The Saint is an ITC mystery spy thriller
television series that aired in the United Kingdom on ITV between
1962 and 1969. It was based on the literary character Simon Templar
created by Leslie Charteris in the 1920s and featured in many novels
over the years. He was played by Roger Moore. Simon Templar was
essentially a Robin Hood who stole from criminals, but kept the
money. His nemesis was Chief Inspector Claude Teal, who considered
Templar a common criminal no matter from whom he stole (shades of Les Miserables).
As
a result of the strong performance in the United States of the first
two black-and-white series in first-run syndication, NBC picked up
the show as a summer replacement in its evening schedule in 1966. The
programme, therefore, ended its run with both trans-Atlantic
primetime scheduling and colour episodes. It also proved popular
beyond the UK and US, eventually airing in over 60 countries.
With almost 120 episodes, the programme is
exceeded only by The Avengers as the most productive show of its
genre produced in the UK. As with The Avengers, the colour episodes
were originally broadcast in the UK in black and white before the
advent of colour transmissions on ITV.
Roger Moore had earlier tried to buy the
production rights to the Saint books himself, and was delighted to be
able to play the part. Moore eventually became co-owner of the show
with Robert S. Baker when the show moved to colour and the production
credit became Bamore Productions. Most of the wardrobe Moore wore in
the series was his own (just as he would later do in the series The Persuaders).
He was reportedly offered the role of
James Bond at least twice during the run of the series, but he had to
turn it down both times due to his television commitments (just as
Pierce Brosnan had to do the first time he was offered the role of
007). In one early episode of the series (titled "Luella"),
another character actually mistakes Templar for Bond.
Moore had a few recurring co-stars,
especially Ivor Dean (above left), who played Templar's nemesis,
Inspector Teal. In three early episodes, Teal had been played by
Campbell Singer, Norman Pitt, and Wensley Pithey; Dean featured from
the episode "Iris" (November 7th 1963) onward. Teal's
relationship with Templar was broadly similar to that depicted in the
novels, but in the series, he is often depicted as bungling, rather
than merely Charteris's characterisation of him as an officious,
unimaginative policeman. When in France, Templar had a similar
relationship with Colonel Latignant (Arnold Diamond). Latignant is
depicted as being even less competent than Teal, and is even keener
than Teal to find Templar guilty, though Templar repeatedly helps him
solve the case. Unlike Teal, Latignant did not appear in Charteris's
novels. In all, Inspector Teal featured in 26 episodes and Colonel
Latignant in six.
The
Saint began as a straightforward mystery series, but over the years
adopted more secret agent- and fantasy-style plots. It also made a
well-publicised switch from black-and-white to colour production
midway through its run. The early episodes are distinguished by Moore
breaking the fourth wall and speaking to the audience in character at
the start of every episode. With the switch to color, this was
replaced by simple narration. Invariably, the precredits sequence
ended with someone referring to (and/or addressing) the Saint by name
– "Simon Templar"; at this point, an animated halo
appeared above Templar's head as the Saint looked at the camera (or
directly at the halo). Some episodes, such as "Iris", broke
away from this formula and had Templar address the audience for the
entire precredits sequence, setting up the story that followed.
Many episodes were based upon Charteris's
stories, although a higher percentage of original scripts were used
as the series progressed ("Queen's Ransom" was both the
first colour episode and the first episode not to be based on a
Charteris work). The novel Vendetta for the Saint, credited to
Charteris but written by Harry Harrison, was one of the last Saint
stories to be adapted. Some of the later scripts were novelised and
published as part of the ongoing series of The Saint novels, such as
The Fiction Makers and The People Importers. The first of these
books, which gave cover credit to Charteris, but were actually
written by others, was The Saint on TV, and the series of
novelizations continued for several years after the television
program had ended.
Templar's car, when it appeared, was a
white Volvo P1800 with the number plate ST1. This model Volvo is
still often referred to as "the Saint's car", with
miniature versions made by Corgi which have proved popular. The show
primarily used three Volvo P1800 sports cars during the series’
run. The first, a ’62 model built in the U.K. The original would
later be found on a North Wales farm in 1991 and eventually restored.
Next came a ’64 1800 S, manufactured in Sweden. After Volvo
updated the 1800 S design in 1965, the show shifted to the newer
model after "blowing up" the Saint’s old one behind a
hedge. That new ride was kitted out with an interior fan, for actors
working under sizzling stage lights. Another became Moore’s
personal ride. Moore initially had wanted a Jaguar XK150 but, Jaguar
declined to supply one for the series, claiming the company
didn’t need the publicity. Moore recalled, "So our
production manager showed me a picture from a motoring magazine of a
P1800, and I thought: Looks even better than the Jag."
Unlike its contemporary rival, The
Avengers, The Saint was shot entirely on film from the beginning,
whereas the first three series of the other series (broadcast between
1961 and 1964) were videotaped, with minimal location shooting. All
episodes of The Saint were syndicated abroad.
The
black-and-white series were first syndicated in the US by NBC
affiliate stations in 1967 and 1968, and 32 of the 47 colour episodes
were broadcast by NBC from 1968 to 1969, and have since played in
syndication in the US for many years after the '70s sequel Return of
the Saint aired to high ratings on CBS in 1979–80. Most series
are available on DVD in North America.
Two two-part episodes from series 6,
"Vendetta for the Saint" and "The Fiction Makers",
were made into feature films and distributed to theatres in Europe,
and often show up on late-night television in America. They are also
available on DVD.
In the TV series, the Saint lives in
London, though the exact address is never revealed, and he is seen
travelling to locations across London, the UK, and around the world.
The whole series was shot at Associated British Elstree Studios in
Hertfordshire, with very few scenes shot on location elsewhere. This
was achieved by making extensive use of the sets at Elstree, early
blue-screen technology to simulate different locations in the
background, painted or projected backdrops, and revolving painted
backdrops for moving scenes. A few exceptions exist, such as the
extensive location shoot on the island of Malta for "Vendetta
for the Saint". Look-alikes were used for location shoots where
the Saint is seen in the distance entering a well-known building or
driving past the camera at speed.
The black-and-white episodes of The Saint
were made in two production runs, the first, of 39 episodes, was
split into two separate series on transmission, and the second, of 32
episodes, again split into two series on transmission. Series five,
the first to be produced in colour, consisted of a production run of
32 episodes. The second colour production run consisted of 15
episodes, and has a revamped theme. During transmission of series
five, transmission of the episodes caught up with production, meaning
repeats of some of the black-and-white episodes had to be slotted
into the schedule to slow the broadcast of new episodes (this had
little impact on viewers, as the colour episodes were being broadcast
in black and white anyway). This series started transmission halfway
through production, leading to only 26 of the episodes being
screened. The three unscreened episodes plus "The House on
Dragon's Rock", which in some regions was not broadcast because
it was thought unsuitable for children, were then mixed in with
series six for transmission.
In 1978, the series was revived as Return
of the Saint, starring Ian Ogilvy (below) as Templar. Two further
attempts were made to revive The Saint on TV: in 1987, a 46-minute
U.S. TV pilot, "The Saint in Manhattan", was made starring
Australian actor Andrew Clarke, and in 1989, London Weekend
Television in the UK made a series of six film-length episodes
starring Simon Dutton.
Return of the Saint aired for one season
in 1978 and 1979 in Britain on ITV, and was also broadcast on CBS in
the United States. It was co-produced by ITC Entertainment and the
Italian broadcaster RAI and ran for 24 episodes. Return of the Saint
is a revival/updating of Roger Moore's Saint TV series that had
originally aired from 1962 to 1969. The new series starred Ian Ogilvy
as Templar, an independently wealthy, somewhat mysterious
"do-gooder" known as "The Saint". Templar is
shown travelling around Britain and Europe, helping out the people he
encounters, though he is also often summoned by past acquaintances.
The series borrowed a few storytelling
elements from its predecessor. Once again, each episode began with
Simon narrating an introduction to set the scene for viewers, and
each pre-credit sequence ended with an animated halo appearing above
Templar's head as he was identified. The series also made a recurring
reference to the 1930s–40s film series, and the 1940s radio
series that starred Vincent Price as Templar: just before the opening
credits begin, a short musical phrase is heard that is not part of
the theme music for the Return of the Saint, but is the character's
signature theme from film and radio. Other than these cosmetic
touches, there is no continuity implied between the Ogilvy and Moore series.
One
major difference between the two series is that the original was
mostly filmed in British studios and locations (although set around
the world), while many episodes of Return were filmed on location
throughout Europe. The music was written by John Scott and, like the
last colour season of the previous ITC production, incorporated
Leslie Charteris own theme, which had previously been used in films
and on radio. For the French version, Scott's music was replaced with
a theme incorporating vocals (as had happened to previous Saint
composer Edwin Astley with Danger Man), but Charteris' eight-note
theme remained.
Jaguar seized promotional opportunities
with Return of the Saint. A decade and a half before, Jaguar had
turned down the producers of the earlier Saint series when approached
about the E-type; the producers had instead used a Volvo P1800. In
Return of the Saint Simon Templar drives an XJ-S with the number
plate "ST 1". Miniature versions were made by Corgi. The
series was originally conceived as Son of the Saint, with Ogilvy's
character identified as the offspring of Simon Templar. As production
neared, it was decided to drop the relative angle and make the series
about the original character, albeit updated to the late 1970s.
Unlike the earlier series, Return of the
Saint did not adapt any Leslie Charteris stories; however, several
teleplays (such as "The Imprudent Professor" and
"Collision Course") were adapted as novels that were
credited to Charteris but written by others. A number of Saint books
were reprinted with covers depicting Ogilvy as Templar as a tie-in
with the series; these collectable volumes carried the Return of the
Saint title. The adaptation of "Collision Course", retitled
Salvage for the Saint was published in 1983 (several years after the
series ended) and was the 50th and final Saint book to be published
in a series of publications dating back to the 1920s. The two
episodes of "Collision Course" were also edited together to
form the syndicated TV-movie, The Saint and the Brave Goose. Saint
creator Leslie Charteris makes an Alfred Hitchcock-style walk-on
cameo appearance in the "Collision Course" two-parter.
Ogilvy became very popular in Britain and
Europe because of the series and in the early 1980s was considered a
major contender for replacing Moore as James Bond. Ogilvy never got
the role, but did record a series of popular audiobook adaptations of
the Bond novels in the late 1970s and played a Bond-like character
for a 1980s TV commercial.
Broadcasts
of the series on CBS, which lasted into 1980, sparked a revival of
interest in Moore's original series. Robert S. Baker, who developed
and produced the earlier The Saint series for Roger Moore, performed
the same duties with Return of the Saint. Years later, Baker was also
executive producer of the 1997 Saint film starring Val Kilmer as
Templar (right).
The Val Kilmer The Saint also starred
Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija. It was directed by
Phillip Noyce and written by Jonathan Hensleigh and Wesley Strick.
The title character is a high tech thief and master of disguise that
becomes the anti-hero while using the moniker of various saints while
paradoxically living in the underworld of international industrial
theft and espionage. The film was a financial success but critical
response for the film was mixed. The final film bore absolutely no
similarity to the books or either TV series (and indeed carried no
credit for Leslie Charteris). With that in mind, the producers oddly
bought the rights to use the character's name from Robert S. Baker,
who held the rights and had developed and produced both The Saint and
Return of the Saint.
Two further attempts were made to revive
The Saint on television. In 1987, a 46-minute U.S. TV pilot, "The
Saint in Manhattan", was made starring Australian actor Andrew
Clarke. In 1989-190 to six 100-minute TV films, all starring Simon
Dutton as Simon Templar were made for London Weekend Television (LWT)
in the United Kingdom. The TV-films were produced in Australia and
broadcast as part of the syndicated series Mystery Wheel of
Adventure. Titles are: The Saint: The Brazilian Connection, The
Saint: The Blue Dulac, Fear in Fun Park (a.k.a. The Saint in
Australia), The Saint: Wrong Number, The Saint: The Big Bang and The
Saint: The Software Murders.
Roger
Moore never played the role again after 1969, though he is heard
speaking on a car radio during Kilmer's The Saint.
In September 2009, it was announced that
The Saint was to be remade for television by Vancouver-based studio
Brightlight Pictures. Scottish actor Dougray Scott was lined up to
play Simon Templar. However, no series eventuated.
It was later reported James Purefoy would
play The Saint in a remake, production of which was scheduled to
begin in July 2011. This also failed to materialize.
In December 2012, it was announced that
Roger Moore would produce a new series, which would star Adam Rayner
as Simon Templar and Eliza Dushku (pictured left) as his girlfriend
Patricia Holm. In a promotion that was later released, it was also
shown that Moore would star in the new series, as would his successor
in Return of the Saint, Ian Ogilvy.
Production of a pilot episode was
completed by early 2013 and underwent reshoots for the ending and to
add an extra prologue in November 2015. The pilot was never bought as
a series but was retooled as a TV film, getting an online release on
July 12th 2017 after Roger Moore's death.
Previous
to his role as Simon Templar on The Saint Moore played Beau
Maverick, an English-accented cousin of frontier gamblers Bret
Maverick (James Garner), Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly), and Brent
Maverick (Robert Colbert) in the successful ABC/WB Western series
Maverick (1960–1961). Sean Connery was flown over from Britain
to test for the part, but turned it down. Moore appeared as Beau
Maverick in 14 episodes after Garner had left the series at the end
of the previous season. Moore had filmed a Maverick episode with
Garner two seasons earlier in which he played a different character.
In the course of the story, Moore and Garner's characters switched
names on a bet, with Moore consequently identifying himself as
"Bret Maverick" through most of the episode. After The
Saint Moore would star as Lord Brett Sinclair in The Persuaders! from
1971 to 1972 with Tony Curtis. Moore then took over the role of James
Bond from Sean Connery in 1972, making his first appearance as 007 in
Live and Let Die (1973), and went on to portray the spy in six more
films until his retirement from the role in 1985. Appointed a UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador in 1991, Moore was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
in 2003 for "services to charity". In 2007, he received a
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television and in
film. In 2008, the French government appointed Moore a Commander of
the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Moore died in his home in
Switzerland at the age of 89.
As
a result of the strong performance in the United States of the first
two black-and-white series in first-run syndication, NBC picked up
the show as a summer replacement in its evening schedule in 1966. The
programme, therefore, ended its run with both trans-Atlantic
primetime scheduling and colour episodes. It also proved popular
beyond the UK and US, eventually airing in over 60 countries.
The
Saint began as a straightforward mystery series, but over the years
adopted more secret agent- and fantasy-style plots. It also made a
well-publicised switch from black-and-white to colour production
midway through its run. The early episodes are distinguished by Moore
breaking the fourth wall and speaking to the audience in character at
the start of every episode. With the switch to color, this was
replaced by simple narration. Invariably, the precredits sequence
ended with someone referring to (and/or addressing) the Saint by name
– "Simon Templar"; at this point, an animated halo
appeared above Templar's head as the Saint looked at the camera (or
directly at the halo). Some episodes, such as "Iris", broke
away from this formula and had Templar address the audience for the
entire precredits sequence, setting up the story that followed.
The
black-and-white series were first syndicated in the US by NBC
affiliate stations in 1967 and 1968, and 32 of the 47 colour episodes
were broadcast by NBC from 1968 to 1969, and have since played in
syndication in the US for many years after the '70s sequel Return of
the Saint aired to high ratings on CBS in 1979–80. Most series
are available on DVD in North America.
One
major difference between the two series is that the original was
mostly filmed in British studios and locations (although set around
the world), while many episodes of Return were filmed on location
throughout Europe. The music was written by John Scott and, like the
last colour season of the previous ITC production, incorporated
Leslie Charteris own theme, which had previously been used in films
and on radio. For the French version, Scott's music was replaced with
a theme incorporating vocals (as had happened to previous Saint
composer Edwin Astley with Danger Man), but Charteris' eight-note
theme remained.
Roger
Moore never played the role again after 1969, though he is heard
speaking on a car radio during Kilmer's The Saint.
Previous
to his role as Simon Templar on The Saint Moore played Beau
Maverick, an English-accented cousin of frontier gamblers Bret
Maverick (James Garner), Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly), and Brent
Maverick (Robert Colbert) in the successful ABC/WB Western series
Maverick (1960–1961). Sean Connery was flown over from Britain
to test for the part, but turned it down. Moore appeared as Beau
Maverick in 14 episodes after Garner had left the series at the end
of the previous season. Moore had filmed a Maverick episode with
Garner two seasons earlier in which he played a different character.
In the course of the story, Moore and Garner's characters switched
names on a bet, with Moore consequently identifying himself as
"Bret Maverick" through most of the episode. After The
Saint Moore would star as Lord Brett Sinclair in The Persuaders! from
1971 to 1972 with Tony Curtis. Moore then took over the role of James
Bond from Sean Connery in 1972, making his first appearance as 007 in
Live and Let Die (1973), and went on to portray the spy in six more
films until his retirement from the role in 1985. Appointed a UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador in 1991, Moore was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
in 2003 for "services to charity". In 2007, he received a
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television and in
film. In 2008, the French government appointed Moore a Commander of
the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Moore died in his home in
Switzerland at the age of 89.
