The Persuaders! Comes to Blu-ray in the UK

Network has announced a fall release for a 40th anniversary edition of The Persuaders!: The Complete Series in high definition. Of course, like all of Network's Blu-ray releases, we can expect this one to be for Region B, limiting it primarily to European and Australian viewers or North Americans with an all-region Blu-ray player. The picture looks stunning (a vast improvement over any DVD version I've seen), as evidenced even in the promotional video below. In addition to that, Network has lived up to our high expectations of the company and provided a wealth of bonus material. Some of it was included on their previous DVD collection (which already boasted some pretty impressive extras), and some (most tantalizingly a new 156-page book by Andrew Pixley!) is new to this set. Here's the rundown:

• Digitally restored, High Definition transfers
• 156 page fully-bound book of viewing notes by Andrew Pixley
• Recently found, extensive textless material (including some behind the scenes) (HD)
• Previously unseen alternate title sequence (HD)
• Extensive HD image galleries of rare and previously unseen stills
• 1972 Sun TV Awards footage with Tony Curtis
• Contemporary French interview on location from 1971
• Moore and Curtis reunion on the Alan Titchmarsh Show from 2008
• Merchandise image gallery (HD)
• The Morning After - Remembering The Persuaders! exclusive documentary
• Commentaries with Roger Moore, Tony Curtis and production staff
• AVROSkoop contemporary documentary from 1971
• Top of the Pops promotional video for John Barry's theme
• Promotional spots
• Trailers and archive newsreel footage
• Tony Curtis interviewed by Russell Harty
• French titles
• Commercial break bumpers
• Script PDFs
• International movie versions and trailers for London Conspiracy, Mission: Monte Carlo, Sporting Chance and The Switch
• and more

Those "international movie versions" were feature films created for the foreign market by editing together two episodes of the series. They were previously available on the company's DVD set, as were the documentary and commentaries. I'm glad that all of that stuff is presented again on this collection, making it truly a complete package. (Well... almost complete. I'm guessing Network probably haven't managed to license the different commentary tracks recorded for A&E's Region 1 DVD release.) All 24 episodes of the fantastic series (probably my favorite ITC show) have undergone an HD restoration this Blu-ray edition.

The 8-disc set will be out on September 19, with a suggested retail price of £79.99. However, it's already listed at a substantial discount on Network's website: just £53.10.

To promote the release, the company has organized a big 40th anniversary celebration event, "The Time and the Place." The guest of honor will be Sir Roger Moore himself, who will discuss his career and his role in the show. The actual time and place of "The Time and the Place" will be 6pm on September 10, 2011, at Kent House, Knightsbridge, beginning a food and drinks reception followed by an HD screening of two episodes selected by Moore, “Overture” and “A Death in the Family.” (Great selections, Sir Roger!) A Q&A and signing session with the star follow. Speaking of restorations, the original restored Aston Martin from the series will also be on display. Perhaps best of all, Network promises that "a special prize will be awarded to the person who attends in the best 70s attire!" A roomful of people dressed up in velvet jackets and cravats of the sort favored by Brett Sinclair and Danny Wilde would be well worth attending even without the presence of Roger Moore, in my opinion. As with the 50th Anniversary celebration of The Avengers that took place earlier this summer (another event like the London Kiss Kiss Kill Kill one that I meant to cover but never got around to until it was too late), I really, really wish I could be there. For those lucky fans who can, tickets can currently be ordered from Network's website. £40 gets you into the reception, screening and Q&A; £80 gets you “The Gold Napoleon” deal which includes all that plus an advance copy of the Blu-ray and an opportunity to have it signed by Sir Roger personally. Chances are if you're going to this event, you're already planning on buying it anyway, so why not spring for the Gold Napoleon? I don't mean to sound like a shill, but I know I would...

Now here's that promotional video showing off the HD restoration:

More Bond Memoirs From Roger Moore

The Book Bond points the way to a very exciting news item on 007 Magazine Online revealing that Sir Roger Moore is writing a follow-up to his fantastic 2008 autobiography My Word Is My Bond. Whereas that one covered his whole life to date (and comes highly recommended!), the new volume will focus specifically on his tenure as James Bond. Since the actor's years in Bondage only amounted to three chapters in his autobiography, it seems reasonable to expect that he's got plenty more anecdotes worth reading on the subject. The new book, Bond on Bond, will be published in September 2012 by Michael O'Mara (publisher of My Word Is My Bond) to celebrate the cinematic 007's 50th anniversary.  In addition to Sir Roger's recollections, Bond on Bond (and I personally love that a Roger Moore book about James Bond references Bob Dylan) will also feature lots of color photographs (many presumably never before seen) from the actor's personal collection. Said the inimitable Sir Roger: "I'm greatly looking forward to delving into my memory box again and rummaging through the photo albums to admire my great physique, dashing good looks and full set of teeth." Go read all about it on 007 Magazine Online.

Between this and George Lazenby's autobiography, 2012 is shaping up to be a very promising year for books on and by Bond actors! In other Roger Moore book news, the actor recently revealed on his website that there is also a new book in the works on his classic TV series The Persuaders! to celebrate that show's 40th anniversary later this year.

The Saint Reborn: James Purefoy Re-Canonized

Last weekend, Saint.org called attention to this enticing nugget on Sir Roger Moore's website hidden amidst his regular monthly Q&A: "I am told The Saint will film in July in New Orleans. I’m booked there from mid-July. More news as I get it." As far as I'm aware, the Saint to which he's referring is the latest incarnation of the ongoing attempt to launch a new Saint TV series, this time through a TV movie (and potential backdoor pilot) called The Saint in New Orleans. (This per a statement last December from sometime Saint continuation author and collaborator on the new project, Burl Barer, also reported on Saint.org.) But we've had so many false starts on this project over the last couple of years that I was hesitant to write about any of this until we heard something more concrete. Well, today there's finally something worth reporting on this very exciting project! On the CommanderBond.net forums where he's been carefully dispensing tidbits of information over the course of developing a new Saint show, Saint expert and co-producer Ian Dickerson has revealed the actor who will play the part—and it's a name halo-heads have heard before: James Purefoy!

Longtime readers will recall that Purefoy (Rome, Solomon Kane) was originally cast as Simon Templar back in 2007, when Barry Levinson was set to direct the TV reboot. That version of the project fell apart, and Purefoy moved on to the somewhat Saint-like series The Philanthropist instead (review here), rendering him unavailable for further attempts to get a new TV Saint off the ground. Dougray Scott's name was bandied about in conjunction with a later version, but in time that too collapsed. Now, years later, at last the stars have aligned and schedules have freed up, and it looks like Purefoy is once again attached to the project. Granted, it still has a long way to go before becoming a reality. Perhaps there's no cause for celebration until cameras are actually rolling (and Roger Moore possibly cameoing?), but, personally, I'm thrilled that Purefoy is back on board. That casting seemed so perfect. To me, he always seemed like not only the best but the only legitimate candidate to interpret Leslie Charteris' immortal adventurer in a new TV series. I hope everything comes together this time, because I can't wait to see his take!

And for Roger Moore fans, there's one other tantalizing tidbit buried in that March Q&A as well: Sir Roger reveals that in addition to the Blu-ray set from Network, there is also a new book on The Persuaders! in the pipeline to commemorate that series' 40th anniversary! Something else to look forward to.

Network Brings The Persuaders! And Other ITC Shows To Blu-ray In 2011!

Today Network revealed that the UK company would release classic Sixties and Seventies ITC series on Blu-ray in 2011.  (They tested the waters with an excellent Blu-ray Prisoner set last year.)  Since many of these shows were originally filmed in 35mm, they should actually benefit from high-definition transfers, unlike TV shows filmed on 16mm or video.  First up appears to be The Persuaders!, which, as regular readers will no doubt surmise, makes me very happy.  That series has had some good DVD releases in variously countries and regions, but it still hasn't seen a definitive remastering that shows it to its maximum potential.  Hopefully this release will do that! 

Even before The Persuaders! gets a series release, however, Network will release three sampler Blu-rays, under the "retro-Action!" banner, showing off select episodes (generally good choices, in my opinion, although I think there are better episodes of Return of The Saint than "One Black September"–particularly "Duel in Venice") of lots of ITC series in HD.  These samplers are all listed as Region B, meaning that they won't be playable on standard North American Blu-ray players.  (Many more Blu-rays than DVDs are actually released region-free, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.)  retro-ACTION!: Volume 1 includes what might be my favorite Persuaders! episode, "Chain of Events" (directed by Peter Hunt!), along with Department S ("A Small War of Nerves"), The Champions ("The Invisible Man," a great one) and episodes of Strange Report and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). Volume 2 showcases the color series of The Saint ("The Queen's Ransom," a great episode), the hour-long Danger Man ("No Marks for Servility"), Man in a Suitcase ("Somebody Loses, Somebody... Wins?") and Gideon's Way.  Volume 3 showcases the half-hour Danger Man ("View From the Villa," which was filmed in Portmeirion), The Invisible Man ("Secret Experiment"), The Baron ("Something for a Rainy Day"), Return of The Saint ("One Black September"), The Zoo Gang ("Revenge: Post Dated"), Shirley's World and The Adventures of Robin Hood. (Who would have imagined–Shirley's World on Blu-ray?) All three volumes are expected on February 28, 2011, and will retail for £19.99 apiece–though they'll each be available from Network's website for £15.99. 

This is very exciting news!  I hope that the series releases turn out to be region-free, though, because if they're not, I'll probably end up shelling out for a multi-region Blu-ray player.  The chances of American releases of some of these shows seems unlikely, though since A&E did put out The Prisoner and Space: 1999 on Blu-ray, I suppose The Persuaders! at least has a chance... Fingers crossed!

Roger Moore Covers The Beatles

So have you ever wanted to see Roger Moore sing The Beatles' "Let It Be" with Huey Lewis, Dee Snider, Bud Spencer, Glenn Close, Jason Alexander, Lou Ferigno, Daryl Hannah, Philip Michael Thomas, The Sandbaggers' Roy Marsden, some members of Milli Vanilli and Carlton from The Fresh Prince (among many, many others) on the beach in Santa Monica?  Oh, and Tonya Harding and Dolph Lundgren? Of course you have!  No, correction: you only thought you did.  Find out why by taking a peek.  Beware, though: you might think that a celebrity cover made as a promo for a Norweigian television show would be fairly short, perhaps even truncated.  It isn't.  Instead, it's the longest version of "Let it Be" ever.  Yahoo's Amplifier blog identifies the version the celebrities are lip-syncing to as the "Ferry Aid" version from 1987 featuring singers like Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, and Boy George. Moore, however, is unique in this clip because he's clearly doing his own "singing." (Henry Higgins style.) Enjoy!(?)


(Thanks, Josh!)

Upcoming Spy DVDs: Cats And Dogs

Not that anyone cares, but according to DVD Active, Warner Home Video will release Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, this summer's pets-as-spies flop featuring the voice of Roger Moore, on DVD and Blu-ray on November 16.  As usual with Warner titles, the real extras are reserved for the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack.  All you get besides the movie on the regular DVD is a Loony Toons short featuring Wile E. Coyote; the Blu-ray also includes the featurettes "Dog Dishing: Tails from the Bark Side of Hollywood" and "The Best of the Best Cat vs Dog Animated Showdowns" as well as outtakes and a digital copy of the film. You know, in case you want to be able to play Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore on your telephone.  As you probably do.  Retail on the DVD is $28.95; the Blu-ray/DVD combo goes for $35.99.  For more on Roger Moore's role as a kitty spy boss named Lazenby, click here.

Moore Plays Lazenby

There is a Roger Moore spy movie opening wide this weekend in North America... yet, shockingly, I don't think I'm going to see it, so rather than reviewing it myself I'll link to The Hollywood Reporter's write-up.  (This line piqued my interest: "The opening-title sequence, easily the best thing in the movie, deliciously mimics those in James Bond movies.")  But it does seem worth mentioning that Moore (or his voice, anyway) plays a feline spy chief named Tab Lazenby.  Perhaps it's revenge for George Lazenby's turn as "JB" in The Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. during Moore's official tenure as 007!  Sir Roger recorded his dialogue in Monte Carlo, where he lives.  If anyone sees this, please post a comment and let us all know how it is!

New Ian Dickerson Saint Book On The Way (Updated!)

The Tainted Archive has a contribution to their "TV Cops Week" by Saint expert Ian Dickerson. His article (after raising the obvious question of how exactly The Saint might qualify as a TV cop) reveals that he has written a new book on–and called–The Saint On TV, due for publication early next year from Hirst Books.  I can't wait!  Anyone familiar with The Saint is probably also familiar with Dickerson, who not only keeps fans apprised of the latest efforts to bring Simon Templar to the small screen at the CommanderBond.net forums, but happens to be the Honorary Secretary of the Saint Club, which operates several Saint websites. He also compiled the recent Hodder "Best of the Saint" volumes.  In short, he knows his stuff! Dickerson has written a very compelling and very condensed abstract of that history for The Tainted Archive, so be sure to head over there and take a look.  You'll get a tantalizing preview of what we'll learn from his book next year!  The book will evidently cover a lot more ground than simply the most famous incarnation of Templar (starring Roger Moore).  Apparently the Saint's history with television begins more than a decade earlier, in the late 1940s. Dickerson's article, and book, trace the character from there through the height of his popularity in the Sixties to the Ian Ogilvy Seventies revival Return of the Saint, the two produced versions of the character from the late Eighties (as well as some unproduced ones) right up through the latest attempts to revive the character today!  Here's hoping there's another chapter to be written by the time the book comes out...

UPDATE: You can pre-order the book now from the publisher, who actually list an October 2010 release date. If you pre-order, you not only support the project, but also guarantee yourself a personally signed copy before it hits store shelves!

CD Review: The Saint: Original Soundtrack

In the liner notes for their sublime Music of ITC compilation, Network suggested that most of the music for The Saint other than the suite included on that release was lost. And yet, here is enough of it to fill a four-disc set from the company. Praise be! Hopefully this clearly un-lost music bodes well for a Persuaders! soundtrack in the future, since that too was said to be lost in the same source. But back to the matter at hand: this isn’t just a collection of mere scraps that survive, like the New Avengers soundtrack was (and in that case I am happy to have whatever is available, even if it’s nothing terrific); this is the real deal. This is the meat of Edwin Astley’s score for the color seasons of The Saint, not scraps! And it makes for great listening.

While I am a huge fan of the show, I’m no Saint expert, so without the aid of Andrew Pixley’s liner notes (which sadly weren’t included with the review copy I received, but are sure to be excellent, judging from the hefty and informative booklets included with every other Network ITC soundtrack release), I’m not able to pinpoint which cues come from which episodes. But while I’m sure the tracks are probably organized by episode, they actually break down nicely into four discs each with their own individual flavor, yet still clearly part of a satisfying whole.

Disc 1, unsurprisingly, starts with a classic bit of that instantly recognizable pre-title setting music that inevitably establishes Roger Moore in some wonderful exotic location as he offers a bit of pithy voice-over while waiting for someone to identify him as “the infamous Simon Templar” (or famous, or notorious, depending on their opinion of him). Then we get the great, original color-era TV version of the Saint theme (not a re-recording such as appears on so many cult TV theme compilations), a theme that instantly conjures jet-age mystery and adventure in far-off cities and a suave, urbane, inimitable hero in a dinner jacket. It’s a really great theme, one so identifiable with the show it represents that it becomes impossible to imagine one without the other. But it’s music that brings to mind the romance and intrigue of the series rather than the action. This isn’t driving, action-oriented music like the themes for Mission: Impossible or Danger Man. Like most ITC themes, it’s about ambiance. That’s typical of the first disc in this collection, most of which seems to emphasize the exotic and romantic flavor of the series rather than the danger or the scrapes that Simon constantly gets into–and out of. Sweeping, location-establishing cues are each embellished with the musical flavor of the country in which a given episode takes place. It’s exotic music for exotic places–and great mood music.

Disc 2, on the other hand, is much more action-oriented. It even offers up a really fantastic sped-up version of the theme that transforms it into an action track–and one that would fit in nicely alongside the aforementioned music from Danger Man and Mission: Impossible. There’s no question that this version–like most of the tracks here, never before available on any previous Saint CD–will be joining those themes right away in the spy theme playlist on my iPod. The whole disc showcases some of Astley’s very best action cues. Some of them evoke Henry Mancini’s Pink Panther music, and others are downright Bondian, but despite those allusions they are all unmistakably Saint. Unlike ITC’s Prisoner soundtrack set, which accurately represents the series with disparate cues in disparate styles by multiple composers, the Saint soundtrack is a very cohesive collection. Like Astley’s Danger Man music, all of the cues are of a whole, and most of them readily recognizable as Saint cues whether through snippets of the theme or other distinctive touches.

Disc 3 contains more fantastic score cues of both varieties–ambiance and action. Then, into the mix sneak some songs. The mixture of instrumental and vocal tracks makes this my favorite individual disc of the collection. Only a few of the songs are truly great (by far the best is Disc 4's fiery female-sung torch song “Out to Get You,” which was also included on The Music of ITC and could fit in easily amidst spy classics like Vicky Carr’s rendition of “The Silencers” and Shirley Bassey’s “The Liquidator”), but all of them work in conjunction with the incidental tracks to paint an accurate portrait of The Saint and its era. It's the overall effect that I love. The vocals come from the nightclubs Simon Templar frequents in London, France, Germany and the Caribbean, and each reflects its setting in accent and style. Just as every ITC series requires some Spanish flamenco music on a solo guitar (mercifully there is only one such track included here, as opposed to the unlistenable twenty or so endlessly repeated on the Man in a Suitcase set!), so does every ITC series seem to demand at least one calypso number. Personally I prefer the one from Danger Man to the one here, but in its broadcast version this one’s not bad. Innumerable vocal-only demo versions of it included on the final disc, however, quickly wear out their welcome!

Disc 4 has more songs, more score, and a lot of alternate takes and demos like that calypso number. The first half of it is eminently listenable (and even boasts that great “Out to Get You” song I mentioned earlier), but the alternate takes and stings are the sort of stuff you’re only likely to ever listen to once. Personally, I have little use for the bare-bones, vocal-only a capella versions of the songs, stripped of their instruments–with one exception. The a capella scat version of the Saint theme itself (just one individual element of the usual version of the theme–and one I’d never picked out on its own before, amidst all the reverb and instruments), performed by a female vocalist with truly impressive range, definitely makes for an interesting listen. As for the others, the completist in me is grateful for their inclusion, but happy that they were relegated to the final disc. Other multi-disc ITC soundtrack sets from Network have mixed multiple takes in throughout, and that sometimes makes for more academic than entertaining listening. I’m happy to report that The Saint soundtrack is much more listenable in its entirety than those ones, unencumbered in its body by a lot of aborted takes or brief stings. Those that are included at the end feel like bonus tracks, and that’s the way it should be. Network’s The Saint: Original Soundtrack is a godsend for fans of the show and a worthy addition to any spy fan’s music library. Let’s hope that more thought-lost ITC music turns up, and that we might eventually get similar unexpected releases for the monochrome Saint seasons and, of course, The Persuaders!, my own personal soundtrack Holy Grail. (Well, now that we've finally got a CD for Dracula AD 1972, anyway!)

The Saint: Original Soundtrack is available exclusively through Network's website. It retails for £34.99, but is currently on sale for £29.99. You can listen to a suite of sample music from this release here.

Network Announces The Saint Soundtrack!

Here's some great news for fans of spy music!  After releasing truly fantastic, multi-disc soundtracks for just about every other ITC show out there, Network has finally gotten around to one of the most demanded series in the library: The Saint.  On May 31, the company will release The Saint: Original Soundtrack, a 4-disc set containing original title and incidental music by Edwin Astley from the color years of the Roger Moore Sixties TV show.  "Added to this," according to Network's copy, "are songs and tunes to fit the flamenco dances and calypsos of bars in South America and the West Indies, as well as the night clubs, hippy parties and pop scene of swinging Sixties London. Including extensive liner notes from archive television historian Andrew Pixley, this set is an essential purchase for all ITC aficionados."  You can certainly say that again!  We got an excellent taste of the music available for The Saint (including some of those "local flavor" tracks and songs) on the fabulous Music of ITC compilation, but many had feared that much of the music was lost.  I'm thrilled that it isn't, and I hope and pray that this release might bode well for Ken Thorne's Persuaders! music as well, even though that has also been said to be mostly lost.  This is a huge release, and I know I'm not alone in saying I can't wait for it.  And, fortunately, we don't have long to wait at all!  The Saint: Original Soundtrack retails for £34.99, but can currently be pre-ordered from Network's website for £29.99.  Hurrah! This news makes my day.

Roger Moore's Gold Of The Seven Saints On Sale On Warner Archive Site

I hadn't even realized that one of Roger Moore's rarely seen, pre-Bond, pre-Saint movies (from his early days in Hollywood as a Warner contract player), Gold of the Seven Saints, had been released through the Warner Archive Collection last fall until regular reader and commenter Delmo alerted me to the fact.  So I haven't actually bought it yet, but now's a great opportunity, because it's on sale (along with all of the Warner Archives Westerns) for 35% off through the Warner Archive website.  That makes it a very affordable $12.96 as opposed to the regular, overpriced $19.95.  (I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating: if Warner just lowered that standard price point on their Archives to $14.95, I would by so many more titles--and I'm sure I'm not alone.)  For those of you who have caught this on TCM, it's the one where Roger sports an Irish accent--and sings.  (No, Sean Connery wasn't the only actor to warble a little Celtic ditty onscreen before becoming Bond!)  And, as Moore points out in his excellent, fantastic, must-read autobiography, the title turned out to be very portentous for him.  Gold, the number seven, and Saints would all prove recurring themes in his future film and television roles.  Gold of the Seven Saints is also available through Amazon, and presumably will be eventually through DeepDiscount as well, as other Archive titles have become.  For now, though, this sale's the best deal going!

Bond On The Big Screen This Weekend In LA

I'm sorry I'm not in LA right now, because 007 is.  As mentioned back in November, the great Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood will screen a mini Bond-Fest this weekend.  Things kicked off yesterday (New Year's Day) with Dr. No and You Only Live Twice. Tonight Angelenos can see the quintessential revival house double-feature, the Connery classics Goldfinger and Thunderball. Things wind down on Sunday, January 3 with what I see as the most appealing night of programming of all, owing to the two films' relative rarity on the revival circuit: Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only. Complete James Bond Movie Encyclopedia  author Steven Jay Rubin will be on hand tonight (Saturday), as last night, to introduce the movies and host another trivia contest.

I was supposed to be back in LA today, but weather on the East Coast conspired against me.  I'm not usually traveling for the New Year, but I am this year and as soon as I'm back home and settled into my routine, regular posting will resume with my usual year-end roundups and still more Alex Rider coverage, in an event that has stretched from "Alex Rider Week" into "Alex Rider Month."  Anyway, I hope everyone had a great New Year and continues to have a wonderful 2010!

New Spy DVDs Out This Week

...or tangentially spy-related, anyway. Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season Four contains the episode "The Avon Emeralds," guest-starring a very young Roger Moore as "Inspector Benson." Sir Roger recalls in his autobiography, "The series was topped and tailed by a speech from the great man himself, but of course he was never around the set. My episode was 'The Avon Emeralds' with Hazel Court as my co-star. I don't think it was particularly memorable, but it did keep me in LA and in the thick of where it was all happening." Now it's easy to judge if it's memorable or not, as Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season Four hits DVD today from Universal. Retail is $39.99, but of course it's available cheaper from Amazon and Deep Discount, where during their 40% sale it can be had for $23.97.

Is Dougray Scott The New Saint?

For months now, Saint Club Secretary Ian Dickerson (who is actively involved in the development of a new Saint TV show) has been dropping hints on the forums at CommandBond.net about the identity of the next TV Saint. Production on a new Saint series has been rumored for years now, and came remarkably close to fruition in 2008 when James Purefoy was announced as the next Simon Templar in a series to be produced by Homicide: Life On the Streets veterans Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson (who was also to direct the pilot), Rome co-creator Bill MacDonald and the son of TV's first Saint, Geoffrey Moore, among others. For better or for worse (depending on who you talk to), that incarnation fell apart and Purefoy moved on to star in the very Saint-like (but not nearly Saint-like enough!) NBC series The Philanthropist, produced by Fontana. Dickerson's hints pointed fairly strongly toward Dougray Scott as the new Saint (but also led to speculation on the forum about actors ranging from Spooks' Rupert Penry-Jones to Eddie Izzard), but formalities have kept him from confirming. Now sharp-eyed forum member Tybre has spotted a post on Roger Moore's official website wherein the erstwhile Templar himself, Sir Roger, appears to have done so! Moore goes as far as confirming the initials D.S., which don't really leave room for a lot of other likely candidates. He also says that shooting (whenever it happens) will take place in Vancouver, and that he himself will take a small role in the pilot which could likely become recurring should it go to series.

Dickerson has previously revealed other details about the newest take on The Saint at CBn: namely that Simon will be driving an "eco-chic" Fisker Karma sports car and T.J. Scott is directing. I'm a fan of Scott's work on Sam Raimi's syndicated TV shows Hercules and Xena back in the late 90s (when he also directed an episode of Raimi's short-lived spy series Spy Game), and in many ways he seems a better fit for The Saint (which should be fun) than the more prestigious Levinson would have been. I would have loved to have seen Purefoy essay the role, but I'm still eager for this new version of The Saint to get rolling and I wish Dougray Scott all the best under the halo! Scott is well known to spy fans from his roles in Mission: Impossible II, Hitman and, in his best spy foray, Enigma.

James Bond Movies On The Big Screen In Los Angeles This May

Includes Two Roger Moore Films

It's been over two years since the successful festival of Connery and Lazenby Bond films at the American Cinematheque's Aero Theater in Santa Monica, CA, and finally--as promised--James Bond is returning! From May 1-3, the Aero will screen "The Best of James Bond: Agent 007." Unfortunately, this isn't the Roger Moore festival that was promised at the end of the 2007's successful run of Connery films, but another festival consisting mostly of Connery films. Don't get me wrong; I love all the Connery Bonds; it's just that they screen pretty often in revival houses and the Moore ones do very rarely. But the good news is there is one night of Roger Moore movies, a double feature of The Spy Who Loved Me and Live And Let Die on Sunday, May 3 at 7:30. (I'd have rather seen the even rarer For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy, since those never play, but I'm certainly happy to see Moore's best and his first.)

The mini-fest kicks off on Friday, May 1 with Dr. No and From Russia With Love starting at 7:30. Saturday brings us the ubiquitous Goldfinger and Thunderball, also beginning at 7:30. And Sunday wraps things up with Sir Roger. Complete James Bond Movie Encyclopedia author Steven Jay Rubin (who also hosted the 2007 event) will be on hand to introduce both Connery nights. Visit the Aero's website for full details and advance ticket sales.

The Cinematheque's superb Hollywood theater, the Egyptian, will host a rival spy night on Saturday, May 2, with Patrick McGoohan in Ice Station Zebra.

Roger Moore Meets Alfred Hitchcock

TVShowsOnDVD reports that Universal has begun advertising Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season Four–though a specific release date has not yet been announced. Why is this of interest to spy fans? Season Four contains the episode "The Avon Emeralds," guest-starring a young Roger Moore as "Inspector Benson." Sir Roger recalls in his autobiography, "The series was topped and tailed by a speech from the great man himself, but of course he was never around the set. My episode was 'The Avon Emeralds' with Hazel Court as my co-star. I don't think it was particularly memorable, but it did keep me in LA and in the thick of where it was all happening." Memorable or not, I'm glad that it kept Moore in the thick of it and I'm dying to see it! Now if only someone would get around to releasing his season of Maverick on DVD...

DVD Review: The Saint Steps In.. To Television (2008)

Time and again, U.K. company Network has proven itself one of the greatest allies to fans of classic British television. Not only do they release more cult series from ITV’s Golden Era than anyone else, but they do it in style. No other company in Britain or America (or even Australia, where Network’s only serious competitor, Umbrella, operates) regularly produces as many DVD series sets (or CD soundtrack sets) with as many excellent extras as Network. Most of their sets include an embarrassment of archival extras, ranging from original promos to films made out of two-parters to PDFs of scripts and annuals. But Network doesn’t stop there. They often include newly-produced extras, ranging from the excellent commentary tracks and interviews of the sort Umbrella sometimes includes to lavish, newly-produced feature-length documentaries. Each volume of The Saint that the company has released (The Complete Monochrome Series, The Complete Colour Series and Return of the Saint) has contained a documentary in the neighborhood of forty minutes, and the company has gone above and beyond what most of their kind do: they’ve edited the three together into one two-hour-plus documentary feature and released it on its own disc, affording Saint fans worldwide the opportunity to see what amounts to the definitive story of the series without buying (or re-buying) the entire, expensive series!

The Saint Steps In... To Television is comprised of the original, shorter "The Saint Steps In... To Television" (named after author Leslie Charteris’s novel The Saint Steps In), "The Saint Steps In... To Colour" (both narrated by Seventies Saint Ian Ogilvy) and "The Saint Steps In... To the Seventies" (narrated by Roger Moore). Since the three pieces focus on different eras of the character and are edited sequentially, they easily come together to form a cohesive whole that for the most part avoids repetition and proceeds chronologically.

After a brief introduction showing headshots of every actor to play The Saint (from Louis Hayward to Val Kilmer), some background on Charteris with shots of some of the paperback covers and comic strips (featuring Moore’s likeness) and an exciting montage of clips from the show, the first third settles into a series of talking heads. I found myself wondering why they didn’t edit in more clips to illustrate the speakers’ points (that may be an American thing, since we seem to have shorter attention spans than Brits–or it may just be a budgetary issue), but it didn’t really matter because the speakers are all key figures in the history of The Saint. Fans of the series will be so fascinated by what they’re saying that they don’t require clips.

The speakers cover some stories that die-hards will have heard before (like how the Saint came to drive his trademark Volvo after Jaguar stupidly refused to lend or even sell the production an E-Type) but are crucial to the overall story of the show–and many that are fresh. Those interviewed include Moore and Ogilvy, Charteris’s daughter, script supervisor Harry Junkin, guest stars like Kate O’Mara, Burt Kwouk and Alexandra Bastedo, and many key behind-the-scenes production personnel. All share fond, not-so-fond and humorous anecdotes about the making of The Saint. The late Leslie Charteris himself serves as a commentator throughout the entire documentary in the form of his many, many memos addressed to the writers, which are read by the narrators. They are nearly all derisive, berating the producers for ruining his masterful short stories in the adaptation. Particular vitriol is reserved for Junkin, whom the author didn’t seem to realize was very successfully shepherding his character from the page into a wildly popular TV show. ("As usual, this script is fit for Junkin(g)!") If I have one minor criticism of The Saint Steps In... To Television, it would be that they perhaps travel to this well one or two times too many, since the tenor of all the memos is pretty much the same. But then again, they are too amusing to neglect.

Ogilvy has fun narrating the portions on the Moore show, and doesn’t take any of it too seriously. I think it’s the appropriate tone for the subject matter, but I could see the style being a bit off-putting to some viewers. Also, since the narrator isn’t introduced in the course of the documentary, it falls to the audience to know why he gives an exaggerated, comically annoyed sigh every time he says the name "Roger Moore." Then again, if you’re watching this disc, you probably know exactly who Ian Ogilvy is and why he’s doing that! I suppose that was the producers’ assumption.

The comic tone doesn’t just come from Ogilvy; it’s in the script as well–and it keeps the whole 124-minute feature from ever getting remotely dull. There are various snide remarks about some of the actors at the beginning (particularly Kilmer and Jean Marais) and pretty hilarious cigar-chomping portraits used to depict ITV mogul Lew Grade every time he comes up. On top of that, Ogivly does an amusing (and I assume accurate–if exaggerated) impression of the man. (Most of the narrated bits amount to comic relief, as the principal talking heads do a great job of telling the relevant story on their own.) Later on, as the transition to color is discussed–as well as The Saint’s contemporaries and imitators–there’s an amusing series of variations on the famous Saint stickman logo representing each of the other shows mentioned. While most of them are pretty straightforward, the producers slip in a laugh-out-loud hilarious in-joke about The Adventurer. I had to go back and pause the screen to tell what the drawing was, but when my girlfriend and I realized that it was a very short stick figure next to a taller one (and you just know angry about it!)–with a height scale included to drive the point home–we both cracked up. If you’ve ever watched Network’s fantastic extras on their DVD of The Adventurer (or followed this amazing website devoted to the series), you’ll know that star Gene Barry incurred the enmity of all who worked on the show for his refusal to work with actors and actresses who were taller than he was–which was pretty much everyone. Clever, Network, clever!

Certain episodes get singled out for individual attention, including the color highwater mark "The Fiction Makers" (a two-parter combined as a feature for sale in Europe because "there’s always a demand for theatrical product"–or apparently was back then!), the infamous foray into ludicrous, giant ant-driven sci-fi in "The House On Dragon's Rock" and the stellar episode that served as an unofficial pilot for The Persuaders!, "The Ex-King of Diamonds."

Moore takes over narrating duties as the story shifts to the Seventies–and the Saint switches to a Jaguar after all. While some of Ogilvy’s anecdotes are recycled from his interview and commentary on Umbrella’s Return of the Saint set, there’s a lot of fascinating new information here about the revival–which has generally received less attention than Moore's longer-running series in the past. The scenic European location filming that makes the show so good is covered, as well as Charteris’s increased involvement with (and generally increased approval for) this incarnation of his character. Ogilvy and Charteris formed an unlikely alliance, united against the worst of the scripts. Together, they dug their feet in about an episode entitled "The Prince of Darkness" which would have found the Saint fighting vampires. While I can see their point (that that’s way out of the standard realm of The Saint), I personally would have loved to see such an episode! How cool would it have been to see Ogilvy’s Simon Templar wander into a Seventies Hammer movie? Oh well. Missed opportunities.

The documentary concludes a little abruptly with the implicit promise of more to come by briefly mentioning the Eighties version (powered by Simon Dutton) and stating via narration that "that’s another story." I’d heard that Network had abandonned its ambitions to release the Dutton series (which was at one time rumored to also include the misguided 1987 Andrew Clarke pilot which found a mustached Saint bombing around Manhattan in a Lamborghini like a third-rate Magnum), but this tease makes me hope that’s not true! I’d love to see another chapter of this top shelf documentary about The Saint stepping into... whatever he stepped in in the Eighties. I suppose that’s a subjective question, but the producers of this documentary never shy away from the subjective...

The Saint Steps In To... Television is far more than what we’re accustomed to in DVD special features–especially on TV shows. It’s a legitimate, full-fledged documentary on the history of one of the cornerstone Sixties spy shows, and it’s absolutely essential viewing for fans of Simon Templar and Roger Moore. The producers manage to find a way for their documentary to both serve as a good primer on The Saint for neophytes just dipping their feet in, but at the same time entertain and enlighten even the most hardcore halo-heads. Network should be applauded not only for making such an in-depth documentary on the subject, but also for making it available to viewers independently of the show. It’s a Region 0 PAL disc, so anyone with a DVD drive on their computer should be able to play it, no matter what country they’re in. Since A&E didn’t offer any extras on their Saint DVDs, I would recommend it as ideal supplemental viewing to Americans. Even Australians with the Umbrella DVDs should order this Network web exclusive, as it contains completely different, new material.

Network has previously made their Prisoner documentary, Don’t Knock Yourself Out, available independently of the series set. I hope this sells well, and they continue that trend. I’d love to be able to buy their Persuaders documentary next!

New Spy DVDs Out This Week

But today is Sunday, not Tuesday! What's going on? Well, thanks to the Christmas holiday, studios are bumping their new product up a few days to entice last-minute holiday shoppers. Among those titles being released today is Focus Features' Burn After Reading, a terrific new spy comedy from the Coen Brothers. Actually, this is the ideal last-minute gift idea for spy fans! (And it's also available in Blu-Ray.) Read my full DVD review here, and my original review of the film here.

And speaking of Christmas shopping, while I was out doing mine today I stumbled upon an exciting new title that I must have missed when it debuted amongst the Bond-propelled spy glut at the beginning of November: The Persuaders!: 3 Film Collection. This set (which somehow slipped out from LionsGate) collects all three Persuaders! theatrical releases from the early Seventies: Mission: Monte Carlo, Sporting Chance and The London Conspiracy. Bear in mind that each of these so-called "films" is actually two episodes of the TV series edited together for the European theatrical market. Still, this disc will be of extreme interest to American Persuaders! fans because the theatrical versions have never been released in the United States on DVD before. (I believe some of them were included with various foreign DVD sets of the series.) They're notable for featuring different title sequences, though I don't know if there's any actual new footage in the films. (I doubt it.) It's also a good, cheap way for new viewers to sample this incredible Roger Moore/Tony Curtis series (really, one of my favorites ever) without shelling out for the entire sets. Beware, though, because some Amazon user reviews report defective discs. Hopefully this problem has been resolved by now. I think the cover is kind of cool, even though it's a blatant Photoshop creation featuring a cool-looking car that's not even appropriate to the Persuaders! era... but I still can't help wish they'd used some of the incredible poster art that was created for these films! I've spent a long time accumulating them from every country of release, and they're stunning images. Oh well.

The Saint Steps In... To Television

UK company Network has announced a DVD containing just the acclaimed documentaries from each of their three Saint DVD releases edited together and expanded into a feature-length documentary. I've been salivating for this disc since reader Delmo mentioned it in a comment on my post about the since-cancelled Australian Saint documentary. When the company's first Saint set debuted, Network posted clips from the documentary on their site, and they looked amazing. A&E offered no such features on the Region 1 Saint releases. Sadly I, like many American Saint fans, I presume, was in no position to spring for a whole new set just to get the bonus features. This new DVD combines "The Saint Steps In... To Television" from Network's release of the black & white Roger Moore episodes, "The Saint Steps In... To Colour" from their set of the Moore color series (both narrated by Ian Ogilvy) and "The Saint Steps In... To the 1970s," narrated by Moore, from their Return of the Saint set (starring Ogilvy). Here's Networks own copy on what's certain to be a stellar Region 2 release:

Previously only available with the best-selling Saint and Return of the Saint DVD box sets, this series of highly acclaimed documentaries has now been revised and expanded with new interviews to form one feature-length documentary. The Saint Steps In... To Television is the definitive look at the series’ production for Lew Grade’s ITC company, as told by those involved in its creation. It covers the full story of how Simon Templar came to the small screen in the early 1960s, the series’ evolution into colour and its revamping and reformatting to fit the shifting trends of a late 1970s audience. Featuring extensive contributions from Roger Moore, Ian Ogilvy, Robert S. Baker, Johnny Goodman, Patricia Charteris and many more, this two-hour documentary is the final word on Simon Templar’s time at ITC.

The Saint Steps In... To Television is currently available only as a Network website exclusive. While you're on their site, you might also want to check out their 40% off sale on select titles, including both Moore Saint sets as well as The Persuaders! which runs through Christmas.

Roger Moore's Autobiography Out Today

Ah, here we are: the first Tuesday in November of 2008! That's a big day, right? There's something happening today in America... Oh, yes! There is indeed: Sir Roger Moore's autobiography, My Word Is My Bond, hits bookstores today! (It's been available in Britain for a couple of weeks now.) You can get a taste of it by reading the first chapter online at Amazon, but why not just run out and buy the thing already? I've been excited about this since it was announced last year. Of all the Bond actors, Sir Roger's is the memoir I'd most like to read. He's just so funny and self-deprecating in interviews and commentaries; the guy's a good storyteller. So I can't wait to pick up his book!