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.
Please e-mail any current news and rumors about The Saint to:
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".
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:
"The Saint" is marching back to television via a contemporary take on the Leslie Charteris' books, with James Purefoy in talks to topline as the debonair international thief Simon Templar.
Producers Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana, writer Jorge Zamacona, feature producer Bill Macdonald, Roger Moore -- who played Templar in the 1960s British series -- and his son Geoffrey Moore are all involved in the project.
Levinson is set to direct the two-hour TV movie/backdoor pilot, which will be produced independently and then shopped to the networks.The project is backed by Nehst Studios, a financing, production and distribution company that recently partnered with Lexicon Filmed Entertainment to share $250 million from private-equity sources to finance features, TV series and Web series.
Macdonald has been associated with "Saint" on and off for 17 years. In 1991, he acquired the rights to the books for producer Robert Evans. The two went on to produce the 1997 feature starring Val Kilmer as the dapper adventurer.
In 2004, Macdonald teamed with Zamacona and Roger and Geoffrey Moore to bring the "Saint" franchise to television. The four formed Templar Entertainment Group, through which they acquired the TV rights to Charteris' novels.The new "Saint" series was created by Zamacona, who penned the pilot script, and Macdonald.
The project was originally set up at TNT, which announced it as part of its 2007 development slate last March.TNT later passed on it, and the rights reverted to the producers. Macdonald and Zamacona might have gone the traditional route -- trying to find a new network home for the show -- if it hadn't been for the writers strike.With development activity in Hollywood screeching to a halt and Macdonald and Zamacona joining the picket lines, the producers began to mull producing the pilot and the potential series independently and seeking a network partner later.
They were well into raising financing for the project when the strike ended. "The strike changed our strategy because no one knew how long it was going to be, but producing the project independently gives us a lot more creative freedom," Macdonald said.During the strike, Zamacona approached Levinson and Fontana, who had given him his first writing job on "Homicide: Life on the Street." The two came on board to executive produce "Saint" with Macdonald, Zamacona and Geoffrey Moore, and Levinson agreed to direct.
"One of the things we lost a little bit of in the movie but want to bring to the TV series is that Simon Templar is very funny character with great lines and situation humor, and I don't think there is anybody better than Levinson to tackle that," Macdonald said.
The producers then went after Purefoy, who recently starred on the HBO/BBC series "Rome," which was co-created and executive produced by Macdonald.Casting is under way for the other key parts in the pilot: Inspector Claud Eustace Teal, the Interpol agent in charge of tracking Templar; Templar's romantic interest/assistant, Patricia Holm; and his enemy-turned-partner in crime, Baldwin Aleppo.
Filming on the two-hour telefilm, whose script was reworked after the strike, is expected to begin in April in Budapest, Hungary, New York and Puerto Rico.The project is funded for seasons to come, Nehst founder and chairman Larry Meistrich said.
"We are committed to financing the pilot and deficiting the potential series," he said.Added CEO Ari Friedman, "I think it's a really good time for a project like this, and we are confident we can find a home for it."The two-hour movie/backdoor pilot model was used successfully to launch an updated version of another classic action-adventure series, "Knight Rider," which is expected to be picked up to series by NBC after the movie scored big ratings last month."Saint" was packaged by CAA. Levinson is repped by ICM.
Roger Moore starred on, produced and directed several episodes of the original British "Saint," which ran on ITV from 1962-69 and in syndication in the U.S. from 1963-66 and as a summer series on NBC from 1967-69.
In the past 10 years, there have been two attempts by broadcast networks to remake the series. In 2000, UPN teamed with director John McTiernan and ATG, while ABC took a stab at the franchise in 2004 with writer Stephen Nathan and "American Idol" producer FremantleMedia North America, which owned the rights at the time.
Members of The Saint Club recently recieved the annual Saint Club Christmas Letter from Ian Dickerson with some news about a couple forthcoming publications:
Hodder & Stoughton will be publishing two Saint anthologies in the Autumn of 2008. Unoriginally entitled The Best of the Saint (volumes 1 and 2) they'll feature a selection of stories from across the Saint's career (including one which has never appeared in an English paperback before); each volume will also have an introduction from a notable Saint (or Saint fan) plus some additional material by me. Current plans are for each book to have a yellow jacket cover, along the lines of the old H&S style.
Next year will also see the publication of the definitive history of the Saint's television adventures. Currently and unoriginally entitled The Saint on TV, it's written by me (Ian Dickerson) and if you thought the story of the Saint on TV started with Roger Moore, well this book will show you otherwise. It starts in 1940s Hollywood and this book follows the Saint on TV right up to the present day and the new show in development.
Amongst other things it provides a unique episode guide to all three Saint TV series detailing plots, cast, crew, filming locations and critical reaction. It also comprehensively details what many of the cast and crew have been up to since they met the Saint. And perhaps of more interest to you lot, tells the full story behind The Saint in Manhattan and The Saint (with Simon Dutton) using exclusive interviews with many of the cast and crew involved on the productions to analyse what went wrong.
There's loads more in it but I'm not spilling all my beans here. If you want to know more about it, or the two reprints, keep checking www.lesliecharteris.com because that's where the latest news will be.
Sir Roger Moore was honored with a star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame" last Thursday, October 11th, just three days ahead of his 80th birthday.
Roger Moore was present at a morning ceremony which saw the 2,350th star unveiled on Hollywood Boulevard. Moore's star is aptly located at 7007 Hollywood Blvd. The honor was for his work in such movies as the James Bond series from 1973 and 1985. Roger is the third Bond to be so honored, joining Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan on the prestigious walk.
Sir Roger George Moore, KBE (born 14 October 1927) is an English actor known for his suave and witty demeanour. He may be best known for portraying two British action heroes, Simon Templar in the television series The Saint from 1962 to 1969, and James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He has been a UNICEF ambassador since 1991.
Happy 80th Birthday Roger, and congratulations on the star!
We're sorry to hear that Lois Maxwell passed away in Australia on Saturday from cancer.
Lois Maxwell was probably best known to the world from her role as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond films, but that was probably the smallest part she ever played. Saint fans might also remember that she guest-starred with Roger Moore in the October 7, 1966 episode of The Saint, entitled, Interlude in Venice.
Bond star Sir Roger Moore, who had known her for more than 60 years, spoke to the BBC about his friend and co-star:
I'd known Lois from the beginning of my acting career, we were both drama students at Rada in 1944 and 1945.
We first played opposite each other in Pride and Prejudice. I was Darcy, she was Elizabeth. She was a very fine actress with a great sense of humour.
I think it was a great disappointment to her that she had not been promoted to play M. She would have been a wonderful M.
Lois was wonderful, absolutely perfect casting. It was a great pity that after I moved out of Bond, that they didn't take her on to continue in the Timothy Dalton films.
She had a tremendous sense of humour. She used to sing dirty songs, from the Canadian women's army in which she'd served.
We'd done a number of episodes of The Saint and The Persuaders together, so over the past 60 years I'd seen a great deal of her. But unfortunately, not over the last couple of years.
She had a quite a wide range of parts before she went into the Bond franchise. I'm afraid she got sort of typecast as Miss Moneypenny, that's what producers do, unfortunately, they put people in categories, they don't seem to move people out of them.
At the National Movie Awards, I presented an award to [Bond producers] Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson. It's a pity the timing was so bad, we really could have given her a tribute then.
Occasionally, and for no reasonable reason, there is groundswell of interest in a particular random topic. Such is the case this week with The Wild Geese, a movie starring Saint Roger Moore in 1978. Amazon's review explains that, "Mixing action, humor, sentiment, and even a few righteous moral convictions, The Wild Geese is good, rousing fun."
Released theatrically 29 years ago in 1978 (even though the 2005 DVD release was promoted as the "30th Anniversary Edition"), The Wild Geese depicts the adventures of a group of British mercenaries hired by a shady multinational corporation to free the benevolent leader of an African nation held captive by a ruthless dictator. Led by the caustic, no-nonsense Col. Allen Faulkner (played by Richard Burton), these soldiers of fortune are all stout fellows out to earn a big payday and restore a good man to his rightful place of power.
Watch for a filming goof during the parachute jump. When they leave the plane, the soldiers are wearing helmets, but as soon as they land, in some cases even before collapsing their parachutes, they've switched to berets -- and no discarded helmets are visible on the ground.
The cast includes Richard Harris, Roger Moore, and a host of other fine veteran actors. The Wild Geese is a very enjoyable ride.
Photoshoot and trailer for German TV. Sir Roger Moore has taken part in a photoshoot and trailer for German television channel Das Vierte to promote "The Persuaders" and "The Saint" being shown on the network from 1st September 2007. The shoot took place in Monaco, where Sir Roger also gave a comprehensive interview which will be shown on the channel on 2nd September 2007. A German translation of the transcript is on the network's website. Source: MI6
To read the interview (in German) and see the 14 photos, please visit the web.de site. You can also read a very badly worded English translation of the Roger Moore interview using Google's automatic translation service.
Before Roger Moore became The Saint, he had a recurring role on the TV series, Maverick, starring either James Garner and Jack Kelly.
Now that Maverick is being re-run on TV in various countries, including Good Life in the US, watch for a young pre-Saint Roger Moore in 14 episodes from 1959 to 1961. Roger was a regular on the show beginning in 1960 (he had been in one episode, The Rivals before that), co-starring as Beauregard "Beau" Maverick, Bret and Bart Maverick’s cousin. His regular appearances were due to the fact that James Garner had left the show over a contract dispute.
Maverick was a clever show that used a lot of comedy to lighten up the action. There are many Saintly touches, in that the Maverick cousins are basically good people who will go outside the law to correct wrongs that need to be righted. The intelligent con games of outsmarting your rivals instead of beating them up will certainly appeal to Saint fans who want to see a young Roger Moore playing a Texas Templar.
Episode 80 on September 18, 1960, entitled Bundle from Britain, introduced Roger Moore as the "white sheep" of the family -- he had the misfortune of earning a medal in the Civil War, and Pappy had banished him to England for five years because no Maverick had ever been a hero.
Roger Moore was highlighted in the main feature area of the UK version of the BBC's home page today. This prime spotlight was in connection with the BBC Radio 4 show that Roger narrates, and is well worth the listen!
Leslie Charteris -- A Saintly Centennial Listen Online
Roger Moore celebrates the life of Leslie Charteris, the creator of The Saint, one of the longest-running characters in detective fiction.
BBC Radio 4 has posted a RealAudio stream of Leslie Charteris: A Saintly Centennial. The link will only be available for seven days: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/ram/tue1130.ram
You will need to download the latest RealPlayer from Real.com in order to listen to Barbra Paskin's radio tribute to Leslie Charteris as narrated by Roger Moore.
Don't forget to tune in tomorrow for Barbra Paskin's tribute to 100 years of Leslie Charteris with Roger Moore narrating. The live show is at 11:30am tomorrow, London time, with on-demand replays available for seven days after the initial broadcast.
Roger Moore, who starred as Simon Templar in the original TV series, celebrates the centenary of the birth of popular fiction writer Leslie Charteris, famous for his adventures featuring the character better known as The Saint. The programme includes rare interview footage of Charteris along with contributions from his family, actor Ian Ogilvy and Charteris biographer Ian Dickerson.
There has been some recent issues with BBC Radio 4's RealAudio play back, and during testing today, this is the message that was being displayed:
We are experiencing severe technical problems, and regret that many programmes are unavailable. We are working to restore normal service. See station websites for alternative links.
We'll keep you posted as to the lastest links and news about this great show.
Mike Reid, famous for his role as Frank Butcher on the Eastenders, and not-so-famous for being Roger Moore's stunt double on The Saint, passed away on July 29th. Look for Mike in various scenes of The Saint as the much taller Simon Templar doing the really dangerous work!
Mike Reid, 'the great storyteller' and comedian, dies at the age of 67
Mike Reid, the actor and master of the politically incorrect joke, died yesterday, aged 67.
His agent, David Hahn, told the BBC that the stand-up comic was in Marbella, Spain, where he owned a villa, when he suffered a fatal heart attack while apparently in good health.
"Mike was in fine fettle. Only a couple of weeks ago we were having dinner and Mike went to see his consultant that day, had a full medical and they gave him a clean bill of health."
Reid played Frank Butcher in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and starred in the British gangster film, Snatch. Born in Hackney, London, he began his career as a stuntman, working on films such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Spartacus, as well as on The Saint as a stunt double for Roger Moore.
Rising to fame on London's comedy circuit, Reid worked as a stand-up comedian in the 1960s in clubs and cruise liners. His big break came in the seventies in a popular television series, The Comedians, that consisted of short slots by mature comedians.
Reid had a daughter by his first marriage and two sons by his second wife, Shirley Collins. Last night, Mr Hahn said of Reid's wife: "Mike was her life."
The entertainer Russ Abbot said Reid was a great story-teller who had a great sense of comic timing. "There are certain comedians who do one-liners, but Mike was a story-teller and a great deliverer," he said.
Reid's close friend and fellow comedian Frank Carson, speaking in Spain, said his death was "absolutely devastating".
Burl Barer reports a few more details about the upcoming BBC Radio 4 special by Barbra Paskin on the author of The Saint, Leslie Charteris.
Leslie Charteris – A Saintly Centennial Tuesday, July 31, 2007 11:30am - 12:00noon BBC Radio 4
This year marks the centenary of the birth of popular fiction writer Leslie Charteris, best known for his many books chronicling the adventures of Simon Templar, alias The Saint. In this special programme, actor and Saint portrayer Roger Moore explores the life and legacy of Charteris and reveals a world of adventure, torment, insecurity, failed marriages and enormous success as a thriller writer.
The adventures of The Saint have appeared continuously since 1928, making Simon Templar the longest-running character in contemporary detective fiction. But there was more to Charteris's literary acuity than The Saint alone. He was fluent in several languages; he had a monthly column in the epicurial delight, Gourmet magazine; and he devised a pictorial sign language which he called "Paleneo" and wrote a book about it. He was also one of the earliest members of Mensa.
Despite his film-star looks, with a hint of exoticism, Charteris suffered from a long-standing insecurity about his appearance, arising from his mixed racial origin. In later years he dated some of Hollywood's most beautiful women, among them Marlene Dietrich and Jean Harlow.
It wasn't until 1963, when Lou Grade cast Roger Moore and filmed the first television series of The Saint, that Charteris at last felt he'd received the final seal of approbation that had eluded him for 30 years.
Among those exploring the world and psyche of Charteris are Dan Bodenheimer, who runs the official Saint website; Burl Barer, author of The History Of The Saint; and Charteris's biographer Ian Dickerson.
Barbara Peterson has created a five-page synopsis of The Fiction-Makers, one of the Saint movies starring Roger Moore as Simon Templar. This movie was orginally aired as a two-part episode in 1967. The synopsis is fully illustrated with screen-shots from the recent DVD release.
The secret organization that The Saint goes up against in The Fiction-Makers is the Secret World Order For Revenge and Destruction, also known as S.W.O.R.D.
The goal of Volcano Seven is to pay tribute to "caper" films and TV shows. The debut of Volcano Seven starts with The Fiction-Makers synopsis, and there is sure to be more to follow in the near future!
The Lipstick Chronicles (where the Book Tarts talk love, laughter, laundry and the mysteries of writing life) has just published a nice essay by William Simon on Black and White Heroes that has provoked a lot of excitement and response. The basic premise is that in the days of old, heroes were heroes and you could tell them from the bad guys without too much effort. Nowadays, in an effort to be dark and realistic, all the good guys are much darker shades of grey and not that much different than the evil that they are fighting.
This will be a bigger issue when the Saint returns to TV in the near future on TNT. How will a modern-day Saint still retain the gentleman touch and yet still be able to relate to the new darker side of the underworld with the good humor and aplomb we have come to know and love?
William's essay ends with:
Back to the point, look around today and we have no heroes on television. We have sociopathic psychos with badges who ram guns down people's throats and yell "Suck THIS, pal!", and they are usually some sort of recovering addict, be it alcohol/drugs, sex, or gambling. We have characters who kill as easily as they sneeze. Stealing is perfectly acceptable, as long as no one gets caught. No damsel needs rescuing, and if she does it's usually a setup to try and kill the protagonist. It is entertaining for him to slap/hit/threaten her, usually while screaming her marked resemblance to a female canine at the top of his lungs. Lie, cheat, steal, hurt, no matter; it's okay, the end justifies the means. Results are what count, not the methods to achieve them, and if you don't believe that, take a close look at the Business World today.
Heroes should be above the crowd; polished but not effete, superior but not snide, capable but not arrogant, strong but not uncaring.
Special.
Today, we have no Bogart, or Gable, or Cooper. We don't have a Gardner, a Bacall, a Hepburn.
From: Bill Krzastek Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 23:12:24 -0400 Subject: ST1's Trip To Canada Part 2
Hello to All,
Welcome to Part 2 of "ST1"s trip to Canada. While at the Fleetwood Country Cruize-In at London, Ontario, ST1 was visited by another legend, Mr. George Barris, the "King of the Kustomizers". Mr. Barris is known worldwide for the many custom, film, and TV cars he designed and built since the 1950's such as the TV Batmobile, Munsters Coach, the Ala Kart, and dozens of others. Several of Mr. Barris's creations were on display but even he was interested in seeing "ST1", the Roger Moore "Saint" Volvo.
Mr. Barris has a website where he interviews people and talks about their cars. He chose "ST1" to be part of this and in the attached photos, we see Mr. Barris interviewing me (and vice-versa) about the car. During the interview, I found out that Mr. Barris has a connection to Roger Moore: turns out that Mr. Barris built a car for Sir Roger's first Bond film "Live and Let Die" and had actually met Mr. Moore during filming. "A real gentleman" is how Mr. Barris described Sir Roger.
Also on hand was Tony Davey, restorer of "ST1" who had flown over from England for the show. Tony is seen being interviewed by Mr. Barris in one of the photos. Plus, Irv Gordon, owner of the 2+ million mile Volvo can be seen in the backround of the first photo being interviewed from the folks from Old Cars Television. Small world indeed.
From: Bill Krzastek Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 09:19:48 -0400 Subject: ST1's Trip To Canada Part 1
Hello to All,
What an amazing weekend in London, Ontario at Steve Plunkett's Country Cruize-In. Not only did we have a great time but over $150,000 was raised for charity. We are glad that "ST1" was chosen to help participate in this "Saintly" endeavor. While at the show, I had the opportunity to meet and greet many fans of "The Saint" and Sir Roger Moore. It always surprises me to hear that people come to the show to specifically see "ST1" when there are so many other attractions. One family had each of their 5 family members take turns behind the wheel for photos! It's nice to know that this car meant so much to so many people.
We were interviewed several times about the car and it's history but two interviews really stand out: the first was by Rick Walker of Old Autos Television. In the photos that follow, we decided it would be fun to try to recreate the original publicity photos of Sir Roger and "ST1". I posed for the boot shot then persuaded Rick to please take over for the others. As you can see, the photos definitely improved by my absence!
In Part 2, we have a very special interviewer so... "Watch for the car of The Saint, it will return".
Some of the Roger Moore TV series has been published on DVD in Finland as three special DVD box sets.
The Saint was known as Pyhimys in Finland, and there were comic books and paperback editions of many of The Saint books by Leslie Charteris.
Pyhimys Vol. 1 is an 8-disc Box set, Pyhimys Vol. 2 is a 4-disc Box set, and Pyhimys Vol. 3 is a 2-disc Box set of the two Roger Moore Saint movies: Vendetta for The Saint and The Fiction-Makers.
Barbra Paskin, a British yet Hollywood-based, journalist has been commissioned by BBC Radio 4 to create a radio show celebrating the 100th year of Leslie Charteris. Barbra, who is most recently noted for her fine biography of Dudley Moore, is an excited Saint fan who has been looking forward to making a show like this for many years. As noted on LeslieCharteris.com, she's a life-long Charteris fan who grew up enraptured with Simon Templar. Her brother Simon (not actually named after Simon Templar), from earliest memory, has always called himself 'ST' and signs all his personal letters with a stick symbol and a halo.
The 30-minute show is in production at the moment and will feature contributions from such notables as Roger Moore, Ian Ogilvy, Patricia Charteris, Dan Bodenheimer, Ian Dickerson, and Burl Barer. More details, including a broadcast date and time, will be posted here as and when we know them.
Book and Magazine Collector's June 2007 issue features, "Leslie Charteris: 100 Years of The Creator of The Saint."
The long 13-page article was written by Norman Wright, begins on page 36 of the issue. The article discusses Charteris' creation of the Saint and is printed in full color with some marvelous illustrations of Roger Moore, George Sanders, Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy, Louis Hayward, magazine appearances, various dustjackets, and paperback editions.
A three-page annotated bibliography of the British editions is included, along with some current pricing guidelines within the UK; the highest price is, of course, for a British first Ward Lock edition of Meet The Tiger with dustjacket, at over £3000+ ($6000+)!
The issue went on sale May 10, 2007.
While thanking Book and Magazine Collector for doing a piece on The Saint and Leslie Charteris, Ian Dickerson has also posted a number of factual content errors to the news page of LeslieCharteris.com for you to enjoy -- see how many of them you found yourself!
Coming in at number six is The Saint's Volvo 1800 as driven by Roger Moore in the classic 1960s TV show, The Saint:
6. Volvo P1800 - The Saint Something fast, sporty and flashy was needed to match the style of the mysterious Simon Templar, first played by Roger Moore in the '60s. In the end, the Volvo P1800 was chosen over a similar Jaguar E-Type because of its sleek look and power (and, well, because Jaguar didn't want to supply one). Aside from a few cosmetic changes to the bumper, license plate and trim, the Volvo car remained unchanged during filming. Therefore, the car's elongated hood, rounded headlights and wide front grille remained unmistakable throughout the show's run.
The exotic P1800 contributed to the smoothness Moore's character exuded, as he was often seen zipping through city streets in the two-door speedster.
Cool fact: Roger Moore liked the P1800 so much that he bought one for himself.
According to Roger Moore, his son Geoffrey will not be playing The Saint in the upcoming TV series on TNT. The following question came up in Roger's monthly column on his website, and as you can see by his answer the casting for Simon Templar is still wide open:
QUESTION: Hello Sir Roger, Any idea how the new Saint project is coming along? Is your son still attached to it? As the Saint?
ANSWER: My son Geoffrey co-owns the rights will Bill Macdonald. He will produce, not star. It's nudging along, but like everything else in this business, it takes an age to get things going. So time, patience and determination are the watch words...
The Saint by Leslie Charteris was first written in English and published in the United States, Great Britain, and Canada for all those English-speaking readers around the world. Due to The Saint's popularity, most of The Saint stories were translated into a number of languages, including: French, Hebrew, Spanish, German, Dutch, Japanese, Greek, Portuguese, Polish, Chinese, Italian, Afrikaans, Czech, Swedish, Turkish, Danish, Hungarian, Serbo-Kroat, Arabic, Norwegian, Finnish, Braille, and perhaps even others!
The success of the Roger Moore series led to a number of TV-tie-in editions in Spanish, Polish, English, and Hebrew, to name a few. When the Val Kilmer Saint movie came out, the Burl Barer novelization of the film was translated into quite a number of languages and might possibly be the most-translated title of all The Saint stories, next to The Saint in New York.
Another interesting fact is that some of the "translations" were never published in English at all. The French translator wrote many stores from radio scripts and comic strips, and while some of these novels were translated into Dutch, and perhaps other languages, they have never been translated back to English.
More details and cover scans are available at The Saint Around The World page of this website (www.saint.org), and your help is greatly appreciated in finding additional languages and book cover artwork.
The question on everyone's mind is, who will star as Simon Templar in the new series of The Saint on TNT?
Roger Moore's son, Geoffrey Moore is co-producing the show with Producer William J. MacDonald, and while there was some initial speculation that Geoffrey might take the role on himself, it appears that they are still casting for the role.
Who will be The Saint? Who do you think would make a great Saint for 2007? Please comment below!
From Bill Krzastek, owner of one of the white Volvo 1800's used in The Saint with Roger Moore:
Hello to all,
Just wanted to let everyone know that "ST1", the 1967 Volvo 1800S from "The Saint" television series has been invited back to the Carlisle Import Festival this coming May. The car will again be part of the "Invitational Display" and will be located inside Building "Y" which means you will be able to see it and take photos no matter the weather! I willl also be bringing my display items including new photographs of Sir Roger Moore with "ST1".
This really is unprecedented as this is the first time that a vehicle has been selected to be part of the "Invitational" two years in a row! Of course, we all know that "ST1" is a special automobile!
I look forward to seeing everyone at Carlisle and I have attached the online brochure of the event (which includes "ST1"!)
Best Regards, Bill Krzastek
From the Carlisle Import Kit/Replicar Nationals brochure: The focus of the import side of the show this year will be on our friends from Sweden... Volvo. Translated to English, Volvo means "I roll." This Scandinavian favorite will be coming to Carlisle in droves. The Volvo Club of America will be hosting their East Coast meet at the Import-Kit/Replicar Nationals this year. Additionally, Volvo Cars of North America is bringing six of their antique Volvos from their superb collection. They'll be bringing a 1927 Jakob, Volvo's first car; 1956 P1900 - only 67 ever built; a 1953 PV444, once owned by Colin Powell; a 1953 PV444 pickup truck; a '55 PV444 and a 1961 P210 hearse. In the spirit of the Volvo spotlight, "The Saint" car will return to Carlisle. This '67 Volvo 1800S, was originally owned by Sir Roger Moore, and driven by him on the show of the same name.
Roger Moore is Simon Templar, Collector's Box I Selected episodes from The Saint TV series starring Roger Moore are now available on DVD in Germany. The first set contains 8 discs, encoded in Region 2 format. The first set was originally released on April 21, 2006 and it has sold well enough to bring out a second set.
Studio: Koch Media Deutschland GmbH - DVD Running Time: 1170 Minutes Format: Dolby, HiFi Sound, PAL Languages: English, German Region: Region 2 Viewing Format: 4:3 Number of Disks: 8
You can buy the German DVD Set 1 from Amazon.de today.
Roger Moore is Simon Templar, Collector's Box II The second set will be released on April 27, 2007. It will contain 16 colour (2 of them never before shown in Germany - with subtitles) and 6 b/w uncut episodes.
As extras the second box set will have the documentaries, "The Saint Steps In... To Television," and "The Saint Steps In... To Colour," as well as an audio commentary for "The Ex-King of Diamonds." The total number of DVD discs in the box is 7.
Studio: Koch Media Deutschland GmbH - DVD Running Time: 900 Minutes Format: Dolby, HiFi Sound, PAL Languages: English, German Region: Region 2 Viewing Format: 4:3 Number of Disks: 7
There will only be these two DVD box sets in German, and many thanks to Martin Metzler of SimonTemplar.de for writing the booklets for both sets and informing us of these important foreign language releases.
The Saint on TV page has been updated to include a number of the original plot summaries that were supplied by ITC to publicize the Roger Moore TV series of The Saint.
Volvo Design Chief Steve Matten has not rested on his laurels after bringing the XC60 Concept into the world. Steve has been working on the next S60, and these first renderings by our neighbours Auto Motor & Sport from Sweden look very promising indeed. Perhaps even sharp enough for The Saint to drive in the new TV series on TNT? The Saint has a long tradition with Volvo, what with Roger Moore driving the Volvo P1800 and Val Kilmer's red C70 coupe!
Up for auction on eBay is Director Roy (Ward) Baker's original script for the 1964 "The Saint" episode starring Roger Moore entitled "The Good Medicine". One of the guest stars in this episode is Jean Marsh. A very interesting piece of memorabilia from the show. Mr. Baker auctioned his scripts from "The Saint" a few years ago, and the seller purchased this one from Nigel Williams Rare Books in London with the intention of using it as part of an aborted book project. The seller really doesn't want to part with it, but they could use the money. The seller had originally intended to donate the script to Boston University, which houses Saint creator Leslie Charteris archives. Perhaps the new owner would consider doing this.
This script features Mr. Baker's notes and sketches for set designs, as well as the addresses of each of the principal actors. It is kept in an original brown folder with the title of the episode.
Bonhams Auction House in England had an auction of Sale 15337 - The Angels Star Collection of Film & TV Costumes on March 6th, 2007 in Knightsbridge.
Lot No: 4 was of a brown pinstripe jacket as used by Roger Moore in The Saint, 1962-1969.
Roger Moore from The Saint, 1962-1969 A brown pinstripe jacket,of wool with satin effect lining, having brown plastic buttons, labelled inside pocket "Howard Trent (inc A.R Wall & Sons), Bespoke Tailors, 213 High Street, Bromley, RAV 1778", inscribed in blue ink in an unknown hand "R.MOORE R", having further label inside inscribed "R.MOORE 1968 11th AUG"
The estimate was from £1,200 to 1,500 and it appears that it might still be available.
Noted Saintly author, Burl Barer, has posted some interesting news about his part in the new series of The Saint on TNT. This show is really going to be great, and follow in the footsteps of Roger Moore, Ian Ogilvy, and Simon Dutton.
If I have anything to say about it, and supposedly I do, the new SAINT TV project for TNT will retain the flavor of Charteris' original.
The Roger Moore series that began in 1962 used the "glob trotting celebrity" character found in Charteris later short stories, and due to the restrictive TV codes of the time, Charteris lamented that the Saint on TV bore as much similarity to his creation as Winnie the Pooh did to Captain Blood.
Times have changed -- restrictions have relaxed. Soooo...this version of The Saint will be the more dangerous and picaresque adventurer, having way too much fun as he takes on recalcitrant and contumacious oppressors while bedding the requisite bevy of beauties -- including the mercurial and romantic Ms Patricia Holm. As all Saint fans know, Simon Templar parks his shoes in numerous international locales, but Holm is where he hangs his hat -- or halo.
Bill Macdonald asked me to serve as "consultant" to the project, and has honestly taken my suggestions to heart (and page). The show should be really cool, faithful to the character, and won't have Charteris getting what he termed Graveyard Torque from spinning in his metaphoric grave. What I like best about the project, of course, is that I'm supposedly getting paid for my wit and wisdom. As with any TV or film project - or publishing for that matter -- I will be 100% convinced when the check clears the bank. As Bill has never deceived me in the past, I trust it will all come out in the wash, even if the spin cycle makes me crazy.
Glenn Hauman of ComicMix has news about a new TNT series in development:
The Saint? Again?
Simon Templar debuted in 1928 and Leslie Charteris continued writing about him until1960 when he began using ghosts to help him. Movies, TV, comic books, radio, pulps, slicks over and over in various countries...This is one durable dude.
My favorite Charteris story dates back to when George Sanders was playing the Saint at the RKO B-movie unit. Charteris bombarded the suits with letters insisting that they try getting Cary Grant for the part. Grant was by then an enormous international star...and he was going to do a series of B movie? Doubtful.
When Sanders left his younger and more vulnerable brother Tom took over. Fifteen years later Tom was aboard a bus taking him to a body pile where indigent alcoholics went to die. He didn't make it. He died en route.
The Saint may not be Tarzan or Superman or Sherlock Holmes...but he's certainly a creation who adapts well to each generation.
TNT has a new series in development that could be of interest to us all:
The Saint – a new one hour series based on the Leslie Chateris classic character – the famous Simon Templar. From executive producer William J. MacDonald and producer Jorge Zamacona. The Saint was featured in movies dating back to the late 1930s (starring the great George Sanders) and the British television series from the 1960s starring Roger Moore. I can hear the theme song now...
Variety reports that William J. MacDonald will be producing a new series of The Saint for TNT.
Two other one-hour projects emerged in the upfront, presided over by Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, and Michael Wright, senior VP of original programming for TNT and TBS: "The Saint," from the exec producer William J. McDonald ("Rome"), a remake of the 1960s British series that starred Roger Moore as a debonair international thief; and "A.D." (working title), a family drama from Angelo Pizzo and David Anspaugh ("Hoosiers," "Rudy").
Gorilla Sushi is holding Roger Moore to account for the death of fashionable men's hats.
I've been watching the 007 marathon they had on Starz ("007 in '07"), and the thing that strikes me most from the earlier episodes (most notably the opening gunshot scene), and I realized that the hat in the opening gunshot barrel vanished when Roger Moore took over as Bond.
So I'm blaming Roger Moore's term as James Bond, and his dislike for hats (he never wore a hat as The Saint, either) for killing the entire hat industry.
From Louis Hayward, to George Sanders, to Hugh Sinclair, to Felix Marten, to Jean Marais, along to Roger Moore, then Ian Ogilvy, and finally on to Val Kilmer, The Saint has appeared in a large number of movies. In fact Simon Templar, alias The Saint, by Leslie Charteris was recently named the #2 spy movie hero of all-time, just behind James Bond.
The page on this site about The Saint in movies and films has been updated to include a large number of movie posters.
If you know of any other versions of the movie posters, especially if you have any in your own private collection, we'd be very interesting in seeing them.
A couple of these posters are available in reprint form from the moviegoods.com website.
The Saint, starring Roger Moore, is back on BBC America.
Broadcast Schedule (All times Eastern): Monday, January 22, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 10 The Man Who Liked Lions Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 11 The Better Mousetrap Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 12 Little Girl Lost Thursday, January 25, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 13 The Paper Chase Friday, January 26, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 14 Flight Plan Monday, January 29, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 15 The Fast Women Tuesday, January 30, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 16 Escape Route Wednesday, January 31, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 17 The Persistent Patriots Thursday, February 1, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 18 The Death Game Friday, February 2, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 19 The Art Collectors Monday, February 5, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 20 To Kill a Saint Tuesday, February 6, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 21 The Counterfeit Countess Wednesday, February 7, 2007 at 3:00 AM: Ep. 3 The Convenient Monster Wednesday, February 7, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 22 Simon and Delilah Thursday, February 8, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 23 Island of Chance Friday, February 9, 2007 at 4:00 PM: Ep. 24 The Gadget Lovers
If anyone has news about where else The Saint or The Return of The Saint is playing in the world, please use the comment feature below.
Roger Moore has been taking and answering questions on his website for a couple of years now. He is now soliciting questions for January 2007. If you have questions about the upcoming Saint TV show, now is the time to get the facts.
The current issue (#8) of CinemaRetro has an article about Roger Moore and his recent honor at Elstree Studios.
This is the second time Roger Moore has appeared in CinemaRetro. In issue #2, Cinema Retro was invited to spend a day with Sir Roger as he attended a charity banquet with show business royalty, followed by a public screening of "The Man Who Haunted Himself". Get an inside look at a day in the life of this living legend.
Bill Krzastek, the owner of a 1967 Volvo 1800 used in the Roger Moore TV series, The Saint, writes:
Hello to All and Happy New Year! This past year, Motor Trend Classic magazine and Executive Editor, Matt Stone, borrowed "ST1" and published an article on the car and it's history in "The Saint" TV series. I'm happy to say that the article (with lots of excellent photos) is now online. Please use this link to see it. I hope you enjoy it! Best Regards to All, Bill
The extras have been confirmed on the forthcoming DVD box set of Return of the Saint from Network, which is due in the shops on January 29th. Alongside all 24 episodes of the show are:
• The Saint Steps In... to the 70s - Narrated by Sir Roger Moore, this is a unique and exclusive documentary on the making of the series which features contributions from Ian Ogilvy, producer Robert S. Baker and others involved with the production of the series.
• Four exclusive commentaries featuring Ian Ogilvy, producer Robert S. Baker, production manager Malcolm Christopher and writer John Goldsmith
• The Saint and the Brave Goose – feature-length version of the Collision Course two-parter which is presented in its episodic format on discs four and five.
• Episodic Image gallery with music suite
• Title sequence storyboard gallery
• Return of The Saint Script Archive - Presented here in PDF format are original scripts (plus some changes and meeting notes) for Return of the Saint. These PDFs can only be viewed on suitable software on a PC/Mac and cannot be viewed on your DVD player. The scripts are: Appointment in Florence, Assault Force, The Debt Collectors, The Diplomat’s Daughter, Hot Run, Nightmare Man, The Obono Affair, The Poppy Chain, Tower Bridge is Falling Down and Vicious Circle. Also included is Prince of Darkness – an unproduced script in which the Saint fights vampires.
• Promotional image gallery
• Memorabilia image gallery
• Generic Return of the Saint trailer
• European opening titles featuring vocal theme "Taking it Easy" by Oliver Onions
• Previously unseen rushes from the title sequence (mute)
• Commercial Break Bumpers
• Textless material (mute)
• The Saint at Elstree featurette - A plaque honouring Roger Moore is unveiled at Elstree Studios in December 2006
• Return of The Saint annuals in PDF format (1979 & 1980)
• PDF of original colour publicity brochure
• PDF of original Look In and TV Times articles
The Return of The Saint DVD Setfrom Network is now available for pre-order from Amazon UK for release on January 29, 2007.
For those of you wondering what kind of an actor Roger Moore's son Geoffrey will be, see if you can get your hands on a copy of Fire, Ice, and Dynamite. This movie starred both Roger Moore and Geoffrey Moore. I haven't actually viewed the film myself, and I'm looking to hear from the Saint fans out there about what they think about the chances that Geoffrey might take on the role of The Saint in 2007.
Jason MacIsaac has written an extensive review and plot synopsis that truly defies explanation. It's part of his site dedicated to Jabootu, the muse of bad movie creativity. There are a great number of screenshots and a complete description and review of Fire, Ice, and Dynamite.
Star Car Hire has an entire fleet of famous replica TV & Movie vehicles based throughout the UK & Ireland that are guaranteed to put you or your company in the spotlight.
The Saint television show, starring Roger Moore and his Saintly white Volvo P1800, was a big hit in the 1960s. Now you can hire this stunning replica in the UK and relive those 60s memories. The car is located in South East England, and please call 0845 017 5017 for a quote or visit their About Us page for more information.
If you own a Star Car and would like to get listed on starcarhire.co.uk please email them at info@starcarhire.co.uk
The best bit of news for me this year and for many other Saint Volvo fans was the unexpected release of the 1/18 scale Volvo 1800S coupe in white/cream by Revell during November. It's a model us Volvo fans have been waiting for, for a very long time, so it came as a bit of a surprise to me that Revell beat everyone to release it. If you haven't ordered one then pop along to Suffolk Die-Cast Models who are stocking it at their website and on ebay, they do overseas orders as well as the UK mainland plus they are a trusted website.
The people who run Suffolk Models namely Mark and Caroline are nice and friendly and will help you with your orders, so give them a try before using other retailers--you can also phone their shop sales if you feel uneasy about ordering over the net. The Volvo model is made of metal and both doors open; also the bonnet comes in white/cream or red, and I have a feeling its going to sell a lot of the white/cream version quickly. Don't be fooled by the low price of £19.99 as it's a really good detailed model and many of us would have paid a lot more for this.
The model is based on the rare B20 version of the Volvo 1800S of which only 1,693 were produced between Aug 1968 and Aug 1969. There is a B20 emblem on the front grill, and from the details in the engine compartment you can see the dual Stromberg carburetor set-up with the large single air filter. The next year, Volvo moved to the 1800E with electronic fuel injection.
Revell 1:18 scale diecast Volvo 1800S in cream/white
A complete display box of The Saint collectors cards from 1966 sold recently on eBay for $1275. These cards were made by Somportex in Denmark and sold mainly in Great Britain. These display boxes with Roger Moore on the cover are very rare, and it's even harder to find them full of unopened packages of the cards! Congratulations goes out to the winner of this fine item. I don't think I've ever seen the "prizes paper" that was included as part of the winning bid.
Happy Birthday to Saint Roger Moore today!
Add to del.ico.us
- View blog reactions
- 
Stumble It!
- 
Share on Facebook
- Blogger links
- Permalink
. For now, you'll just have to watch 
from Network is now available for pre-order from Amazon UK for release on January 29, 2007.
