Episode #71 - 4-9

The Old Treasure Story

CAST:
Jack Hedley - Duncan Rawl
Robert Hutton - Jack Forrest
Erica Rogers - April Mallory
Reg Lye - Capt. Bill Williams
Frank Wolff - Jim Reston
Jill Curzon - Maria Cavallini
Roy Patrick - Big Tom
Joby Blanshard - First Sailor
Timmy Gardner - Second Sailor
George Lowdell - Third Sailor

Directed by Roger Moore; Screenplay by Ronald Duncan
Adapted from the original story by Leslie Charteris

STORY:
Old Captain Bill Williams has written a book under a pseudonym about an old pirate treasure in the Virgin Islands and a map to find it. This book is based on a true story though - Williams owns one third of the map! He wrote the novel to find the other parts of the map because the treasure is his legacy for April Mallory whose father he accidentally killed in a dispute over the map and who he raised afterwards.
Williams also wrote a letter to his old friend, the Saint, who arrives soon at his pub. Reston, one of the Captain's men, visits the pub at the same evening to demand the map from Williams... in a fight with Templar the Captain gets shot by Reston.
A man named Rawl takes April and the Saint to the West Indies because he has the second part of the map and knows the owner of the third one. Templar is sceptic about Rawl - and indeed, when they find the treasure cave they are followed by two men... one of them is Reston!

STORY:
The episode is interesting in regard to the story but is marred a little bit by the numerous blue screen and stock footage shots.

NOTES:
* Robert Hutton also appears in Episodes #53 "The Contract" and #100 "Invitation to Danger"
* Erica Rogers also appears in Episodes #6 "The Pearls of Peace", #10 "The Golden Journey" and #41 "Lida"
* Reg Lye also appears in Episodes #46 "The Loving Brothers" and #66 "The Smart Detective"
* Roy Patrick also appears in Episode #2 "The Latin Touch"
* Joby Blanshard also appears in Episode #30 "The Romantic Matron"
When Templar chases Reston shortly after he shot Captain Williams, you can see that Moore's trousers are split in the back. (0:15) [Submitted by Tommy Mod]
  The wall at the shore and the one hiding the tunnels leading to the treasure are the same. (0:24 and 0:27)
  Look closely - the skeleton of one of Black Beard's pirates has wing screws on his joints and one can open his skull... ;) (0:40 and 0:42)
* This is the last of the black & white episodes both regarding the airdate and the production.
* This is also the last episode of the production partnership between Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman. The colour episodes were produced by Robert S. Baker and Roger Moore (BAMORE).
See also the Production & Regular Cast page for more information.

Leslie Charteris, 24th May 1965: <<Your script of "The Old Treasure Story" is, as I have learned to expect by this time, a typical travesty of the original with every original aspect carefully filtered out and replaced with your favorite time-worn ingredients. Having also learned that my criticisms have absolutely no effect, when opposed to the almighty genius to Junkin, I shall not waste my energies discussing specific absurdities. The totaly unnecessary loss of the treasure ... continues your policy of never letting The Saint come out of an adventure with any profit, even legitimately, thus perpetuating your invention that he must be independently wealthy.>> (Barer, p.132)

AIRDATE:
UK: 26th August 1965

THE SAINT
www.simontemplar.de

Last Updated: 12/14/2020