7.2 /10 1 Votes
5.9/10 TV First episode date 17 September 1959 Number of episodes 39 | 8.4/10 IMDb Theme music composer Francis Chagrin Country of origin UK Final episode date 17 August 1960 Number of seasons 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Starring Dan DaileyRichard ConteJack HawkinsVittorio De Sica Cast Similar Interpol Calling, Sword of Freedom, Armchair Theatre, The Adventures of Robin, No Hiding Place | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The four just men dead man s switch
The Four Just Men was a 1959 television series produced by Sapphire Films for ITC Entertainment. It was broadcast for one season of 39 half-hour monochrome episodes.
Contents
- The four just men dead man s switch
- the four just men tv intro
- Plot
- Cast and characters
- Production
- Episode list
- DVD
- References
the four just men tv intro
Plot
The series, based on a sequence of novels by Edgar Wallace including a novel titled The Four Just Men, presents the adventures of four men who first meet while Allied soldiers in Italy during the Second World War. The men later reassemble, and decide to fight for justice and against tyranny, using money donated for the purpose by their late commanding officer. They operate from different countries: Jeff Ryder is a professor of law at Columbia University in New York, Tim Collier is an American reporter based in Paris, Ben Manfred is a crusading independent MP who works from London and Ricco Poccari is an Italian hotelier based in Rome. Their reputation as the "Four Just Men" is well known.
The series is unusual in having the four main actors appear alternately (except in the first episode); one or occasionally two makes a brief appearance in each other's episode, often using a telephone.
Cast and characters
Each character had an assistant:
Guest stars included Judi Dench, Alan Bates, Leonard Sachs, Patrick Troughton, Donald Pleasence, Richard Johnson, Ronald Howard, Basil Dignam, Roger Delgado, Charles Gray, and Frank Thornton who appeared in more roles than anyone else.
Production
At the time Four Just Men was the most ambitious film series yet made for British TV. It was produced by Sapphire Films at Walton Studios, and on location in Britain, France and Italy. None of its four stars had been cast as regulars for a television series before.
Filming on the 39 episodes, each 25 minutes long, began during January 1959, and lasted for five months, using up to seven units in the studio or on location, and producing two or three episodes simultaneously.
John Schlesinger was credited as exterior unit or second unit director on a number of episodes.
Episode list
Airdate is for ATV Midlands ITV regions varied date and order.
Each story featured one star and often brief appearances of the others.
DD = Dan Dailey
JH = Jack Hawkins
RC = Richard Conte
VS = Vittorio De Sica.
DVD
Network DVD released the 39 episodes during August 2010 in a 5 DVD region 2 set.