Julian Caster in The Red Shoes (1948). The production was also made more economical by entirely eliminating Sir Percy's wife, Maguerite Saint-Just from the series' scripts.

The Scarlet Pimpernel available under NBC's Tandem Plan

NBC's Vice President Charles C. 'Bud' Barry was NBC's greatest programming innovator of the period. Faced with both dwindling sponsor and affiliate revenue and an exponential growth in popularity of Television, it was Bud Barry's unenviable task to find more novel ways to retain Radio audiences while at the same time reducing affiliate costs throughout the network so as to keep business interest in NBC Radio alive and thriving.

The Scarlet Pimpernel was one of several new programs launched during--and in the wake of--NBC's Silver Jubilee of 1951-1952. The most notable among the others was NBC's ambitious The Big Show, a 90-minute extravaganza mounted primarily to demonstrate the effectiveness of sponsor block-sharing and time-slicing. NBC referrred to this arrangement as it's 'Tandem Plan.' In a further refinement, NBC created its "Guaranteed Attention Plan" in the Spring of 1952 to further hammer home NBC's contention that solid Radio features could still attract a significant Radio audience in the face of the shift to Television. It's also worth noting that NBC continued to add new affiliate stations throughout the 1950s simply because many of those often smaller markets and stations couldn't yet freely access Television.

Bud Barry and NBC General Manager Jack Herbert engineered NBC's 'Tandem Plan' sponsorship scheme and its derivatives. In a nutshell, subscribing sponsors were sold portions of a block of primetime, weekly day or night network programming. As an example, one of their primetime evening packages included the following:

The first half hour of The Big Show
The first half hour of NBC Symphony
The first half hour of Screen Directors Playhouse
Duffy's Tavern
The Man Called X

In the case of The Scarlet Pimpernel, NBC rolled it into one its Summer 1953 Tandem Plans as part of the following package:

Robert Armbruster and Orchestra
The First Nighter
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Judy Canova Show
Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator
The Bob and Ray Show

In the Tandem Plan example immediately above, sponsors could buy into a portion of the package at a 'single shot'--or single spot--rate of as little as $3,856 for access to the entire 197-station NBC Network of affiliates airing those six programs for a given week of that plan. NBC offered three, one-minute spots to sponsors during each of the above half-hour programs providing a total a la carte offering of eighteen, one-minute, primetime spots per week over the existing 197-station NBC network participating in the plan. For many sponsors the Tandem Plan provided an ideal opportunity to promote a product roll-out or product improvement via a more economical and precisely targeted Radio campaign over a major network.

'Blocked-shared' programming wasn't particularly new for the era. All four networks had begun marketing specific blocks of primetime--and daytime--programming to share expenses between several sponsors and the respective network for as many as eleven years earlier by 1952. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) called their version of block-sharing 'The Pyramid Plan' [an unfortunate moniker to be sure], a further refinement of their previously failed 'Five by Five' plan. The Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) referred to their block-sharing arrangement as The Power Plan. The Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS) called their's 'MBS Plus.' In a further refinement of MBS Plus, Mutual introduced an exclusive ten-program package of MGM Transcriptions programming for 1952 only.

What gave NBC's Tandem Plan its broader appeal was the premium range of programming packages offered in the various subscriptions, for example: premium variety with The Big Show, premium music with NBC Symphony, premium drama with Screen Directors Playhouse, highly rated comedy with Duffy's Tavern, and equally well rated mystery with The Man Called X. When The Scarlet Pimpernel came online in the Summer of 1952 it was rolled into that 'pool' of premium packages for the consideration of potential sponsors and affiliates. During 1951-1952 NBC also debuted their NBC Minute Man Plan which provided a "pay as you sell" opportunity for local affiliates. The NBC Minute Man Plan provided potential local sponsors a selection of 119 one-minute spots ranging from daytime to dinner hour to better accomodate affiliate sponsors to an even more granular level--and without the need for a protracted contractual obligation. Bud Barry also widely spun NBC's Tandem Plan packaging as yet another manifestation of the evolution of business technology over the network's twenty-five years.

The Scarlet Pimpernel: Bringing a fight for Democracy alive

At first blush, the popularity of an adventure drama series revolving around one of France's many revolutions--for North American audiences, anyway--would appear to have been a non-starter. Madame Orczy's seminal success, The Scarlet Pimpernel was from the outset informed by Countess Orczy's own aristocratic background in her native Hungary. One of Madame Orczy's earliest--and most persistent--criticisms was that her entire series of stories about Sir Percy Blakeney, as well as those authored or co-authored with Madame Orczy's husband Montagu, were markedly undemocratic. Indeed with the passing of more than a century, Madame Orczy's literary renditions of Sir Percy and his milieu continue to appear extremely effete, snobbish and altogether patronizing when referencing social class distinctions.

But perhaps it's that very cognitive dissonance between Madame Orczy's character studies and the underlying principles that Orczy celebrated in all of her 'Scarlet Pimpernel' stories that continue to keep Sir Percy alive as a popular hero throughout the world. In that respect it's quite possible that The Orczy's and their Sir Percy Blakeney character were a perfect marriage of authors to material. It's undoubtedly the reason why Sir Percy's own feigned foppishness and over the top noblesse oblige appear more as parodies of late 18th Century class warfare. In fact they're not parodies in the least. They were class distinctions that both Madame Orczy and her husband very much subscribed to throughout their lives. That simply underscores the power of the the enduring meaning of Sir Percy Blakeney, his League of The Scarlet Pimpernel and their fight against fascism in the purest sense--and why Madame Orczy's Scarlet Pimpernel adventures continue to resonate with both British and North American audiences.

In yet another perfect marriage--that of performer to character--Marius Goring was the ideal choice for the role of Sir Percy Blakeney over Radio and on Television. While it's tempting to imagine either Alec Guiness or Robert Donat in the role over Radio or Television, when taken in the context of Marius Goring's most memorable characterizations, it remains difficult to imagine either Guiness or Donat capable of so sublimely capturing Madame Orczy's Sir Percy Blakeney as did Marius Goring.

Marius Goring's selection for the role of Radio and Television's first Sir Percy Blakeney wasn't completely serendipity. Though it was Goring's memorable performance in The Red Shoes (1948) that truly propelled his career, it was undoubtedly Marius Goring's scene-stealing as 'Conductor 71' in 1946's Stairway to Heaven that compelled NBC and Towers of London to consider Goring an ideal candidate for Sir Percy Blakeney. In fact it was Goring's production stills as 'Conductor 71' from Stairway to Heaven [see sidebar] that were first used to promote Marius Goring as The Scarlet Pimpernel in 1952 newspaper clips and articles.

"They seek him here. They seek him there.
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
Is he in Heaven? Is he in Hell.
That damned, elusive, Pimpernel."

Sir Percy's sarcastic ditty (above) expressed his contempt for his French pursuers as much as his unvarnished bravado in eluding them so successfully. Sir Percy's League itself was comprised of twenty loyal compatriots from all levels of British society, though several of the League's most effective agents were esteemed and influential members of British aristocracy. The League of The Scarlet Pimpernel also controlled several useful assets in aid of its cause: a yacht, The Daydream; safe houses on both sides of the English Channel; caches of arms in both England and France; a network of underground patriots throughout France.

The League of The Scarlet Pimpernel had acquired some powerful enemies over its approximately fifteen years of organization:

Citizen Armand de Chauvelin. The League's most effective, ruthless, and powerful adversary. Chauvelin was an agent provocateur for the French military and some of the most powerful members of France's Royal Court. Citizen Chauvelin was given diplomatic rights by both England and France, the better to move freely on both sides of the Channel.
Degas. Citizen Chauvelin's most trusted and effective henchman.
Napoleon Bonaparte. The annals of The League of The Scarlet Pimpernel recorded several close brushes with France's most famous military leader. The various adventures of The Scarlet Pimpernel over Radio, while lacking chronological continuity, described several encounters with Napoleon at various stages of Bonaparte's rapidly accelerating career. Indeed it was a young Lieutenant Napoleon Bonaparte that first discovered Sir Percy Blakeney's secret identity. The Scarlet Pimpernel also had a brush with Bonaparte as a General during the series' initial Summer 1952 run. Sir Percy later met Bonaparte as a Colonel.
Marchioness Adrienne DeVanne. A clever, charming and cold-blooded member of the French Royal Court, the Marchioness could trace her family lineage to the infamous House of Borgia--including that family's facility with poisons and stilettos.
Committee of Public Safety. France's Committee of Public Safety was a political organ of the de facto French Government of the 1790s.

Sir Percy Blakeney and other members of The League regularly rubbed shoulders with greatness on the British side of the channel as well; Horatio Nelson as a young Captain and The Prince of Wales among them.

The Adventures of The Scarlet Pimpernel airs to the British Empire

It would be tempting to imagine that Harry Alan Towers used his deal with NBC to provide a test bed for his production of The Scarlet Pimpernel before syndicating it first through Radio Luxembourg, then to Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. What in all likelihood actually happened was that Towers was constrained by contractual obligations to NBC.

Whatever the contraining rationale, it wasn't until December 1st, 1952 that Towers of London syndicated The Adventures of The Scarlet Pimpernel over Radio Luxembourg, allowing British audiences to pick up its adventures for fifty-two installments. South Africa began receiving The Adventures of The Scarlet Pimpernel over Lourenço Marques Radio (LM Radio) during 1953. The CBS began airing The Scarlet Pimpernel over CKRC, Winnipeg on November 28th 1953.

Series Derivatives:

Radio Luxembourg Syndication; Australian syndication; South African syndication; New Zealand syndication; The Adventures of The Scarlet Pimpernel [International syndications]

Genre:

Anthology of Golden Age Radio Adventure Drama Anthology

Network(s):

NBC

Audition Date(s) and Title(s):

Unknown

Premiere Date(s) and Title(s):

52-07-01 01 The Rescue of Madame Susanne Florey

Run Dates(s)/ Time(s):

NBC Run:
52-07-01 to 54-10-07; NBC; Fifty-two, 30 minute programs;

Radio Luxembourg Run:
52-12-01 to 53-11-23; Radio Luxembourg; Fifty-two, 30-minute programs

Syndication:

NBC; Towers of London; Radio Luxembourg; LM Radio; The CBC

Sponsors:

Kelvinator; NBC Tandem Plan subscribing sponsors

Director(s):

Harry Alan Towers [Producer]
Baroness Emmuska Orczy [Creator]
Tig Roe [Director, Transcriber]

Principal Actors:

Marius Goring, David Jacobs, Freddie Treves, Edward De Souza

Recurring Character(s):

Sir Percy Blakeney, Baronet, a.k.a. "The Scarlet Pimpernel" [Marius Goring]; Citizen Chauvelin; Sir Andrew Ffoulkes; Lord Anthony 'Tony' Dewhurst [David Jacobs]; Skipper Briggs, skipper of Sir Percy's yacht, The Daydream

Protagonist(s):

None

Author(s):

Baroness Orczy

Writer(s)

Joel Murcott

Music Direction:

Sydney Torch

Musical Theme(s):

"Minuet" by Allan Paul [Note: the theme music of The Scarlet Pimpernel is more of a marche than a minuet. The circulating source of the theme music remains suspect. We're more inclined to believe that it was an original composition by Sydney Torch.]

Announcer(s):

Estimated Scripts or
Broadcasts:

Episodes in Circulation:

Total Episodes in Collection:

Provenances:

RadioGOLDINdex, Hickerson Guide, Blakeney Manor website, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB), Jeffrey Richards' The Radio Adventurers [BBC].

Notes on Provenances:

The most helpful provenances were the log of the RadioGOLDINdex and newspaper listings.

Digital Deli Too RadioLogIc

Given the means by which NBC promoted and distributed their transcribed, syndicated tapes of The Scarlet Pimpernel, it's understandable why honest efforts to create a broadcast log of the series' various airings has been so difficult.

The inherent problem in cataloging the currently circulating exemplars of The Scarlet Pimpernel is primarily due to the following:

There were at least four possible original transcription sources for The Scarlet Pimpernel --
- The taped NBC runs of 1952, 1953 and 1954
- The Radio Luxembourg's transcription disc run of 1952-1953
- The LM Radiotranscription disc run of 1953-1954
- The CBC'stranscription disc run of 1953-1954
The commercial OTR industry's penchant for mixing and matching the variants of a given canon so as to manufacture what appears to be a complete run.
The commerical OTR industry's regrettable practice of liberally revising a canon's actual history to fashion what appears to be a complete canon of recordings.
The race among commercial OTR vendors to fashion something from nothing simply results in more competition to do the same. The end result in too many instances is a complete mish mosh of circulating recordings of a given canon.

As with most human endeavors, a race to the bottom tends to create more speed bumps than flatten them.

OTRisms:

We have been as yet unable to substantiate the broadcast sequences published in all the other circulating logs of The Scarlet Pimpernel. We can't substantiate the radioGOLDINdex date entries for its two Scarlet Pimpernel related database pages.

We have no idea where all the other circulating logs of either The Scarlet Pimpernel or The Adventures of The Scarlet Pimpernel 'borrowed' their dates or episode sequences, since they're all demonstrably wrong--in an accurately historical context, anyway. If anyone from the commercial OTR Community would care to step forward and provide their proof(s) of their circulating dates, we'd be happy to attempt to substantiate them further. As of this writing they all appear to be entirely anecdotal or simply made up.

As a consequence of the above the majority of the circulating titles for the canon are equally anecdotal, contrived, or inaccurate.

What you see here, is what you get. Complete transparency. We have no 'credentials' whatsoever--in any way, shape, or form--in the 'otr community'--none. But here's how we did it--for better or worse. Here's how you can build on it yourselves--hopefully for the better. Here are the breadcrumbs--just follow the trail a bit further if you wish. No hobbled downloads. No misdirection. No posturing about our 'credentials.' No misrepresentations. No strings attached. We point you in the right direction and you're free to expand on it, extend it, use it however it best advances your efforts.

We ask one thing and one thing only--if you employ what we publish, attribute it, before we cite you on it.

We continue to provide honest research into these wonderful Golden Age Radio programs simply because we love to do it. If you feel that we've provided you with useful information or saved you some valuable time regarding this log--and you'd like to help us even further--you can help us keep going. Please consider a small donation here:

We don't pronounce our Golden Age Radio research as 'certified' anything. By the very definition, research is imperfect. We simply tell the truth. As is our continuing practice, we provide our fully provenanced research results--to the extent possible--right here on the page, for any of our peers to review--or refute--as the case may be. If you take issue with any of our findings, you're welcome to cite any better verifiable source(s) and we'll immediately review them and update our findings accordingly. As more verifiable provenances surface, we'll continue to update the following series log, as appropriate.

All rights reserved by their respective sources. Article, log, and independent research results copyright 2011 The Digital Deli Online--all rights reserved. Any failure to attribute the results of this copywritten work will be rigorously pursued.

[Date, title, and episode column annotations in red refer to either details we have yet to fully provenance or other unverifiable information as of this writing. Red highlights in the text of the 'Notes' columns refer to information upon which we relied in citing dates, date or time changes, or titles.]


The Scarlet Pimpernel Radio Program Log
Date	Episode	Title	Avail.	Notes
52-06-24	--		--	52-06-18 Wisconsin State Journal Marius Goring, British actor, wlll have the title role in "The Scarlet Pimpernel," dramatic series starting July 1 on NBC--WIBA. 52-06-24 Wisconsin State Journal Drama 7 p. m.—Cavalcade of America (WIBA): Jane Wyman as Mary Todd Lincoln in "The Dark Heart, story of scandal in White House.
52-07-01	1	The Rescue of Madame Susanne Florey	Y	52-07-01 Wisconsin State Journal 7 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): new adventure series starring Marius Goring as ingenious vigilante who snatches doomed aristocrats from guillotine.
52-07-08	2	The Rescue of the Duke de Montreaux and Daughter	Y	52-07-08 Wisconsin State Journal 7 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): aged aristocrat, beautiful daughter rescued from dungeon.
52-07-15	3	The Rescue of Jean-Pierre Lamont	Y	52-07-15 Wisconsin State Journal 7 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): disguised as convict, "Pimpernel" rescues man on way to guillotine.
52-07-22	4	The Rescue of Duchess Marguerite Sainte-Anne	Y	52-07-22 Wisconsin State Journal 6 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WMAQ): disguised duchess pays blackmail.
52-07-29	5	The Street of Last Hope La Rue du Dernière Désespoir	Y	52-07-29 Wisconsin State Journal 7 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): young woman almost betrays father's rescuer.
52-08-05	6	The Rescue of Twenty Palace Servants	Y	52-08-05 Wisconsin State Journal 7 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): Sir Percy frees dozen members of French palace staff.
52-08-12	7	Impersonating the French Spy Armand LeClerc	Y	[Sir Percy meets General Napoleon Bonaparte] 52-08-12 Wisconsin State Journal 7 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): unscrupulous Englishman poses as the Pimpernel and almost kills him.
52-08-19	8	An Attempt to Assassinate Ambassador du Lac	Y	[Last Summer replacement for Cavalcade of America] 52-08-19 Wisconsin State Journal 7 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): Sir Percy Blakeney foils Frenchman's plot to kill enemy, start war.
52-08-26	--		--	52-08-26 Wisconsin State Journal 7 p.m.--Cavalcade of America (WIBA): starting new season; Joan Caulfield in "Patriot with Chestnut Curls," story of brave girl is help in American Revolution.

52-09-21	9	The Disarmament Decree	Y	[Picked up as a Fall series in its own timeslot] 52-09-21 Wisconsin State Journal 4 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WMAQ): returns to the air.
52-09-28	10	Citizen Roger's Deadly Extortion Scheme	Y	52-09-28 New York Times 6:00-WNBC--Drama: The Scarlet Pimpernel, With Marius Goring
52-10-05	11	Betrayal At the Crossroad	Y	52-10-05 New York Times 6:00-WNBC--Drama: The Scarlet Pimpernel, With Marius Goring
52-10-12	12	The Gold Smuggling Ring	Y	52-10-12 New York Times 6:00-WNBC--Drama: The Scarlet Pimpernel, With Marius Goring
52-10-19	13	The Subject Is Blackmail	Y	52-10-19 New York Times 6:00-WNBC--Drama: The Scarlet Pimpernel, With Marius Goring
52-10-26	14	France's Secret English Abbey The Abbaye of l'Angleterre	Y	52-10-26 Washington Post 6:00-WRC--Adventures of Scarlet Pimpernel 52-10-26 New York Times 6:00-WNBC--Political Talk: Clare Boothe Luce
52-11-02	15	The Rescue of Vicomte DeVilliers	Y	[Challenged by 'Lieutenant' Napoleon Bonaparte] 52-11-02 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 52-11-02 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel
52-11-09	16	A Plot to Murder the Prince of Wales	Y	[Damaged tape at open; Sir Percy's identity has been revealed by 'Lt.' Napoleon Bonaparte] 52-11-09 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 52-11-09 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel
52-11-16	17	The Daydream Poses as A French Ship	Y	[Sir Percy is helped by 'Captain' Horatio Nelson] 52-11-16 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 52-11-16 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel
52-11-23	18	The Poison Plot of Marchioness DeVanne	Y	52-11-23 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 52-11-23 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel
52-11-30	19	The Rescue of Admiral Lanning	Y	52-11-30 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 52-11-30 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel
52-12-07	20	The Murder of André Pinard	Y	52-12-07 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 52-12-07 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel
52-12-14	21	Helping Spanish Escape The French	N	52-12-14 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 52-12-14 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel
52-12-21	--	Pre-empted	--	52-12-14 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Musical Christmas Card: Fred Allen; Basil Rathbone; Others 52-12-14 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Amahl and the Night Visitors 52-12-21 Washington Post 6:00-WRC--Adventures of Scarlet Pimpernel
52-12-28	22	English Children Saved By the Bell	Y	52-12-28 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 52-12-28 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel
53-01-04	23	The Rescue of Tony Dewhurst from Marseilles	Y	53-01-04 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 53-01-04 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel
53-01-11	24	The League Protects Mad Inventor John Sykes	Y	53-01-11 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 53-01-11 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel
53-01-18	--	Preempted	--	53-01-18 New York Times 6:00--WNBC--Mr. President: Twenty Years of, Presidential History--Recordings) 53-01-18 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Mr. President: from FDR to Ike 53-01-18 Washington Post WRC-6. "Mr. President from FDR to Eisenhower," highlights of the years captured on recordings. 53-01-18 Los Angeles Times 3:00--KFI--Mr. President: from FDR to Eisenhower 53-01-18 Syracuse Herld-America 6:00--WSYR--Scarlet Pimpernel 53-01-18 Progress-Index 6:00--WMBC--The Scarlet Pimpernel 53-01-18 The Lima News 6:00--The Scarlet Pimpernel--nbc
53-01-25	25	A Weak Link in The Escape Chain to Calais	Y	[Speed corrected] 53-01-25 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel--Drama 53-01-25 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel
53-02-01	26	A Trap for Old Ramsey's Murderer	Y	[Last program of 1952 Season; ultimately replaced by Juvenile Jury] 53-02-01 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel--Drama 53-02-01 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel
53-02-08	--		--	53-02-08 New York Times 6:00--WNBC-Hy Gardner Calling 53-02-08 Chicago Tribune 5:00--WMAQ--Hy Gardner 53-02-08 Washington Post 6:00-WRC--Adventures of Scarlet Pimpernel 53-02-08 San Antonio Express 5:00--WOAI--Scarlet Pimpernel 53-02-08 Huronite and Daily Plainsman 5:00--The Scarlet Pimpernel--nbc 53-02-08 Hutchinson News-Herald 5:30--KWBW--The Scarlet Pimpernel 53-02-08 Coshocton Tribune 5:00--The Scarlet Pimpernel--nbc

53-07-01	--		--	53-07-08 New York Times 10-10:30--Bob Hope Show with Jane Wyman, Guest--WNBC.
53-07-08	27	A Trap for the Swindler Avocat Montreaux	Y	[New season, on Wednesday evenings; Replaces The Bob Hope Show for the Summer] 53-07-08 Long Beach Press-Telegram Scarlet Pimpernel Exploits fold in New Radio Series By JOHN FREDERICK The swashbuckling feats of a f'ictional hero of the French Revoution will be continued over NBC radio when "The Adventures of he Scarlet Pimpernel" returns in the time spot formerly held down by Bob Hope on KFI at 7 p. m. Hope is going vacationing and the Pimpernel takes over-with Marius Goring portraying the Robin Hood of the French revolutionary period. In case you've forgotten the original theme, the Scarlet Pimpernel is a mysterious, shadowy figure who believes the guillotine is not the answer to the nation's woes. He liberates prisoners and generally, raises havoc with the revolutionary leaders. 53-07-08 New York Times 10-10:30--The Scarlet Pimpernel: Marius Goring--WNBC. 53-07-08 Chicago Tribune 9:00 p.m.--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel 53-07-08 Wisconsin State Journal 9 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): back on the air, starring Marius Goring; Pimpernel helps prisoners of French Revolution escape to England.
53-07-15	28	50000 Francs Reward for Tony Dewhurst	Y	53-07-15 New York Times 10: 00-WNBC--The Scarlet Pimpernel: With Marius Goring 53-07-15 Chicago Tribune 9:00 p.m.--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel 53-07-15 Wisconsin State Journal 9 p.m.--Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): Murder of a caretaker causes fear of a planned invasion of England.
53-07-22	29	A Trap for the Swindler Avocat Montreaux Is la Comtesse d'Estrimont a Spy?	Y	53-07-22 New York Times 10: 00-WNBC--The Scarlet Pimpernel: With Marius Goring 53-07-22 Chicago Tribune 9:00 p.m.--WMAQ--Scarlet Pimpernel 53-07-22 Wisconsin State Journal 9 p.m.--Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): Orphaned French girl obtains revenge against her father's murderer
53-07-29	30	Recovering General Bouvier's Necklace	Y	53-07-29 Wisconsin State Journal 9 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): league member rescued from prison.
53-08-05	31	The New Recruit, Sir Gerald Lauder	Y	[A brush with 'Colonel' Napoleon Bonaparte] 53-08-05 Wisconsin State Journal 9 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): traitor found among recruits. 53-08-05 Brainerd Dispatch NBC--9, Scarlet Pimpernel, "New Recruits"
53-08-12	32	Recovering General Bouvier's Necklace The Man In The Red Mask	Y	53-08-12 Wisconsin State Journal 9 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): vigilantes recover valuable necklace. 53-08-12 Oakland Tribune 7 p.m. KNBC -- THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL recovers a necklace worth 100,000 pounds in one of his most dangerous exploits
53-08-19	33	The Six Citizens of Rouen	Y	53-08-19 Wisconsin State Journal WIBA 9:00 Sign of Jupiter 53-08-19 New York Times 10:00-WNBC--Under the Sign of Jupiter--Drama Salute to American Pharmaceutical Association Convention, Salt Lake City, Utah 53-08-19 New Castle News KDKA--10:00--Scarlet Pimpernel
53-08-26	34	Posing as Chauvelin to Free Jean-Pierre Veradux	Y	53-08-26 Wisconsin State Journal 9 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): vigilantes seek new recruits. 53-08-26 San Antonio Express Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel— 9 p.m., WOAI—Sir Percy Blakney calls an important meeting of the inner circle of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
53-09-02	35	The Six Citizens of Rouen Betrayed While Rescuing Fernand Michel	Y	53-09-02 Wisconsin State Journal 9 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): saving six from guillotine. 53-09-02 Long Beach Press-Telegram "Scarlet Pimpernel" saves six citizens from the guillotine duringthe adventure-drama on KFI at 7 p. m.
53-09-09	36	Posing as Chauvelin to Free Jean-Pierre Veradux Sir Basil North and The Unicorn Club	Y	53-09-09 Wisconsin State Journal 9 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): adventurer disguises himself as his deadliest enemy.
53-09-16	37	The Education of Young Hawkins	Y	53-09-16 Wisconsin State Journal 9 p.m.--Scarlet Pimpernel (WIBA): Sir Percy undergoes torture; refuses to betray friends
53-09-23	38	Margot Veradux is Killed	Y	53-09-23 Wisconsin State Journal WIBA 9:00 Dr. William E. Clark 53-09-23 New York Times 10:00-WNBC--The Scarlet Pimpernel: With Marius Goring
53-09-30	39	Judge Campeaux, The Butcher of Paris	Y	[Last program of 1953 Season; Corrected speed issues] 53-09-30 Wisconsin State Journal WIBA 9:00 Scarlet Pimpernel
53-10-07	--		--	53-10-07 Wisconsin State Journal WIBA 9:00 Fibber McGee

54-07-08	--		--	54-07-08 Syracuse Herald Journal WSYR--9:00--Senor Ben
54-07-15	40	A Reluctant Ally in Venice	Y	54-07-15 Syracuse Herald Journal FOLLOWERS OF the swashbuckling Scarlet Pimpernel will be able to get their fill today. At 9 P.M. WSYR begins a new radio series on the 18th Century hero. Marius Goring has the part of the supposedly useless drawing room fop who turns out to be a fearless daredevil. At 11 P.M. WSYR-TV presents the film "The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel." Is is another in the station's Theater of Adventure series.
54-07-22	41	Doctor Minot Is Rescued from Prison Lazar	Y	[Edited recording] 54-07-22 Syracuse Herald Journal WSYR--9:00--Scarlet Pimpernel
54-07-29	42	A Traitor in the Escape Chain to Dieppe	Y	54-07-29 Syracuse Herald Journal WSYR--9:00--Scarlet Pimpernel
54-08-05	43	Sir Percy Imprisoned on Isle des Saintes	Y	54-08-05 Syracuse Herald Journal WSYR--9:00--Scarlet Pimpernel 54-08-05 New York Times 8:30-9:30--Kay Armen Show: Music and songs--WNBC
54-08-12	44	General Bonamee's Son is Missing in France	Y	[Third Season begins over midwestern stations; Moves to Thursday evenings over WNBC and WRCA; Speed and pitch corrected] 54-08-12 New York Times 9-9:30--The Scarlet Pimpernel: Adventure series about the French Revolution, With Marius Goring and others--WCBS (Premiere) 54-08-12 Syracuse Herald Journal WSYR--9:00--Scarlet Pimpernel
54-08-19	45	Tony Dewhurst Faces a Firing Squad	Y	[Crosstalk, pitch, and speed corrected] 54-08-19 New York Times 9:00-WNBC--The Scarlet Pimpernel.
54-08-26	46	The Fisherman's Daughter	Y	[Crosstalk, pitch, and speed corrected] 54-08-26 Syracuse Herald-Journal 9:00— WSYR— Scarlet Pimpernel, Marias Goring
54-09-02	47	A Love Triangle Set to Trap The League	Y	[Crosstalk, pitch, and speed corrected] 54-09-02 Syracuse Herald-Journal 9:00— WSYR— Scarlet Pimpernel, Marias Goring
54-09-09	48	Simon's Antique Shop and Comtesse Breville	Y	[Crosstalk, pitch, and speed corrected] 54-09-09 Syracuse Herald-Journal THE SCARLET Pimpernel rescues a young girl who tried to drown herself on tonight's adventure, heard at 9 on WSYR. Marius Goring plays the swashbuckling hero.
54-09-16	49	Colonel Drury Is Sought Dead or Alive	Y	[Crosstalk, pitch, and speed corrected] 54-09-16 Syracuse Herald-Journal 9:00— WSYR— Scarlet Pimpernel, Marius Goring
54-09-23	50	The Ghosts of Martin's Folly	Y	[Crosstalk, pitch, and speed corrected] 54-09-23 New York Times 9:00-WNBC--John Foster Dulles--Recorded 54-09-23 Syracuse Herald-Journal 9:00— WSYR— Convention Roundup
54-09-30	51	Disguised as A French Agent	Y	54-09-30 New York Times 9:00-WNBC--Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 54-09-30 Syracuse Herald-Journal 9:00— WSYR— Scarlet Pimpernel, Marius Goring
54-10-07	52	Disguised as A Priest	Y	54-10-07 New York Times 9:00-WNBC--Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 54-10-07 Syracuse Herald-Journal 9:00— WSYR— Scarlet Pimpernel, Marius Goring 9:30— WSYR— Scarlet Pimpernel, Marius Goring
54-10-14	--		--	54-10-14 New York Times 9:00-WNBC--Political Talk: Bernard Shanley, Republican 54-10-14 Syracuse Herald-Journal 9:00— WSYR— Scarlet Pimpernel, Marius Goring
54-10-21	--		--	54-10-21 New York Times 9:00-WNBC--Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 54-10-21 New York Times 9:00-WRCA--Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 54-10-21 Syracuse Herald-Journal 9:00— WSYR— Scarlet Pimpernel, Marius Goring 54-10-21 Bridgeport Telegram WRCA--9:00--Spend A Million 54-10-21 Provo Daily Herald 7:00— KDYL— The Scarlet Pimpernel
54-10-28	--		--	54-10-28 Syracuse Herald-Journal 9:00— WSYR— News--Spend A Million 54-10-28 Oneanta Star 9:00— WQY— Spend A Million 54-10-28 Post-Standard 9:00— WSYR— News--Spend A Million 54-10-28 New York Times 9:00-WRCA--Spend A Million 54-10-28 Bakersfield Californian 7:30--KERO--Scarlet Pimpernel 54-10-28 Bridgeport Telegram WRCA--9:00--Spend A Million 54-10-28 Waterloo Daily Courier 9:00--WHO--Scarlet Pimpernel 54-10-28 Provo Daily Herald 7:00— KDYL— News; Mr and Mrs Valentine at Home 54-10-28 Salisbury Times NATIONAL--9:00— Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scarlet Pimpernel Radio Program Biographies

Marius Buckman Goring Stage, Radio, Television and Film Actor (1912-1998) Birthplace: Newport, Isle of Wight, U.K. Education: Perse School, Cambridge; University of Frankfurt; University of Munich; University of Vienna; University of Paris Radiography: 1945 Freedom Forum 1952 The Scarlet Pimpernel 1955 Movie Playhouse 1953 The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes	Marius Goring circa 1947 Marius Goring in 1934 publicity photo Marius Goring as Theodore Maxtible in Dr Who (1967) Photo study of Marius Goring at home	From the October 6th, 1998 edition of the New York Times: Marius Goring, a British Actor, Is Dead at 86 By RALPH BLUMENTHAL Marius Goring, a British actor who played Shakespearean villains and Nazi officers and stole Moira Shearer's heart in the classic ballet film, "The Red Shoes," died on Wednesday at this home in the West Sussex county of England. He was 86 and had cancer, the BBC reported. Although long known for his classical roles, Mr. Goring achieved his greatest popular success in the 1960's and 70's as the star of the BBC series "The Expert," in which he played a flamboyantly red-bearded forensic scientist who hunted criminals with a microscope. Earlier he starred in another British television series as the Scarlet Pimpernel. He appeared in so many World War II movies that he claimed to have played every rank in the German army from private to field marshal. The mostly forgettable films included "U-Boat 29" (1939) with Conrad Veidt; "Pastor Hall" (1940), based on the story of the anti-Nazi minister, the Rev. Martin Niemoeller; "Odette (1959) with Anna Neagle, Trevor Howard and Peter Ustinov; "Circle of Danger" (1951) with Ray Milland; "So Little Time" (1952) with Maria Schell , and "Night Ambush" (1957) with Dirk Bogarde. In 1954 he joined the all-star cast of Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart, Rossano Brazzi and Edmond O'Brien in "The Barefoot Contessa," in which he played a South American wastrel. His cinematic peak may have come in 1948 with "The Red Shoes," the British retelling of a Hans Christian Anderson fable still widely regarded as the greatest dance movie ever made. An early Technicolor feature, the film cast Mr. Goring as Julian Craster, the young composer who presents a romantic distraction to the dance-bewitched ballerina. His next starring role came in another British film, "Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill," in which he played a foolish mathematics professor laid low by love. His notable stage roles included Richard III in 1958 and Angelo in "Measure for Measure," with the Royal Shakespeare Theater in Stratford-on-Avon in 1962. Mr. Goring was born on the Isle of Wight in 1912. His mother was a pianist and his father a doctor and criminologist. He attended universities in Europe and studied theater at the Old Vic dramatic school. During World War II he made British propaganda broadcasts to Germany and provided the voice of Hitler in an anti-Nazi radio serial, "The Shadow of the Swastika." A founding member of the actors' union, Equity, he long opposed efforts to involve it in political causes, whether miners' strikes, the troubles in Northern Ireland or South African apartheid. He is survived by his third wife, the former Prudence FitzGerald. From the October 10th, 1998 edition of the Chronicle Telegram: Marius Goring Best-known for 'The Red Shoes' LONDON (AP) — Marius Goring, an actor who built his reputation on the London stage but made his name playing villainous Nazis on the big screen, died Sept 30 of cancer. He was 86. Goring achieved success in the 1960s and '70s playing a forensic scientist in the BBC series "The Expert." His cinematic peak may have come in 1948 in "The Red Shoes," still regarded as one of the best dance films ever made. In the mid-1930s he played foils and second leads in London's West End theaters, earning critical acclaim in "Twelfth Night" in 1937. During World War II he made British propaganda broadcasts to Germany and provided the voice of Hitler in an anti-Nazi radio serial, "The Shadow of the Swastika." He also appeared in many World War II movies, including, "U-Boat 29," "Pastor Hall," and "Circle of Danger." In 1954, he was included in the all-star cast of Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart, Rosanno Brazzi and Edmund O'Brien in "The Barefoot Contessa."

Harry Alan Towers (Producer/Syndicator) Radio, Television, and Film Producer (1920-2009) Birthplace: London, England, U.K. Radiography: 1942 The Royal Air Force Takes the Air 1946 The March of the Movies 1951 The Lives of Harry Lime 1952 The Black Museum 1952 The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel 1953 The Queen's Men	Harry Alan Towers Harry Alan Towers shortly after his return to civilian life circa 1948 Harry Alan Towers circa 1984	Harry Alan Towers was born, raised and educated (Italia Conti school for child actors) in London, England. He joined the R.A.F. at the outbreak of World War II, becoming the programme director for British Forces Radio, the British equivalent of America's Armed Forces Radio Service. In that capacity, Towers was responsible for securing, editing, producing and distributing Radio broadcasts via electrical transcription throughout the far-flung reaches of The British Empire's war effort. Upon completing his service in the R.A.F, he returned to London to establish Towers of London, a company to syndicate original Radio programming via electrical transcription. Backed by his mother's financing, Margaret Miller Towers and her son inaugurated what would become one of post-War England's most successful media production companies. Among Towers' most successful Radio syndications were Secrets of Scotland Yard (1948) with Clive Brook, The Lives of Harry Lime (1951) with Orson Welles, The Black Museum (1952) with Orson Welles, and The Adventures of The Scarlet Pimpernell (1952) with Marius Goring. Towers had become well equipped to engineer these usually worldwide syndications. As Programme Director for British Forces Radio, his day to day activities had been consumed with deal-making around the globe in acquiring and distributing entertaining programming to British Forces overseas. That experience served him even better--and far more profitably--as an independent programming producer and syndicator cutting syndication deals with America, Australia, Luxembourg, Mozambique, South Africa and Canada. The Independent Television network (ITV) was established in 1955 as a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters. Its charter was established by the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV opened yet another avenue for Towers of London. That same year, Towers of London began to package and produce an ambitious array of programming, including The Golden Fleece (1955), The Boy About the Place (1955), Teddy Gang (1956), The Lady Asks for Help (1956), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1956), The Suicide Club (1956), The Little Black Book (1956), The New Adventures of Martin Kane (1957), A Christmas Carol (1958), 24 Hours a Day (1959), Down to the Sea (1959), Gun Rule (1959) and Missing Person (1959). Ever the entrepreneurial innovator, the 1960s and 1970s found Towers producing an ambitious and prolific number of 90-minute, made-for-Television movies for syndication around the world. Often joining forces with other independent production companies, Towers' deal-making and relentless ambition have continued to help create a minor entertainment empire that dots the globe to this day. Towers' life has not been without its own speedbumps, excesses and awkward situations, but Towers' apparent limitless well of resolve and resilience seem to have made him only more and more successful over the years. Last heard of in South Africa, Harry Alan Towers was reportedly undertaking as many as twenty-five concurrent projects as of 2003. He's reached the age of 89 in one of modern civilizations most ruthless industries. He must have been doing something right. [Update: Harry Alan Towers passed away July 31st 2009 in Canada after a short illness]

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