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When
Jason King sets out to sell a series of Mark Caine novels
for television, he finds adventure isn't a saleable
commodity.
Author
Jason King (PETER WYNGARDE) decides that it is
time his character Mark Caine reached a wider audience.
It is time for Mark to venture on to the screens of
the world's TV screens. The trouble is, trying to get
Caine "on the box" is far harder affair than any of
the adventures that Jason has ever dreamed up in his
own private world of fiction.
The
chief bugbear seems to be to get network controller
Harry Carmel (DAVID BAUER) to listen to the story
that's to introduce Caine without any interruption.
Carmel wants the Mark Caine series to be just like all
the others - but Mark Caine is far, far from being a
carbon copy adventurer. Trying to interest Carmel in
the series, King tells one story that shows the kind
of intrigue that usually faces Caine ...
The
story starts with the release from prison of Frank Calder
(JAMES DONNELLY), who promptly flies to Switzerland
to team up with Litchfield (JAMES WARWICK), who
has arranged that a strange operation should be performed
in his mountain clinic.
The
arrival of Calder sees the completion of the operation,
and the two men anxiously watch as doctors unwrap bandages
from around an unknown girl's face. At last it is revealed
that the operation has been a success. The girl is an
exact replica of Michele Andre, who died two years before
in a mysterious fire.
King's
story to the television magnate continues. Michele (ANNA
PALK) is taken to the South of France, where Calder
and Lichfield arrange for her accidentally to meet Umberto
Bellini (DEREK FRANCIS), known as a receiver
of stolen property. They tell Bellini that Michele (or
the girl who now plays the part) was the victim of an
accident that nearly killed her. Now, she suffers from
amnesia, and the last two years of her life are a mystery.
Bellini,
as expected, tells them that he had known Michele years
before, but says that she had walked out on him. He
had tried to find here, but she had disappeared from
his life. King explains that all this time, Mark Caine
is just an interested onlooker to the proceedings. But
there is something about the beautiful Michele that
intrigues him.
When
an attempt is made on the girl's life - gas crystals
are substituted for her bath salts - he determines to
find out what is going on. He tricks Bellini into leaving
France to make certain his 'business' is still alright,
and follows. Calder and Lichfield, in turn, follow on.
The scene, as described by King, switches to Salamis,
a small village near Athens, where things begin to reach
a head.
Bellini,
it appears, resells most of the stolen property he buys,
but there are certain items he keeps for his own private
collection. They are worth millions. The riches are
kept in an ancient Greek mausoleum, and it is there
that everyone meets up.
Needless
to say, King arranges his story so that Mark Caine ends
on top. The villains are, as usual, defeated. While
he has been telling the story, King has been getting
more and more frustrated. Carmel has continually interrupted
to insert small pieces of dialogue and action that will
make the story exactly the same as any other on TV.
Now
that his hero has won the day, King determines to do
the same. He stands, and pointedly tells Carmel that
when the Mark Caine series does reach television, his
audience ratings will drop.
Caine,
says Jason King, will be on another channel.
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