The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scarlet Pimpernel was a half-hour serial based on the character of the same name from the novels by the Baroness Orczy. It follows the adventures of an Englishman, Sir Percy Blakeney, who, while seeming to be a useless fop (sort of an 18th Century Bertie Wooster), goes underground to rescue endangered French aristocrats from the Reign of Terror which followed the French Revolution.

The show was produced for syndication by Harry Alan Towers, described by The Guardian in his obituary as having "a bent for the cheap and sleazy." The film starred Marius Goring, who is probably best remembered for his role in the movie, The Red Shoes.

The first Pimpernel novel was so successful that it led to almost a dozen sequels. Many consider the Scarlet Pimpernel to be the prototype of the unassuming protagonist with a secret identity as an anonymous hero, such as Batman and Zorro.

For more information, see the Internet Archive.

Series description provided by Frank Bell.