The Saint on TV

Episode 25: Iris

"IRIS"

A racketeer and his beautiful actress wife are among those concerned in a
scheme to involve the Saint in an ingenious blackmailing plot, with someone
impersonating his voice over the telephone.

Iris Lansing (BARBARA MURRAY) is a beautiful woman and, one would think, has
everything. She has a wealthy husband, Rick (DAVID BAUER). She has stage
stardom, thanks to his influence. And she has everything a woman could
need......except happiness. She has no love for her husband. Rick is, in
fact, a ruthless racketeer; but he is in love with his wife. He lavishes
money freely on her, and when Simon Templar, the Saint (ROGER MOORE) meets
up with him again, he is financing a new play for Iris.

Rick steps over the mark when a newsagent stands out against his
"protection" racket. His lock-up stand is set on fire, and the man is burned
to death. Soon afterwards, Rick receives a blackmailing threat over the
telephone. He recognises the voice. It is the Saint's.

The Saint succeeds in convincing him that they have both been tricked. But
by whom? The impersonation was so good that it seems as though it must have
been an actor. It could have been the ex-actor producer of the show,
Stratford Keene (FERDY MAYNE), or Calder (ANTHONY WAGER), a member of the
company who is in financial difficulties and has been trying to borrow money
from Rick. It could even be Mark Belden (JOHN RONANE), Iris's leading man in
the play.

The mystery deepens when a similar blackmailing attempt, again using the
Saint's voice, is made on Jack Hardy (CYRIL LUCKHAM), a man who was once
tricked into crime by Rick, and whose daughter Mary (APRIL WILDING) is in
the play. The Saint and Mary are close friends, and she is only too glad to
co-operate with him in helping to get at the truth.

The truth, when it does emerge, brings Rick Lansing face to face with the
fact that his wife hates him and is in love with another man. The blackmail
plan is hers.......and the Saint catches up with the man who has been
impersonating his voice.

CAST

Starring

ROGER MOORE as SIMON TEMPLAR

With
BARBARA MURRAY as IRIS LANSING
DAVID BAUER as RICK LANSING
IVOR DEAN as INSPECTOR TEAL
CYRIL LUCKHAM as JACK HARDY

And
FERDY MAYNE as STRATFORD KEENE
JOHN RONANE as MARK BELDEN
ANTHONY WAGER as CALDER
BARRY LINEHAN as THATCHER
MEADOWS WHITE as HARRY BLUNDEL
APRIL WILDING as MARY HARDY

Produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman
Directed by John Gilling
Screenplay by Bill Strutton