Beforestepping into Sean Connery’s role in the James Bond franchise, Roger Mooreserved a long apprenticeship on television, especially in the popular Britishexport “The Saint” (1962-1969), where he learned things that became useful as007, including finding his way around the expensive watering holes of the internationaljet set, fast sporty cars and fast sporty women.
Forthose who are intrigued but don’t want the expense of the recent 33-DVD boxset, “The Saint: The Complete Series,” comes “The Saint: Seasons One and Two,”covering the first 39 episodes. Moore’s television iteration of the Saint (akaSimon Templar) wasn’t the first screen appearance by the character from Britishadventure writer Leslie Charteris’ crime novels. George Sanders played him infive low budget detective movies (1939-1941). Nor was Moore the last Saint: ValKilmer brought the role to the end of the 20th century in a 1997 film. And yet,for fans, Moore remains the actor most associated with the character.
Manyepisodes collected in “The Complete Series” were well filmed and composed andinfused with stylish ‘60s panache. The plots were often creaky, enabling theSaint to fall in with a beautiful woman and thwart bad guys, but the same istrue of Bond movies. With brow slightly arched, Moore suavely took it all instride. The Saint was no cop and too much the globetrotter to hold down asteady job as a private detective. Although the Moore series soft-shoes hisback-story, Charteris’ character was a criminal with a code—he didn’t like mostof the other criminals he encountered and was prepared to do them in. The Saintremains an intriguing concept, worthy for a 21st century remake.
