Danger Man

A low key, but absorbing, TV series of half-hour episodes, it is the first of three putatively related series, the latter two being (a) Secret Agent Man (hour long episodes), and (c) The Prisoner.

In the series, our protagonist John Drake (played by Patrick McGoohan) is an English spy - elegant, skilled, sophisticated, and never at a loss. He breezes through his weekly problem, and we enjoy every second of the short ride!

In my opinion, the series was the undisputed master of its era, and I loved its whimsy, its thoughtfulness, and good plot lines, simply and starkly delivered. The later Harry Palmer movies (with Michael Caine - for example, The Ipcress File) was reminiscent of this same style - austere story line, strongly built around its main character, employing few cinematic effects, yet full of impact.

It has been years since I have seen this series, but it it is still one I remember very fondly.

This show never laughs at itself (setting it apart from most of the James Bond and follow-on genre shows). Instead, it projects the inimitable Patrick McGoohan as a consistently efficacious hero: fast-thinking, innovative, ultra-capable, tenaciously-focused on the mission, yet when achieving the mission is not enough, he's able to think outside the box, to re-define his goals and achieve success in a wider context.

For a little boy starving to see a hero on television, "Danger Man" (and the subsequent "Secret Agent Man") was just what I needed. A hundred times over the years, facing my own moments of challenge, I remembered how John Drake had handled things. Nevermind the detail of his job being a "secret agent," the essential of this show is: a man of quintessential skill and reason who uses his mind to take him over, under, around or through all obstacles -- and *that* is what you take away from every episode.

It's food for the soul.

British spy/adventure series, with 39 half-hour episodes. Patrick McGoohan stars as John Drake, an American operative working for NATO. He travels all over the world on various missions, everything from rescuing high-profile kidnapping victims to thwarting drug rings and smuggling operations, from stopping assassins to solving public health crises. He often goes undercover, adopting the guise of the loud, obnoxious Ugly American type to lower the guard of his enemies. He generally eschews the use of guns, and is positively chaste compared to the womanizing James Bond stereotype. I thought McGoohan was very good in the lead, an unusual mix of honorable man-of-action and quick-witted malcontent. The stories got pretty monotonous by the end of the season, with many of the set-pieces repeated, and the guest cast reappearing as different characters.

The guest cast features many performers who would later appear in the James Bond films, including Lois Maxwell, Donald Pleasence, Robert Shaw, Honor Blackman, Charles Gray, Zena Marshall, Nadja Regin, Walter Gotell, Burt Kwouk, and Anthony Dawson. Other notable guests include Barbara Shelley, Hazel Court, Sam Wanamaker, Mai Zetterling, Nigel Green, George Coulouris, Bevely Garland, Jackie Collins, Judy Carne, Hermione Baddeley, Jack MacGowran, and William Marshall.

The spy adventure was one of the signature genres of the 1960's, and many cite Danger Man as ground zero for the phenomenon. It wasn't the first, but it was the impetus that led to The Avengers on TV, to the James Bond films, as well as the shows The Saint, The Man from U. N. C. L. E., Mission:Impossible, and more. However, the first (and technically only...but more on that in a moment) season wasn't very well received when it aired in the U. S. on CBS, and the show was ended. McGoohan was the first choice to play James Bond in the films, but he thankfully turned it down (too much sex!), and it went to Sean Connery. Meanwhile, after the genre exploded in popularity by the middle of the decade, Danger Man was revived, although changed a great deal. It went to an hour-long format, the character was made a British agent (although the John Drake name was kept), and the US title was held over: Secret Agent, while also adding the hit theme song "Secret Agent Man". This series eventually led to The Prisoner and cult immortality, but that's a story for another day.

I think the "Danger Man" series I remember, with its distinctive racy theme tune, was the later hour-long remake series from 1964 onwards, which would fit in with my own youthful time-line I suppose. Hunting down the show on the web I came across the first episode from 1960 entitled "The View From The Villa", which I was interested to see was co-written by the great Brian Clemens of future "The Avengers" fame.

This episode contained a neat little mystery taking in a murder, the city of Rome, and an enigmatic femme fatale which Patrick McGoohan's John Drake solves with his eye for a painting, all in a brisk 25 minute time-frame. The show, unlike its successor, is pre-Bond so there are no gadgets and there's also an icy detachment from the glamorous and flirtatious ladies he encounters which 007 would never countenance.

No, Drake is there simply to get the job done, which he does with steely aplomb, dispensing what might have been an early catchphrase "Obliged" as he does so. He's handy with his dukes too, but again not in a flashy or contrived way.

McGoohan strolls through the part with laconic ease and as well as elements of the early Bond, you can also see the genesis of Roger Moore's Simon Templar character here, the latter of course with added humour, suavity and raised eyebrow.

I'll certainly make an effort to try to watch more of this entertaining series, confident it will retain the standard of this opening programme.

Often unfairly overshadowed by it's sequel series' (Secret Agent and "The Prisoner"). Dangerman is a kick-ass (Often literally) spy show, which follows N.A.T.O. agent John Drake around the world.

The great thing about this show is it's length at just 25 minutes per episode it's the perfect thing to have on video when you want to kill a quick half-hour,

the only problem is it'll soon become a quick 4 or so hours as you watch every episode on the disc backwards searching for demonic messages from Patrick McGoohan. (?rettoP ysuB) (aet fo puc a evol dluow i eladgniD .srM, sey yhW)

It'll then develop into a quick 4 days as you roam the country abducting people and then bludgeoning them with to death with ring-binders when they refuse to participate in your home-produced screenplays.

During your 72 hour manhunt you can amuse yourself by giving your REAL name as your alias (John Drake, must have single-handedly brought about the collapse of communism by operating under such crafty Codenames as "Johnny").

While the prosecution is wondering why corpses with nametags reading "Hobbs","Keller","Hardy" and "Potter" were found in your apartment you can tell them (under oath) that although not quite as eccentric as "Secret Agent" or as downright mad as "The Prisoner" the general undercurrent of weirdness is palpable , (In Fact it comes to the fore in some of the later episodes,"The Contessa" for example features Drake being Drugged by a beutiful angel-like woman.

While your Defence lawyer rattles on about your upbringing in a racoon hive and your "Obsessive" collecting of electronic cow prodders. You can pass the time by humming "yellow submarine"AND commenting on the often sublime balance of storyline and style, of narrative and direction, of Nachos and chillypeppers.

You can inform the Large bearded man in your cell that "Dangerman" is to "the Prisoner" as the Old Testament is to Christianity. You can also tell him that you are flattered by his gift of a scented candle but you don't think of him that way.

So if you don't mind your children growing up in a Drakist temple in Southern Cambodia, or you feel your family can deal with you writing "redrum sbboH" in your finest red crayon all over their walls then Dangerman is the relig......, then Dangerman is the TELEVISION SERIES for you.

However if you harbour notions of ever Having a Career/Living over 30/feeling the wish to go outside again. Then perhaps it would be better not to watch this show.