The Four Just Men (TV series)
The Four Just Men is a 1959 television series produced by Sapphire Films for ITC Entertainment. It was broadcast for one season of 39 half-hour monochrome episodes. Plot. The series, based on a sequence of novels by Edgar Wallace including a 1905 novel titled "The Four Just Men", presents the adventures of four men who first meet while Allied soldiers in Italy during the Second World War. The men later meet again, and decide to fight for justice and against tyranny, using money donated for the purpose by their late commanding officer. They  operate from different countries: Jeff Ryder is a professor of law at Columbia University in New York City, Tim Collier is an American reporter based in Paris, Ben Manfred is a crusading independent MP who works from London, and Ricco Poccari is an Italian hotelier based in Rome. Their reputation as the "Four Just Men" is well known. The series is unusual in having the four main actors appear alternately (except in the first episode); one or occasionally two makes a brief appearance in each other's episode, often using a telephone. Cast and characters. Each character had an assistant : Guest stars included Judi Dench, Alan Bates, Leonard Sachs, Patrick Troughton, Donald Pleasence, Richard Johnson, Ronald Howard, Basil Dignam, Roger Delgado, Charles Gray, and Frank Thornton (who appeared in more roles than anyone else). Production. At the time, "The Four Just Men" was the most ambitious film series yet made for British TV. It was produced by Sapphire Films at Walton Studios, and on location in Britain, France, and Italy. None of its four stars had previously been cast as regulars in a television series. Indeed, only Dan Dailey would go on to another regular role on series television. Filming  of the 39 episodes, each 25 minutes long, began during January 1959, and lasted for five months, using up to seven units in the studio or on location, and producing two or three episodes simultaneously. John Schlesinger was credited as exterior unit or second unit director on a number of episodes. Episodes. Airdate is for ATV Midlands. ITV regions varied date and order. Each story featured one star and, often, brief appearances by the others. DD = Dan Dailey JH = Jack Hawkins RC = Richard Conte VS = Vittorio De Sica DVD. Network released the 39 episodes on August  13, 2010 in a five-DVD Region 2 set.