The Zoo Gang (1974)
Six resistance fighters, known by their animal-based code names, fought during World War II. Their efforts came to a stop when one of their number, "the Wolf", betrayed them to the Gestapo. In their interrogation, one of their number, Claude Roget, the husband of Manouche was shot before her eyes. Thirty years later, Thomas Devon spots the Wolf in his shop. The surviving members of the Zoo Gang drop what they are doing and rendezvous for vengeance. The series follows the adventures of the remaining gang of four resistance fighters reunited 30 years later to scam habitual con artists and criminals in order to take their money and use it for good causes. Despite their ages, they put their skills and experience to use to raise enough money to construct a hospital in the memory of Claude. The gang is aided by the son of Manouche and Claude, an inspector in the French police.
- Reginald Rose
Country: GB
Language: En
Runtime: 60
Season 1:
In the premiere episode, Tomas "Tommy" Devon recognizes the man who walks into his shop as Maurice Boucher, the man who betrayed his fellow resistance fighters to the Gestapo 30 years ago during World War II. One of his comrades, Claude, was killed. Tommy reunited the surviving three members of the "Zoo Gang" to get revenge on Boucher.
United together, the four member of the Zoo Gang uncover an extortion racket who are targeting two married movie stars. The extortionists want the Morning Star, a rare diamond that the Martins have care of. The Zoo Gang decide to take out the crooks, but first they have to get their bhands on the well-secured diamond themselves.
A deposed African general, Naganda, comes to France with his art collection but it's stolen en route. He turns to the Zoo Crew for help and they agree to help him so that the picture can be sold at auction for famine relief, but they soon find that Naganda isn't telling them everything.
The Zoo Gang targets a consignment of counterfeit money, stealing it from the counterfeiters just ahead of the police. They plan to use the money to buy smuggled gold, which in turn they'll use to build a monument to their fallen comrade Claude. But things start to go awry.
Latin American revolutionary El Leon is arrested by the French police when he sneaks into the country. The press have made a hero of the man, embarassing the French, but they can't release him without turning the matter into an international incident. So Inspector Georges calls upon his mother Manouche and the other members of the Zoo Gang to surreptiously break El Leon out behind the authorities' backs.
The Gang come to the aid of a German being attacked in an alley. He reveals that he was attacked earlier when someone broke into his flat, and asks the Gang for help. It turns out the German is the only one who knows the location of a sub full of sunken treasure. The Gang agrees to help him in return for a share of the loot to pay for the memorial hospital for Claude. They dive for the treasure and recover the only surviving piece - a jeweled swastika. But when they bring it up and it's confiscated by French custom officers. But they quickly discover that the custom officers are fakes who killed the real officers, and come up with a plan to recover it and make a little more money.
