El Santo

It's May 2004 and I was absolutely delighted to see yesterday that BBC America has begun running Roger Moore's The Saint again Monday through Friday.

As much as I enjoyed Moore as Bond, Simon Templer was his.

George Sanders was so dry (Louis Hayward and other one-timers don't really count here). Ian Ogilvy was actually a fine Templer.

However, Moore nailed it. Unlike Sanders, who played Templer like a fop that no one could possibly find the least bit threatening, intimidating or dangerous, Moore was suave and sophisticated without being above it all. Moore brought a needed sense of humanity to the role - and you could see that he could get tough if action & toughness were called for.

Moore had a hand in writing and contributing to the screenplays and the episodes he directed may be my favorites.

There was something comforting and familiar about the show's lower budget production values that just agreed with me. They were solid, professional. And Ed Astley's music was perfect. I'd love to get the soundtrack if it's available.

Ivor Dean as Inspector Claude Eustace Teal was an ideal foil. He was at times Templer's ally, his antagonist, amused and bemused and angered and frustrated at Simon to the point of full red-faced boil-over.

Too bad the kids of today aren't treated to this form of stylish entertainment on their boob tubes, because you can bet your bottom dollar that only 1 in 10,000 will discover it while channel surfing and become a fan.

Before he was James Bond, Sir Roger Moore was a television star and played the title role of "The Saint." He plays Simon Templar, an agent, who investigates crime like an American movie actress who is kidnapped with her co-star and a jewelry theft. Roger Moore is handsome and charming as the star. The episodes are crisp and fresh. I love the locations in London, England. The episodes are well written and executed in style with a talented cast and crew. The episodes are entertaining without being violent. It's no wonder that he was a perfect successor to play James Bond. I always liked him as Bond the best.

The Saint is one of the best series I have ever seen. It's fun, It's exciting and the settings are always different. Roger Moore plays one of his better roles as the cool Simon Templar. It's no mistery why Roger Moore was picked as James Bond when Sean Connery stopped, he shows that in the Saint. Great Entertainment !

Long before the forefront of future spy shows that included "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.","The Avengers","I Spy" and other that were to follow it respectfully,"The Saint",was the first and foremost the originator of the spy series and to this day it has a huge loyal following as well as to become one of the most influential TV spy shows of the 1960's and it continues that format in repeats in some markets around the country. The reason why the show became very successful when it debuted on British television on October 4,1962 and later the next year on American television(where it was originally shown for national syndication on September 19,1963)where it remained in syndication of all of the 71 black and white episodes until May 17,1966 for American television. By September 30,1966 the color episodes of "The Saint" produced 47 episodes until its series finale on March 15,1969. NBC-TV picked up the series on May 17,1967 and ran most of the color episodes until March 15,1969. A total of 118 episodes were produced for New World Productions and ITC (Incorporated Television Company Ltd.)where the series was filmed at Shepperton Studios in London.

What made "The Saint" such a prime asset that made the show shined out was the British actor Roger Moore(who was also starred in "The Alaskans",and "Maverick" during the time that series which he starred opposite James Garner went off the air during the 62' season). Moore's characterization as the international man of mystery Simon Templar(who was a secret agent for his Majesty's secret service) was very suave and elegant and had a sense of style and grace in every scene in did,but there were times when our hero was in great danger from enemy agents and trying to rescue some lady from the evil clutches or himself from a certain fate.

Roger Moore was the master at what he did on that show and he was a genius with it. After "The Saint" television series went off the air in 1969, Roger Moore teamed up with Tony Curtis for the short-lived series "The Professionals",also produced by ITC Television for the ABC-TV network. It was no wonder that after the series went off the air in 1972,Roger Moore was picked to replaced Sean Connery as James Bond,and he shows that in this classic espionage series. However,there were two movies that were based on this series that were shown in theatres while the series was still on the air during its six year run from 1962 to 1969...."Vandetta For The Saint"(1967),and "Revenge Of The Saint"(1969) which starred both Roger Moore. By 1997,almost 28 years after the original "Saint" television series left the air,a big screen version of "The Saint" roared into theatres starring Val Kilmer. Great Entertainment at its finest that will live on forever as a cult favorite.

Watching the first series again after a gap of 30 years I must admit I'm surprised at just how enjoyable the b&w TV episodes were. By now I've read loads of Charteris's original novels, and in them Roger Moore was always the Saint for me - he never matched Templar with his later Bond, imho going to prove yet again you can't do everything by throwing money at it. Even if as Bond he had a more sensible haircut! At the end of episode "Luella" he's mistaken for Bond by a female admirer, but he regretfully points to the halo above his head as the clue to his "real" identity.

"The Talented Husband" broadcast 4.10.62: A nifty first entry, ST keeps an eye on a man married to one of many many lady friends who has just escaped a huge stone urn falling on her head. The thing is that his first wife died in dubious circumstances, causing suspicions to rise in Simon's beetling mind. A clever and sprightly script keeps you engrossed to the inevitable denouement.

And travelling through episode after episode I find nearly all were very well written, with something in each to recommend or applaud. Some were played more for comedy than others, a few were star vehicles, some tried to adhere to Charteris - and were even damn good whodunnits! Moore got through a fair few females, got his hair mussed a few times brawling with villains, and only got tangled up with Inspector Teal a few times in the 39 episodes. Therefore, although I wondered before whether I would only be able to view these through rose-tinted spectacles, my conclusion is No - the TV Saint is still good for thrills all these years on. Dated by todays "high" standards, no cgi cartoonery or mindless brutality but I'll survive. By now I've also realised I'll probably never see "exotic" places like Buenos Aires, Miami, Rome, obscure Spanish mountains or such bizarrely cardboard London night-life in the flesh either - and the entire series was filmed less than 100 miles from where I live!

8/10