Leslie Charteris Movies

The Saint (Jean Marais) and his dim-witted sidekick Uniatz (Jess Hahn) spring in to action in this slapstick comedy spy actioner. The duo goes after a cache of American cash left over from World War II used in an undercover operation. The two battle rival international agents also after the sizeable sum. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Deanna Durbin offered her fans a change of pace in this mystery story seasoned with elements of comedy and music. Nikki Collins (Durbin) is a small-town girl visiting New York City to meet with Mr. Haskell (Edward Everett Horton), her family's attorney. As her train pulls into the station, she looks out her window into a nearby office building. She's shocked by what she sees -- a man is being strangled to death, and while she can't see the face of the killer, she gets a good look at the victim. Terrified, Nikki immediately goes to the police, but they think that her story is simply the product of an overactive imagination and send her on her way. Nikki, however, is certain that she witnessed a murder, and she approaches mystery writer Wayne Morgan (David Bruce) to help her piece together the facts of what happened. Thanks to a newsreel, Nikki is able to recognize the victim as Mr. Waring, a wealthy man who made his fortune in shipping; she attempts to contact Waring's family, but they're convinced that Nikki is a nightclub singer with whom the tycoon was having an affair. Hoping to contact the chanteuse in question, Nikki visits the club where she works, only to discover that she's also been murdered. Nikki soon finds herself being trailed by both Jonathan (Ralph Bellamy) and Arnold (Dan Duryea), two members of Waring's family whom she believes may have been involved in the crime, and could be trying to silence her once and for all. Like most of Durbin's vehicles, Lady on a Train's plot stops every now and then to give her the opportunity to sing a song; Western fans may want to keep an eye peeled for future cowboy star Lash LaRue, who has a small role as a waiter. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this episode of the mystery adventure series, Simon "The Saint" Templar finds a dead man on his doorstep. Soon the ace investigator finds himself mired in more murder, smuggling and a South American mine. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The Saint's Vacation was filmed in London by RKO Radio's British division. This time Hugh Sinclair is cast as Leslie Charteris' suave soldier of fortune Simon Templar, aka The Saint. Most of the story takes place in Switzerland (or a reasonable facsimile), with Templar interrupting his holiday to retrieve a missing secret code. The key to the mystery is a Swiss music box with a most unusual tune, diligently sought after by enemy agent Rudolph (Cecil Parker) and British secret service operative Valerie (Leueen McGrath). Aiding Templar in his investigation are intrepid gal reporter Mary Langdon (Sally Gray) and droll sidekick Monty Hayward (Arthur Macrae), while Inspector Teal (Gordon MacLeod) of Scotland Yard can only fuss and fume on the sidelines. Tossed off as a mere quota quickie, The Saint's Vacation nonetheless earned good bookings in England and the US. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this fourth film in RKO's series based on Leslie Charteris' modern Robin Hood "The Saint", George Sanders plays Simon Templar, alias the title character. The Saint's quarry is a ring of gamblers who have been fixing horse races. Inspector Fernack (Jonathan Hale), the Saint's friendly adversary, has been accused of accepting bribes to cover up the crooks' activities, prompting our hero to try to clear Fernack's reputation. Aided by his girlfriend (Wendy Barrie) and petty criminal Pearly Gates (Paul Guilfoyle), the Saint routs the gamblers, but not before nearly losing his own life. George Sanders would play the Saint twice more before leaving the series to become The Falcon, a Saint-like sleuth in another of RKO's B-picture series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In an unusual move for a mere program picture, RKO Radio filmed A Saint in London on location in England, using a largely British cast and crew. George Sanders makes his second appearance as suave soldier of fortune Simon Templer, aka The Saint. This time, Templar gets mixed up with a gang of counterfeiters who've murdered and robbed a European count of 1,000,000 pounds. He is aided reluctantly by Scotland Yard inspector Teal (Gordon McLeod), who's convinced that Templar himself pulled off the heist, and less reluctantly by light-fingered Dugan (David Burns) and dizzy socialite Penny Parker (Sally Gray). The Saint in London was directed by John Paddy Carstairs, who later worked on some of the episodes of the Saint TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Everybody in The Midnight Club is seeing double, and it's all the handiwork of slick London criminal mastermind Colin Grant (Clive Brook). Anyone who wants to commit a crime and get away with it had better get in touch with Grant, who obligingly provides exact doubles of the criminals so as to establish an alibi. At present, Grant and his minions are planning a big-time society jewel heist. Admittedly baffled by Grant's near-perfect racket, Scotland Yard commissioner Hope (Sir Guy Standing) calls in American sleuth Nick Mason (George Raft) to help out. Nick wastes no time going to work, not only insinuating himself into the "Midnight Club" gang but also wooing away Grant's sweetheart Iris Whitney (Helen Vinson). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi