THIRTEEN AGAINST FATE (1966) – Based on thirteen stand-alone crime stories by Georges Simenon, the creator of Jules Maigret, this BBC series was long thought lost except for three episodes which had gone unwiped by the penny-wise and pound-foolish broadcasters. In September of 2010, the entire series was discovered in America’s Library of Congress, finally making all thirteen episodes available.
None of the 50-minute productions featured Maigret and focused on more of a psychological thriller approach rather than traditional mystery story approach.
The episodes:
THE LODGER (June 19th) – Also known as The Tenant to avoid confusion with the Alfred Hitchcock films titled The Lodger. (One silent, one with sound.) In Belgium, a Turkish rug dealer hides out in a boarding house after committing a vicious murder to cover other crimes. His guilt and paranoia over being tracked down and arrested make things unbearable for him and his mistress. Starring Zia Mohyeddin, Gwendolyn Watts, Gemma Jones and Christopher George.
TRAPPED (June 26th) – Louis Bert, a carpenter turned petty criminal, lives in Nice with Constance, a wealthy woman he is conning. On the side he romances Lulu, a prostitute whom he passes off as his sister to the wealthy Constance.
When Lulu’s former pimp Jean is released from prison, he locates her in Nice and wants to take her back to the streets, killing Constance in the process. Louis hides all the evidence of the slaying and makes off with the late woman’s valuables, only to be caught and accused of being the murderer. Starring Keith Buckley, Sylvia Coleridge, Donald Eccles and Mary Webster. Continue reading
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