The Avengers (TV Series) Intercrime (1963) User Reviews

Steed and Cathy tackle an international criminal organisation

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 26 April 2017]

This episode opens with a couple of robbers taking jewellery from a safe; they are interrupted by a man they know; he tells them that they know the consequences of committing unauthorised crimes and shoots them… one is killed the other is injured. The Injured man is taken to Steed's flat and when he wakes up he starts talking about needed to pick up a woman called Hilda Stern from the airport. It turns out that she has been arrested for travelling on a false passport and is currently in Holloway Prison. Cathy goes undercover there and learns that a breakout has been arranged; she drugs Stern and takes her place. It turns out she is part of Intercrime… a criminal organisation with branches across Britain and Europe. The second in command of the London branch, Felder, wants Stern to kill his boss's girlfriend, as she has learnt too much, he also intends to take over ultimately. Steed tries to warn the woman but she doesn't believe him. Things get tense later on when the real Hilda Stern escapes from custody.

This is an impressively solid episode; I liked the idea of Intercrime as a group of villains. The fact that it is international nicely justifies how Cathy was able to replace Stern. Kenneth J. Warren does an impressive job as Felder; it was interesting that this character was a scheming second in command rather than the organisation's boss. Julia Arnall stands out as Stern; a dangerous character who presents are real threat, especially to Cathy. There are plenty of moments of peril as well as an interesting scene where Cathy, in the guise of Stern, is asked to lead the defence of an Intercrime member accused of keeping stolen funds for himself. Overall I really enjoyed this episode; I'm also rather surprised that Intercrime only appears in one other episode.

Steed buys a rifle range, Cathy goes to prison

[kevinolzak · 7/10 · 10 January 2011]

"Intercrime" was a decent entry, introducing the international criminal organization Intercrime, seen again in "Homicide and Old Lace." Cathy poses as Hilda Stern (Julia Arnall), a female assassin set to be deported back to Germany, conducting business with other members of Intercrime at a London rifle range. Kenneth J. Warren, previously seen in "Girl on the Trapeze," has a field day as the leader, William Felder, with support from series veterans Patrick Holt ("The Undertakers"), Alan Browning ("Who Was That Man I Saw You With?"), Jerome Willis ("How to Succeed .... at Murder" and "The Rotters"), and Donald Webster ("Build a Better Mousetrap"). Meanwhile, Steed follows the trail of Pamela Johnson (Angela Browne, later seen in "How to Succeed .... at Murder"), whose curiosity about the organization has her marked for death by Felder, instructing Cathy to handle the gory details. It is gratifying that we get a final showdown between Cathy and the real Hilda Stern, certainly one of the deadliest foes she'd ever face.

Cathy undercover.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 28 December 2023]

Stead's latest mission, is to bring down Criminal Organisation Intercrime, to do so he sends Cathy Gale undercover into The Organisation, in place of a German assassin, Hilda Stern.

Excellent episode, it's good old fashioned cops and robbers, Avengers style, lots of suspense and intrigue, plenty going on, great to see Cathy central to events.

You're waiting for the moment for Cathy to be discovered, you just know it's going to come, great of course when it does.

Such a shame that Intercrime didn't reappear, great idea, that whole concept of a sinister organisation operating all over the world, just great, and so sixties.

It boasts a really fine case, the likes of Patrick Holt, Adam Browning and Jerome Willis, but I have to agree with another reviewer on here, who complimented the performance and presence of Angela Browne, if have to agree, I think she's great, something of an underrated screen beauty, but a cracking actress.

9/10.

Above average ep thanks to comely Angela Browne

[bobforapples-40146 · 9/10 · 6 August 2023]

The ep has only a little exterior shots and rather routine looking sets. Nothing wrong with any of this but it's big highlight indeed is guest Angela Browne. She is a feast for the eyes in every shot and is simply wonderful in her role as the girlfriend ( not wife as you may have first thought) of one of the members of Intercrime. The idea of the organization itself is solidly ok. But it does indeed play second fiddle to Miss. Browne. This ep is worth watching over again especially to Browne. She streals every scene she is in effortlessly. Patrick MacNee was very lucky to get to play opposite her here!

Intercrime

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 5 June 2019]

Intercrime goes back to The Avengers earlier crime roots. Two robbers taking jewellery from a safe are shot.

They were freelancing as they work for an international crime organisation, Intercrime and this job was not authorised.

One of the men, Palmer has survived and Steed manages to get hold of him. Palmer deliriously talks about picking a German woman up at the airport, Hilda Stern.

Stern is in prison for using a false passport. Cathy Gayle goes undercover in prison to find out more and then impersonates her.

Stern is an assassin sent over to carry out a job. The second in command of the London branch of Intercrime wants her to kill the girlfriend of an important man in the organisation.

Meanwhile Stern has escaped from prison and goes looking for Gayle.

This was a nicely done episode, some mystery, double dealing and action by both Steed and Gayle at the end.

I did like that when one of the men accused of skimming some money would face a trial in accordance to the rules of Intercrime. It did seem more like a kangaroo court as all the evidence was circumstantial.

The International Crime Syndicate

[profh-1 · 6/10 · 19 October 2022]

A criminal organization uses a chain of shooting galleries as a front for their operations that involve robberies, bank heists, contract killings and other fun stuff.

To get the goods on them, Steed convinces a rather annoyed Cathy to impersonate one of their members-- a female ASSASSIN-- who was arrested due to a forged passport. With the real killer in prison about to be deported, Cathy puts on the air of a tough German fraulein, and comes across as more "German" than the real killer!

Problems arise when a member of the group who tried to pull an unauthorized heist, and was supposedly killed for it, while being held at Steed's apartment calls the office to let them know someone is after them. More trouble occurs when the hit lady kills a prison guard, ESCAPES, and shows up at their front door claiming to be who she really IS! (If there's one thing I've learned watching crime dramas, it's that, without fail, EVERY time someone goes undercover pretending to be part of a gang, something winds up blowing their cover.)

Amidst a wide sea of talented writers, Terrence Dicks & Malcolm Hulke, later 2 mainstays of DOCTOR WHO, make their debut on this show with a tense thriller. As it happens, Dicks is the only person associated with this show I ever saw in person, at the very 1st "WHO" convention I ever attended, back in 1983.

Another fabulous guest cast is headed by by Kenneth J. Warren as "Felder", the local branch leader with ideas and designs of his own; I'll always most remember him as "Z. Z. Von Schnerck" in the hilarious Emma Peel episode "Epic".

Jerome Willis is "Moss", his cold-blooded, efficient sidekick; I always recall him most as one of the baddies in the Jon Pertwee DOCTOR WHO story "The Green Death".

Patrick Holt is "Manning", the top man in the outfit, who unknowingly has allowed his girlfriend to find out what he does for a living. I've seen him in many things, including IVANHOE, THE MEN OF SHERWOOD FOREST, THUNDERBALL, MURDERERS' ROW, THE MAGIC CHRISTIAN, WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH, LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF, THE WILD GEESE, THE SEA WOLVES, plus a SAINT and 2 AVENGERS episodes.

Angela Browne is "Pamela Johnson", Manning's girlfriend whose discovery not only puts her own life at risk but winds up causing trouble within the group itself. I first noticed her in THE PRISONER episode "A Change Of Mind", where they tried to con Number 6 into thinking they'd performed brain surgery on him.

Julia Arnall is "Hilda Stern", who Cathy impersonates for most of the story. The only other thing I've seen her in was CARRY ON REGARDLESS, one of the early, better films in that series. She & Honor Blackman really get into a knock-down drag-out at the climax!

The picture on the 2009 DVD is excellent, while the sound is only slightly muffled.

Although Dicks & Hulke did write an "Intercrime" sequel, thanks to Brian Clemens & Albert Fennell, was was pretty much mutilated beyond recognition, which the writers did not appreciate. Meanwhile, however, an outfit called "Intercrime" became the MAIN recurring bad guys in the Japanese animated series 8TH MAN. That "Intercrime" was a lot more impressive than the one seen here!