116 replies to this topic

[DamnCoffee]

I bloody love that theme tune!

[scaramunga]

If I ever plunk down for the Network set, it would only be for the bonus features. However, with Network releasing seemingly every ITC show's original soundtracks*, perhaps we Persuaders fans will get that great Ken Thorne underscore on CD, not to mention John Barry's amazing theme.



*Jason King is Network's latest CD release. Never saw the show, but the theme by Laurie Johnson sounds like British game show music, IMO.

The Persuaders! set is a great one.

I had heard a soundtrack was coming from Network for The Saint, but it's been slowed down I think. Not sure what is happening with it right now.

[Brian Flagg]

I believe that Network has been releasing the lesser-known scores first (except The Prisoner) and will eventually get to The Saint and hopefully, The Persuaders.

One more thing: I have to wonder why Barry went with such a somber-sounding theme for The Persuaders; maybe it was to offset the light tone of the actual show, or perhaps he composed it without ever having seen the finished program!

Edited by Brian Flagg, 24 May 2009 - 01:03 PM.

[Brian Flagg]

In observation of Independence Day, I've been watching my favorite British shows. Call it unpatriotic, but I'm in a Roger Moore mood dag nabbit, so there. Anyway, I've noticed that most episodes are quite funny and lighthearted, except for three:

Angie, Angie- Danny's boyhood friend may be a hitman and Brett strongly suspects this; Danny swears that he's not, leading to strained relations between the two "Persuaders."

The Long Goodbye- A formula for a synthetic fuel is sought after by an oil company, a man claiming to be the man's associate, and the Soviets. The episode ends with

Spoiler

the daughter of the dead inventor carrying out his wishes by destroying the formula. Brett reads the inventor's letter, which end with "world not ready."

Someone Like Me- Brett is brainwashed in a Manchurian Candidate-style plot to assassinate a millionaire (Bernard Lee). A rather serious tone throughout, including a fist fight between Brett and Danny, which is not like the played-for-laughs fisticuffs they had in the series premiere, "Overture."

[Ambler]

If you like Barry's theme for The Persuaders! then check out his work for The Adventurer, another short-lived ITC series. It's very similar in style:

Edited by Ambler, 05 July 2009 - 08:39 PM.

[scaramunga]

In observation of Independence Day, I've been watching my favorite British shows. Call it unpatriotic, but I'm in a Roger Moore mood dag nabbit, so there. Anyway, I've noticed that most episodes are quite funny and lighthearted, except for three:

Angie, Angie- Danny's boyhood friend may be a hitman and Brett strongly suspects this; Danny swears that he's not, leading to strained relations between the two "Persuaders."

The Long Goodbye- A formula for a synthetic fuel is sought after by an oil company, a man claiming to be the man's associate, and the Soviets. The episode ends with

Spoiler

the daughter of the dead inventor carrying out his wishes by destroying the formula. Brett reads the inventor's letter, which end with "world not ready."

Someone Like Me- Brett is brainwashed in a Manchurian Candidate-style plot to assassinate a millionaire (Bernard Lee). A rather serious tone throughout, including a fist fight between Brett and Danny, which is not like the played-for-laughs fisticuffs they had in the series premiere, "Overture."

Awesome! Great observations! I just recently watched Angie, Angie again. I have been watching The Persuaders! on and off this year. I've made it through the whole series at least once if not twice.

[Brian Flagg]

One thing that I don't care for in the show--and it's minor--is how they kept the original Danny Wilde backstory as him being an oil man. Seeing as he grew up in the rough and tumble streets of the Bronx (or Brooklyn; I forget), I'd change Wilde's history and have him be a stock market numbers guy instead, what with Wall Street being within his geographic reach, rather than a Texas oil field. Plus it's not totally improbable that he could've been a bookie and come to his business acumen through that. The oil baron aspect is too reminscent of the Rock Hudson or Glenn Ford casting of the Danny Wilde character, though both men turned down the role.

[volante]

I always remember someone dressed in the style of Bret Sinclair at a school sports day.

Watching him take part in the Dad's race was hilarious, silk scarf blowing in the wind, summer shirt billowing and legs raised too high in order to keep his sandals on.

Once that scene was in my mind I could never take the Persuaders seriously again

[Brian Flagg]

I always remember someone dressed in the style of Bret Sinclair at a school sports day.

Watching him take part in the Dad's race was hilarious, silk scarf blowing in the wind, summer shirt billowing and legs raised too high in order to keep his sandals on.

Once that scene was in my mind I could never take the Persuaders seriously again

Great story. When did this happen?

Oh, and I don't think that *anyone* takes The Persuaders! seriously...though I seriously love the show!

[Safari Suit]

Yeah, I would have thought that was impossible with the stuff on the show, let alone outside influences.

[Brian Flagg]

Another thing I like about the show is that the writers made efforts to fill in Lord Sinclair's colorful ancestors. Whether an episode covered the relatives themselves, as in "A Death in the Family", or an adventure taking place on a Sinclair estate, like in "Greensleeves" as well as the numerous stories Brett tells Danny-- or even the thugs who kidnap him ("Anyone Can Play")! The Persuaders managed to give us--in only one season-- an idea of Sinclair family history. We get less of a look at Danny's life, "Angie Angie" being his only real spotlight. I've always said that this show was ripe for fan fiction, now I just have to get started on it!

[Brian Flagg]

I'm amazed at how the Brett/Danny friendship is perfected right away. That's testament to the chemistry that Roger and Tony had together, and when Judge Fulton has the monologue about the two setting off a volatile chemical reaction, it really does say a lot about what made the show work. I thought I read that this exposition was addded later in the filming because the dynamic between the two actors was so good that they had to mention something about it beforehand.

[scaramunga]

I'm amazed at how the Brett/Danny friendship is perfected right away. That's testament to the chemistry that Roger and Tony had together, and when Judge Fulton has the monologue about the two setting off a volatile chemical reaction, it really does say a lot about what made the show work. I thought I read that this exposition was addded later in the filming because the dynamic between the two actors was so good that they had to mention something about it beforehand.

Agreed. Moore and Curtis were great together.

Any news on a blu ray release for this series? I believe there was supposed to be a new movie of The Persuaders as well?

[Brian Flagg]

Persuaders guest star Cy Grant died on February 13, 2010 aged 90. Grant played Richard Congoto, the leader of an African republic in the episode, "Greensleeves." The Congoto character was also a childhood schoolmate of Lord Brett Sinclair's.


Cy Grant, who has died aged 90, was among the first set of RAF officers from the West Indies and qualified as a barrister, but such is the allure of television that he will be chiefly remembered as a singer, actor and broadcaster. In 1957, he began to make daily appearances on the BBC's Tonight programme, bringing levity to current affairs by giving a calypso rendition of the news, often using texts written by Bernard Levin. Cy's ability to compose tunes spontaneously and fit the news into verse was highly commended and won him the admiration of viewers nationwide. For the first time, the country was seeing a black face on TV on a regular basis. Nevertheless, Cy gave up the position in 1960, fearing that he would be considered capable of nothing else.

He acted on stage and screen, but was disillusioned with the obstacles that black actors faced in getting parts that matched their abilities. He once told me: "We suffered the indignity of seeing white actors blackening themselves and giving themselves bulbous lips to play black parts, reinforcing the caricature of us as black people, a caricature which casting directors, artistic directors and playwrights themselves refused to allow us to escape."

Cy spent his entire life in Britain combating such marginalisation. He saw this as a redemptive mission, appealing to white Britain to sweep away notions of cultural supremacy. He held a mirror up to British society and painstakingly interpreted it, as he groped towards actively reshaping it and striving to humanise it.

Born in Beterverwagting, a village in British Guiana (now Guyana), after the end of the first world war, Cy had two brothers and four sisters. His mother was a talented pianist and he grew up surrounded by music, playing the guitar and singing folk songs. He excelled at school and was keen to study law, but his parents lacked the funds.

After working as a civil servant, Cy left for Britain and joined the RAF in 1941, one of roughly 400 men recruited from the Caribbean after the huge losses in the Battle of Britain. He trained as a navigator and in 1943 was shot down in the Battle of the Ruhr, landing in Holland. Joost Klootwijk, the young son of a Dutch farmer, looked on as his parents tried to help the airman. The boy was moved by the novelty of a uniformed black RAF officer crash-landing near his home. The Gestapo identified Cy as "a member of the Royal Air Force of indeterminate race" and he was held as a prisoner of war for two years. Cy later used that phrase for the title of his book about his war service. Klootwijk's subsequent research enabled his son, Hans, to write a book about Cy's crew, Lancaster W4827: Failed to Return.

Although he qualified as a barrister in 1950, he struggled to get work. In his own words, "this was Britain in peacetime and I was no longer useful". He became a recognisable voice on radio, singing folk songs, and recorded several albums. He also hosted his own TV series, For Members Only, in the mid-50s, interviewing a variety of guests and playing the guitar. In 1956, he appeared in A Man from the Sun, a television drama written by John Elliot about the experience of Caribbean migrants to Britain after the second world war. He voiced a character for Gerry Anderson's Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and also appeared in an episode of The Persuaders, opposite Roger Moore.

Cy successfully auditioned for Laurence Olivier and had stage appearances for Olivier's Festival of Britain company in London and New York. In 1965, he was acclaimed as Othello at the Phoenix theatre, in Leicester. The next year he starred in Cindy Ella with Cleo Laine at the Garrick theatre, in London. He also appeared in the films Shaft in Africa (1973) and At the Earth's Core (1976).

Frustrated with many of the roles he was offered, he determined to take on the theatre establishment on his own terms. In order to launch black artistic talent, in 1973 he founded Drum Arts Centre, in London, with the Zimbabwean actor, John Mapondera, and others, including me. Drum collaborated with Steve Carter of New York's Negro Ensemble Theatre and staged a number of productions, including Bread by Mustapha Matura and The Gods Are Not to Blame by Ola Rotimi.

Two major influences in Cy's life, which helped determine the direction of his artistic expression and his later writing, were the poet, politician, philosopher and architect of negritude, Aimé Césaire, and a Chinese text, the Tao Te Ching. He produced and performed Césaire's epic poem Notebook of a Return to the Native Land as a one-man show, touring Britain for more than two years. He was later to say of Césaire: "His revolt against Europe is what worked on me in a subliminal yet positive way. It wasn't just a revolt against racism, colonialism and the excesses of European culture, but a call for a return to our native human values, to recognise that nature is alive and bounteous and that we should not abuse her."

In his book, Blackness and the Dreaming Soul (2007), Cy argued that white society must first discover new ways of seeing itself, in order that it might comprehend and value the "otherness" of its indigenous black citizens. In his essay The Way of the West (2008), he argued that the black man, having reclaimed his authentic history and recovered his lost soul, must not fall into the trap of aspiring to assimilate into the so-called civilised values of his former oppressors.

Criticising the notion of Black History Month, Cy argued: "Before we decide upon a calendar of socially relevant events, we would do well to look again at who and what we are and begin to know, like Césaire, that 'the tree of our hands is for all'."

In his last years, Cy wrote copiously and did everything with a new urgency, especially after he became ill. He particularly wanted to see his war memoirs, essays and poems form part of the curriculums in schools and universities.

He is survived by his wife, Dorith, whom he married in 1956, their two daughters and one son; a son from an earlier marriage; and his sister, Valerie.


Kurt Barling writes: In 2008, I persuaded Cy Grant to return to the village in the Netherlands where he had landed during the war to make a documentary. He recalled the desperate efforts to evacuate his plane when it crashed on Dutch soil, and the absurdity of thinking he could escape to Spain. A black man in occupied Europe had no means of disguise.

When Cy finally met Joost Klootwijk during filming, Joost was overcome with emotion at being in the presence of a man he had pictured in his mind as a real-life hero since he was a boy. Cy was humbled by the esteem in which RAF aircrew are held by the Dutch and regretted that they had not been recognised in this way at home. Cy and Hans, Joost's son, soon began to compile a permanent online archive of Caribbean aircrew in the RAF. It occupied much of the last 18 months of Cy's life.

One of the curious by-products of Cy's RAF experience was the 1960s marionette TV series, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. The creator of the series, Gerry Anderson, had lost his own brother over the Netherlands in the second world war, and he drew on Cy's personal qualities to develop one of the first positive black fictional characters in children's television. These were the qualities deemed necessary by Anderson to defeat the Mysterons in 2068. Cy's melliflous tones gave Lieutenant Green, the black defender of Planet Earth alongside Captain Scarlet, a serene and heroic quality. Cy looked back on that series, essentially an allegory of the battle between good and evil, with great fondness. Ever the practical man, he recently told me that Green had kept him well fed into retirement.

• Cy Grant, actor, singer and writer, born 8 November 1919; died 13 February 2010


http://www.guardian....-grant-obituary

[Brian Flagg]

I'll be in London this August--that volcanic ash better be gone--and I hope to scope out some Persuaders locations, especially Brett's London flat--located at Queen Anne's Gate according to The Persuaders Locations site.

Also, in having watched several episodes recently I often wonder how much of the banter was improvised--the German dubbed hilarity notwithstanding--there's so much of what Tony Curtis does that has me wondering, whether it be walking down the hallway and purposely passing the doorway or saying something like:

"Why don't you say a few words before my briefing, because my briefing will need a few words." [from Anyone Can Play].

I have no problem admitting that The Persuaders! is my favorite show of all time.

[scaramunga]

I'll be in London this August--that volcanic ash better be gone--and I hope to scope out some Persuaders locations, especially Brett's London flat--located at Queen Anne's Gate according to The Persuaders Locations site.

Also, in having watched several episodes recently I often wonder how much of the banter was improvised--the German dubbed hilarity notwithstanding--there's so much of what Tony Curtis does that has me wondering, whether it be walking down the hallway and purposely passing the doorway or saying something like:

"Why don't you say a few words before my briefing, because my briefing will need a few words." [from Anyone Can Play].

I have no problem admitting that The Persuaders! is my favorite show of all time.

agreed. It's a very wonderful show.

[delfloria]

Big fan when it was on and remembered it fondly. Themes is still one of the best.

Then I watched them all last year from netflix. Horrendous show. Cutis is out of control, trying to steal every scene. Moore's Sinclair seems more like Moore (the actor) being pissed at Curtis than his character is. Fight scene's are...well...... less said the better. It is series to be fondly remembered but tough to sit through now.

I think a remake would be cool because there is a lot of room for improvement.

[TheSaint]

I'll be in London this August--that volcanic ash better be gone--and I hope to scope out some Persuaders locations, especially Brett's London flat--located at Queen Anne's Gate according to The Persuaders Locations site.

Here I am in front of Brett's flat in 2008.

Attached Files

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[Brian Flagg]

Big fan when it was on and remembered it fondly. Themes is still one of the best.

Then I watched them all last year from netflix. Horrendous show. Cutis is out of control, trying to steal every scene. Moore's Sinclair seems more like Moore (the actor) being pissed at Curtis than his character is. Fight scene's are...well...... less said the better. It is series to be fondly remembered but tough to sit through now.

Disagree. Moore anchors the banter by letting Curtis bounce around and improvise, though Roger does his share of improv, too; they're great together. The whole idea behind the partnership was to have the high-strung, streetwise New Yorker--which is what Curtis was--coupled with the wry, low-key, and very English Moore. The difference between the two makes the show.

BTW, it seems that Curtis has a much better onscreen chemistry wth the female guest stars than Roger; don't know why, but there it is.

TheSaint: I hope to do the same!

Edited by Brian Flagg, 18 April 2010 - 10:57 PM.

[delfloria]

And I disagree. You've described the premise accurately but Curtis plays his part as a buffoon most of the time instead of being street-smart and tough. Like I said I was a big fan when it was on and enjoyed the chemistry between the two of them but now I find the execution of the show hard to take.

[Turn]

Interesting debate going on here. I can see both sides. The way I am thinking about it presently, The Persuaders is a show I want to like more, but find it slipping further down my list of favorites, well below shows such as The Prisoner, The Avengers, Man From UNCLE, and so many others.

I recall buying the first series of DVDs when they came out back in 2003 and have only bothered to watch the episodes on the first disc thus far. I just haven't been able to get into it.

It just seems like a concept that would have played better 5-6 years previous, with other great action/adventure partnerships such as Solo and Illya, Kelly and Scott, Steed and Peel, etc. having preceded it. And the early '70s just doesn't benefit from that timeless feel the '60s had. Curtis with his driving gloves and short leather jacket just feels a bit like the past his prime stud trying too hard to be cool.

On the up side, with Moore on board, it always makes The Persuaders more watchable, at least for me. I also have that sense of seeing the end of the classic era of ITC action shows, with the international locations and lavish budgets. At least that's how it feels. The banter is fun for the most part, and I rank an episode like Chain of Events, Read and Destroy or Five Miles to Midnight up there with some of the better episodes of The Avengers, The Saint or Secret Agent.

In summing up The Persuaders, I am glad it's there, but not enough to rank it up there to make it a priority to watch much.

[Brian Flagg]

Interesting debate going on here. I can see both sides. The way I am thinking about it presently, The Persuaders is a show I want to like more, but find it slipping further down my list of favorites, well below shows such as The Prisoner, The Avengers, Man From UNCLE, and so many others.

Those other programs you've listed were far from perfect---When compared to the willful obscurity of The Prisoner with its hugely disappointing finale, the silliness of the color Emma and early Tara shows in The Avengers, or the descent into Batman-style self-parody in MFU's embarrassing third season, The Persuaders doesn't come off all that bad! But as you mention, the time period of mid-to-late-'60s TV works for those other shows more than the kitschy early '70s with the Neo-Edwardian styles and middle-aged men clinging to the youthful exuberance of men half their age. Of course, that won't stop me from exploring Jason King next...

On the up side, with Moore on board, it always makes The Persuaders more watchable, at least for me. I also have that sense of seeing the end of the classic era of ITC action shows, with the international locations and lavish budgets. At least that's how it feels. The banter is fun for the most part, and I rank an episode like Chain of Events, Read and Destroy or Five Miles to Midnight up there with some of the better episodes of The Avengers, The Saint or Secret Agent.

Those are all excellent episodes. Good job, Turn!

As far as Roger characters go, I prefer Lord Brett Sinclair over both Simon Templar and Rog's 007! It's probably closest to his personality. It's also amusing to see him with longer hair and an twenty extra pounds! The decadence reflects the era, doesn't it?

[delfloria]

Turn caught my drift. I'm still a fan of the show but I was angered that I did not enjoy it more when I re-watched it. I agree that Roger was born to play Sinclair more than 007 or the Saint. I have no defence against UNCLE's 3rd season or the Avengers' "Mission Highly Improbable.

[Brian Flagg]

I've noticed that most episodes are quite funny and lighthearted, except for three four:

Angie, Angie- Danny's boyhood friend may be a hitman and Brett strongly suspects this; Danny swears that he's not, leading to strained relations between the two "Persuaders."

The Long Goodbye- A formula for a synthetic fuel is sought after by an oil company, a man claiming to be the man's associate, and the Soviets. The episode ends with

Spoiler

the daughter of the dead inventor carrying out his wishes by destroying the formula. Brett reads the inventor's letter, which end with "world not ready."

Someone Like Me- Brett is brainwashed in a Manchurian Candidate-style plot to assassinate a millionaire (Bernard Lee). A rather serious tone throughout, including a fist fight between Brett and Danny, which is not like the played-for-laughs fisticuffs they had in the series premiere, "Overture."

The Morning After- Brett wakes up in a Stockholm hotel room and discovers he was married the night before--to lovely Catherine Schell! Roger and Schell have a couple of poignant scenes together--at least as poignant as this show ever got--and the delicate musical cue plays whenever they're having their meaningful dialogue which was also heard in Angie, Angie. Dr Who fans will perk up when they see Bernard Horsfall aka Chancellor Goth from The Deadly Assassin doing a "Swedish" accent.

[Brian Flagg]

Let us continue the appreciation!

A Death in the Family is an Avengersy episode written by Terry Nation and despite the overt humor, very little comes from Roger Moore*, whose Brett Sinclair is understandably preoccupied with finding the murderer. Tony Curtis once again shows how great he was with his onscreen chemistry with this episode's leading lady, the lovely Diane Cilento, who was still Mrs Connery at this time. I checked closely for signs of Sean's wrath, but could find none.


*Except when he gets to work his acting "chops" by playing his own uncles and aunt! You haven't lived until you've seen Roger Moore in drag and wearing a lavender wig.

[dutch_pepper]

I adore this series. I am currently watching The Morning After. It's such a shame there isnt a decent website about the Persuaders...

[Blofeld's Cat]

I adore this series. I am currently watching The Morning After. It's such a shame there isnt a decent website about the Persuaders...

You should look at [url="http://<a%20href="http://www.itc-classics.com/"%20target="_blank">http://www.itc-classics.com/</a>"]The Morning After[/url] then.

[Brian Flagg]

I adore this series. I am currently watching The Morning After. It's such a shame there isnt a decent website about the Persuaders...

You should look at [url="http://&lt;a%20href="http://www.itc-classics.com/"%20target="_blank"&gt;http://www.itc-class...om/&#60;/a&#62;"]The Morning After[/url] then.

I was going to post that, but seeing as the site hasn't been updated in two years...and I wanted to subscribe to what looked to be a lovingly-produced fanzine.

The link you provided doesn't work. Let me try: The Morning After

[TheSaint]

Jaz Wiseman did an amazing job with the fanzine but he hasn't produced a new issue in over 2 years, which is a shame.

[dutch_pepper]

Jaz Wiseman did an amazing job with the fanzine but he hasn't produced a new issue in over 2 years, which is a shame.

The site hasn't been updated for almost two years.
I read they published 28 magazines!