The Saint - The Early Episodes, Set 1 (1967)

Fearless, debonair, and determined to see justice, Simon Templar, aka THE SAINT, took the world by storm in 1962. Now, the dazzling black-and-white debut season of this modern-day Robin Hood is on DVD for the first time. Sympathetic to those in distress, especially when they're wearing a dress, THE SAINT circles the globe in his trademark white Volvo, deploying lethal charm as his weapon of choice. Based on the best-selling novel Meet the Tiger by Leslie Charteris, Roger Moore's portrayal of this glamorous mystery man with a heart of gold created a television legend. With impeccable taste for the finer things in life, Templar dashed through one heart-pulsing adventure after another, forever chased by Scotland Yard's peppermint-chewing Inspector Teal. Action-packed, stylish, and dependably sexy, this three-disc DVD set features all 12 black-and-white episodes from the debut season of THE SAINT. DVD Features: Roger Moore Biography and Filmography; The History Of The Saint; Photo Gallery; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

The Saint Collection Set I Review

This is really cool. I remember the old reruns on TV from when I was little, and recall enjoying them so I took a chance and bought this set. I do not regret it. Even these early episodes are very well-written, well-acted, and to my surprise the film quality is quite good. Sometimes with older TV shows you get iffy visual quality, but these are crystal clear. Moore is terrific as the Saint. It's also cool to see different parts of the world circa the early 1960's. Cool cars, cool furniture, everyone is well-dressed, and of course Moore is very classy. The thing that impressed me the most is the writing and the plots. I was afraid TV from this era might not age well, but they're not cheesy at all, and they really did age quite well. Still completely watchable today. July 7, 2008

Gold heart and an iron fist

Fans of 60s cult TV - or good detective drama from any era - will thoroughly enjoy this collection from the black-and-white first season of "The Saint."

The 12 episodes filmed in 1962 show Moore at his absolute best - bringing out all the wit, creativity, and courage hinted at in Leslie Charteris's many stories. Simon Templar is both bon vivant and justice seeker. As played by Moore, Templar gives the viewer a hint of his alleged criminal past. But he uses his knowledge of the underworld to see that the crooked are brought to justice, and Moore delivers his lines and fight scenes brilliantly...with that fierce sense of well-bred outrage.

Moore is helped by an excellent cast of guest stars, British and American. There are two nice peformances by future "Goldfinger" actress Shirley Eaton (in "The Talented Husband" and "The Effete Angler") and Alan Gifford as NYC Police Inspector John Henry Fernack ("The Careful Terrorist" and "The Element of Doubt").

These episodes, produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman, are mostly well-written adaptations of Charteris stories. The screenwriting is crisp and suspenseful. Two of the best of the entire series are here, in the premiere episode "The Talented Husband" (Simon tries to head off a playwright's murder of his third wife) and "The Arrow of God" (a boorish, annoying society columnist is murdered by one of a number of guests with shady pasts).

The early episodes shine even when the premise of a scene is a bit of a stretch. Example: "The Careful Terrorist," set in New York, which plays a lot like the story of the real-life blinding of journalist Victor Riesel (an incident briefly mentioned in the episode). It starts with a reporter character accusing a dangerous labor leader of murder, extortion et al live on the air, and then saying he'll have his proof on his NEXT live show.

But the episode manages to overcome this obvious invitation to the reporter's eventual murder with some fabulous acting by Moore, Gifford,Peter Dyneley as the vengeful labor leader, and David Kossoff as the bookish but skillful engineer who designs a bomb intented to blow Templar away. Of the 12 installments in this box set, "The Careful Terrorist" is the one I've watched the most repeatedly.

Simon Templar would play across UK and US screens over a seven-year period. But these black and white early episodes - before the plots became fanciful and leaned toward comedy and self-parody - are "The Saint" at the pinnacle...first-class detective drama. June 28, 2008

"Sooner or later, the ungodly get what they deserve."

Simon Templar, aka the Saint, has been around a loooong time. Author Leslie Charteris debuted him way back in the 1928 novel MEET THE TIGER. Since then the Saint has seen plenty of time on-screen, as fleshed out by a boatload of actors (Louis Hayward, the wonderfully suave George Sanders, Hugh Sinclair, and even Val Kilmer). But, let's be real, no one fit the halo better than Roger Moore.

From 1962 to 1969, the British television series THE SAINT chronicled the globetrotting exploits of Simon Templar as he sought to help the helpless, punish the criminal element, and have a good time doing it. THE SAINT - THE EARLY EPISODES, SET 1 contains the 12 episodes which make up the 1962 debut season. Presented in crisp black & white (the series would be colorized in 1966), these early adventures sparkle with freshness and charm. And, yup, from the get-go, that memorable theme song wormed itself into the brain.

The first episode is titled "The Talented Husband." Its pre-credit sequence unveils a dapper Roger Moore as the Saint gazing at the camera and bemoaning the woes of crappy theater, yet he does this with a twinkle in the eye. This sets the tone for his character as Templar would mostly retain this lighthearted touch even when dealing with the "ungodly," as he calls them. But there are moments when the Saint gets down and dirty and very serious. One of his quotes referencing the "ungodly" is: "Sooner or later, the ungodly get what they deserve." And if it's up to the Saint, it'll be sooner. As exemplified in "The Careful Terrorist," he can be ruthless in his meting out of justice.

One of the things I enjoy best about the show is Templar's habit of breaking the fourth wall and directly addressing the viewers. This would become a signature gimmick in these early episodes. Another conceit of the show is that someone always recognizes him within the first opening minutes, at which point the halo would appear and the opening creds would roll out.

The episodes themselves are well-crafted stuff and mostly aren't mysteries in the classic sense, except for "The Arrow of God." The show doesn't keep you guessing too long as to the culprits's identities. Rather, it fills you in on who the bad guys are and then keeps you in suspense as to how things will turn out. So it's actually more suspense than whodunit. There are nice twists and turns peppered in, of which one very well done example is found in "The Talented Husband." Sometimes the Saint is barely even in the show. The Saint's absence is pronounced in whole chunks of scenes in several episodes as corrupt human drama would play out, only to have Templar come in in the latter stages and don his halo. Anyway, to me, the episodes which stand out are: "The Careful Terrorist" - as the Saint goes against a meticulous bomb-maker called the Engineer; "The Pearls of Peace" - this one's a touching love story (that's right; you heard me); and "The Element of Doubt" - when the courtroom is unable to dispense justice, the Saint offers his own brand.

Cool cars, international villains, ravishing women, and Roger Moore juggling them all with cool, debonair flair. Moore was around 34 years old when he first got this gig and he immediately breathed iconic life into Simon Templar. Dude simply oozes charisma, that crackling aura of something. And the droll, tongue-in-cheek wit doesn't hurt. Never mind James Bond, Moore was always better suited to play the Saint. In fact, as his 007 films progressed, he became more and more of a caricature. As the Saint, Roger Moore never got old.

Not much in the way of special features, but what there is can be found on Disc 3. "The History of the Saint" in text, Roger Moore's Biography & Filmography, and a photo gallery. You'd think there'd be at least an interview with the man. Sucks.

In three discs, here's Season One:

- Episode 1-01 - "The Talented Husband" - Simon helps a sexy insurance agent (Shirley Eaton) investigate a playwright who might have it in for his wealthy wife.
- Episode 1-02 - "The Latin Touch" - In Rome, the city of "yells, bells, and smells," Simon meets a lovely American tourist, only to have her be kidnapped in his presence and him slugged from behind.
- Episode 1-03 - "The Careful Terrorist" - In New York City Simon means to avenge a journalist buddy fatally targeted by a crooked labor union boss.
- Episode 1-04 - "The Covetous Headsman" - On a New York to Paris flight Simon encounters a lovely woman bound for France to meet her long-lost brother. But murder greets them first in the City of Lights.
- Episode 1-05 - "The Loaded Tourist" - In Geneva a stabbing pits the Saint against jewel smugglers.
- Episode 1-06 - "The Pearls of Peace" - Simon financially invests in a friend's pearl diving scheme in Mexico, but the venture goes horribly wrong.
- Episode 1-07 - "The Arrow of God" - This time it's in the Bahamas as the Saint rubs elbows with a dubious household, among whom are an Indian mystic, a malicious newspaper columnist, and a murderer. Gorgeous Honor Blackman guest stars.
- Episode 1-08 - "The Element of Doubt" - This one's a courtroom drama as a murderous arsonist hires an unscrupulous defense attorney renowned for acquitting his crooked clients. But the Saint objects.
- Episode 1-09 - "The Effete Angler" - Simon goes to Miami Beach for some fishing and hauls in a luscious femme fatale and some smugglers as his catch of the day. Guest-starring Shirley Eaton (now playing a different character).
- Episode 1-10 - "The Golden Journey" - No crime-fighting in this one. In Spain Simon teaches a lesson to a spoiled, shrewish girl who's about to marry his good friend.
- Episode 1-11 - "The Man Who Was Lucky" - The Saint tangles with protection racketeers.
- Episode 1-12 - "The Charitable Countess" - In Rome the Saint takes in a thieving street urchin and accepts a risky challenge from a contessa. January 11, 2008

Better than the later color episodes.....

The first series of black and white episodes of the Saint apppear to be more gritty and realisitc compared to the later color series also available thru A&E and Amazon. In this set Simon Templar is less the cocky, errant playboy and more akin to a hardened private investigator outswindling the swindlers and working for the little guy.

This was Roger Moore's first starring role in a series that earned him a place in movie history as the longest-playing actor to portray Ian Fleming's 007. It has been said that the first series represents Leslie Charteris' protagonist more accurately than the later color episodes.

As with other series produced by ITC, expect to see many of the same fine English supporting actors from other popular programs like "Secret Agent," "Man in a Suitcase," "Gideon's Way," and "The Baron." It is astounding how many quality programs were produced thru the ITC Network in the UK during the 60's.

The episodes in both sets I and II are nicely remastered and the audio quality is excellent--A&E has done a fine job here as usual. Sadly, some extras would have been more welcome. The Carlton DVD set (in Region 2 encoding) of the b&w episodes offer interviews with Robert Baker, the director of the series, as well as original publicity documentation from ITC promoting the series. August 10, 2006

The Saint - The Early Episodes - Set 1: episode listing

A&E doesn't list the episodes on the outside of the Set 1 box, or on their website, so here goes:

DISC ONE
The Talented Husband
The Latin Touch
The Careful Terrorist
The Covetous Headsman

DISC TWO
The Loaded Tourist
The Pearls Of Peace
The Arrow Of God
The Element Of Doubt

DISC THREE
The Effete Angler
The Golden Journey
The Man Who Was Lucky
The Charitable Countess January 5, 2006

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