On 05/25/2017 10:29 AM, Steve Kinney wrote:
On 05/25/2017 10:30 AM, Razer wrote:
On 05/24/2017 07:33 PM, Cecilia Tanaka wrote:
I wanted all the James Bond's weapons, amazing equipments, and fabulous cars, None of them existed in Fleming's books. Thanks for making my point.
On screen, John Drake, played by Patrick McGoohan, was the guy:
"Secret Agent" was good. As realistic as TV was ever going to be about the topic Then McGoohan turned on them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5dNzBx7kgg&index=1&list=PLVALKNg_kP1dYVyBvy71PKRlugiaqGmW1 Rr
His doings were much more realistic than Bond's, with assignments including counter-espionage, political interventions in post-colonial nations, and some missions bordering on international law enforcement. He battled no super-villains, seduced no glamorous women, and always preferred strategic deception to ultra-violence: "I never carry a gun. They're noisy and they hurt people. Besides, I do very well without."
The fanciest gadgets Drake had were micro-miniature tap recorders and cameras, and variously camouflaged dart guns for delivering microphones to hard to reach locations.
Danger Man producer Ralph Smart and the writing staff did their homework and kept the stories as realistic as a 1960 action/adventure TV show could be. So did Patrick McGoohan, who turned down the role of James Bond when approached by Eon Productions. That was Sean Connery's big break.
During the production of Danger Man (released as Secret Agent in the U.S.), McGoohan demanded and got significant creative control, insisting on the "no gun" thing, the "no sex" thing, and that fight scenes be (relatively) realistic and "always different."
Today the John Drake is better known as Number Six. For licensing reasons, McGoohan & co. insisted that the prisoner in The Prisoner was not Drake. But in the series finale, Number Two calls him John - just once, and it's easy to miss.
There's a moral to the Danger Man / Prisoner story: Study espionage long enough and you will conclude that there is nothing admirable or romantic about it: It's a thoroughly vicious trade that eats its own best people alive. At least that's my take-away from the Danger Man / Prisoner story arc. McGoohan isn't around to ask, and probably wouldn't give a straight answer if he was. He was always very forthcoming about technical aspects of the production, fun and games with cast members, etc., but pointedly evaded the question of what The Prisoner was all about.
"Questions are a burden to others, answers a prison for oneself."
:o)