Film is Fabulous! and De Montfort University’s Cinema and Television History research centre are pleased to announce the recovery of an episode of vintage television, missing from the BBC Archive:

The Third Man: The Man Who Wouldn’t Talk (Broadcast: 8th April 1960)

The Third Man television series was made in both the U.K. and the US between January 1959 and July 1962. It was co-produced by the BBC, the US company National Telefilm Associates Inc., and Prestige Productions (the company owned by the show’s star, Michael Rennie). A total of 77 episodes, each of 30 minutes, were filmed. However, only 74 were scheduled by the BBC (and one of these was never broadcast).

The series was inspired by the 1949 film of the same name, and starred British actor, Michael Rennie, as Harry Lime – no longer a racketeer in Vienna, but now an import-export agent operating across the Atlantic and always finding himself drawn into exciting situations. Accompanying him in many of the stories was his company secretary, Bradford Webster, played by American actor Jonathan Harris.

In addition to the completely missing episode, the Film is Fabulous! team also recovered a 16mm film recording of a second show from the series. According to the BBC Archive, they do not hold a copy of this episode, and the only known copy is a poor quality recording made on a domestic video. The item in question, is:

The Third Man: Man With Two Left Hands (Broadcast: 27th May 1960)

Both episodes were discovered in the private film collection of the late David Moore. They are among a number of missing and rare items of 50s and 60s television that have been found. Digital copies will be lodged with the BBC Archive for preservation purposes. The missing episode will be screened at future Film is Fabulous! events, together with a host of other recently recovered vintage television items.

Film is Fabulous! Preserving film treasures for future generations.

4th October 2024