Web Page No 2614

7^th September 2019

1st Picture. The Saint Logo

 2nd Picture. The Saint and ST1

3rd Picture. Typical Saint pose

.

4th Picture. Sir Roger Moore

The Saint

We must all remember The Saint the mystery spy thriller television series that aired on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It was based on the character Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in the 1920s and featured in many novels over the years. He was played by Roger Moore. Templar helps those whom conventional agencies are powerless or unwilling to protect, often using methods that skirt the law. Chief Inspector Claud Eustace Teal is his nominal boss who considers Templar a common criminal, but often grudgingly tolerates his actions for the greater good.

The programme proved popular beyond the UK and US, eventually airing in over 60 countries, and made a profit in excess of £350m. 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 and was delighted to be able to play the part. He eventually became co-owner of the show and most of the wardrobe he wore.

He was 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 but accepted the Bond role after The Saint ended its run.

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. With the switch to colour, the opening sequence usually ended with someone referring to the Saint by name – "Simon Templar"; at this point, a halo appeared above his head as the Saint looked at the camera or directly at the halo.

The Saint's car Templar's car 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. Volvo was pleased to supply their recently introduced car in 1962 for its promotional value, after Jaguar Cars had rejected a request from the producers to provide an E-type.

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. A few exceptions exist, such as the location shoot on Malta for "Vendetta for the Saint".

The Saint and its books have a fan club created originally by Leslie Charteris for the fans of the series. The club then fell under the control of the chairmen, Sir Roger Moore and Ian Ogilvy.

In 1978, the series was revived as Return of the Saint, starring Ian Ogilvy as Simon Templar.

Two further attempts were made to revive The Saint on television. In 1987, a 46-minute U.S. TV pilot, starring Australian actor Andrew Clarke; and in 1989, London Weekend Television made a series of six film-length episodes starring Simon Dutton.

Roger Moore never played the role again after 1969, though he is heard speaking on a car radio during the 1997 film The Saint, starring Val Kilmer as Templar.

In September 2009, it was announced that The Saint was to be remade for television by Vancouver-based studio Scottish actor Dougray Scott was lined up to play Simon Templar but the series never happened.

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 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. However, the piece underwent reshoots for the ending and add an extra prologue in November 2015, and the pilot episode was retooled as a TV film, The Saint, getting an online release on 12 July 2017, two months after Roger Moore's death.

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Peter

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News and Views:

On this day 7th September 1960-65:

On 08/08/1960 the number one single was Shakin' All Over - Johnny Kidd & the Pirates and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Rawhide (ITV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth 13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

 On 08/08/1961 the number one single was Well I Ask You - Eden Kane and the number one album was Black & White Minstrel Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. The top rated TV show was Top Secret (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth 13.25 and Ipswich were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

 On 08/08/1962 the number one single was I Remember You - Frank Ifield and the number one album was West Side Story Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth 12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

 On 08/08/1963 the number one single was Sweets For My Sweet - Searchers and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth 12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Derby doping riddle.

On 08/08/1964 the number one single was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth 12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

 On 08/08/1965 the number one single was Help - The Beatles and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Riviera Police (AR) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth 11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.