The Imprudent Professor

Episode aired Nov 19, 1978
49m

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

YOUR RATING

Susan Penhaligon, Bill Simpson, and Anthony Steel in Return of the Saint (1978)

Adventure Crime

Emma Bartlett asks the Saint to guard her father, a scientist who has recently invented a petrol substitute. She is concerned that he may be kidnapped or forced to defect because of his prod... Read allEmma Bartlett asks the Saint to guard her father, a scientist who has recently invented a petrol substitute. She is concerned that he may be kidnapped or forced to defect because of his product. After a confrontation with a man who claims to be a secret service agent responsible ... Read allEmma Bartlett asks the Saint to guard her father, a scientist who has recently invented a petrol substitute. She is concerned that he may be kidnapped or forced to defect because of his product. After a confrontation with a man who claims to be a secret service agent responsible for the professor's well-being, the Saint runs into the seductive Samantha, who works for ... Read all

Director
- Kevin Connor
Writers
- Leslie Charteris
- Terence Feely
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

YOUR RATING

Director
- Kevin Connor
Writers
- Leslie Charteris
- Terence Feely
Stars

3User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos4

User reviews3

6.646

Featured reviews

6coltras35

Ok episode

In this episode Simon Templar is helping a daughter of a professor to protect her father from being kidnapped, and soon there are some attempts to steal him away, and Simon Templar is determined to stop them. There's a twist towards the end - generally, it's an ok episode, bit slow in the beginning, but the second half sparkles with a car chase, speedboat and helicopter featuring. Also there's a nice stunt by Templar as he jumps on the car.

6Prismark10

The Imprudent Professor

This was certainly an expensive looking episode set in the South of France. However the close up beach scenes might have been shot in the UK, judging by the beer bellies.

Professor Edmund Bartlett (Bill Simpson) finds himself to be a target from foreign powers after he has invented a petrol substitute. His daughter Emma (Susan Penhaligon) has hired Simon Templar to protect her father fearing someone will either abduct or kill him.

Samantha (Catherine Schell) is the femme fatale who is distracting the Saint. While British Secret Service seem to be more of a hindrance than a help.

There is certainly an espionage flavour, almost like a mini Bond movie. Simon Templar even tries on a Scots accent.

The story does not hold up too convincingly, Templar should had smelled a rat much earlier.

There are a humorous series of scenes where a henchman is stopped by Templar by various types of sprays.

Did you know

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Trivia
When Simon arrives at his hotel he checks in under the name Sebastian Tombs. This is a nod to the books as Templar used that name as an alias in the some of the stories.

Quotes
[first lines]
Simon Templar: [narrating] You'd have thought the reception was for the President of the United States, a movie star, or an astronaut on the eve of man's first attempt to reach Mars.
Simon Templar: [to cab driver] Wait for me.
Simon Templar: [narrating] Ordinarily, I'd have been surprised that a relatively obscure scientist, attending a relatively small conference in a relatively disinterested French resort, could create so much excitement. But this was no ordinary occasion and Professor Edmund Bartlett was no ordinary man.