IVANHOE: THE WITNESS (TV)
Summary
One in this action/adventure television series loosely adapted from Sir Walter Scott's novel of the same name. Prince John plans to seize the throne by spreading misinformation about the death of his brother King Richard. However, his plans are threatened when Sir Rufus, a knight who traveled to the Crusades alongside Richard, returns and rides to see Ivanhoe. Sir Guilbert holds a banquet with various nobles of the kingdom, including Ivanhoe, to announce Richard’s “death.” His evidence comes in the form of a sailor who claims that he saw Richard get lost in a terrible storm at sea. During the banquet, Sir Rufus arrives and speaks to Ivanhoe in private, revealing that he and Richard were captured by an unknown people somewhere in Europe. He managed to escape, but Richard is still imprisoned. Sir Rufus, exhausted from his long journey, soon collapses into sleep, and Sir Guilbert enters. He claims to offer Sir Rufus hospitality and recovery from his exhaustion, but Ivanhoe guesses that Sir Guilbert has more sinister intentions. He and Gurth soon discover that the unconscious Sir Rufus has been imprisoned in the dungeon. Before Sir Guilbert can have Sir Rufus tortured, Ivanhoe bursts into the dungeon and knocks Sir Guilbert unconscious. He has Gurth switch the cloaks of Sir Guilbert and Sir Rufus, and they carry Sir Rufus out of the castle pretending to be drunks. They escape just as Sir Guilbert awakens, and spirit Sir Rufus away to a church. There he is watched over by the prior, protected by the sanctuary afforded to him by the church. Ivanhoe tells the prior to advise Rufus when he awakens not to follow him and to sail back to Europe to rescue Richard. Sir Guilbert arrives with his men and Ivanhoe hides in case they violate the church’s sanctuary. Sir Guilbert argues with the prior and is sent away, and the rest of the night passes without incident. Sir Rufus awakens in the morning and at first does not wish to follow the prior’s advice, believing he would need an army to help him rescue Richard. However, an assault by Sir Guilbert’s archers changes his mind, and the prior tells Sir Guilbert that he is extending the church’s protection to Sir Rufus until he reaches the nearest port to set sail to Europe. Sir Guilbert agrees, but Ivanhoe believes he will try to lure Sir Rufus off of the road and attack him there. Ivanhoe and Gurth shadow Sir Rufus as one of Sir Guilbert’s men lames his horse during the journey, forcing him on foot. The men then catch Sir Rufus in an ambush and Sir Guilbert soon joins in the melee. Ivanhoe and Gurth rush to Sir Rufus’s rescue and fend off his attackers, allowing him to continue his journey without interference. Ivanhoe issues a warning to Sir Guilbert before allowing him to go. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ITV
- DATE: February 9, 1958
- RUNNING TIME: 0:25:52
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:77465
- GENRE: Drama, action/adventure
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, action/adventure; Literature - Adaptations
- SERIES RUN: ITV - TV series, 1958-1959
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Peter Rogers … Executive Producer
- Bernard Coote … Producer
- Lance Comfort … Director
- Jane Hinton … Writer
- Geoffrey Orme … Writer
- Walter Scott … Based on the novel by
- Albert Elms … Music by
- Benedict Berenberg … Theme Music by
- Roger Moore … Cast, Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe
- Robert Brown … Cast, Gurth
- Andrew Keir … Cast, Prince John
- Martin Wyldeck … Cast, Sir William
- Patrick Holt … Cast, Sir Guilbert
- Alex Scott … Cast, Sir Rufus
- Frank Shelley … Cast, Chester
- Arthur Lawrence … Cast, Prior Fulmer
- Helen Forrest … Cast, Serving Girl