THE BARON (1966-1967) FORGOTTEN TELEVISION

THE BARON (1966-1967) – This ITC/ABC venture starred rugged he-man Steve Forrest as wealthy Texan John Mannering, who works for British Intelligence under the codename the Baron. Mannering’s assistant was Cordelia Winfield, played by the British actress Sue Lloyd.

Underneath his two-fisted Texan surface persona, John Mannering was highly cultured and knew his way around the art world just like Joe Bob Briggs was the surface persona for John Bloom, Dallas’ classical music and opera critic. (Yes, I still love wildly inappropriate comparisons.)

Viewers are told that the Baron started working in intelligence operations during World War II as part of the real-life Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives unit recovering plundered works of art from the Nazis who stole them. 

Mannering’s cover in London was an antique dealer and jet-set playboy. He drove around in a Jensen C-V8 that had the personalized license plate BAR 1. The Baron was originally a character from novels but John Mannering bore little resemblance to his printed page counterpart.

Dalek creator Terry Nation was one of the writers for this series, which ran for 30 1-hour episodes.

THE EPISODES:

DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY – In the Baron’s “origin story”, a beautiful woman from an Iron Curtain country steals a Faberge miniature from his London antique shop. British Intelligence recruits him to bust up the international ring that the woman works for – a ring secretly run by the Soviet Union. John Mannering and Cordelia Winfield go behind the Iron Curtain, recover the Faberge piece and shut down the ring of thieves, all of whom hid behind their diplomatic immunity after committing their thefts.

EPITAPH FOR A HERO – One of the Baron’s World War Two comrades-in-arms fakes his own death as a ruse in order to pull off the theft of a priceless jewelry collection. He wants Mannering’s help and uses Cordelia as a hostage to ensure his cooperation. Also starring Paul Maxwell, Michael Gwynn and Patricia Haines.

SOMETHING FOR A RAINY DAY – International interests want the Baron’s help in recovering a priceless Aztec mask that was stolen and hidden years earlier. The man who stole it is being released after serving a prison sentence and is the best lead to recovering the object. Lois Maxwell herself guest stars. 

RED HORSE, RED RIDER – The Baron’s latest assignment finds him sent to a civil war-torn nation to smuggle out a valuable statuette. The country’s rebels want it sold for funds to finance their continued efforts at overthrowing their dictator. Also starring Jane Merrow and Frank Wolff.

ENEMY OF THE STATE – Mannering and Cordelia are in a Soviet state to covertly pass along funds for spy operations. They are betrayed and Cordelia is captured, so the Baron takes a valuable hostage of his own to exchange for Cordelia’s release. Anton Diffring and Joseph Furst guest star. 

MASQUERADE – A gang arrives in London to carry out the theft of the Crown Jewels. The Baron tries to infiltrate the gang but Cordelia thinks he really has joined forces with them and he must convince her he hasn’t. Guest starring Yvonne Furneaux, Geoffrey Palmer and Bernard Lee himself as head villain Morgan Travis. 

THE KILLING – Picking up from the previous episode’s cliffhanger, the Baron convinces Cordelia but is soon exposed by Morgan Travis’ gang. Naturally, our hero survives and the bad guys are nailed. NOTE: After the series was canceled, the previous two episodes were reedited as a movie for theatrical release, The Man in the Looking Glass.

THE PERSUADERS – David Marlowe (Paul Ferris), a fellow agent of the Baron, is abducted. To obtain his release his kidnappers demand that Mannering sell a fake Renoir painting to art collector Sir Robert Ellacott (Martin Wyldeck). It’s all part of a plot by Sir Robert’s nephew (James Villiers).

AND SUDDENLY, YOU’RE DEAD – In Switzerland, the Baron and Cordelia become involved when an old flame of Cordelia’s – an American intelligence agent – steals a deadly biological warfare concoction. Our heroes fight to keep the virus out of the hands of the villains who created it. Guest starring Kay Walsh and Sandbaggers‘ Alan MacNaughtan.

THE LEGIONS OF AMMAK – Two nations want the Baron to serve as the go-between for the ruler of a Middle Eastern country and a wealthy westerner when the monarch wants to sell the title necklace – a work of gold studded with seven black pearls. It turns out the sale is really part of an elaborate palace coup with the nation’s oilfields as the incentive. Jason Wyngarde from Department S. and Isa Miranda guest star. 

SAMURAI WEST – When John Mannering purchases a 500-year-old samurai sword from a Japanese man named Asano, an old World War Two colleague of the Baron knows the man is really the former commandant of a brutal Japanese POW camp. He was a prisoner there and wants the Asian dead as revenge. Also starring Colin Jeavons and Lee Montague.

THE MAZE – After stopping to help a young woman on a country road, the Baron loses 24 hours of time. He and Cordelia try to piece together what happened and realize an assassination attempt is in the works. Judith Arthy, Glynn Edwards and John Orchard are among the guest cast.

PORTRAIT OF LOUISA – An old friend of Mannering – Louisa Trent (Moira Redmond) – seems to be hiding financial problems when she sells him several valuable items for much less than they’re worth. When she later turns up dead he investigates and learns she was being blackmailed, then murdered.

THERE’S SOMEONE CLOSE BEHIND YOU – When the Baron helps the London authorities stop the theft of the Lyndstead Art Collection one of the officers is killed during the action. The killer later escapes custody and comes gunning for Mannering. Also starring Jerome Willis for another Sandbaggers connection.

STORM WARNING – The Baron and Cordelia arrive in Macao to try locating a vital ship’s cargo that went missing. This gets them caught up in a master plan to sabotage an American space mission. Dudley Sutton, John Woodvine, Andy Ho, Michael Chow and Dennis Chin guest star.

THE ISLAND – Mannering and Cordelia learn that the spies running the ship they stowed away on plan to shoot down an American space capsule and turn it over to Communist China. The Baron goes all John McLane on their asses. NOTE: These past two episodes were later reedited as a theatrical release movie – Mystery Island.

TIME TO KILL – Cordelia and the Baron look into the Vitale Family and the way their supposedly “cursed” emerald brooch seems to be used as a legend to cover a series of murders. Guest starring Peter Bowles, Geraldine Moffatt and David Garth. 

A MEMORY OF EVIL – A female intelligence agent is abducted on her way from the Continent to London, where she was to meet with Mannering. The Baron sets out to find her and discovers a Neo-Nazi scheme to launch a Fourth Reich financed by selling off a fortune in never-recovered stolen art from the war. Ann Bell and Robert Hardy also star.

YOU CAN’T WIN THEM ALL – Mannering buys the Petrograd Icons only to learn they are clever fakes. He goes into action to recover the originals only to have those stolen from him. He ends up playing the thief in a poker game at the Peerage Gentlemen’s Club with the Icons as the stakes. Guest starring Sam Wanamaker and David Burke.

THE HIGH TERRACE – The Baron delivers several priceless Medicis to a longtime female client, only to find she has been abducted. Mannering learns that she had been donating enormous sums of money to a questionable religious cult whose leader calls himself the Chosen One for some shady deeds. Max Adrian, Jan Holden, Veronica Hurst and Maggie Wright guest star.

THE SEVEN EYES OF NIGHT – The one and only Jeremy Brett guest stars as the head of a ring that is selling elaborate forgeries of art and jewelry to wealthy victims across Europe. The Baron and Cordelia manage to corral all the villains for the authorities. Also starring Patricia English and Christopher Benjamin.

NIGHT OF THE HUNTER – The widow of a deposed ruler in the Balkans has hired the Baron to sell some of her antiques to finance her exile. When Mannering and Cordelia try to deliver the money to her the new dictator steps in, wanting to possess the money AND the lovely widow. Katharine Blake and Derek Godfrey are among the guest cast.

THE EDGE OF FEAR – The Mona Lisa has been stolen from the Louvre and international parties are clashing over who really has the painting and who is trying to pass off a copy to black marketeers just to make a quick fortune. The Baron intervenes to save the masterpiece. Also appearing are Alan Wheatley and David Cargill.

LONG AGO AND FAR AWAY – Cordelia disappears on a mission to South America to meet with an explorer. The Baron is sent to find her and the pair wind up in the middle of a budding coup with arms being hidden in the jungle. Barrie Ingham and Douglas Wilmer guest star.

SO DARK THE NIGHT – The Baron and Cordelia go to southwest England to evaluate the art and other valuables from an estate. They stumble onto a plot to find the proceeds of a bank robbery from several years earlier. Guest starring George Baker, Gillian Lewis and Caroline “Mon Mothma” Blakiston.

THE LONG, LONG DAY – Our heroes are keeping a witness to Mafia murders safe so that she lives to testify. The Baron and the witness wind up besieged by Mafia gunmen at the police station in Santa Montena. Peter Arne and Dalia Penn also star.

ROUNDABOUT – John Mannering learns that the manager of his antique shop in Paris has been using his establishment to traffick narcotics. Our hero joins forces with Interpol to bring down the entire drug operation. Guest starring Annette Andre and Lisa Daniely.

THE MAN OUTSIDE – In Scotland, a fellow antique dealer of Mannering’s is murdered by organized crime. The Baron doesn’t believe the coroner’s ruling of accidental death and does his own investigation. He uncovers a massive counterfeiting ring. Anne Sharp and Paul Maxwell appear.

COUNTDOWN – A very young-looking Edward Woodward plays a filmmaker who competes with the Baron to obtain a priceless sword once owned by a prominent Crusader. Woodward’s character has Mannering waylaid and held captive while another of his men clandestinely tries to buy the sword from its mysterious owner. Also starring Valerie Leon.

FAREWELL TO YESTERDAY – In this final episode of the series, the Baron is assigned to shut down an international ring which is stealing art from the Vatican and selling it on the black market. One of Mannering’s old flames (Sylvia Sims) is being forced to help the villains. William Sylvester and Christine Child guest star. 

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