The Saint's Blog devoted to news and rumors about The Saint and Leslie Charteris. Simon Templar, alias The Saint, was played by Roger Moore in the 1960's TV show featuring the Volvo 1800.
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Burl Barer's wonderful addition to the Saint saga, Capture The Saint, is now available in e-book format for Amazon's Kindle!
The price is just $1.99 and all Kindle Books include wireless delivery - you'll be reading Capture The Saint on your Kindle within a minute of placing your order.
Capture The Saint, is the first all new Saint novel approved by the Estate of Leslie Charteris, and finds the famous Simon Templar encountering beautiful women and dangerous criminals in the Emerald City of Seattle, Washington. Written by Burl Barer, Edgar Award winning author of The Saint: A Complete History, and The Saint: A Novel; Capture The Saint has been described as "Fast, Funny and blissfully faithful" by Dick Lochte of the Los Angeles Times and "Wonderful entertainment" by the Washington Post.
Sir Roger George Moore KBE was born October 14, 1927 in Stockwell, London (sometimes referred to by Moore in interviews as Saint Ockwell). Roger is the only child of George Moore, a policeman, and Lillian "Lily" (née Pope), a housewife.
Roger Moore played Simon Templar in 118 episodes of The Saint TV series from 1961–1969.
A defining moment in the career of the film producer Robert S Baker, who has died aged 93, was the day he met Leslie Charteris, the author of a series of novels featuring the gentleman thief Simon Templar, alias the Saint. It was 1961 and Baker, in conjuction with the producer Monty Berman, had already made dozens of British B-movies of varying quality, including several films in the Hammer horror tradition, the most commercially successful being Jack the Ripper (1959), which the pair also directed.
Charteris had been seeking a tele-vision deal for the Saint for some time, but nobody had managed to persuade him that they would do the stories justice. As Baker acknowledged: "He protected the Saint like a bulldog – and many offers had fallen flat on their face." But thanks to a recommendation from John Paddy Carstairs, who had struck up a friendship with Charteris when he directed The Saint in London (1939) for RKO Pictures, the writer agreed in principle to give Baker and Berman the rights for a series.
The deal was clinched after Lew Grade of Associated Television agreed to allow a healthy budget of £30,000 an episode and to shoot the series on film rather than the cheaper teleciné, which would make it easier to sell to the US. In fact the series was eventually sold to 63 countries and reaped a profit in excess of £350m.
For the lead role, Grade suggested Patrick McGoohan, who had been a great success as the secret agent John Drake in Danger Man (1960-61). But Baker and Berman felt McGoohan lacked the lightness of touch that the character of Templar needed, and opted for 34-year-old Roger Moore, who had taken the title roles in the TV series Ivanhoe (1958-59) and Maverick (1959-61).
Moore starred in 118 episodes of The Saint (1962-69). Return of the Saint (1978-79) revived the suave and witty character, this time embodied by Ian Ogilvy, and was reprised in a few different guises over the years, with Baker profiting from holding the rights.
Baker was born in London and became interested in photography from an early age, winning several competitions. When the second world war broke out, he joined the Royal Artillery in north Africa during the El Alamein campaign. He then got himself transferred to the Army Film and Photographic Unit, becoming a combat cameraman in Italy, Belgium and Germany. During that time he met Berman, who was also filming battles.
After the war, the pair set up Tempean Films, their first production being A Date with a Dream (1948), a modest comedy about a wartime concert party's reunion. It starred Terry-Thomas and Jeannie Carson, with Norman Wisdom making his screen debut in a small role.
The company was soon turning out second features at a rate of about four a year to fill up programmes during the 1950s, most of them directed briskly by John Gilling or Henry Cass, and starring what seemed like a Who's Who of washed-up American actors, including Forrest Tucker, Mark Stevens, Alex Nicol, Scott Brady, Arthur Kennedy, Rory Calhoun, Rod Cameron, Dale Robertson and Larry Parks.
Then, from 1958, the duo moved into slightly more mainstream territory with Sea of Sand, a familiar north African war adventure, directed by Guy Green and starring Richard Attenborough; The Siege of Sidney Street (1960), which vividly recreated the London of 1911; and The Treasure of Monte Cristo (1961). The latter two were directed by Baker and Berman, along with the period swashbuckling adventure The Hellfire Club (1961), which was written by Jimmy Sangster and featured Peter Cushing, both regular Hammer habitués.
In fact, Baker and Berman, inspired by the success of Hammer, made their own gothic horror movies. However, these were released in two versions, one for the UK and US markets with their strict censorship and ratings systems, and another for the more liberal, continental European and Japanese markets, where audiences enjoyed extra blood and sex.
They had that aplenty in Blood of the Vampire (1958), with Donald Wolfit hamming it up as Dr Callistratus, who has returned to life to run a lunatic asylum after being executed, and Jack the Ripper, both films written by Sangster. The poverty and filth of 19th-century Edinburgh is well evoked in the atmospheric The Flesh and The Fiends (1960), with Cushing as Doctor Knox, and Donald Pleasence and George Rose as the grave-robbers Burke and Hare. After Gideon's Way (1964-66), a workmanlike police drama series based on the John Creasy books, with John Gregson as the Scotland Yard detective, Berman branched off to produce and write several of his own television series.
Baker and Moore then formed Bamore, a company that produced The Persuaders (1971-72), starring Moore and Tony Curtis as wealthy playboy adventurers, and the film Crossplot (1969), a swingin' London thriller with Moore finding himself in a psychedelic disco, a vintage car race and a helicopter chase. Baker and Moore had a long association, with the actor describing his friend as "one of the kindest men I have ever had the privilege of working with".
Officially released March 4, 2009, Editions Montparnasse have collected together eight of the RKO films in a very nice Region-2 DVD set:
DVD 1
Le Saint à New York (The Saint in New York). Un film de Ben Holmes with Louis Hayward (1938)
Le Saint contre-attaque (The Saint strikes back). Un film de John Farrow with George Sanders (1939)
DVD2
Le Saint à Londres (The Saint in London). Un film de John Paddy Carstairs with George Sanders (1939)
Simon Templar face au Saint (The Saint’s double trouble). Un film de Jack Hively with George Sanders (1940)
DVD3
Le Saint reprend du service (The Saint takes over). Un film de Jack Hively with George Sanders (1940)
Le Saint à Palm Springs (The Saint in Palm Springs). Un film de Jack Hively with George Sanders (1941)
DVD4
Pas de vacances pour le Saint (The Saint’s vacation). Un film de Leslie Fenton with Hugh Sinclair (1941)
Le Saint face au tigre (The Saint meets the tiger). Un film de Paul L. Stein with Hugh Sinclair (1943)
Extras include a 5-min TV interview in French with Leslie Charteris, and a 20-page booklet, Le Robin des Bois des temps modernes, by noted Saint expert Jean-Marc Lofficier.
The Best of The Saint by Leslie Charteris is now available for order from Amazon! This two-volume tome will be released on December 11, 2008.
It's been 80 years since the adventures of Simon Templar first debuted in print and Hodder & Stoughton are celebrating this anniversary by publishing two anthologies of the best of the Saint's adventures.
Volume 1 is introduced by Ken Follett; this sparkling collection of the very best of the earlier stories:
The Man Who Was Clever
The Policeman with Wings
The Lawless Lady
The Inland Revenue
The Charitable Countess
The Star Producers
The Art of Alibi
The Simon Templar Foundation
The High Fence
The Ellusive Ellshaw
The Miracle Tea Party
The Affair of Hogsbotham
Sir Roger Moore, star of the Sixties TV series, introduces Volume 2 -- a collection of post-war stories of the following Saint adventures:
One of the most recognizable big-screen stars of the past half-century, Sir Roger Moore played the role of James Bond longer than any other actor. Beginning with the classic Live and Let Die, running through Moonraker and A View to a Kill, Moore brought his finely honed wit and wry charm to one of Hollywood's most beloved and long-lasting characters. Still, James Bond was only one in a lifetime of roles stretching back to Hollywood's studio era, and encompassing stardom in theater and television on both sides of the Atlantic. From The Saint to Maverick, Warner Brothers to MGM, Hollywood to London to extreme locations the world over, Roger Moore's story is one of the last of the classic Hollywood lives as yet untold.
Until now. From the dying days of the studio system and the birth of television, to the quips of Noël Coward and David Niven, to the bedroom scenes and outtakes from the Bond movies, Moore has seen and heard it all. Nothing is left out—especially the naughty bits. The "special effects" by which James Bond unzipped a dress with a magnet; the spectacular risks in The Spy Who Loved Me's opening scene; and Moore's preparation for facing down villains (he would imagine they all have halitosis): the stories in My Word is My Bond are priceless.
Throughout his career, Moore hobnobbed with the glamorous and powerful, counting Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Seymour, and Cary Grant among his contemporaries and friends. Included are stories of a foul-mouthed Milton Berle, a surly Richard Burton, and a kindhearted Richard Kiel, infamous as Bond enemy Jaws.
As much as it is Moore's own exceptional story, My Word is My Bond is a treasure trove of Hollywood history.
My Word Is My Bond: A Memoir is available in all these versions:
Here's some truly disappointing news to start off the week. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Barry Levinson-directed revival of The Saint, which was set to star the perfectly-cast James Purefoy as Simon Templar, "didn't go forward." Apparently Purefoy is instead opting to star in a different show with a very similar premise, The Philanthropist. (It really could have been an ITC title in the late Sixties; I'm surprised they didn't think of it!) Says the trade, "Philanthropist centers on a renegade billionaire (Purefoy) who uses his wealth, connections and power to help people in need no matter the risks or costs." That's pretty much what Simon Templar does, the only real difference being that his wealth is ill-gained. The Reporter ends its report on The Philanthropist with this brief statement on The Saint: "Earlier this year, CAA-repped Purefoy was attached to The Saint, an independently produced two-hour backdoor pilot with Levinson on board to direct, but the project didn't go forward."
"Didn't go forward?" So what does that mean? Is the project dead? Will it still go forward in the future, but with another star? All LeslieCharteris.com (the premier site for Saintly information) can add at this point is that shooting on the pilot has been delayed until "at least August" because of a possible actors' strike. (Such a strike seems very unlikely at this point.)
Muddying the waters further is how incestuous this whole Saint/Purefoy/Philanthropist triangle really is. The original producers on The Philanthropist were Levinson and Tom Fontana, both of whom were also on The Saint! They've now been replaced, however, by Battlestar Gallactica and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys producer David Eick. So were Levinson and Fontana really developing such similar projects simultaneously? Or did The Saint somehow morph into The Philanthropist? That seems an unlikely scenario, given that the trade states The Philanthropist got a 13-episode order from NBC nearly a year ago. More likely, the shows aren't really as similar as they sound in loglines.
Whatever the tangled web behind the scenes, this story saddens me. As I was just saying earlier this month, I was really looking forward to this newest incarnation of The Saint--and primarily because of Purefoy's involvement. I hope that the matter is not yet said and done, and that we still might somehow see a James Purefoy Saint series sooner or later.
James Purefoy circles NBC series Network execs had been courting 'Rome' star By Nellie Andreeva July 21, 2008, 01:00 AM ET
NBC is closing in on its "Philanthropist," with Brit James Purefoy in negotiations to play the lead in the midseason drama series.
"Philanthropist," from UMS, centers on a renegade billionaire (Purefoy) who uses his wealth, connections and power to help people in need no matter the risks or costs.
NBC brass had courted Purefoy for some time, including flying the "Rome" star from the U.K. to Los Angeles for a meeting.
The casting of the lead comes nearly a year after NBC gave the project a 13-episode series order and three months after the network put it on its 2008-09 schedule.
It also follows the recent change at the helm of "Philanthropist," with David Eick taking over following the departure of original writer/executive producer Tom Fontana and exec producer Barry Levinson.
Peter Horton is set to direct the pilot for the series, which is slated to premiere in the Monday 10 p.m. slot in midseason.
Earlier this year, Purefoy, repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, was attached to "The Saint," an independently produced two-hour backdoor pilot with Levinson on board to direct, but the project didn't go forward.
Filming in Detroit on the $10 million television pilot “The Saint” has been delayed until at least August because of a possible actors strike, the show’s producer said.
“We’re just now awaiting some word on the disposition of the Screen Actors Guild negotiations and then will proceed most likely in mid or late August,” Bill Macdonald, senior producer at Saint Productions Inc. said in an e-mail to Crain’s Detroit Business.
The two-hour television pilot, a remake of a 1960s British mystery-spy thriller television series, was supposed to film in Detroit in May and June.
Talks between Hollywood studios and television networks and the 120,000-member Screen Actors Guild broke off Monday, hours before the union’s deal expired with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. The dispute centers on new media and DVD payments for actors. No strike vote has been taken.
The pilot, originally meant for the TNT network, is being independently produced and shopped around.
Filming was earmarked for Detroit to take advantage of the state’s new 42 percent rebate, which pays back 42 cents on every dollar spent in the state on approved productions.
Darryn Welch, CEO and producer of Berlin-based production and financing company Instinctive Film, which is also involved in “The Saint” pilot, declined comment. A call to Nehst Studios in New York City, another production and film finance company, was not returned.
Grace & Wild HD Studios in Farmington Hills was bidding against Hollywood on the film processing work for pilot. Such work typically costs $120,000 to $150,000, Ginny Hart, vice president of sales at Grace & Wild, previously told Crain’s. The studio has the state’s only film lab.
Hart couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday. It’s unclear if the studio won the film processing job.
“James Bond” actor Roger Moore played the lead character, Simon Templar, in the 1960s British television series and is among the producers involved in the remake. A 1997 feature film of the same name starred Val Kilmer.
The new proposed series is set to star British actor James Purefoy, probably best known for his role as Mark Antony in HBO’s “Rome.”
Macdonald and writer Jorge Zamacona aligned with Moore and his son, Geoffrey, in 2004 to form Templar Entertainment Group, aimed at getting a new “Saint” series on television, according to the Web site and blog www.saint.org, which is devoted to the show, movies and novels by “Saint” creator Leslie Charteris.
Lots of comments and thoughts are coming in on the recent posting with details of the plot synopsis of the upcoming James Purefoy TV show of The Saint. Let us all know what you think! Speak Up!
It's really a homicidal saintly reunion. Jay Tobias is production manager on The Saint. His resume includes stints as director on Homicide: Life on the Street, first assistant director on Spenser: For Hire, first assistant director on Law & Order SVU and location manager on Porkys II. Ah well, we all have to start somewhere...
Irene Burns is post-production manager on The Saint. Her resume includes stints as post production supervisor on Oz and a long stint in the same role on Homicide: Life on the Street.
Jim Finnerty is line producer on The Saint. He was coexecutive producer and unit production manager on Homicide: Life on the Street.
And don't forget three of the principal producers, Jorge Zamacona, Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana also worked on Homicide.
So Leslie Charteris' 100th birthday came and went without too much fanfare. Now, on the occasion of Ian Fleming's 100th birthday, in an attempt to bring James Bond back to his roots, The Fleming Estate has commissioned Devil May Care, a new 007 adventure by literary novelist Sebastian Faulks "writing as Ian Fleming."
This new James Bond novel was published on Wednesday, the 100th anniversary of the birth of his creator, Ian Fleming, and as befits the British fictional superspy, the plot was kept top secret -- although its publisher said it is a return to the original Bond, after so many adaptations of the character on film.
"Devil May Care" was penned by the award-winning British novelist Sebastian Faulks at the request of the late author's family.
"The new novel is in the spirit of the original and very funny," said Faulks, whose favorite screen Bond was Sean Connery.
Faulks reportedly read many of the early Fleming novels in order to capture the spirit of James Bond, and write in the same manner and style as the original books. Early reports are that he has done just that, and we hope that the same treatment is given to The Saint!
Devil May Care is available in all these versions:
The official website of Leslie Charteris (www.lesliecharteris.com) tells us that The Saint was represented at Cannes recently by Arsenal Pictures -- who had some rather nice teaser artwork and the following synopsis to promote the upcoming TV show starring James Purefoy:
Simon Templar is part of a secret organization known as 'Knights of the Templar'. He's responsible for enforcing the group's code of ethics against the criminal underground of the world. Those familiar with 'Knights' know Simon Templar by one name: The Saint. His current assignment has him in Montenegro, rescuing captive children from being sold on the black market. When the operation is finished, Templar discovers that one of the children is missing. An orphan once himself, he vows to rescue the lost boy, no matter what the cost. Waiting for him in Paris is Patricia Holm, an intelligence specialist and Templar's lover. She has information that a crooked businessman named Carger is responsible for the children's abductions; however, the Knights learn that Carger is now into much bigger things. The Saint is ordered to find Carger and steal a treasured relic that, if made public, could ignite a spectacular holy war. When he discovers Carger has also been keeping the missing orphan as his own son, Templar must decide between his own personal convictions and his duties as The Saint.
We are very hopeful that The Saint will be available on Amazon Unboxed, iTunes, and other various online viewing services. In April, Media Guardian reported that ITV plans "to make a range of classic programmes" available through iTunes at prices from £1.89 per episode, and scheduled for later this year is The Saint. Presumably the Roger Moore version, but we'll see.
In the meantime, we can still watch Sherlock Holmes!
Well, we thought that headline would get your attention. Okay, so the real point of this story is that James Purefoy was at the Sex in the City movie premiere looking very much like Simon Templar in a tuxedo. Does he look like The Saint now?
"Sex and the City," the movie, premiered in London Monday night, May 14th, it opens in America on May 30.
James Purefoy will play The Saint in a new TV pilot that is in the works for 2008.
The Saint, starring Simon Dutton is finally coming to DVD. The 1989 Saint series has never been available on DVD before, and Unbrella will be publishing all six episodes in Region 2 format.
THE SAINT - WITH SIMON DUTTON 1989 TV 566 Mins - TBC RRP: AUS $39.99
Suave, chivalrous & Utterly Heroic!
In 1989 the cult British spy series, The Saint, was again welcomed back to TV in six feature-length episodes staring Simon Dutton as Simon Templar-aka The Saint. In a role immortalised by Roger Moore in the 60s, Dutton plays the suave, debonair super sleuth who is adored by women, feared by his adversaries and remains a constant thorn in the side of police forces everywhere.
An Australian/British co-production from 1989, this was the final remake of the cult British spy series originally starring Roger Moore - Ian Ogilvy starred in the 70s vehicle, The Return of the Saint. The entire series on 3 Discs - six, 2 hour movie versions of the hugely popular British TV series
Well, we've recently found out where The Saint's Jaguar XJ-S from The Return of the Saint ended up. Now this begs the question, where is The Saint's BMW motorcycle, ST2?
Ian Ogilvy, who played Simon Templar in The Return of The Saint, was responsible for this addition to The Saint's collection of vehicles. Ogilvy http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifowned his first motorcycle at the age of sixteen, and has been a avid enthusiast ever since. Ogilvy was quoted in 1978 as saying, "It was my idea that Simon Templar should have a motorcycle as well as a car. After all, there are times when it can be more useful for him than a car. And with with all the appeals for people to cut down on petrol consumption, it's now completely acceptable."
Well, Ogilvy was quite pleased when Executive Producer Robert S. Baker agreed and delivered the newest and fastest 1,000cc BMW available.
So, what happened to the BMW? We think it was a model year 1977 BMW R100RS painted in Silver Blue Code 530. Perhaps Ogilvy ended up with it, as the word is that one of the reasons he suggested a motorcycle is that he had just recently sold his own and needed a new one!
We have an update on the actual XJ-S that Jaguar supplied to the Return of the Saint television series. It is alive and well, and roaming the British countryside.
Here are a few more notes from the current owner:
No, the car is not for sale at this time. He has thought about it from time to time, and at this point wants to keep it.
The car was featured in Classic Cars magazine sometime around 2003/2004, with photos taken outside The Saint's house in Eaton Mews.
The car has not been shown in public for a long time, and there are some plans shaping up for a few UK car shows in 2008.
The car is owned by a private individual, so make the most of any public showings.
The condition is mechanically sound, with the full restoration still in process. The car needs a bit more daily driving to identify any flaws in the drive-train.
It will be repainted at some point to get a better finish on it -- the car wants stripping to bare metal and repainting.
The interior is in excellent condition and will be kept original.
The Saint's Jaguar is quicker than most old XJS's and hit 133mph on a private track recently with more to offer. It handles well and doesn't roll as much as normal XJS's.
It has a little Saint stickman on the bonnet that obviously wasn't in the series. People do stop and ask about the car.
The car came with a big info folder with pics/receipts for work done etc and a certificate from Jaguar confirming it was the main car used.
Check out The Saint's Jaguar page for further updated information and some new pictures from 2008.
Burl Barer's wonderful addition to the Saint saga, Capture The Saint, is now available in e-book format for Amazon's Kindle!
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