This Granada Television series presented six farces by the French playwright Georges Feydeau, who has been described as France’s greatest comic dramatist after Moliere.
The plays starred a permanent company of Alfred Marks, Kenneth Griffith, Paul Whitsun-Jones, Henry McGee, Zena Walker, Judy Cornwell and Adrienne Corri.
The premier episode, ‘The Ribadier System’, had Marks as a businessman who marries a beautiful widow (Corri) and devises a method of concealing his little infidelities – putting her into a hypnotic sleep while he slips off to keep a date with another woman (Walker).
In ‘Fashions for Ladies’, Dr Moulineaux (Griffith) is in love with the adorable Suzanne (Walker), but her husband follows her everywhere. Caught with his arm around her waist, he pretends he is a fashion designer trying out new ideas. This forms the basis for a farce involving three marriages, three affairs, and the maximum number of embarrassing permutations.
‘The Lambert Affair’ had an erring wife (Walker) visiting a restaurant with her lover. The police raid the restaurant and she assaults a policeman, resulting in a court appearance. Things get even worse when her lawyer husband is assigned to the same court.
In ‘Half a Husband’, Saint-Florimund (Griffith) nearly discloses to Champignol (McGee), a portrait painter, that he and Angèle (Corri) – the painter’s wife – had set off for a naughty weekend together. It was only because several mishaps caused Saint-Florimund to be mistaken for Angèle’s husband by people who only knew her – and because he was then subsequently whisked off to do Champignol’s fortnight’s military training – that the weekend misfired.
Later, Champignol himself turns up at the camp, where the presence of two recruits with the same name – both under the command of Captain Camaret (Marks) – causes the usual Feydeau fun and confusion.
Livergin (Griffith) and Paginet (Marks) have their eyes on the red ribbon of the Legion d’Honneur in ‘The Ribbon’. They are neck and neck for the award, but when the decision is announced, both men are in for a shock. Zena Walker and Adrienne Corri play their wives.
In ‘The Luck of the Game’, Monsieur Chanal (Alfred Marks) plays back his new dictating machine, and what he hears spells divorce. Armed with the recorded evidence of his wife Francine’s (Zena Walker) unfaithfulness, he decides to prosecute.
Unfortunately, the recording is anything but high fidelity, and he cites the wrong man. His drunken neighbour, Hubertin (Paul Whitsun-Jones), who has his own marital troubles, relies on the evidence of his own eyes – and cites the wrong wife.
Ribadier/Bassinet/Charancon/Captain Camaret/Paginet/Chanal
Alfred Marks Thommereux/Dr Hercule Moulineaux/Edouard/Saint-Florimund/Livergin/Massenay
Kenneth Griffith Angèle Champignol/Rosa/Miranda/Madame Livergin/Sophie
Adrienne Corri Thérèse/Charlotte/Suzanne Aubin/Gabrielle/Madame Paginet/Francine Chanal
Zena Walker Gusman/Champignol/Etienne/Gratin/Plumarel/Coustouillou
Henry McGee Savinet/Caponot/Chanal/Rasanville/Hubertin
Paul Whitsun-Jones Sophie/Adrienne/Yvonne Molineaux/Simone/Marthe
Judy Cornwell
Episodes
The Ribadier System | Fashions for Ladies | The Lambert Affair | Half a Husband | The Ribbon | The Luck of the Game
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Later, Champignol himself turns up at the camp, where the presence of two recruits with the same name – both under the command of Captain Camaret (Marks) – causes the usual Feydeau fun and confusion.
