"The Third Man" (1959) TV series 1959-1965

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Directors:

Iain MacCormick
David Orrick McDearmon

Writers:

Tom Gries (1962 episodes)
Peter Yeldham (episode)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

29 January 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

Harry Lime makes money dealing art and solves crime to save his life.

Plot Keywords:

Number In Title

Cast

Michael Rennie	...	Harry Lime (77 episodes, 1959-1965)
Jonathan Harris	...	Bradford Webster (73 episodes, 1959-1965)

Runtime:

30 min (77 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

James Mason had been considered for the part of Harry Lime, but Michael Rennie ended up in the role.

Movie Connections:

Spin off from The Third Man (1949)

The Mysterious Harry Lime

Harry Lime in the 1949 movie is a charming, totally amoral character. In the 1951 radio series, (an episode of which can be heard on the Criterion Collection DVD of the film), which also starred Orson Welles, he is a charming adventurer of dubious reputation who is not as ammoral as people think he is. In the TV show, as played by Michael Rennie, he's a rather conservative businessman whose reputation seems to have been a case of mistaken identity.

I would love to have seen Welles essay the role in the TV show. It would have made all the difference. But of course, he didn't do TV series. One wonders who might have been more interesting than Rennie who was doing TV at that time. The name, (and face) that pops into my mind is Ross Martin but perhaps he was not a big enough star yet. At least Jonathan Harris provides some liveliness as Lime's persnickety assistant, although one can hardly imagine Welles' Lime finding a use for such a character. Also, in a half hour show his intrusions often detract from the story too much.

I will say that I like the way the show was filmed, with some good camera angles, clever editing and, of course, Anton Karras' musical theme, which never seems to stop playing. It's still not a patch on the movie but what TV series is?