The Saint “The Covetous Headsman” #1.4 (1962) (TV)

Top notch episode, 20 May 2020

During his seven hour flight from New York to Paris, Simon befriends a woman on her way to meet her long lost brother.  Upon arrival, she learns that her brothe's been murdered.  Fearing for her safety, Simon agrees to look into things.  And wouldn’t you know it, Simon's right.  It’s not long after Simon starts his investigation that the woman is kidnapped by a Nazi sympathizer.

The Covetous Headsman is easily the best episode I’ve seen so far.  This one could have easily been fleshed out into a full length movie.  There’s a lot packed into the 49 minute runtime.  The writing is very strong.  There are plenty of twists and turns and a real sense of danger.  The story kept me guessing until the very end.  Roger Moore is on top of his game and is much more believable in the action scene that he would be later in his career.  Barbara Shelley makes the perfect woman in peril.  She’s outstanding.  The rest of the cast, especially George Pastell, are more than up for the task.  Overall, a really nice piece of television.

Two more things before I end this:

1. Not unlike another IMDb comment I read, I was bothered throughout by the notion of Simon working with the French Resistance during WWII.  Based on Moore’s age in 1962, Simon would have been somewhere around 16 years old  I’m not sure how realistic that might have been.

2. I always love seeing 1960s-era everyday life.  In this episode, we’re treated to some interesting shots of the now renamed Idlewild Airport and the streets of Paris.  I can’t seem to get enough of this stuff.

8/10