Alias le Baron

One of the better British formulaic series with the near mandatory American lead actor. Steve Forrest portrayed a charming very Texan antique dealer/undercover agent living in England. Forrest provided a solid presence that allowed the show to appeal to the US audience but somehow The Baron did not gather the anticipated audience. Somehow in SWAT Forrest never seemed as complete a character as he did playing Mannering. I recall envying Mannering his wealth, sophistication but most of all I envied him the real star of this show: the unique, incomparable lead *car*. Mannering drove a Jensen Interceptor. It was years later that I saw in real life this wonderful Chrysler V8 powered Aston-Martin competitor and saw that The Baron and his car were perfectly matched, much more so than The Saint (Roger Moore) and his Volvo or The Saint (Ian Ogilvey) and his Jaguar XJS. Besides, these were commonplace compared to a powerful and elegant Jensen Interceptor.

I have the Network DVD. The print quality is mediocre. The color skews to a dull yellow/green. Sound mix: The audio of the dialogue is low while the music is too loud so I'm constantly adjusting the volume. Technically, it's a disappointment but the series is enjoyable even if there is too much hitting people over the head with a cosh. This is such a tired plot point by lazy writers to this day. The American executives were right about giving Forrest a female assistant. Sue Lloyd was perfect casting. She talks about the show in a DVD extra but this was a major dissapointment. She never discusses Cordelia's relationship with The Baron or her character's place in TV heroine history. Her character was believable, not a superwoman. She would become fatigued escaping with The Baron from villains or make errors in judgement. However the Network DVD of The Champions is beautiful, with vibrant, rich colors. The worst episode is Countdown with Edward Woodward playing a posh villain. The plot was okay but action was stupid such as Mannering punching out the baddie but not taking his pistol away so naturally the criminal wakes up and starts shooting at him.

I.T.C. made 'The Baron' as a follow-up to 'The Saint' series starring Roger Moore. Terry Nation, Dennis Spooner and Brian Clemens ignored John Creasey's books and invented wholly original plots. Some such as 'Storm Warning/The Island' had a strong 'U.N.C.L.E./Avengers' flavour. The casting of Steve Forrest as 'John Mannering' worked because there were no previous screen incarnations to judge him by. As per the books, Mannering owned an antiques shop in London, but was now a part-time agent for British Intelligence, headed by John Templeton-Greene ( Colin Gordon ), hence the scope of the plots ran from crime to espionage to mystery. The presence of luscious Sue Lloyd ( as 'Cordelia' ) further distanced the show from the Moore series. While 'The Baron' failed to replicate the success of 'The Saint' in the U.S.A., it remains an enormously entertaining show and the only screen incarnation of the character to date. It also has one of Edwin Astley's best theme tunes!

Recently, I have been watching 'The Baron' episodes on DVD. 'The Baron' is actually better than I had expected. Many of the episodes were written by the same writers who wrote for 'The Saint', starring Roger Moore. Think of 'The Baron' as 'The Saint' with Steve Forrest playing 'The Saint' who has somehow acquired an American background and accent. So it is not surprising that this series appeals to Saint fans such as myself. Steve Forrest, the brother of famous American actor Dana Andrews, is quite good in this old British television series. He has a good screen presence and looks rugged and strong, despite being middle-aged when this series was made. The only criticism that I can make is that this show has no attractive female characters. In contrast, other British TV series such as 'The Saint', 'The Avengers' and 'Dangerman' regularly featured attractive actresses from that era.

This show was made several years before my time, but I enjoy it immensely. I have always been a Steve Forrest fan. He was a such a hunky dreamboat, with tall, rugged handsome looks. I thought he suited the role of the charismatic playboy John Mannering to a tee. I like Sue Lloyd as an actress, but I have to say her talents were wasted as Cordelia. Her character was totally incompetent, and after a while it became tiresome to know Mannering would have to rescue her in just about every episode. I preferred his other assistant, David, who had at times also needed rescuing, but had the ability to problem solve and help Mannering out. I understand the audience wanted to see eye candy, therefore making the David character expendable and elevating Cordelia to be featured in the bulk of the 29 episodes.

I wish we could have seen more of Templeton Green, I liked the uneasy relationship he and Mannering had. Mannering would always show a reluctance in taking on Templeton's assignments. You also get to see some top notch actors guest starring in the series, such as the wonderful Peter Wyngarde, who does an excellent job playing dual roles in the episode The Legions of Ammack. I was also pleasantly surprised to see Edward Woodward guest star as a villain in Countdown. Most people remember Woodward as the vigilante in The Equalizer; a popular American series in the 1980s that took place in New York City.

I am sad The Baron had such a short expiration date, this wonderful series ended before its time.