L'homme à la valise

McGill mostly drove a Hillman Imp (green and red), but was so cool that he could do that and not appear bland. I think it's a huge credit to the producers that they chose an Imp for McGill. A flashier car would have detracted from his character a great deal.

My very first car was a 1966 Hillman Imp and I felt really cool in it too.

The other thing I liked about Lew Grade's 1960s TV series is that the main characters - except The Saint - usually drove British cars, which for me made them more real.

According to an interview I saw recently with Johnny Goodman (production manager on The Baron) no British manufacturer would donate a car for Simon Templar - not even Jaguar. Hence that VOLVO P1800, which started moving out of showrooms real fast shortly after its film debut.

Obviously British car manufacturers in the 1960s weren't as clued up about how this kind of product placement could do wonders for their sales figures.

I have recently seen all the episodes of Man in a Suitcase again and I must say that they look as hip today as when I first saw them in 1967 as a boy of ten on black and white TV. In fact - they look even fresher in colour.

There's no doubt that Man in a Suitcase was/is a true classic.

Mcgill is a man of the sixties who is on a different case every week. He cannot and will not get too close to the opposite sex because of his travels and his occupation. However, he does run into some old friends along the way and Mcgill always comes out on top. With his cigarette in his mouth and his American accent his mcgill is an anti hero that seems a million miles away from Simon Templar but underneath the rugged exterior he is actually quite similar to the saint. The locations are varied and the standard of the writing and the acting is very good. All in all Mcgill is a man of the sixties and you cannot imagine him ever settling down, he is truly a man in a suitcase.

Man in a suitcase follows the exploits of an American in London and Europe after her get kicked out of the CIA. I first came across this show on a day time TV run years ago and watched it expecting something cheesy. I was very pleasantly proved wrong and having been trying to buy or tape as many episodes as I could get my hand on ever since.

Although produced by Lew Grade's ITC company, it shares little in common with stablemates such as "Champions", "DangerMan" or even "The Prisoner". What made it different was the quality of the plots, the acting (especially Richard Bradford's)and the way it managed to combine elements of glamour and gritty realism...oh, and the title music (although all ITC shows had good title music and sequences).

An excellent series.

I first saw "Man in a suitcase" in 1967-I loved it then and still do.This is one of the A.T.V."action" series of the 60's,but it differs from the likes of "The Saint" or "The Baron",in the cynical edge to the plots and the vulnerability of the hero.Richard Bradford as "McGill"(no first name!),was simply the coolest TV detective ever.He looked great(in fab "pre hippy era 60's" suits,with narrow lapels and thin ties),was as tough as nails,moody and unpredictable,and acted like Brando playing Peter Gunn-oh,and made smoking a cigarette into an art form.One amazing thing is he didn't always win either,and when he did he might well come out of things half beaten to death,many of the endings of episodes were pretty downbeat.The producers did make one ghastly mistake though-a guy like McGill should never have driven a car as totally uncool as a Hillman Imp!

Best episode for me-"Brainwash".

This show is a strong candidate for the best ever theme tune and titles.

Only one actor is listed as a regular cast member and that is Richard Bradford who starred as the man and his suitcase, McGill. That, and his wits, were all that were left to him after the CIA kicked him out to fend for himself. McGill had a rougher ride in this series than any other spy or investigator before or since and, to his credit, Richard Bradford made sure it showed. The effort he put into his characterisation, the generally high level of the supporting cast, writers and crew which backed him up, was well worth it as, over thirty years, later this series is still as fresh as the day it first aired. I am glad I found it, and I can't stop watching it.

Richard Bradford is mesmerising to watch as McGill and throughout the series he is consistently good, never giving less than his best so a lot of the credit for the success of this series must surely go to him. He has made many appearances in films and on t.v. in character roles since which shows his scope as an actor, but I believe his talents deserved better. The star of Man In A Suitcase is surely the one that got away.