''Arsène Lupin'' is a French TV show (1971 - 1974) which was co-produced with French, German, Canadian, Belgian, Dutch, Swiss, Italian and Austrian TV stations. It is loosely based on the novels by

Maurice Leblanc Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc (; ; 11 December 1864 – 6 November 1941) was a French novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin, often described as a French ...

featuring master thief Arsène Lupin who was featured in 17 novels and 39 short stories.

Development

Georges Descrières' portrayal of

Arsène Lupin Arsène Lupin () is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazine '' Je sais tout''. The first ...

showed more similarity to

Graf Yoster ''Graf Yoster gibt sich die Ehre'' (French title: ''Le comte Yoster a bien l'honneur'') – which translates to English as ''Count Yoster has the Honour'' – was a television series produced between 1967 and 1976. Starring Lukas Ammann and Wolf ...

than to Maurice Leblanc's original depiction of his character. He behaved in the first place as a perfect

gentleman ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

who never got angry. Besides rescuing damsels in distress Lupin took on (other) criminals, competing with their wit and intelligence. Either he stole paintings from rich people who had to be considered white-collar criminals or he acted as a

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

who derailed criminal schemes. Among the guest stars were German actors such as

Günter Strack Günter Strack (4 June 1929 – 18 January 1999) was a German film and television actor. Career In English language films, he played Professor Karl Manfred in the Hitchcock thriller '' Torn Curtain'' (1966) and appeared as Kunik in '' The O ...

and

Sky du Mont Cayetano Neven du Mont (; born 20 May 1947), known professionally as Sky du Mont (, ), is a German-Argentine actor. Early life Sky du Mont's family, who are related to the famous publishers DuMont Schauberg, fled the Nazis in the 1930s to Sou ...

Jean-Paul Salomé Jean-Paul Salomé (; born 14 September 1960) is a French director and screenwriter. Filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Salome, Jean-Paul 1960 births Living people Film directors from Paris French male screenw ...

said in his commentary on the DVD version of his film, '' film Arsène Lupin (2004)'', that he had liked this TV series as a child. German TV, one of the investors, would broadcast the show eventually between 18:00-20:00 o'clock because it was only allowed to show commercials within that timeslot. For them to get a financial return on investment the show had to be appropriate for families and also for children who would watch it alone. Subsequently, it was nearby to ask to defuse and flatten some of Leblanc's plots in order to avoid possible complaints that could force the station to broadcast the show beyond the "Vorabendprogramm".

Cast

Georges Descrières Georges Descrières (15 April 1930 – 19 October 2013) was a French actor. He appeared in 52 films and television shows between 1954 and 1996. He starred alongside Anna Karina in the 1962 film ''Sun in Your Eyes'' and portrayed the gentlema ...

...

* Yvon Bouchard ... Grognard * Roger Carel ... Guerchard *

Henri Virlojeux Henri Virlogeux (22 March 1924 – 19 December 1995) was a French actor. He is known for "The 400 Blows" (1959), "Les rois maudits" (1972) and "Schulmeister, espion de l'empereur" (1971). He was married to Véronique Silver. He died on 19 December ...

... Herlock Sholmès

Theme songs

The series 1 and series 2 ending themes, "L'Arsène" and "Gentleman Cambrioleur", were performed by

Jacques Dutronc Jacques Dutronc (; born 28 April 1943) is a French singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, and actor. Some of Dutronc's best-known hits include " Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille" (which AllMusic has called "his finest hour"), "Le Responsa ...

, with music by Jean-Pierre Bourtayre and lyrics by

Jacques Lanzmann Jacques Lanzmann (4 May 1927 – 21 June 2006) was a French journalist, writer and lyricist. He is best known as a novelist and for his songwriting partnership with Jacques Dutronc. Early life Lanzmann spent the early part of his life in Auv ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arsene Lupin (TV series) French crime drama television series Italian crime television series 1970s French television series 1971 French television series debuts 1974 French television series endings Historical television series Television shows based on Arsène Lupin