The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scarlet Pimpernel is presented here as Season 4, Episode 4 of The DuPont Show of the Month, originally broadcast on December 18, 1960. This acclaimed television adaptation brings Baroness Orczy’s legendary tale of heroism and intrigue to the small screen, set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. As the guillotine claims its victims, a mysterious English nobleman known only as The Scarlet Pimpernel secretly rescues condemned aristocrats while publicly posing as the seemingly frivolous Sir Percy Blakeney.

Living a dangerous double life, Percy is a master of disguise and daring escape, leading a covert band of loyal gentlemen in defiance of Robespierre’s regime. His marriage to the beautiful Marguerite St. Just–whose associations with revolutionary forces threaten to expose his secret–adds emotional tension to a story already charged with political peril and romantic conflict.

This 1960 broadcast features early television appearances by William Shatner and stars Maureen O’Hara, celebrated for roles in Miracle on 34th Street and McClintock!, alongside Michael Rennie of The Day the Earth Stood Still. A sweeping and dramatic adaptation, this episode of The DuPont Show of the Month captures the enduring appeal of one of literature’s great swashbuckling heroes.