[Click here to download or print a pdf version of this lesson].

We begin our semester of demystifying mystery fiction with an obscure television drama from the 50s, “Saber of London.”

“Saber” emerged from my hours of searching online for a series that would illustrate features of classical mystery, while reflecting the conventions of the time and place (mid-20th century, British/American context).

You’ll notice that “The Penny Black” episode is terrifically dated and formulaic. How did this come to be? Look for traces of:

• A memorable hero/detective

• A mysterious death

• Characters with motives

•  Red herrings to sort out

• A “big reveal”—ultimately WHY and WHODUNNIT?

Read on to learn more about the “brand” of Mark Saber, and how it evolved.

This is from the Thrilling Detective blog by Kevin Burton Smith:

It was a long and winding road for television’s MARK SABER, who started off life as a British cop working for a big city American police force on both American radio and television, and ended his career as a one-armed private eye in London in a British television production that was shipped back to the States, undergoing a confusing barrage of title changes along the way.

It’s still unclear who actually “created” the character of Saber, but probably the best-known writer to contribute to the TV series was Brian Clemens (1931-2015), an English screenwriter and television producer, who went on to much better things, and was best known for his later work on “The Avengers” and “The Professionals.”

THE RADIO YEARS (1951-54)

It all started with a radio show, ABC Mystery Theater, which aired from 1951-1954. The show lasted for three seasons, although the third season was merely reruns of the previous season, and revolved around the cases of Inspector Mark Saber, played in the first season by Robert Carroll, while his assistant, Sergeant Tim Maloney, was voiced by James Westerfield (and later in the season by Douglas Chandler). The second season, Les Damon and Walter Burke took over the roles of Saber and Maloney, respectively.

MARK SABER MYSTERY THEATER (1951-54)

By all accounts, the radio show was nothing special, but ABC must have thought otherwise. Two days after ABC Mystery Theater premiered on the radio, Mark Saber Mystery Theater premiered on the ABC Television Network, boasting the same format, storylines, plots and characters.

Like the radio program, the television show ran on ABC for three seasons, from 1951 to 1954 (the TV show would wander all over the schedule over the next decade, changing titles frequently, as it bounced back and forth across the Atlantic and in and out of syndication around the world–alternately known throughout its long career as Mystery Theater, Mark Saber, Inspector Mark Saber–Homicide Squad and Homicide Squad).

The television version starred Tom Conway (previously best known for playing The Falcon) as a rather foppish Saber — a sauve and dapper Brit, well-dressed in pinstriped suits, sporting a pencil-thin mustache, tracking down criminals by utilizing his brilliant deductive reasoning, as well as regular police methods. He was played with all the easy-going charisma Conway could muster.

This Saber was no private eye, though–he was a cop, working homicide for the police department of an (as far as I know) unnamed American city. He was aided in his rather Holmesian leaps of deductive logic by the dim though loyal, Watson-like figure of Sergeant Tim Maloney.

THE VISE (1955-57): Enter the Danzingers

[Danzigers, 2024]

That original show (whatever it was called) went off the air in 1954, but Mark Saber was back the next year on NBC’s “The Vise” (which, just to confuse things, ran as “Mark Saber” in the U.K.), and put out by the low-budget British production team of Edward and Harry Lee Danziger.  The Danzingers played an important role in producing early mysteries as television was gaining popularity.

The British film historians Steve Chibnall and Brian McFarlane wrote: "The Danzigers were not in the business for art; they were in the business for business; and within those unpretentious parameters they ran an efficient studio from 1956 to 1962."

Edward J. Danziger (1909–1999) and Harry Lee Danziger (1913–2005) were American-born brothers who produced many British films and TV shows in the 1950s and 1960s.

According to one profile "throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, their second features and TV series seemed to be on screens everywhere, their pervasive presence forming a part of virtually every British filmgoer's and television viewer's experience during those years.”

Edward and Harry Danziger were native New Yorkers. Edward studied law and had worked on the Nuremberg Trials while brother Harry had a musical background. They operated a sound studio in New York that specialized in the dubbing of foreign films for US release. Their first feature film as producers was Jigsaw (1949).

In 1952, they moved to Britain and began making television films, using resources at various facilities in London. Among their first productions was the series Adventure Theater (aka, Calling Scotland Yard) which were shown on American television in 1956. Several episodes were compiled as supporting featurettes and released theatrically in the UK during 1954.

The screenwriter Brian Clemens worked for the Danzigers. He recalled that the Danzigers would shoot at a variety of British studios and order their writers to concoct a screenplay to use the standing sets. He stated they shot television episodes in two and a half to three days and shot a feature film in eight to ten days with a budget of £17,000.

In 1956, the Danzigers decided to form their own studio. They converted a former wartime aero-engine testing factory into a studio with six sound stages and exterior shooting facilities.

The Danzingers made the call about re-casting Mark Saber with Donald Gray. They liked this decidedly more down to earth, one-armed private eye based in London. Gray was a bona fide war hero who had actually lost an arm in during the invasion of Normandy.

Be sure to read more about the life of Donald Gray (interesting bio below)

Not that a missing arm slowed Saber down, though. He was a determined gumshoe, and he could always count on his irrepressible and slightly dim American partner, Barney O’Keefe, and his trusty secretary, Judy. In the second season, though, Barney and Judy were out, and bubbly, attractive blonde Stephanie “Stevie” Ames was in, as Saber’s new secretary, who had it bad for the boss. Her story? She’s apparently just arrived from America as a journalist, but hasn’t been able to find work, while Mark needs a new secretary.

The Vise ran on ABC for two seasons, airing its final episode in June 1957.

SABER OF LONDON (1957-60)

A few months later, Gray reprised the role in Mark Saber’s third incarnation (although some consider this merely a continuation of the previous show). By this point, the show had migrated from ABC to NBC in the States, necessitating yet another new title: “Saber of London.” And just in case anyone thought he was in Newark, or maybe Milwaukee, the opening sequence concluded with Saber standing in front of Big Ben, and announcing in his very best (and polite) tea-and-crumpets accent, “Good Evening. I’m Mark Saber, and this is London.”

A bit of fun trivia: exterior shots of Saber’s fictional offices were filmed outside the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on Great George Street at Parliament Square in London.

Episodes were formatted for a half-hour time slot. Two episodes were shot every five days. The budgets for the episodes were about 17 thousand pounds for a feature, and shooting took about 8–10 days.

In 1957, the show was moved from ABC to NBC and it aired at 7:30 p.m. EST on Fridays. In the 1957–58 season, it competed against Leave It to Beaver on CBS and The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin on ABC.

In the 1958–1959 season, Saber of London switched to 7 p.m. Sundays, opposite CBS's Lassie. In its last year, 1959–1960, it was moved a half-hour earlier just outside prime time.

Gray enlisted in the Gordon Highlanders unit. He was commissioned as an officer in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, serving as Education Officer. As part of the D-Day invasion, Gray fought in the city of Caen, where he was severely wounded.  His left arm was shattered by a tank shell, and had to be amputated.

After the war, he didn’t let his disability interfere with his desire to act. He toured South Africa with his own repertory company and appeared in several films  as well as radio productions (he was also an announcer). His big break was being cast as Mark Saber in the 1955 production of “Mark Saber” on British television, and later (1957) on NBC in the U.S.

Gray was rather typecast at that point in his career. Later roles were mainly voice acting as Colonel White and Colonel Black in the “Mysterons” series.

Gray was married and had two children.  He died in South Africa in 1978.

Whether we are reading or watching a mystery, these various elements come into play. Consider how thy work in this week’s episode of “The Penny Black.”

By the way, the Penny Black is real!

Whether we are reading or watching a mystery, these various elements come into play. Consider how thy work in this week’s episode of “The Penny Black.”

By the way, the Penny Black is real!

The Setting—what role does it play? What are the scenes like?

The Point of View (who is telling the story, and how do we know?

The Plot: A mysterious death. A valuable missing item. A man wrongly accused! How does Mark Saber conduct his inquiry?

The Characters:

Who are the main characters, and what impression do they convey? To get you started:

• Mark Saber (of course)

• Other law enforcement characters (Scotland Yard, as well as Mark’s able assistant)

• The Good Guys: stamp dealers John Roberts and his wife

• The Bad Guys: Hmmm…. Mr. Ferrari?

• Not Sure:  Competing dealer? The Butler? The Girlfriend?

The Theme or moral of the story…

ALSO: Consider the effects of the black and white scenes, the acting, music, and other qualities that create the overall mystery.

Planting seeds for future analysis:

*How did the classic detectives conduct their inquiry?

*How did the masters of early mystery fiction create their characters?

*How does this story reflect audience demand in the 1950s?

We will talk about this and more on Tuesday!

Burtonsmith, K. (2020). Mark Saber. Retrieved from https://thrillingdetective.com/2020/02/11/mark-saber/

Danzigers. (2024). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Danzigers

Donald Gray. (2024). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Gray

James, A. (2016). Saber of London. Retrieved from https://www.memorabletv.com/tv/saber-london-danziger-1957/

South African D-Day Hero: Donald Gray. (2024). Retrieved from https://samilhistory.com/2018/06/07/south-african-d-day-hero-and-one-armed-movie-star-donald-gray/comment-page-1/