THE HIGH FENCE sees Simon Templar getting tangled up with some burglars and taking time to flirt with a pretty young thing, played very nicely by Suzanne Lloyd. There's a strong police presence in this episode which makes it feel like a police procedural at times. The hunt is on for a master fence, leading to a minor but important appearance from the underrated Reginald Beckwith.
3 Reviews
The High Fence
Prismark1029 November 2022
Simon Templar is due to take temperamental actress Gabby Forest (Suzanne Lloyd) out to see a show.
Realising that they left the tickets back at Gabby's house. They return to find her valuable being robbed.
One of the burglars John Anworth is arrested but dies in police custody. Poisoned by cyanide.
The police are after the High Fence, an unknown person who pays the top dollar for stolen jewellery.
The Saint joins forces with Bob Stryker (Stanley Meadows) an ex policeman turned insurance investigator to find this elusive villain.
At every turn the police and the Saint find themselves wrongfooted by the High Fence and his henchman.
A decent adventure but the identity of the villain is easy to guess. For Simon Templar, it was a good job that Inspector Teal was watching his back.
I liked how Gabby Forest is such a famous actress, she disguises herself as an Irish waitress and no one realises who she is.
Realising that they left the tickets back at Gabby's house. They return to find her valuable being robbed.
One of the burglars John Anworth is arrested but dies in police custody. Poisoned by cyanide.
The police are after the High Fence, an unknown person who pays the top dollar for stolen jewellery.
The Saint joins forces with Bob Stryker (Stanley Meadows) an ex policeman turned insurance investigator to find this elusive villain.
At every turn the police and the Saint find themselves wrongfooted by the High Fence and his henchman.
A decent adventure but the identity of the villain is easy to guess. For Simon Templar, it was a good job that Inspector Teal was watching his back.
I liked how Gabby Forest is such a famous actress, she disguises herself as an Irish waitress and no one realises who she is.
Fast paced, exciting and funny in equal measure.
jamesraeburn200329 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Simon Templar (Roger Moore) enters the hunt for an elusive but utterly ruthless jewel thief known as 'The High Fence' after his friend, the film star Gabby Forest (Suzanne Lloyd), is robbed. Against the wishes of his old friend, Inspector Teal (Ivor Dean), he and Bob Stryker (Stanley Meadows), an ex-cop turned insurance investigator, join forces to catch the villain. Simon and Gabby identify one of the burglars, the nervous and weak-willed John Anworth (Harry Towb), who is arrested but poisoned right under the noses of the young and inexperienced Inspector Pryor (James Villiers) in the police station before he can talk. Teal is left furious. Through visiting Anworth's grieving widow, Mary (Claire Kelly), Simon gets the address of John's accomplice, Jim Fasson (Dyson Lovell), but he is shot dead by Quincy (Peter Jeffrey) before he can reveal the identity of 'The High Fence'. But, in his dying words, he gives him a lead in 'The Kozy Korner Cafe', which is the place where the diamonds are passed on to the courier. Simon persuades Gabby to employ her acting skills and take a job as an Irish waitress at the cafe. She discovers that the courier is a Hatton Garden jeweller by the name of Enderby (Reginald Beckwith) and tips off Simon. But, she is spotted by Quincy which means that Simon is followed and taken prisoner. Quincy leads him to an underground warehouse where he plans to dispose of him by shooting him and dumping him in a tunnel which leads into the London sewers. It is here where he learns the identity of 'The High Fence', but is Gabby more quick-witted than she seems?
Fast paced, exciting and funny in equal measure, The High Fence is tautly directed by James Hill, best known as the director of Born Free, but this shows that he was equally adept at making thrillers. Anybody who has seen the Sherlock Holmes vs Jack The Ripper movie A Study In Terror will most likely concur. Suzanne Lloyd is stand out as the scatterbrained actress and her scenes in which she impersonates an Irish waitress are hilarious. She might be a film star, but her acting talent isn't enough to deceive the quick-witted hitman Quincy who recognises her from a picture in the newspaper he is reading over his steak and kidney pie. Realising that her cover his blown, she races to a telephone to tip off the police and her overbearing boss comes over and sternly reminds her not to make personal calls. Dropping the put on accent, she tells her to "Shut up and go sample some of your own roast beef." The look on her face is priceless and you can imagine the words "You're sacked! Get out" are about to follow. In addition, she is amazed to learn about how working class people work: "I feel as though I've walked fifty miles today", she tells Simon as she rests her aching feet "and for £6.00 plus tips a week!" It is amusing how she finds out that the life of a grafting waitress is a million miles away from Hollywood glamour. James Villiers is very good as the cocky and arrogant young police inspector whose inexperience and stupidity leads to a suspect being murdered right under his nose and, Claire Kelly, who plays the grieving widow of Anworth is also noteworthy. Roger Moore handles the role of The Saint with flair, oozing charm and wit but always showing compassion for the underdog and determinedly fighting for justice for them. In addition, his clashes with Ivor Dean's Inspector Teal, who both likes him and hates him in equal measure, are fun to watch. The film has a nice feeling for London's underworld thanks to Lionel Banes' atmospheric b/w lighting that makes maximum use of the small handful of North London locations.
Fast paced, exciting and funny in equal measure, The High Fence is tautly directed by James Hill, best known as the director of Born Free, but this shows that he was equally adept at making thrillers. Anybody who has seen the Sherlock Holmes vs Jack The Ripper movie A Study In Terror will most likely concur. Suzanne Lloyd is stand out as the scatterbrained actress and her scenes in which she impersonates an Irish waitress are hilarious. She might be a film star, but her acting talent isn't enough to deceive the quick-witted hitman Quincy who recognises her from a picture in the newspaper he is reading over his steak and kidney pie. Realising that her cover his blown, she races to a telephone to tip off the police and her overbearing boss comes over and sternly reminds her not to make personal calls. Dropping the put on accent, she tells her to "Shut up and go sample some of your own roast beef." The look on her face is priceless and you can imagine the words "You're sacked! Get out" are about to follow. In addition, she is amazed to learn about how working class people work: "I feel as though I've walked fifty miles today", she tells Simon as she rests her aching feet "and for £6.00 plus tips a week!" It is amusing how she finds out that the life of a grafting waitress is a million miles away from Hollywood glamour. James Villiers is very good as the cocky and arrogant young police inspector whose inexperience and stupidity leads to a suspect being murdered right under his nose and, Claire Kelly, who plays the grieving widow of Anworth is also noteworthy. Roger Moore handles the role of The Saint with flair, oozing charm and wit but always showing compassion for the underdog and determinedly fighting for justice for them. In addition, his clashes with Ivor Dean's Inspector Teal, who both likes him and hates him in equal measure, are fun to watch. The film has a nice feeling for London's underworld thanks to Lionel Banes' atmospheric b/w lighting that makes maximum use of the small handful of North London locations.
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