This is the show which made a huge international star out of Roger Moore, after about fifteen years of wasting his talents in Hollywood and a couple of lesser successes in British and U. S. television. This recognition is fully deserved, as he is simply superb in the role. For my money this remains the very best thing he ever did; and yes that includes the James Bond rubbish; in fact, especially so.
The Saint character has been portrayed on film by a number of actors over the years, both before Roger Moore and - God help us - after him also; but no-one else even comes close to this unique portrayal. Put as simply as possible; Roger Moore IS the Saint. This is one of those rare occasions when an actor and a role are made for each other. This is the same as Basil Rathbone being Sherlock Holmes, or Errol Flynn being Robin Hood. After these shining examples have been established there is simply no point in any other actor even bothering to attempt the part. Although it may be the case that this is not exactly as written in the original Leslie Charteris novels, this is nevertheless how nature intended the character to be.
Running for six series (or 'seasons') there are well in excess of a hundred episodes; the early ones, starting in 1962, are of course in black & white, changing to colour for the last two series after 1967. As it happens the early episodes tend to be somewhat superior to the later ones, and the show overall benefits substantially by the extremely high quality of co-stars featured throughout. To name a few: Sylvia Syms, Oliver Reed, Stuart Damon, Finlay Currie, Patrick Allen, Elspeth March, Wanda Ventham, Donald Sutherland, Ronnie Barker, Suzanne Neve, Edward Bishop: and so the impressive cast list goes on; some appearing more than once, although rarely as the same character on more than one occasion. In one exception to this, a special mention is deserved for semi-regular guest star Ivor Dean, appearing in a memorable, and humorously lugubrious, role as Templar's friendly nemesis Inspector Claude Eustace Teal. His presence invariably livens up any episode in which he appears.
Roger Moore has rarely been given the credit he deserves as an actor; indeed often being unjustly denigrated for his light touch and not-too-serious approach toward acting. However, his performance as Simon Templar is actually far more detailed and nuanced than it might appear at first glance. A lesser talent might (and often does) play the role of hero as simply a case of besting the bad guys and getting the girl; but Roger Moore's portrayal gives us a character of some complexity and emotional depth. This is a man of essential decency who can, nonetheless, display a degree of ruthlessness toward those who attempt to take advantage of the weak and helpless. Not averse to swindling ill-gotten gains out of the villains, he is primarily a man of good motivation driven by his desire to deal out justice in his own way, rather than concerning himself with the technical definitions of the law. This seeming ambiguity often places him in some compromise with the police, who regard him with almost as much suspicion, and occasionally even dislike, as do the villains themselves. The exception to this rule is, of course, his friendly opponent Inspector Teal who, one suspects, reprimands Templar whilst maintaining a cynical twinkle in his eye; and whilst munching on the ever-present peppermints. Indeed, in one of the later episodes, he even briefly 'teams-up' with our hero, in order to serve a greater purpose.
Most television and movie heroes represent some official, or at least semi-official, organisation. Traditionally they are cops, FBI agents, or even private detectives; this vocation providing them with their motivation, or opportunity, for fighting crime. The Saint is unique in this regard, in that he is entirely freelance. He is, in fact, nothing other than an ordinary citizen; albeit with an extraordinary courage and resourcefulness. This presents the character with a flaw in logic. Why does this average man encounter so many extraordinary situations and circumstances to deal with in every episode? This anomaly is never addressed or explained throughout the entire run of the show. Obviously the answer to this is simply that it presents an exciting adventure for the viewer to enjoy every week. That and the fact that he is of course 'The Famous Simon Templar' as we are reminded by one of the characters in the memorable catch-phrase opening of each episode. A second unanswered mystery is created by the fact that Simon Templar appears to have no known source of income. Is he the beneficiary of an inheritance, and therefore independently wealthy? This is certainly never suggested or implied at any time. Yet he travels the world in some luxury, whilst driving an expensive car and living in a central London location, whilst socialising with the rich and titled. Indeed, everyone appears to be acquainted with Simon Templar, and yet he remains something of an enigmatic loner despite seemingly being the friend of all the world.
Some of this may be looking too deep into the character, which is after all only intended for our entertainment. Nevertheless it is a curiosity in a television series running for almost eight years that no attempt whatsoever is made to give this character any semblance of a background story. Perhaps some of this is touched upon in the original novels; if so it would have been worthwhile to make at least an occasional reference to this in the television adaptation.
Still; putting aside these finer points of character detail; this is a massively entertaining and enjoyable show. In my opinion one of the very best television adventure series of all time. And the late great Roger Moore is the driving force within every episode, with good looks, personality, and charisma to spare. If you have - by some massive oversight - never seen The Saint, then I would recommend that you do so at your earliest opportunity. I assure you that you will not be disappointed.
The Saint character has been portrayed on film by a number of actors over the years, both before Roger Moore and - God help us - after him also; but no-one else even comes close to this unique portrayal. Put as simply as possible; Roger Moore IS the Saint. This is one of those rare occasions when an actor and a role are made for each other. This is the same as Basil Rathbone being Sherlock Holmes, or Errol Flynn being Robin Hood. After these shining examples have been established there is simply no point in any other actor even bothering to attempt the part. Although it may be the case that this is not exactly as written in the original Leslie Charteris novels, this is nevertheless how nature intended the character to be.
Running for six series (or 'seasons') there are well in excess of a hundred episodes; the early ones, starting in 1962, are of course in black & white, changing to colour for the last two series after 1967. As it happens the early episodes tend to be somewhat superior to the later ones, and the show overall benefits substantially by the extremely high quality of co-stars featured throughout. To name a few: Sylvia Syms, Oliver Reed, Stuart Damon, Finlay Currie, Patrick Allen, Elspeth March, Wanda Ventham, Donald Sutherland, Ronnie Barker, Suzanne Neve, Edward Bishop: and so the impressive cast list goes on; some appearing more than once, although rarely as the same character on more than one occasion. In one exception to this, a special mention is deserved for semi-regular guest star Ivor Dean, appearing in a memorable, and humorously lugubrious, role as Templar's friendly nemesis Inspector Claude Eustace Teal. His presence invariably livens up any episode in which he appears.
Roger Moore has rarely been given the credit he deserves as an actor; indeed often being unjustly denigrated for his light touch and not-too-serious approach toward acting. However, his performance as Simon Templar is actually far more detailed and nuanced than it might appear at first glance. A lesser talent might (and often does) play the role of hero as simply a case of besting the bad guys and getting the girl; but Roger Moore's portrayal gives us a character of some complexity and emotional depth. This is a man of essential decency who can, nonetheless, display a degree of ruthlessness toward those who attempt to take advantage of the weak and helpless. Not averse to swindling ill-gotten gains out of the villains, he is primarily a man of good motivation driven by his desire to deal out justice in his own way, rather than concerning himself with the technical definitions of the law. This seeming ambiguity often places him in some compromise with the police, who regard him with almost as much suspicion, and occasionally even dislike, as do the villains themselves. The exception to this rule is, of course, his friendly opponent Inspector Teal who, one suspects, reprimands Templar whilst maintaining a cynical twinkle in his eye; and whilst munching on the ever-present peppermints. Indeed, in one of the later episodes, he even briefly 'teams-up' with our hero, in order to serve a greater purpose.
Most television and movie heroes represent some official, or at least semi-official, organisation. Traditionally they are cops, FBI agents, or even private detectives; this vocation providing them with their motivation, or opportunity, for fighting crime. The Saint is unique in this regard, in that he is entirely freelance. He is, in fact, nothing other than an ordinary citizen; albeit with an extraordinary courage and resourcefulness. This presents the character with a flaw in logic. Why does this average man encounter so many extraordinary situations and circumstances to deal with in every episode? This anomaly is never addressed or explained throughout the entire run of the show. Obviously the answer to this is simply that it presents an exciting adventure for the viewer to enjoy every week. That and the fact that he is of course 'The Famous Simon Templar' as we are reminded by one of the characters in the memorable catch-phrase opening of each episode. A second unanswered mystery is created by the fact that Simon Templar appears to have no known source of income. Is he the beneficiary of an inheritance, and therefore independently wealthy? This is certainly never suggested or implied at any time. Yet he travels the world in some luxury, whilst driving an expensive car and living in a central London location, whilst socialising with the rich and titled. Indeed, everyone appears to be acquainted with Simon Templar, and yet he remains something of an enigmatic loner despite seemingly being the friend of all the world.
Some of this may be looking too deep into the character, which is after all only intended for our entertainment. Nevertheless it is a curiosity in a television series running for almost eight years that no attempt whatsoever is made to give this character any semblance of a background story. Perhaps some of this is touched upon in the original novels; if so it would have been worthwhile to make at least an occasional reference to this in the television adaptation.
Still; putting aside these finer points of character detail; this is a massively entertaining and enjoyable show. In my opinion one of the very best television adventure series of all time. And the late great Roger Moore is the driving force within every episode, with good looks, personality, and charisma to spare. If you have - by some massive oversight - never seen The Saint, then I would recommend that you do so at your earliest opportunity. I assure you that you will not be disappointed.