Film is Fabulous! and De Montfort University’s Cinema and Television History research centre are pleased to announce the recovery of three episodes of vintage television made by Danziger Productions, which are missing from the official archives:

The Vise: Death Takes No Holiday (Broadcast: 6th November 1959) *

The Vise: Money To Burn (Broadcast: 20th November 1959) *

Saber of London: Four Against Three (Broadcast: 11th November 1959)

*Broadcast in the UK as an episode of The Crooked Path

Edward J. and Harry Lee Danziger were American-born brothers who produced many British films and TV shows in the 1950s and early 1960s. When production ceased in December 1961, they had produced 351 television episodes (or shorts, as recorded in the production notes), and 55 British cinema second features.

The Vise was originally made in Britain for American television. 65 episodes were produced in 1954 and 1955. Several of these were, subsequently, turned into second features and premiered in U.K. cinemas. The majority of the television episodes were broadcast on ITV in the late 1950s and early 1960s as ‘The Crooked Path’ or ‘Tension’.

Saber of London starred Donald Gray, a South African actor who had lost his left arm during World War II. This was the third iteration of the flagship British-made show, which was produced at the Danzigers’ Elstree Studios. 91 episodes of Saber of London were made, until the production of Mark Saber detective stories ended in 1959.

The missing episodes were found in the private film collection of the late David Moore. They are among a number of missing episodes of vintage b&w television that have been discovered. Digital copies will be lodged with the BFI for preservation purposes. All three episodes 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.

18th September 2024