This 1956 episode of the CBS dramatic anthology Screen Directors' Playhouse was historically significant as the first TV appearance by swashbuckling film idol Errol Flynn. Though his swash had long since been unbuckled due to excessive high living, the 47-year-old Flynn still cuts quite a dashing figure in the role of vagabond poet Francois Villon. Aided by a beautiful mademoiselle named Velvet (Pamela Duncan), Villon sets about to foil an assassination scheme targetting the King of France. Longtime Abbott and Costello foil Hillary Brooke costars as "The Countess." Thanks to the diligent archivists at Blackhawk Films, at one time the foremost purveyors of quality product for the 8- and 16-millimeter home movie enthusiasts, "The Sword of Villon" was resurrected from obscurity and restored for public consumption in the mid-1970s.
by Hal Erickson
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