Adapted from a Georges Simenon short story, this episode of "Suspense" features a terrific story hurriedly told. Compressed into the series' 25-minute format, "The Old Lady of Bayeux" loses some of its mystery and... well, its suspense, as there's no real time to develop the characters, the premise, or the atmosphere, but the plot, featuring a double murder and a group of witnesses who can't agree over where the body was found, is interesting enough to hold one's attention.
I also must commend Halsted Welles' teleplay which manages to adapt Simenon's twisty tale in a straightforward, easy-to-follow manner. Robert Stevens' direction is workaday and fairly stodgy even for the day, but the gothic sets and moody lighting create quite a nicely spooky atmosphere. I just wish they'd cut out that annoying organ music that plays incessantly from beginning to end. Written by Hank Sylvern and played on what sounds like a rickety old church organ, it is a real mood killer and provokes more unwanted laughs than suspense.
The cast gives overly theatrical performances but is quite charming for fans of early, live TV. Luis Van Rooten can't seem to make up his mind whether he's playing Maigret or Poirot. His version of Simenon's indefatigable commissaire is an elegant, round-headed gourmet with an impressive moustache. Hilariously, Edgar Stehli plays the dead woman's nephew at 68. Even more laughably, his childhood nurse is supposedly still alive. Talk about miscast.
In conclusion, "The Old Lady of Bayeux" is a charming and sufficiently atmospheric entry in the "Suspense" series. A twisty tale well told if uncomfortably compressed into the constrictive 25-minute format. As a fan of 1950s TV, I enjoyed this old-fashioned version of Maigret.
I also must commend Halsted Welles' teleplay which manages to adapt Simenon's twisty tale in a straightforward, easy-to-follow manner. Robert Stevens' direction is workaday and fairly stodgy even for the day, but the gothic sets and moody lighting create quite a nicely spooky atmosphere. I just wish they'd cut out that annoying organ music that plays incessantly from beginning to end. Written by Hank Sylvern and played on what sounds like a rickety old church organ, it is a real mood killer and provokes more unwanted laughs than suspense.
The cast gives overly theatrical performances but is quite charming for fans of early, live TV. Luis Van Rooten can't seem to make up his mind whether he's playing Maigret or Poirot. His version of Simenon's indefatigable commissaire is an elegant, round-headed gourmet with an impressive moustache. Hilariously, Edgar Stehli plays the dead woman's nephew at 68. Even more laughably, his childhood nurse is supposedly still alive. Talk about miscast.
In conclusion, "The Old Lady of Bayeux" is a charming and sufficiently atmospheric entry in the "Suspense" series. A twisty tale well told if uncomfortably compressed into the constrictive 25-minute format. As a fan of 1950s TV, I enjoyed this old-fashioned version of Maigret.
