The Saint Megaset (1967)

Nineteen actors have portrayed Simon Templar, the gentleman adventurer created by Leslie Charteris in 1928. Among the most memorable incarnations were George Sanders (in a series of 1930s films) and Vincent Price (who voiced the character on radio in the 1940s). But for baby boomers, there is only one Simon: Roger Moore, who starred in this classic 1960s British TV series. Moore makes a better Templar than he did a Bond (and he is certainly better than Val Kilmer, who stared in the 1997 feature film), and the inside jokes include guest appearances by Lois Maxwell, best known to 007 fans as Miss Moneypenny. Except for the gadgets, The Saint has all the pleasures of the Bond films: a real international man of mystery impeccably dressed (these entertaining adventures are "more cloak than dagger"), exotic locations, cold war intrigue, sparkling bons mots, and beautiful (albeit chaste) women, and the highlight of any episode is the devilishly funny prologue, in which, no matter where he is, someone always identifies our hero as "the infamous" Simon Templar, prompting him to cast his eyes heavenward as he is crowned by his signature animated halo. This 14-disc set includes all 47 original color episodes presented in their U.S. broadcast order. --Donald Liebenson Amazon.com

This Knight is Templar......Simon Templar

In Days of Yore the original Knights Templar rode White chargers, to rescue Ladies in distress.
But this 1960's incarnation was called Simon Templar and drove instead, a White sports car. (Volvo P1800)
Most of the stories are thriller based, and not as surreal as The Avengers, or The Prisoner.
But that should not put people off what is shown, as Roger Moore does it so smoothly, and with such charm that you can't help but like the character.
Looking on the, "family friendly" side there is no excessive violence, nor unnecessary rude bits.
(Not that I mind rude bits.)
Overall opinion; a show which can be watched with the whole family.
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Trivia:~ The Producers originally approached Jaguar to use one of their cars,(the E-type Jaguar.)
But they turned them down so they approached Volvo, who jumped at the chance.
So it became the Volvo P1800 that was synonymous as, the Saint's car.
Most of the early episodes are based on stories written by Saint creator Leslie Charteris, the later ones by the individual episode writer.
This is a very good purchase for everyone who likes, "family friendly" thrillers.
The show ran for a total of 118 episodes,71 monochrome and 47 colour. 1962-1969.
There are two things in life of which I'm certain, Connery will always be Bond, and Moore will always be Templar. January 9, 2008

My Positive Review

This was the first time I had bought used DVDs. I have been very pleased thus far. There are many DVDs in the package, so obviously we haven't seen them all yet, but all the ones we've seen have worked just like advertised - the DVDs look good (physically), the individual boxes look good, the full package was just as advertised, AND we got a very good deal. October 19, 2007

Can We Please Give Sir Roger A Break?

OK this is not the 70's or 80's anymore so can we please give Roger Moore a break about not being the best Bond? God, I come here for the Saint and the Amazon reviewer slams him for his Bond! As a matter of fact if Moore had not played Bond so good the franchise would have died in the 70's! He made the character entertaining and I remember as a teen seeing Moonraker in the movies and than later as an adult seeing other people play Bond and I got to tell you I was more entertained when I saw Moore, so give it a rest! Connery is my favorite but he didn't want to do it anymore so Moore came in and added a new element to it, and I think he did a great job. The Saint is a cool show, and the colour of that day was really oversaturated so it looks cool. It's mindless stuff really in these colour episodes, I actually prefer his next series "The Pursuaders", that was a great show! Thats a show that really didn't take itself too seriously and he and Tony Curtis ham it up in class. October 3, 2006

"Allow me to introduce the infamous Simon Templar..."

And so these words open each episode of this popular series. Leslie Charteris', "The Saint" was a role well-suited to Roger Moore's athleticism, good looks, and whimsical sense of humor that would eventually serve him well as none other than Ian Fleming's cold war icon, James Bond, for over ten years.

This A&E set contains all the color episodes in their original broadcast order and the transfers look quite clean; however if you have a multi-region DVD player like I do, I recommend the Amazon UK Network DVD 14 disc boxed set for the true fan; completely remastered from the original 16 mm prints and chock full with extras, including a full, hour-long live interview (not just a commentary, although several are included as well) with Roger Moore and the principals from the ITC production team who produced this popular series.

Also included are added tracks from Edwin Astley's theme music, television bumpers, alternate credit and title sequences, and the two feature films (with trailers) 'Vandetta for the Saint" and "The Fiction Makers." Nonetheless, this A&E set is perfect for the casual fan, however, no extras are included. Some of the better and more colorful episodes include "Interlude in Venice" and "The Man Who Liked Lions" starring a pre "Jason King" Peter Wyngarde. This A&E set would earn 5 stars, however I find the Network DVD set a better deal for those of us who appreciate the commentaries, feature films, and extras with our complete set. July 3, 2006

The Saint - Colour Series

The original B&W set were based on the Charteris stories and it shows. The colour series loses some of the charm of the 1st series. However the restored versions here and the colour are superb and the humour is always dry! A good buy. February 24, 2006

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