For Your Eyes Only...

[Steve Kinney]

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:  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)





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