Orson Welles' Great Mysteries was a British television series The series was an anthology of different tales. Each episode was introduced by Orson Welles, who was the only regular actor in the series. In the opening titles, Welles would be shown in silhouette as he walked through a hallway towards the camera, smoking a cigar and outfitted in a broad-brimmed hat and a huge cloak, the outfit itself being a nod to his having provided the voice of The Shadow in the radio program. When he actually appeared on-screen to introduce the episodes, his face would be all that would be shown, in extreme close-up and very low lighting.
Episode 1
The respectable owner of a quiet inn in 18th century England is blackmailed by a grubby stranger, who knows he is secretly the notorious pirate Captain Rogers.
Episode 2
When a young man discovers a curious funnel made of leather, he has a presentiment that it was once used as an instrument of torture
Episode 3
Charles Faulkner, a young American gambler in Paris, should have left the casino after striking it lucky. Why the devil did he accept to sleep in the casino's guest bed? This was to be the most horrible night he had ever lived.
Episode 4
A Spanish officer, captured by the French during the Peninsular War, is imprisoned at the country house of an elderly aristocrat with a bored young wife - whose lover he becomes, with deadly consequences.
Episode 5
Blake is a brilliant accountant, but does he deserve a promotion to the board of directors? It all depends on the suitability of his wife. His bosses attend a small dinner party given by the Blakes to check her out.
Episode 6
A French girl in London finds herself in the awkward position of owing money to a Soho crime boss. But when she pays him off, he contemptuously sets fire to the money. Why?
Episode 7
An old tramp takes refuge in a church, and, concealed within the confessional, overhears things of great interest.
Episode 8
Dean Stockwell stars as the victim of an elaborately staged murder frame centering around a lover's rendezvous.
Episode 9
No overview available.
Episode 10
A lawyer cannot stop a middle-aged spinster from making a fool of herself with a young fortune-hunter, but he can stop the fellow from getting his hands on her money.
Episode 11
An old army sergeant, back in England after long service in India, shows some old friends a strange possession he's acquired - a monkey's paw which can make wishes come true.
Episode 12
Reporter Harry Langley pretends to be the murderer of unidentified women to boost sales with a special report from prison. But once arrested, the authorities seem to be convinced that he is indeed the killer.
Episode 13
No overview available.
Episode 14
Businessman Pennington is bribed by a Mr. Briggs due to an extramarital affair. But it seems that Briggs has underestimated his opponent and the tables might be turning.
Episode 15
How did Mr. Budd become a top-class West End hairdresser after such humble origins in a suburban barbershop? Well, one day, a stranger came in for a shave and a haircut.
Episode 16
India: After secret plans for the defence of a harbour are secretly copied, British General Sanderson tasks officers Bruce and Rolfe with convincing the apparent traitor Fanshaw to "save his honour" by committing suicide.
Episode 17
The masquerade is over when a murdered man turns up alive in the guise of his wife.
Episode 18
A handyman, finding that a number of middle-aged housewives require him for rather more than his professional services, turns to blackmail.
Episode 19
A letter opened in error provides rather dangerous knowledge concerning a murder case.
Episode 20
Zigorin, a top Russian spy, has defected to the West. But is he really Zigorin or an impostor?
Episode 21
An "Ice Storm" traps a woman with a potential thief masquerading as one of three experts invited to view a collection of valuable manuscripts.
Episode 22
No overview available.
Episode 23
A penniless man tries to claim a reward from a millionaire at Christmas, and finds it's not as easy as he thought it would be.
Episode 24
A pianist on an international tour is forced to spy for the secret police to avoid being detained.
Episode 25
During a murder trial in 19th-century England, one of the jurors begins to have mysterious hallucinations - has he seen a ghost?
Episode 26
A young man's month-long search for a missing girl ends in a haunted room of a boarding house.
