The Sentimental Agent

1963

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1

EP1 All That Jazz Sep 28, 1963

Mercury International, Carlos Varela's (Carlos Thompson) company has arranged the trip of the American "Arthur Rogers Modern Jazz Quintet" for concerts in London. They are stopped and temporarily retained at the airport. When Varela goes there to learn what was the problem, he is a met by an MI5 Major (Anthony Bushell) who informs him that the group is under suspicion of transmitting sensitive US information: a trail of leaked secrets has been following the quintet on their artistic journeys abroad, to a degree that defies coincidence. However, since the search of the musician's belongings did not provide any clue, they are finally released under the recognizance of Varela, who is now held responsible of ensuring they do not commit any act of espionage while in the UK, or consequences would be bad, even to Varela. Later Varela listens the quintet's rehearsals, and begins to suspect that the information may have being transmitted in the notes of the vibraphone, an instrument played by Tania (cute English actress Dora Reisser). Varela has received an invitation for a group's recital at the London's Embassy of a foreign (and not too democratic) country, that same night. At the event, he is met by Sarah (Annika Wills) an attractive national of that country who happens to be both the niece of the foreign diplomat hosting the recital (actor Peter Arne) and an agent of the MI5 Major. Varela and Sarah go around the house and discover a tape recorder and a keyboard that could had been used to decode the messages included in the vibraphone arrangements (which the quintet always receives from the American arranger at the last minute). So it is now clear that the uncle is the head of the spies in London. Varela has his own piano retuned accordingly and, with the help of Tania (who is obviously innocent) and Sarah, decodes the first part of the message hiding in the most recent arrangement. The second part arrives with the next arrangement, but in the meantime Sarah is kidnapped by his uncle, who wants to force Varela to exchange this new arrangement for Sarah's freedom. Varela, who intended to deliver the arrangement to MI5 changes his plan when he learns that MI5 will do nothing to rescue Sarah (nor arrest the spies because they have diplomatic immunity). Varela then negotiates with the kidnappers to have the quintet play this arrangement so the uncle/spy could record it, during a garden concert, in exchange for Sarah's release. While at the concert the spies are busy recording the vibraphone solo, Sarah and Varela escape. They are immediately stopped by MI5, who believes Varela has committed espionage by allowing the spies to obtain the information. But they are released on the spot as it turns out that the vibraphone arrangement played at the recital was a version altered by Varela to render it useless to the foreign spies, and MI5 receives the right version from Varela.

EP2 The Beneficiary Oct 05, 1963

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EP3 Express Delivery Oct 12, 1963

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EP4 Never Play Cards With A Stranger Oct 19, 1963

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EP5 May The Saints Preserve US Oct 26, 1963

Carlos investigates where an Irish Monastery has apparently been sold and needs moving to Texas in the USA.

EP6 Meet My Son, Henry Nov 02, 1963

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EP7 A Little Sweetness And Light Nov 09, 1963

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EP8 The Height Of Fashion Nov 16, 1963

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EP9 A Very Desirable Plot Nov 23, 1963

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EP10 Finishing School Nov 30, 1963

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EP11 The Scroll Of Islam Dec 07, 1963

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EP12 Not Quite Fully Covered Dec 14, 1963

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EP13 A Box Of Tricks Dec 21, 1963

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7.4| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 28 September 1963 Ended
Producted By: Associated Television (ATV)
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

The Sentimental Agent is a television drama series spin-off from Man of the World. It was produced in the United Kingdom in 1963 by Associated Television and distributed by ITC Entertainment. It stars Carlos Thompson as Argentinian Carlos Varela, a successful import-export agent based in London. The series ran for 13 one-hour monochrome episodes. Some of the episodes were edited into a 1962 feature film Our Man in the Caribbean.

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Cast

Burt Kwouk

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Associated Television (ATV)

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Reviews

ewingmsh Contributor claudg1950 is correct in drawing attention to the very odd way in which the hero, Carlos Varela, played by Carlos Thompson, is written out of the series a few episodes from the end, having 'gone away on business'. Had he been replaced by an actor equally as dashing it might have made sense, but instead actor John Turner is clumsily worked into the series as the boyfriend of Varela's secretary who wants to learn more about the import/export business. Not a bad actor, but compared to the very charismatic Carlos Varela he is colourless and anodyne. It would be fascinating to know what happened and who was responsible for it. There is an interview with Bert Kwouk on the DVD, who plays Varela's manservant in the series, but he sheds very little light on the matter. Mind you, one has to remember this series was made 52 years ago, so maybe no one can actually remember. Carlos Thompson left showbiz so perhaps he found the life disagreeable. Maybe we'll never know.
claudg1950 The series told the adventures of an Argentine businessman, owner of an import-export company seated in London. The character was first introduced in an episode of Man of the World, a 1961-62 series starring Craig Stevens as world-rambling photographer Michael Strait.The original name was Carlos Borella, or Barella. Even though that family name sounded adequately Argentine (because it sounds Italian) it does not exist, and it probably was a misspell of the Spanish name Varela, so in this series, the name was corrected accordingly.Carlos Varela was played by the Argentine actor Carlos Thompson (for almost 30 years married to German actress Lilly Palmer until her demise, in 1986) who was exceedingly handsome and 40 years of age at the time. The character often dressed on a white suit, worn a hat and he was always incredibly suave & debonair. (At the time I was aged 11 or 12, and I wished I could look and act as cool and assured as Varela-Thompson.) Each episode, Varela was called to exotic locales, to solve problems where his company or his friends were involved. He never carried a gun and things were always solved with wit over brute force.It was a favorite of mine (although I admit that I paid far more attention to the imposing central character than to the plots) but evidently there were production problems. Perhaps they had the only too common low ratings, or perhaps what happened is what I read somewhere: that, unlike his Spanish or his German -which were fluent- Mr. Thompson's command of English was somehow limited and that created shooting difficulties. (If there were language problems, they don't show at all in the ten episodes were we can hear Thompson speaking fluent English). At any rate, something went very bad with this series, since from episode 10, Thompson/Varela was replaced by British actor John Turner (as Bill Randall, a friend of Varela, who is supposedly gone away on a trip...)Claudio DG Argentina