The Return of the Saint was a hit show in Nigeria. Who can forget the pre title sequence which ends with a halo appearing above the head of Simon Templar well played by Ian Oglivy? The halo is accompanied by the Saint jingle which then metamorphoses into one of the best credit sequences I have seen on TV. We see the Saint symbolized by the stick man as he is driving, being chased by a man, knocking the man out, jumping from a bridge into a car, kissing a girl on the beach as she suggestively throws away his halo. Awesome. The electronic music that accompanied the sequence made it outstanding.
Comparisms between Ian Oglivy and his predecessor Roger Moore are inevitable with the views leaning favourably to Roger Moore. Roger Moore was outstanding as Templar but Oglivy was also a worthy successor even though both interpreted the role differently.
Roger Moore played the role with is usual tongue in cheek which he would bring over to his role as James Bond. Oglivy was more intense and grim in his role, a hard thing to do with his pretty boy looks.But both men clinched it differently.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for Val Kilmer in the 1997 movie which was a disaster. I remembered the expectations that I had for the movie. I early went into a Pavlovian twitch waiting for the stick man symbol, the theme song, the jingle, the halo. There was nothing in the movie to appeal to the nostalgia of the fans who grew up watching the Saint on TV. No wonder the movie bombed!
