#the cheaters

[tyronepowerbottom]

Jacques Perrin’s uncredited cameo in The Cheaters (Les tricheurs), 1958 Director: Marcel Carné

[tastytoastz]

Just found out that the Decepticons in g1 in the swedish version can be translated as “The impostors”, I shit you not.

[erstwhile-punk-guerito]

[kwebtv]

Season 2 Episode 20

The Cheaters - Case of George Peterson - ITV - August 6, 1961

Crime Drama

Running Time: 30 minutes

Written by Brian Clemens and David Nicholl

Produced by The Danzigers

Directed by Bill Lewthwaite

Stars:

John Ireland as John Hunter

Robert Ayres as Walter Allen

Ann Hanslip as Walter Allen's secretary

Kevin Stoney as Simpson

Robert Dorning as Mr. Cuthbert

Anton Rodgers as Barman

John Stuart as Inspector

Michael Balfour as Freddy

Ray Austin as Man Training in Gym

Peter Bathurst as Jardine

Denis Holmes as Groves

Walter Horsburgh as Philobene

Patsy Smart as Mrs. Peterson

[alfredstvthoughts]

The Cheaters - The Fine Print (Season 1 Episode 1; 10 December 1960)

By nature, to work in insurance is to work in one of the dullest professions around and I should know, my father works for an insurance company. So how on earth do you turn such a dull profession into entertaining television? If you're TV producers The Danzigers, the answer is add some silly plotlines, jazzy music, private detective-esque narration, an American lead actor supported by many British character actors and you're insured (lousy pun very much intended) a good time.

The bombastic opening titles scream the captions "DESTRUCTION", "DEATH", "FIRE" and "ROBBERY" over footage of building fires, a plane exploding and breaking up over the sea, a jeweller's shop being burgled and a flooded street before main character John Hunter (John Ireland) narrates what the show is about:

"These and hundreds of other legitimate claims are paid by insurance companies. Once in a while, some joker comes along with an attempt to defraud. By any other name, they're still 'The Cheaters'. That's where I come in. I'm John Hunter, investigator for Eastern Insurance Company".

Onto the episode itself now, written by M.M. McCormack. Insurance salesman Ben Simmons (Derek Blomfield), working for the Cranston Insurance Company sells elderly woman Agnes Little (Nora Nicholson) a life insurance policy promising a £10,000 payout on her death with no medical examination required. However, Simmons has been mis-selling the life insurance policy claiming that the payout can occur anytime she dies when the contract states that there won't be a payout if the policyholder dies in the first 10 years.

When Simmons returns to Little's house to collect the next payment, Little holds him at gunpoint, having read the contract she realizes she's been defrauded and tries to get him to partner with him in a scheme she's organized, where she will introduce him to other elderly women she knows to sell the life insurance policy to them in return for half of his commission, threatening to shoot him and tell the police he was trying to rob her if he doesn't cooperate. Simmons attempts to resist and in the struggle the gun is fired, leading to Little's death.

Simmons and his boss Cranston (Philip Ray) attempt to cover their tracks so their involvement in Little's death won't be found out or proven, but with Hunter helping the police along with Little's brother George (Ian Fleming, whose character is wrongly credited as John in the end credits and who is also a different person to the James Bond author), will the Cranston Insurance Company survive?

I don't know whether the intention was comedy or not, but I just found this episode hilarious, particularly Nora Nicholson's performance as the wily Agnes Little as she tries to force Simmons to join her scheme. Philip Ray and Derek Blomfield are also entertaining as the conniving, dishonest insurance men.

Considering John Ireland was an Oscar-nominated actor and was reasonably well-known for appearing in western movies, his character of John Hunter appears on-screen less than you'd expect, but his presence is always felt thanks to his narration.

I'm not sure if I've enjoyed this first episode in the spirit it was meant to be viewed in, but certainly with how amusing this episode turned out to be, it can't be accused of being dull, which is what I expected a show about insurance to be. As this is another old series being broadcast by the incomparable Talking Pictures TV, this episode has me intrigued for more.

[thelucindariver]

You know, I never enjoyed anything as much as that. Cleared my conscience, I guess.

[everything-maxriemelt]