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Series · 1973–1974Ended

Orson Welles' Great Mysteries

6.8·1 season·26 episodes·25 min avg.·United Kingdom

Orson Welles’ Great Mysteries is a British television anthology series produced by Anglia Television for the ITV network and broadcast between 1973 and 1974. The series presents standalone adaptations of classic mystery, crime, and supernatural stories drawn from literary sources including Dickens, Conan Doyle, Wilkie Collins, Balzac, Maugham, O. Henry, and others. Each episode is framed by original introductory and closing sequences performed by Orson Welles, who serves as the series’ host and sole recurring on-screen presence. These segments, written and directed by Welles (uncredited), function as stylized narrative framing devices rather than dramatic participation in the stories themselves. The dramatic content of each episode is performed by separate casts and directors, with no continuing characters or serialized narrative, establishing the series as a unified television anthology rather than a collection of standalone films.

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01
Captain Rogers
Captain RogersUp next
Sep 1, 1973

The respectable owner of a quiet inn in 18th century England is blackmailed by a grubby stranger, who knows he is secretly the notorious pirate Captain Rogers.

02
The Leather Funnel
The Leather Funnel
Sep 8, 1973

When a young man discovers a curious funnel made of leather, he has a presentiment that it was once used as an instrument of torture

03
A Terribly Strange Bed
A Terribly Strange Bed
Sep 15, 1973

Charles Faulkner, a young American gambler in Paris, should have left the casino after striking it lucky. Why the devil did he accept to sleep in the casino's guest bed? This was to be the most horrible night he had ever lived.

04
La Grande Breteche
La Grande Breteche
Sep 22, 1973·1.0

A Spanish officer, captured by the French during the Peninsular War, is imprisoned at the country house of an elderly aristocrat with a bored young wife - whose lover he becomes, with deadly consequences.

05
The Dinner Party
The Dinner Party
Sep 29, 1973

Blake is a brilliant accountant, but does he deserve a promotion to the board of directors? It all depends on the suitability of his wife. His bosses attend a small dinner party given by the Blakes to check her out.

06
Money to Burn
Money to Burn
Oct 6, 1973

A French girl in London finds herself in the awkward position of owing money to a Soho crime boss. But when she pays him off, he contemptuously sets fire to the money. Why?

07
In the Confessional
In the Confessional
Oct 13, 1973

An old tramp takes refuge in a church, and, concealed within the confessional, overhears things of great interest.

08
Unseen Alibi
Unseen Alibi
Oct 20, 1973

Dean Stockwell stars as the victim of an elaborately staged murder frame centering around a lover's rendezvous.

09
Battle of Wits
Battle of Wits
Oct 27, 1973

At the end of the semester, college professor Richard Lumsden is getting ready for vacation - and retirement. However he is interrupted by an angry parent of a student, blaming him for his son's suicide after he was expelled for stealing.

10
A Point of Law
A Point of Law
Nov 3, 1973

A lawyer cannot stop a middle-aged spinster from making a fool of herself with a young fortune-hunter, but he can stop the fellow from getting his hands on her money.

11
The Monkey's Paw
The Monkey's Paw
Nov 10, 1973

An old army sergeant, back in England after long service in India, shows some old friends a strange possession he's acquired - a monkey's paw which can make wishes come true.

12
The Ingenious Reporter
The Ingenious Reporter
Nov 17, 1973

Reporter Harry Langley pretends to be the murderer of unidentified women to boost sales with a special report from prison. But once arrested, the authorities seem to be convinced that he is indeed the killer.

13
Death of an Old-Fashioned Girl
Death of an Old-Fashioned Girl
Nov 24, 1973

Four people are investigated after the death of a woman who ruined an artist's life and drove his wife to leave him.

14
For Sale - Silence
For Sale - Silence
Dec 1, 1973

Businessman Pennington is bribed by a Mr. Briggs due to an extramarital affair. But it seems that Briggs has underestimated his opponent and the tables might be turning.

15
The Inspiration Of Mr. Budd
The Inspiration Of Mr. Budd
Dec 8, 1973

How did Mr. Budd become a top-class West End hairdresser after such humble origins in a suburban barbershop? Well, one day, a stranger came in for a shave and a haircut.

16
An Affair of Honour
An Affair of Honour
Dec 15, 1973

India: After secret plans for the defence of a harbour are secretly copied, British General Sanderson tasks officers Bruce and Rolfe with convincing the apparent traitor Fanshaw to "save his honour" by committing suicide.

17
Farewell to the Faulkners
Farewell to the Faulkners
Dec 22, 1973

The masquerade is over when a murdered man turns up alive in the guise of his wife.

18
The Power of Fear
The Power of Fear
Dec 29, 1973

A handyman, finding that a number of middle-aged housewives require him for rather more than his professional services, turns to blackmail.

19
Where There's a Will
Where There's a Will
Jan 5, 1974

A letter opened in error provides rather dangerous knowledge concerning a murder case.

20
A Time to Remember
A Time to Remember
Jan 12, 1974

Zigorin, a top Russian spy, has defected to the West. But is he really Zigorin or an impostor?

21
Ice Storm
Ice Storm
Jan 19, 1974

An "Ice Storm" traps a woman with a potential thief masquerading as one of three experts invited to view a collection of valuable manuscripts.

22
Come Into My Parlour
Come Into My Parlour
Jan 26, 1974

Two beautiful women chat pleasantly over their martinis in a luxurious flat in Naples. But all is not what it seems - one is plotting an evil revenge on the other.

23
Compliments of the Season
Compliments of the Season
Feb 2, 1974

A penniless man tries to claim a reward from a millionaire at Christmas, and finds it's not as easy as he thought it would be.

24
Under Suspicion
Under Suspicion
Feb 9, 1974

A pianist on an international tour is forced to spy for the secret police to avoid being detained.

25
Trial for Murder
Trial for Murder
Feb 16, 1974

During a murder trial in 19th-century England, one of the jurors begins to have mysterious hallucinations - has he seen a ghost?

26
The Furnished Room
The Furnished Room
Feb 23, 1974

A young man's month-long search for a missing girl ends in a haunted room of a boarding house.

Cast

1 credited
Orson Welles
Self - Host

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