The Saint

Watching the first series again after a gap of 30 years I must admit I'm surprised at just how enjoyable the b&w TV episodes were. By now I've read loads of Charteris's original novels, and in them Roger Moore was always the Saint for me - he never matched Templar with his later Bond, imho going to prove yet again you can't do everything by throwing money at it. Even if as Bond he had a more sensible haircut! At the end of episode "Luella" he's mistaken for Bond by a female admirer, but he regretfully points to the halo above his head as the clue to his "real" identity.

"The Talented Husband" broadcast 4.10.62: A nifty first entry, ST keeps an eye on a man married to one of many many lady friends who has just escaped a huge stone urn falling on her head. The thing is that his first wife died in dubious circumstances, causing suspicions to rise in Simon's beetling mind. A clever and sprightly script keeps you engrossed to the inevitable denouement.

And travelling through episode after episode I find nearly all were very well written, with something in each to recommend or applaud. Some were played more for comedy than others, a few were star vehicles, some tried to adhere to Charteris - and were even damn good whodunnits! Moore got through a fair few females, got his hair mussed a few times brawling with villains, and only got tangled up with Inspector Teal a few times in the 39 episodes. Therefore, although I wondered before whether I would only be able to view these through rose-tinted spectacles, my conclusion is No - the TV Saint is still good for thrills all these years on. Dated by todays "high" standards, no cgi cartoonery or mindless brutality but I'll survive. By now I've also realised I'll probably never see "exotic" places like Buenos Aires, Miami, Rome, obscure Spanish mountains or such bizarrely cardboard London night-life in the flesh either - and the entire series was filmed less than 100 miles from where I live!

8/10

The Saint is one of the best series I have ever seen. It's fun, It's exciting and the settings are always different. Roger Moore plays one of his better roles as the cool Simon Templar. It's no mistery why Roger Moore was picked as James Bond when Sean Connery stopped, he shows that in the Saint. Great Entertainment !

Before he was James Bond, Sir Roger Moore was a television star and played the title role of "The Saint." He plays Simon Templar, an agent, who investigates crime like an American movie actress who is kidnapped with her co-star and a jewelry theft. Roger Moore is handsome and charming as the star. The episodes are crisp and fresh. I love the locations in London, England. The episodes are well written and executed in style with a talented cast and crew. The episodes are entertaining without being violent. It's no wonder that he was a perfect successor to play James Bond. I always liked him as Bond the best.

During the 1960's, there were two imports that represented everything that is sophisticated and elegant in British TV: The Avengers and The Saint. The Saint is not as well known as The Avengers, but it should be. The Saint, Simon Templar, played to perfection by Roger Moore, is the hero of many mystery novels by Leslie Charteris. Roger Moore's Simon Templar is charming, suave, sexy and smart. Simon is less cynical and more caring than James Bond and relies on his wits rather gadgets to get himself out of trouble. He is a semi-reformed thief who uses his burglar skills to outwit rich and powerful evil doers and rescue the innocent. If you have the chance, please see The Saint. If you liked The Avengers, you will not be disappointed.

Especially in the early years of the show, where the stores more or less followed the plots of novels and novellas of the original author, this was an intelligent, thinking man's show.

The show both brought Roger Moore onto the radar to play James Bond, and blocked him from doing so for a number of years. A very similar situation also occurred with Piers Brosnan with Remington Steele.

Refreshingly, Simon Templar doesn't out-fight or out-shoot his foes, normally he just out-thinks them in surprising ways.

Although I watched these shows as a kid, I didn't remember anything substantial about them at this point in life. I bought the initial early years DVD set and my wife and I have been rediscovering them to our delight.

Highly recommended.