"The Ant and the Grasshopper". Adapted by T.E.B. Clarke, directed by Pat Jackson.
A pleasure to have Nigel Patrick and Roland Culver in the same episode playing brothers, one a dissolute wastrel, the other a serious hard worker. Patrick is great as he turns up to embarrass his brother becoming his club's door man, bartender, window cleaner etc.
"Winter Cruise" adapted by Arthur Macrae, directed by Anthony Pelissier.
A chattery woman, played by Kay Walsh (a splendidly atypical performance), starts to drive officers on cruise ship crazy: Noel Purcell, Ronald Squire (The Rocking Horse Winner) and John Laurie. They launch a French steward at her with somewhat bizarre results.
"Gigolo and Gigolette", adapted by Eric Ambler, Directed by Harold French.
Maugham introduces this story by saying it should be illegal for people to perform death-defying stunts to amuse a vacuous crowd. We agree. This kind of act emerged in the 1920s, I think. Glynis Johns is the high diver who's beginning to get the shakes. Her husband / boyfriend or whatever he is (Gigolo?) Terence Morgan doesn't seem to really care about her. Leads to a curiously unsatisfying (though scary) finale.
Overall, the lesser of the three films (and the last of the series). Photographed by Desmond Dickinson at Pinewood.
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