IVANHOE: MURDER AT THE INN (TV)
Summary
One in this action/adventure television series loosely adapted from Sir Walter Scott's novel of the same name. In this episode, at a tavern in Talbridge, hotheaded young Edmund is angered to learn that the commission of the exchequer, who is essentially the evil Prince John's tax collector, is coming to stay at the inn. The man, Germaine, barges in and demands lodging for himself and his men, and when he makes rudely suggestive comments to the barmaid, Bess, Edmund defends her and ends up killing Germaine in self-defense. Ivanhoe and Gurth rush in just in time to send Germaine's body away on his horse, and they quickly tell the captain of the guard that the commissioner wandered off in pursuit of a maiden. After his body is discovered, Prince John summons Sheriff Blackheath and rages about the "treasonous" act, but Blackheath points out that, if the true murderer cannot be found, he will be able to charge the entire town of Talbridge a heavy "murder fine."
At the inquest, various witnesses testify about the death, with the surgeon admitting that it could have been an accident. The captain states that Germaine expressed an interest in Bess before "disappearing," and when no one speaks up to claim sole responsibility, the sheriff demands a fee of a hundred gold bars before the end of the month. Gerald, Edmund's father, protests the unreasonably high sum, and the sheriff adds that they also have the option of pledging serfdom to Prince John as "payment." Bess is dragged in and questioned, while elsewhere Edmund decides that he will give himself up for the sake of his neighbors. He calmly informs the sheriff that he killed the "craven" Germaine in self-defense and he is sentenced to hang, but Ivanhoe, declaring that Edmund has nobly "fanned the spark of resistance" against Prince John, resolves to save him from the noose. He and his men disguise themselves as guards and sneak into John's hunting lodge, where Germaine has stopped with his prisoner on the way to London, and whisk Edmund away into the wilderness. John is outraged by the escape, declaring that he must "make an example" of Edmund, and Blackheath issues a "posse comitatus," requiring all of the local free men to pursue Edmund in John's name.
Ivanhoe and his associates learn of the order and decides to use it to their advantage to rally the yeomen loyal to King Richard. Gurth gathers several local men and Edmund hides himself in a shepherd's house, and Ivanhoe takes advantage of Blackheath's use of hunting horns to confuse the "posse" members into "surrounding themselves." Ivanhoe's men defeat the sheriff's in a skirmish, and Edmund has time to bid a sad farewell to Bess before fleeing the country to safety. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ITV
- DATE: April 12, 1958
- RUNNING TIME: 0:25:50
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:77499
- 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
- Bernard Knowles … Director
- Felix Van Zien … 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
- Ivan Craig … Cast, Sheriff Blackheath
- Maurice Kaufmann … Cast, Edmund
- Leigh Madison … Cast, Bess
- Neal Arden … Cast, Innkeeper
- Denis Lacey … Cast, Germaine
- Peter Williams … Cast, Gerald