Orson Welles' Great Mysteries (1973)
Orson Welles' Great Mysteries was a British television series The series was an anthology of different tales. Each episode was introduced by Orson Welles, who was the only regular actor in the series. In the opening titles, Welles would be shown in silhouette as he walked through a hallway towards the camera, smoking a cigar and outfitted in a broad-brimmed hat and a huge cloak, the outfit itself being a nod to his having provided the voice of The Shadow in the radio program. When he actually appeared on-screen to introduce the episodes, his face would be all that would be shown, in extreme close-up and very low lighting.
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Episode 1 - Captain Rogers
Release Date: 1973-09-01The respectable owner of a quiet inn in 18th century England is blackmailed by a grubby stranger, who knows he is secretly the notorious pirate Captain Rogers.
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Episode 2 - The Leather Funnel
Release Date: 1973-09-08When a young man discovers a curious funnel made of leather, he has a presentiment that it was once used as an instrument of torture
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Episode 3 - A Terribly Strange Bed
Release Date: 1973-09-15Charles Faulkner, a young American gambler in Paris, should have left the casino after striking it lucky. Why the devil did he accept to sleep in the casino's guest bed? This was to be the most horrible night he had ever lived.
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Episode 4 - La Grande Breteche
Release Date: 1973-09-22A Spanish officer, captured by the French during the Peninsular War, is imprisoned at the country house of an elderly aristocrat with a bored young wife - whose lover he becomes, with deadly consequences.
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Episode 5 - The Dinner Party
Release Date: 1973-09-29Blake is a brilliant accountant, but does he deserve a promotion to the board of directors? It all depends on the suitability of his wife. His bosses attend a small dinner party given by the Blakes to check her out.
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Episode 6 - Money to Burn
Release Date: 1973-10-06A French girl in London finds herself in the awkward position of owing money to a Soho crime boss. But when she pays him off, he contemptuously sets fire to the money. Why?
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Episode 7 - In the Confessional
Release Date: 1973-10-13An old tramp takes refuge in a church, and, concealed within the confessional, overhears things of great interest.
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Episode 8 - Unseen Alibi
Release Date: 1973-10-20Dean Stockwell stars as the victim of an elaborately staged murder frame centering around a lover's rendezvous.
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Episode 9 - Battle of Wits
Release Date: 1973-10-27 -
Episode 10 - A Point of Law
Release Date: 1973-11-03A lawyer cannot stop a middle-aged spinster from making a fool of herself with a young fortune-hunter, but he can stop the fellow from getting his hands on her money.
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Episode 11 - The Monkey's Paw
Release Date: 1973-11-10An old army sergeant, back in England after long service in India, shows some old friends a strange possession he's acquired - a monkey's paw which can make wishes come true.
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Episode 12 - The Ingenious Reporter
Release Date: 1973-11-17Reporter Harry Langley pretends to be the murderer of unidentified women to boost sales with a special report from prison. But once arrested, the authorities seem to be convinced that he is indeed the killer.
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Episode 13 - Death of an Old-Fashioned Girl
Release Date: 1973-11-24 -
Episode 14 - For Sale - Silence
Release Date: 1973-12-01Businessman Pennington is bribed by a Mr. Briggs due to an extramarital affair. But it seems that Briggs has underestimated his opponent and the tables might be turning.
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Episode 15 - The Inspiration Of Mr. Budd
Release Date: 1973-12-08How did Mr. Budd become a top-class West End hairdresser after such humble origins in a suburban barbershop? Well, one day, a stranger came in for a shave and a haircut.
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Episode 16 - An Affair of Honour
Release Date: 1973-12-15India: After secret plans for the defence of a harbour are secretly copied, British General Sanderson tasks officers Bruce and Rolfe with convincing the apparent traitor Fanshaw to "save his honour" by committing suicide.
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Episode 17 - Farewell to the Faulkners
Release Date: 1973-12-22The masquerade is over when a murdered man turns up alive in the guise of his wife.
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Episode 18 - The Power of Fear
Release Date: 1973-12-29A handyman, finding that a number of middle-aged housewives require him for rather more than his professional services, turns to blackmail.
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Episode 19 - Where There's a Will
Release Date: 1974-01-05A letter opened in error provides rather dangerous knowledge concerning a murder case.
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Episode 20 - A Time to Remember
Release Date: 1974-01-12Zigorin, a top Russian spy, has defected to the West. But is he really Zigorin or an impostor?
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Episode 21 - Ice Storm
Release Date: 1974-01-19An "Ice Storm" traps a woman with a potential thief masquerading as one of three experts invited to view a collection of valuable manuscripts.
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Episode 22 - Come Into My Parlour
Release Date: 1974-01-26 -
Episode 23 - Compliments of the Season
Release Date: 1974-02-02A penniless man tries to claim a reward from a millionaire at Christmas, and finds it's not as easy as he thought it would be.
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Episode 24 - Under Suspicion
Release Date: 1974-02-09A pianist on an international tour is forced to spy for the secret police to avoid being detained.
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Episode 25 - Trial for Murder
Release Date: 1974-02-16During a murder trial in 19th-century England, one of the jurors begins to have mysterious hallucinations - has he seen a ghost?
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Episode 26 - The Furnished Room
Release Date: 1974-02-23A young man's month-long search for a missing girl ends in a haunted room of a boarding house.