The Saint (TV series)
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The Saint was a long-running British action adventure television series, made by ITC Entertainment, that aired on ITV stations between 1962 and 1969, and on American television as a syndicated show (1962-1967) and on NBC (1967-69). Running six seasons, the series rivals The Avengers as one of the longest-running series of its genre produced in Britain, spanning 118 episodes. The series has recently been rebroadcast on ITV4.
Series overview
The Saint starred Roger Moore as Simon Templar, the fictional detective created by Leslie Charteris in the 1920s and featured in many novels and novellas over the years. Moore's portrayal of Templar was considered a training ground for his later work as James Bond, and in fact he was offered the role of 007 at least twice during the run of the series, but had to turn it down both times due to his television commitments. In one early episode of the series, a character actually mistakes Templar for James Bond.
Although Moore had a few recurring costars, most notably Ivor Dean as Templar's nemesis, Inspector Teal, he was the only constant performer for the entire run of the series. This was in keeping with the later format of the Charteris novels wherein the Saint usually worked alone; in early books, however, Templar had a team of compatriots (as well as a regular girlfriend) but these characters do not appear in the series.
In the series, Simon usually drove a Volvo P1800.
The series began as a straightforward mystery series, but over the years adopted more secret agent and fantasy-style plots. It also made a well-publicized switch from black and white to colour production midway through its run. The early episodes are distinguished by having Moore break the fourth wall and speak to the audience (in character as Simon) at the start of every episode; with the switch to colour, this gimmick was replaced by simple narration. Invariably, the pre-credits sequence ended with someone referring to the Saint as "the famous Simon Templar", at which point an animated halo appeared above Templar's head as the actor usually looked at the camera.
Many episodes of the series were based upon Charteris' stories, although a higher percentage of original scripts appeared as the series progressed. Some of the later stories were later novelised and published as part of the ongoing series of The Saint novels, such as The Fiction Makers and The People Importers.
The series has been syndicated for many years, and reruns of the program aired to high ratings on CBS in the late 1970s. The last two colour seasons of the series are available on DVD in North America, with release of the black and white seasons underway. The company releasing The Saint in Region 1, A&E, initially was not planning to release the black and white seasons, but changed its mind due to public demand. A pair of two-part episodes from later seasons, Vendetta for the Saint and The Fiction Makers, were compiled into feature films which were distributed to theatres in Europe and often show up on late-night television in America; they are also available on DVD.
In 1978, the series was revived as Return of the Saint, starring Ian Ogilvy as Templar. Moore never played the role again after 1969, though he can be heard speaking on a car radio during the 1997 film The Saint, starring Val Kilmer as Templar.
Episodes
Season 1 (1962)
| Episode # | Original Air Date (UK) | Episode Title | Guest cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-01 | 4 October1962 | The Talented Husband | Shirley Eaton, Derek Farr, Patricia Roc |
| 1-02 | 11 October1962 | The Latin Touch | Suzan Farmer, Warren Mitchell, Alexander Knox |
| 1-03 | 18 October1962 | The Careful Terrorist | David Kossoff, Peter Dyneley, Alan Gifford, Sally Bazely |
| 1-04 | 25 October1962 | The Covetous Headsman | Barbara Shelley, George Pastell, Esmond Knight, Carole Gray |
| 1-05 | 1 November1962 | The Loaded Tourist | Barbara Bates, Edward Evans, Guy Deghy, Andrew Sachs |
| 1-06 | 8 November1962 | The Pearls of Peace | Erica Rogers |
| 1-07 | 15 November1962 | The Arrow of God | Honor Blackman, Ronald Leigh-Hunt, John Carson, Anthony Dawson |
| 1-08 | 22 November1962 | The Element of Doubt | David Bauer, Alan Gifford, Bill Nagy |
| 1-09 | 29 November1962 | The Effete Angler | Shirley Eaton, George Pravda, Jack Gwillim |
| 1-10 | 6 December1962 | The Golden Journey | Erica Rogers, Paul Whitsun-Jones, Roger Delgado |
| 1-11 | 13 December1962 | The Man who Was Lucky | Eddie Byrne, Delphi Lawrence, Campbell Singer, Harry Towb |
| 1-12 | 20 December1962 | The Charitable Countess | Patricia Donahue, Nigel Davenport, Warren Mitchell |
Season 2 (1963-1964)
Season 3 (1964-1965)
Season 4 (1965)
| Episode # | Original Air Date (UK) | Episode Title | Guest cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-01 | 1 July1965 | The Chequered Flag | Eddie Byrne, Justine Lord, Edward de Souza |
| 4-02 | 8 July1965 | The Abductors | Annette Andre, Robert Urquhart, Dudley Foster, Nicholas Courtney |
| 4-03 | 15 July1965 | The Crooked Ring | Walter Brown |
| 4-04 | 22 July1965 | The Smart Detective | Brian Worth, Fabia Drake |
| 4-05 | 29 July1965 | The Persistent Parasites | Cec Linder, Jan Holden, Donald Hewlett, Annette Carell |
| 4-06 | 5 August1965 | The Man Who Could Not Die | Patrick Allen, Jennie Linden |
| 4-07 | 12 August1965 | The Saint Bids Diamonds | Eunice Gayson, George Murcell, Ed Bishop |
| 4-08 | 19 August1965 | The Spanish Cow | Viviane Ventura, Gary Raymond |
| 4-09 | 26 August1965 | The Old Treasure Story | Jack Hedley, Robert Hutton, Erica Rogers, Jill Curzon |
Season 5 (1966-1967)
Beginning with this season, episodes were produced in color.
| Episode # | Original Air Date (UK) | Episode Title | Guest cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-01 | 30 September1966 | The Queen's Ransom | Dawn Addams, George Pastell, John Woodvine |
| 5-02 | 7 October1966 | Interlude in Venice | Lois Maxwell, William Sylvester, Patrick Troughton |
| 5-03 | 14 October1966 | The Russian Prisoner | Joseph Furst, Penelope Horner, Guy Deghy, Yootha Joyce, Godfrey Quigley |
| 5-04 | 21 October1966 | The Reluctant Revolution | Jennie Linden, Barry Morse, Martin Benson |
| 5-05 | 28 October1966 | The Helpful Pirate | Paul Maxwell, Vladek Sheybal, Anneke Wills |
| 5-06 | 4 November1966 | The Convenient Monster | Suzan Farmer, Laurence Payne, Fulton Mackay, Caroline Blakiston |
| 5-07 | 11 November1966 | The Angel's Eye | Jane Merrow, T.P. McKenna, Donald Pickering, Terence Rigby, Cyril Shaps |
| 5-08 | 18 November1966 | The Man Who Liked Lions | Peter Wyngarde, Suzanne Lloyd, Ed Bishop |
| 5-09 | 25 November1966 | The Better Mouse Trap | Alexandra Stewart, Ronnie Barker, Lisa Daniely, Pauline Collins |
| 5-10 | 2 December1966 | Little Girl Lost | June Ritchie, Noel Purcell |
| 5-11 | 9 December1966 | Paper Chase | Penelope Horner, Niall McGinnis, Jack Gwillim, Norma West, Carl Duering |
| 5-12 | 16 December1966 | Locate and Destroy | John Barrie, Francesca Annis, Victor Beaumont, Roger Delgado |
| 5-13 | 23 December1966 | Flight Plan | William Gaunt, Fiona Lewis, Imogen Hassall, Ferdy Mayne |
| 5-14 | 30 December1966 | Escape Route | John Gregson, Donald Sutherland, Wanda Ventham, Jean Marsh |
| 5-15 | 6 January1967 | The Persistent Patriots | Edward Woodward, Jan Waters, Judy Parfitt, Tenniel Evans |
| 5-16 | 13 January1967 | The Fast Women | Jan Holden, Kate O'Mara, John Carson |
| 5-17 | 20 January1967 | The Death Game | Angela Douglas, George Murcell, Bernard Horsfall |
| 5-18 | 27 January1967 | The Art Collectors | Ann Bell, Peter Bowles, Nadja Regin, Geoffrey Bayldon |
| 5-19 | 24 February1967 | To Kill a Saint | Peter Dyneley, Annette Andre, Francis Matthews, Robert Gillespie, Valerie Leon |
| 5-20 | 3 March1967 | The Counterfeit Countess | Kate O'Mara, Philip Madoc, Alexandra Bastedo |
| 5-21 | 24 March1967 | Simon and Delilah | Ronald Radd, Lois Maxwell, Suzanne Lloyd, Leon Greene |
| 5-22 | 7 April1967 | Island of Chance | Sue Lloyd, David Bauer, Alex Scott |
| 5-23 | 21 April1967 | The Gadget Lovers | Mary Peach, Glynn Edwards, Burt Kwouk, John Bennett, Vernon Dobtcheff |
| 5-24 | 5 May1967 | A Double in Diamonds | Cecil Parker, Anton Rodgers, Ferdy Mayne, Yolande Turner, Ilona Rodgers |
| 5-25 | 19 May1967 | The Power Artists | Pauline Munro, George Murcell |
| 5-26 | 2 June1967 | When Spring is Sprung | Toby Robins, Ann Lynn, Allan Cuthbertson, Gary Watson, Bryan Mosley, George Pastell |
Season 6 (1968-1969)
| Episode # | Original Air Date (UK) | Episode Title | Guest cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-01 | 22 September1968 | The Gadic Collection | Georgia Brown, Peter Wyngarde, Michael Ripper, Paul Darrow, Martin Benson |
| 6-02 | 29 September1968 | The Best Laid Schemes | Sylvia Syms, Paul Daneman, Gabrielle Drake, Fulton Mackay, John Ringham |
| 6-03 | 6 October1968 | Invitation to Danger | Shirley Eaton, Robert Hutton, Julian Glover, Bryan Marshall |
| 6-04 | 13 October1968 | Legacy for the Saint | Reginald Marsh, Alan MacNaughton, Stephanie Beacham, T.P. McKenna, Bruce Boa, Edward Brayshaw, Sheila Keith |
| 6-05 | 20 October1968 | The Desperate Diplomat | Suzan Farmer, Robert Hardy |
| 6-06 | 27 October1968 | The Organization Man | Tony Britton, Caroline Mortimer, Tony Caunter, Simon Lack |
| 6-07 | 3 November1968 | The Double Take | Gregoire Aslan, Kate O'Mara, Denise Buckley, Michael Mellinger |
| 6-08 | 10 November1968 | The Time to Die | Suzanne Lloyd, Maurice Good, Terence Rigby, Linda Marlowe |
| 6-09 | 17 November1968 | The Master Plan | John Turner, Lyn Ashley, Burt Kwouk, Christopher Benjamin |
| 6-10 | 24 November1968 | The House on Dragon's Rock | Anthony Bate, Annette Andre, Mervyn Johns, Talfryn Thomas, Glyn Houston |
| 6-11 | 1 December1968 | The Scales of Justice | Andrew Keir, Jean Marsh, John Barron |
| 6-12 | 8 December1968 | The Fiction Makers Part I | Sylvia Syms, Kenneth J. Warren, Justine Lord, Philip Locke |
| 6-13 | 15 December1968 | The Fiction Makers Part II | Sylvia Syms, Kenneth J. Warren, Justine Lord, Philip Locke |
| 6-14 | 22 December1968 | The People Importers | Neil Hallett, Susan Travers, Imogen Hassall |
| 6-15 | 29 December1968 | Where the Money Is | Kenneth J. Warren, Sandor Eles, John Savident |
| 6-16 | 5 January1969 | Vendetta for the Saint Part I | Ian Hendry, Rosemary Dexter, Aimi Macdonald, Finlay Currie, Fulton Mackay, George Pastell |
| 6-17 | 12 January1969 | Vendetta for the Saint Part II | Ian Hendry, Rosemary Dexter, Aimi Macdonald,Finlay Currie, Fulton Mackay, George Pastell |
| 6-18 | 19 January1969 | The Ex-King of Diamonds | Ronald Radd, Isla Blair, Stuart Damon, Paul Stassino, Willoughby Goddard |
| 6-19 | 26 January1969 | The Man who Gambled with Life | Clifford Evans, Veronica Carlson, Jayne Sofiano, Steven Berkoff |
| 6-20 | 2 February1969 | Portrait of Brenda | Anna Carteret, Marne Maitland, David Prowse |
| 6-21 | 9 February1969 | The World Beater | Patricia Haines, John Ronane, George A. Cooper |
See also
External links
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