Okay, just to reassure what few people who read this blog, I have not disappeared from the face of the earth. Nor have I been seriously ill, suffered a psychotic break, or been kidnapped by aliens or fairies. Instead my job is entering its peak season. That means long, busy hours spent in front of a PC at work. I really don't care too much for sitting in front of a PC at home afterwards.
Anyhow, this was the weekend of the Old Settlers Reunion and Fall Fair, a three day festival held every year here in Randolph County. This was the 120th one. It was originally created to honour the settlers of Randolph and Macon Counties. And while it has become a Randolph County tradition held here in the county seat of Huntsville, that first Old Settlers was held in Macon. Back then the site of the fair was rotated from town to town with each year. Many of the early reunions were held in Jacksonville (in Randolph County), I suppose because it is the town in Randolph closest to Macon County. Starting in 1896 it would be held several years in a row here in Huntsville. I believe it was held in Moberly in 1901, although it would return to Huntsville in 1902 where it has been ever since. Of course, at some point early in its history Macon County dropped out of the Old Settlers Reunion.
It received its current name, "The Old Settlers Reunion and Fall Fair" sometime in the Thirties. It was in that decade that Randolph County held its first summer fair. After only a few years the summer fair was combined with the Old Settlers Reunion to become the Old Settlers Reunion and Fall Fair.
Now everyone seems to agree that the Old Settlers Reunion is not as big as it once was. I know it is not as big an event as when I growing up. When I was growing up there would be booths and games operated by the various organisations in the county and the senior class from the high school. There seemed to be more events and we usually had a carnival. And from what I understood from my mother and father, it was even bigger when they were young.
Regardless, The Old Settlers Reunion and Fall Fair is still one of the big events of the county, particularly in Huntsville. Sadly, this year it was a washout. The rains started Thursday morning. Fortunately, many of the events Thursday night (such as the queen contest) were not such that would be affected by the rain. Unfortunately, the rains would be much worse on Friday and Friday night, when many of the outdoor events take place. I believe they were cancelled. Today the rains were even worse, again when many of the events take place outside. I believe they were cancelled as well. I know the big event of the Old Settlers Reunion, the parade, was cancelled. Fortunately, they did hold the talent show.
Anyhow, like many Huntsvillians I did not get to enjoy this Old Settlers Reunion. I did go to the Historical Society's silent reunion and picked up a Huntsville Indians cap. But that was the extent of my Old Settlers experience this year. Personally this saddens me as I am sure it did many others. There is something to be said for traditions that are held year in and year out, just as there is something to be said for festivals that are held the same time each year. Traditions connect us to our history, to our roots, to our ancestors. They give us a sense of belonging to a part of something bigger than ourselves. As to yearly festivals, I believe everyone needs those few days when they can simply enjoy themselves, when they can play games, shop at booths, and listen to performers. Particularly as much as Americans work today, we need a break once a while. The rain of the past three days has then done much more than flood roads and sidewalks. It disrupted a tradition and disappointed a good many people.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Silent Star Anita Page Passes On
Anita Page, whose acting career spanned from the Silent Era to the 21st century, passed yesterday, at the age of 98.
Anita Page was born on August 4, 1910 in Flushing, New York. In 1925, when she was only 15, she received her first role in a film, although it was uncredited, in A Kiss for Cinderella. She had gotten the role through silent star Betty Bronson, whose's family was close to Page's family. She played a few more uncredited roles in films until she received her first credited part as the female lead in Telling the World in 1928. She would appear in such silents as Our Dancing Daughters (opposite Joan Crawford), While the City Sleeps (with Lon Chaney), and The Flying Fleet.
In 1929 she starred in her first talkie, The Broadway Melody, the very first Hollywood musical. From 1929 into the Thirties she starred in such films as Free and Easy (opposite Buster Keaton), Skyscraper Souls, War Nurse, Prosperity, and Hitch Hike to Heaven. In 1929, at the height of her fame, she received over 10,000 fan letters a week, surpassed only by Greta Garbo.
Page retired at the height of her fame in 1933, coming out of retirement in 1936 to make the British film Hitch Hike to Heaven. In an interview with Scott Feinberg in 2004, Page claimed her retirement was actually because she would not give into the sexual advances of MGM head of production Irving Thalberg and studio chief Louis B. Mayer. In her retirement Page would marry a Navy pilot and raise a family. Her husband died in 1991.
Page would come out of retirement for the movie Saint Mike in 1960. She made a full fledge return to film in 1996 with a part in the thriller Sunset After Dark. Page would go onto appear in the films Witchcraft XI: Sisters in Blood and Bob's Night Out. Her last film appearance was a cameo in the soon to be released Frankenstein Rising.
Page was one of the very few silent stars to live into the 21st century, let alone act in films. She was also the last living person to attend the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929.
Anita Page was not only a very beautiful actress, but a talented one whose talent was often underestimated. She had a true gift for comedy, although she was equally talented at drama. Her performance in The Broadway Melody is notable, giving as good a performance as co-star Bessie Love (who received an Oscar nomination, while Page did not). She was truly one of the great stars of the late Silent Era and the early Thirties.
Anita Page was born on August 4, 1910 in Flushing, New York. In 1925, when she was only 15, she received her first role in a film, although it was uncredited, in A Kiss for Cinderella. She had gotten the role through silent star Betty Bronson, whose's family was close to Page's family. She played a few more uncredited roles in films until she received her first credited part as the female lead in Telling the World in 1928. She would appear in such silents as Our Dancing Daughters (opposite Joan Crawford), While the City Sleeps (with Lon Chaney), and The Flying Fleet.
In 1929 she starred in her first talkie, The Broadway Melody, the very first Hollywood musical. From 1929 into the Thirties she starred in such films as Free and Easy (opposite Buster Keaton), Skyscraper Souls, War Nurse, Prosperity, and Hitch Hike to Heaven. In 1929, at the height of her fame, she received over 10,000 fan letters a week, surpassed only by Greta Garbo.
Page retired at the height of her fame in 1933, coming out of retirement in 1936 to make the British film Hitch Hike to Heaven. In an interview with Scott Feinberg in 2004, Page claimed her retirement was actually because she would not give into the sexual advances of MGM head of production Irving Thalberg and studio chief Louis B. Mayer. In her retirement Page would marry a Navy pilot and raise a family. Her husband died in 1991.
Page would come out of retirement for the movie Saint Mike in 1960. She made a full fledge return to film in 1996 with a part in the thriller Sunset After Dark. Page would go onto appear in the films Witchcraft XI: Sisters in Blood and Bob's Night Out. Her last film appearance was a cameo in the soon to be released Frankenstein Rising.
Page was one of the very few silent stars to live into the 21st century, let alone act in films. She was also the last living person to attend the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929.
Anita Page was not only a very beautiful actress, but a talented one whose talent was often underestimated. She had a true gift for comedy, although she was equally talented at drama. Her performance in The Broadway Melody is notable, giving as good a performance as co-star Bessie Love (who received an Oscar nomination, while Page did not). She was truly one of the great stars of the late Silent Era and the early Thirties.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Actor Michael Pate Passes On
Actor Michael Pate, a frequent guest star on American television in the Fifties and Sixties, passed on September 1. The cause was respiratory failure brought on by pneumonia. He was 88 years old.
Michael Pate was born in Sydney on February 26, 1920. He started his career on radio on the Australian Broadcasting Commission (Australia's equivalent of the BBC or PBS) in 1938 as both a writer and a broadcaster. During World War II he served in the Australian Army, eventually becoming part of 1st Australian Army Amenities Entertainment Unit, a special unit which entertained combat troops. He had a small role in the movie 40,000 Horsemenin 1940
Following the war Pate again worked in radio, performing in both radio shows and plays. It was in 1949 that he broke into film once more with the movie Sons of Matthew. The following years he would appear in such films as Bitter Springs, Thunder on the Hill, The Strange Door, The Black Castle, Julius Caesar, Houdini, Hondo, The Court Jester, and The Court Jester.
By the early Fifties Pate was working almost exclusively in the United States. It was here that he made his television debut, in an episode of The Lone Wolf in 1954. His next guest shot on a TV series would be historic. He appeared in the adaptation of the very first 007 novel Casino Royale on the series Climax, playing "Clarence Leiter." "Clarence Leiter" was essentially "Felix Leiter" renamed for American television (why they renamed him I cannot say), hence Michael Pate was the first actor to ever play Felix Leiter! Still working in the movies, Pate would make several guest appearances on television in the Fifties, appearing on the shows Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars, Four Star Playhouse, Broken Arrow, (as Geronimo, no less), The Millionaire, Alcoa Theatre, Sugarfoot, Wanted Dead or Alive, and The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor.
In the Sixties Pate appeared almost exclusively on television. He guest starred on such series as Thriller, Peter Gunn, Have Gun--Will Travel, The Rifleman, Route 66, Rawhide, Perry Mason, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Get Smart, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Daniel Boone, Batman, The Wild Wild West, and Tarzan. He was a regular on the series Hondo, playing Chief Vittoro. Pate was not totally absent from film in the Sixties. He appeared in The Great Sioux Massacre and The Singing Nun, among a few other films.
In 1968 Pate returned to his native Australia. There he guest starred in the series Riptide. He would also be an associate producer on Michael Powell's film Age of Consent. He was a regular on Matlock Police, staying with the show almost its entire run (which was 1971 to 1976) as Detective. Sergeant Vic Maddern. He would guest star on the series Cash and Company and was a regular on Power Without Glory.
For much of the rest of his career Pate returned to movies. He appeared in Mad Dog Morgan, Duet for Four, Death of a Soldier, and The Howling III.
Pate was also a writer. He wrote the story for Escape From Fort Bravo, an episode of Rawhide, and the films The Most Dangerous Man Alive, and Tim (which was also his lone director credit). He also worked in theatre in both Melbourne and Sydney. In the Eighties he and his son Christopher worked together on a stage production of Mass Appeal. He had also published literary and theatrical reviews and short stories in both Australia and the United States.
Michael Pate was a multi-talented actor. His career as what I call a "professional guest star (those actors who seemed to make a living on guest shots on television in the Fifties and Sixties)" emerged largely because he could play nearly any role. He was as convincing as 19th century British serial killer William Hare (who with his partner William Burke killed at least 17 people) on The Alfred Hitchock Hour as he was playing Sitting Bull in The Great Sioux Massacre. That he was also a writer who had a successful career in short stories makes him all the more remarkable. Truly, he was one of the great "professional guest stars" and TV stars of the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies.
Michael Pate was born in Sydney on February 26, 1920. He started his career on radio on the Australian Broadcasting Commission (Australia's equivalent of the BBC or PBS) in 1938 as both a writer and a broadcaster. During World War II he served in the Australian Army, eventually becoming part of 1st Australian Army Amenities Entertainment Unit, a special unit which entertained combat troops. He had a small role in the movie 40,000 Horsemenin 1940
Following the war Pate again worked in radio, performing in both radio shows and plays. It was in 1949 that he broke into film once more with the movie Sons of Matthew. The following years he would appear in such films as Bitter Springs, Thunder on the Hill, The Strange Door, The Black Castle, Julius Caesar, Houdini, Hondo, The Court Jester, and The Court Jester.
By the early Fifties Pate was working almost exclusively in the United States. It was here that he made his television debut, in an episode of The Lone Wolf in 1954. His next guest shot on a TV series would be historic. He appeared in the adaptation of the very first 007 novel Casino Royale on the series Climax, playing "Clarence Leiter." "Clarence Leiter" was essentially "Felix Leiter" renamed for American television (why they renamed him I cannot say), hence Michael Pate was the first actor to ever play Felix Leiter! Still working in the movies, Pate would make several guest appearances on television in the Fifties, appearing on the shows Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars, Four Star Playhouse, Broken Arrow, (as Geronimo, no less), The Millionaire, Alcoa Theatre, Sugarfoot, Wanted Dead or Alive, and The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor.
In the Sixties Pate appeared almost exclusively on television. He guest starred on such series as Thriller, Peter Gunn, Have Gun--Will Travel, The Rifleman, Route 66, Rawhide, Perry Mason, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Get Smart, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Daniel Boone, Batman, The Wild Wild West, and Tarzan. He was a regular on the series Hondo, playing Chief Vittoro. Pate was not totally absent from film in the Sixties. He appeared in The Great Sioux Massacre and The Singing Nun, among a few other films.
In 1968 Pate returned to his native Australia. There he guest starred in the series Riptide. He would also be an associate producer on Michael Powell's film Age of Consent. He was a regular on Matlock Police, staying with the show almost its entire run (which was 1971 to 1976) as Detective. Sergeant Vic Maddern. He would guest star on the series Cash and Company and was a regular on Power Without Glory.
For much of the rest of his career Pate returned to movies. He appeared in Mad Dog Morgan, Duet for Four, Death of a Soldier, and The Howling III.
Pate was also a writer. He wrote the story for Escape From Fort Bravo, an episode of Rawhide, and the films The Most Dangerous Man Alive, and Tim (which was also his lone director credit). He also worked in theatre in both Melbourne and Sydney. In the Eighties he and his son Christopher worked together on a stage production of Mass Appeal. He had also published literary and theatrical reviews and short stories in both Australia and the United States.
Michael Pate was a multi-talented actor. His career as what I call a "professional guest star (those actors who seemed to make a living on guest shots on television in the Fifties and Sixties)" emerged largely because he could play nearly any role. He was as convincing as 19th century British serial killer William Hare (who with his partner William Burke killed at least 17 people) on The Alfred Hitchock Hour as he was playing Sitting Bull in The Great Sioux Massacre. That he was also a writer who had a successful career in short stories makes him all the more remarkable. Truly, he was one of the great "professional guest stars" and TV stars of the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Television Writer Sheldon Keller Passes On
Emmy winning television writer Sheldon Keller, who worked on Sid Caesar's variety series Caesar's Hour in the Fifties, passed on Monday at the age of 85. The cause was complications from Alzheimer's disease.
Keller was born in Chicago on August 20, 1923. He attended the University of Illinois. While there, he appeared in college shows with Allan Sherman (the "Weird Al" of the Sixties, most famous for the spoof song "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh"). In 1942 he left school to join the United States Army, in which he served in the Signal Corps in the Pacific Theatre. Following World War II he worked in the family business (corset manufacturing). It was in 1952 that he borrowed money $500 from his family to move to New York City to start a career in comedy.
It was in 1955 that Keller was hired to write on Caesar's Hour. There he worked with such legendary writers as Gary Belkin, Mel Brooks, Selma Diamond, Larry Gelbart, Michael Stewart, Neil Simon, and Mel Tonkin. He would later write for The Art Carney Show and The Dinah Shore Chevy Show. He reached another highpoint in his career with The Danny Kaye Show in 1963. Along with the rest of the writing staff (which included Mel Tonkin and Larry Gelbart), he was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy or Variety.
Keller wrote three episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1962 and 1963. He won his only Emmy, for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Variety, for An Evening with Carol Channing in 1966. The following year he was nominated for an Emmy for Special Classifications of Individual Achievements for Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music Part II. Keller would write on further TV specials for Sinatra, as well as one for Bing Crosby and Carol Burnett.
Keller would also write motion picture screenplays. His first feature film was Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell, starring Gina Lolabrigida and Shelley Winters, in 1968. In the Seventies he worked on tv series The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine, Temperatures Rising, and M*A*S*H, and TV specials smf movies such as What Now, Catherine Curtis (starting Lucille Ball), The Beatles Forever, and Paul Lynde at the Movies. He co-wrote the script for Blaxploitation cult film Cleopatra Jones with Max Julien and Movie, Movie with Larry Gelbart. In the Eighties he wrote episodes of House Calls and the TV specials Women Who Rate a 10, Joan Rivers and Friends Salute Heidi Abromowitz, and Side by Side.
Keller was also a composer, writing music for The Bob Hope Show, Make Room for Daddy, The Danny Kaye Show, and Hizzoner. He also produced three years' worth of Bob Hope specials, The Jonathan Winters Show, and the TV series House Calls and Hizzoner. After his career in TV and movies, Keller worked on a newsletter of jokes for pubic speakers and disc jockeys.
Sheldon Keller was certainly one of the greatest television writers of all time. He was one of the legendary group of writers who worked on Caesar's Hour, as well as The Danny Kaye Show. Keller had a natural gift for comedy. He wrote some very funny material, including the episode "It's a Shame She Married Me" of The Dick Van Dyke Show (which guest starred Robert Vaughn) and Movie, Movie. He was one of the last truly great comedy writers who had worked in television. He will certainly be missed.
Keller was born in Chicago on August 20, 1923. He attended the University of Illinois. While there, he appeared in college shows with Allan Sherman (the "Weird Al" of the Sixties, most famous for the spoof song "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh"). In 1942 he left school to join the United States Army, in which he served in the Signal Corps in the Pacific Theatre. Following World War II he worked in the family business (corset manufacturing). It was in 1952 that he borrowed money $500 from his family to move to New York City to start a career in comedy.
It was in 1955 that Keller was hired to write on Caesar's Hour. There he worked with such legendary writers as Gary Belkin, Mel Brooks, Selma Diamond, Larry Gelbart, Michael Stewart, Neil Simon, and Mel Tonkin. He would later write for The Art Carney Show and The Dinah Shore Chevy Show. He reached another highpoint in his career with The Danny Kaye Show in 1963. Along with the rest of the writing staff (which included Mel Tonkin and Larry Gelbart), he was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy or Variety.
Keller wrote three episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1962 and 1963. He won his only Emmy, for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Variety, for An Evening with Carol Channing in 1966. The following year he was nominated for an Emmy for Special Classifications of Individual Achievements for Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music Part II. Keller would write on further TV specials for Sinatra, as well as one for Bing Crosby and Carol Burnett.
Keller would also write motion picture screenplays. His first feature film was Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell, starring Gina Lolabrigida and Shelley Winters, in 1968. In the Seventies he worked on tv series The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine, Temperatures Rising, and M*A*S*H, and TV specials smf movies such as What Now, Catherine Curtis (starting Lucille Ball), The Beatles Forever, and Paul Lynde at the Movies. He co-wrote the script for Blaxploitation cult film Cleopatra Jones with Max Julien and Movie, Movie with Larry Gelbart. In the Eighties he wrote episodes of House Calls and the TV specials Women Who Rate a 10, Joan Rivers and Friends Salute Heidi Abromowitz, and Side by Side.
Keller was also a composer, writing music for The Bob Hope Show, Make Room for Daddy, The Danny Kaye Show, and Hizzoner. He also produced three years' worth of Bob Hope specials, The Jonathan Winters Show, and the TV series House Calls and Hizzoner. After his career in TV and movies, Keller worked on a newsletter of jokes for pubic speakers and disc jockeys.
Sheldon Keller was certainly one of the greatest television writers of all time. He was one of the legendary group of writers who worked on Caesar's Hour, as well as The Danny Kaye Show. Keller had a natural gift for comedy. He wrote some very funny material, including the episode "It's a Shame She Married Me" of The Dick Van Dyke Show (which guest starred Robert Vaughn) and Movie, Movie. He was one of the last truly great comedy writers who had worked in television. He will certainly be missed.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Bill Melendez Has Passed On
Animator Bill Melendez, best known for the animated Peanuts specials, passed Tuesday at the age of 91.
Bill Melendez was born Jose Cuauhtemoc Melendez on November 15, 1916 in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. In 1928 his family moved to Arizona and later to Los Angeles. Melendez attended the Chouinard Art Institute. He started his career at Walt Disney Studios in 1939. While there he worked on such films as Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi. He was one of the leaders in the animators' strike at Disney in 1941 which resulted in the unionisation of that studio.
Melendez never returned to Disney. That same year he took a job with Leon Schlesinger Productions (the studio that provided Warner Brothers with its cartoons from 1936 to 1944, where upon it was bought by the studio). He would work on such shorts as "Wabbit Twouble," "Kitty Kornered," "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery," "Bowery Bugs." and "What's Up, Doc." In 1948 he moved to United Productions of America (better known as UPA). There he worked on such shorts as "Gerald McBoing-Boing," "Madeline (based on Ludwig Bemelmans' series of children's books)," "Little Boy with a Big Horn," and "Gerald McBoing-Boing's Symphony." He would move to Playhouse Pictures (a commercial studio which has produced such things as adverts for the Ford Falcon, Lanvin Arpege Perfume, and Falstaff Beer, as well as the opening to The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show) and John Sutherland Productions (who produced primarily industrial films) later in the Fifties.
It would be in 1960 that Bill Melendez would first cross paths with the Peanuts gang. He animated commercials featuring the characters advertising the 1960 Ford Falcon (the campaign would actually run for several years) and openings featuring the characters on The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (Ford Motor Company was the sponsor on the show). This was the very first time the Peanuts characters had ever been animated. Melendez soon became the only animator that Charles M. Schulz would allow to animate his characters. Melendez would later animate the Peanuts characters for a series of short segments for a never finished documentary on Schulz and his characters in 1963. It was that same year that Melendez proposed a television special based on the Peanuts characters to Schulz. The result was A Charlie Brown Christmas, which first aired in 1965 on CBS. The special won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program.
Melendez and Schulz followed A Charlie Brown Christmas with Charlie Brown's All Stars and the highly successful It's the Great Pumpkin in 1966. In the end Melendez produced a total of 64 Peanuts specials. He also produced Peanuts feature films starting with A Boy Named Charlie Brown in 1971, and followed by Snoopy Come Home, Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown, and Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back). He also produced the Saturday morning TV series The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, which ran from 1983 to 1985. Melendez also provided the voices for both Snoopy and Woodstock.
Melendez also produced specials based on Babar the Elephant, Garfield, the comic strip character Cathy, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
It is difficult imagining anyone else animating Charles M. Schulz's characters besides Bill Melendez. From the Ford Falcon commercials which he produced to the last of the specials (He's a Bully, Charlie Brown in 2006), Melendez always captured the Peanuts characters perfectly. It was not simply a matter of Melendez being a superior animator (though that he was), but that he captured the essence of Peanuts better than anyone else possibly could have. I have no doubt that Melendez and Schulz's Peanuts specials will air on television for years.
Bill Melendez was born Jose Cuauhtemoc Melendez on November 15, 1916 in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. In 1928 his family moved to Arizona and later to Los Angeles. Melendez attended the Chouinard Art Institute. He started his career at Walt Disney Studios in 1939. While there he worked on such films as Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi. He was one of the leaders in the animators' strike at Disney in 1941 which resulted in the unionisation of that studio.
Melendez never returned to Disney. That same year he took a job with Leon Schlesinger Productions (the studio that provided Warner Brothers with its cartoons from 1936 to 1944, where upon it was bought by the studio). He would work on such shorts as "Wabbit Twouble," "Kitty Kornered," "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery," "Bowery Bugs." and "What's Up, Doc." In 1948 he moved to United Productions of America (better known as UPA). There he worked on such shorts as "Gerald McBoing-Boing," "Madeline (based on Ludwig Bemelmans' series of children's books)," "Little Boy with a Big Horn," and "Gerald McBoing-Boing's Symphony." He would move to Playhouse Pictures (a commercial studio which has produced such things as adverts for the Ford Falcon, Lanvin Arpege Perfume, and Falstaff Beer, as well as the opening to The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show) and John Sutherland Productions (who produced primarily industrial films) later in the Fifties.
It would be in 1960 that Bill Melendez would first cross paths with the Peanuts gang. He animated commercials featuring the characters advertising the 1960 Ford Falcon (the campaign would actually run for several years) and openings featuring the characters on The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (Ford Motor Company was the sponsor on the show). This was the very first time the Peanuts characters had ever been animated. Melendez soon became the only animator that Charles M. Schulz would allow to animate his characters. Melendez would later animate the Peanuts characters for a series of short segments for a never finished documentary on Schulz and his characters in 1963. It was that same year that Melendez proposed a television special based on the Peanuts characters to Schulz. The result was A Charlie Brown Christmas, which first aired in 1965 on CBS. The special won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program.
Melendez and Schulz followed A Charlie Brown Christmas with Charlie Brown's All Stars and the highly successful It's the Great Pumpkin in 1966. In the end Melendez produced a total of 64 Peanuts specials. He also produced Peanuts feature films starting with A Boy Named Charlie Brown in 1971, and followed by Snoopy Come Home, Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown, and Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back). He also produced the Saturday morning TV series The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, which ran from 1983 to 1985. Melendez also provided the voices for both Snoopy and Woodstock.
Melendez also produced specials based on Babar the Elephant, Garfield, the comic strip character Cathy, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
It is difficult imagining anyone else animating Charles M. Schulz's characters besides Bill Melendez. From the Ford Falcon commercials which he produced to the last of the specials (He's a Bully, Charlie Brown in 2006), Melendez always captured the Peanuts characters perfectly. It was not simply a matter of Melendez being a superior animator (though that he was), but that he captured the essence of Peanuts better than anyone else possibly could have. I have no doubt that Melendez and Schulz's Peanuts specials will air on television for years.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
In Memory of My Cat Precious
Generally this blog is about pop culture, but last night something happened that has changed my world forever. Last night my sister found our cat Precious dead in her closet. She had been missing all day. That was not unusual, as she was the sort of cat who liked nothing more than to find a nice cosy hiding place and go to sleep. This was especially true on chilly, rainy days like yesterday was. Precious was not a young cat. We estimate she was probably around 10 years old. And Himalayans only live to be 10 or 12 years old.We got Precious in 2000, when she was probably around two years old. She was a purebreed Himayalan (or so we were told). The couple she came from had a habit of fighting and so she stayed hid for the first two weeks we had her. She hid under my chest of drawers. I would put food and water out for her. We had a litter pan right there. And I would take the drawer out to pet her. When she finally decided that my sister and I were not going to yell and throw things at each other, she finally came out after two weeks. For quite some time she would still run and hide anytime strangers (at least strangers to her) would come over, but to my sister and me she became a very loving cat. After about six months she stopped hiding even when "strangers" visited.
As I said Precious quickly became a very loving cat. She enjoyed sitting on people for hours and having her fur stroked. Being a longhair, she naturally loved to be combed and groomed. She had a disconcerting habit of when becoming overly affectionate of delivering "love nips," although she never bit very hard. Like most cats Precious liked to sleep with one of us when it was cold. This was nice as with her long fur and her size (she wasn't a small cat), she was almost like a small blanket! She also had one of the loudest purrs of any cat I knew. This was funny because her "meow" was so quiet one could barely hear it.
In some ways Precious was a cat of strange habits. She liked to sleep in the oddest places. She would sleep on top of cartons of soda, crates of bottled water, books, old newspapers... And she loved boxes (as the picture above shows). It didn't matter what kind of box it was or where it was in the house. Precious would find it and crawl in it. She also loved the old maple tree in the front yard. She would sometimes climb up in it and spend the better part of the day just sitting in it.
Precious also had odd tastes in food for a cat. She loved mashed potatoes and beans. but was not real crazy about milk (I guess that was the Siamese blood in her--Himalayans were created by breeding Siamese with Persians). Of course, like most cats she liked any kind of fish, especially tuna.
Precious got along well with her fellow cats for the most part. Her best friend was probably Monster (sadly gone too), who was about the same age as she was. Precious had an odd love/hate relationship with our cat Sis. She and Sis were always getting into it, but if another cat attacked Sis or another cat attacked Precious, they were the first to take it up!
Precious was an intelligent cat, too. She would come to her name, and she knew the names of all the other cats as well. When she was younger she would try to open doors until she learned she didn't have the strength to turn the knob.
Right now I am very, very sad. I will miss Precious immensely. She was one of the most loving cats I ever owned. She was the sort of cat who loved her humans immensely and was happiest when she was with us. I just hope she finds plenty of love in her afterlife.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Danger Man, AKA Secret Agent
Among my favourite TV shows of all time and one of my favourite spy series was Danger Man, also known as Secret Agent here in the States. The series debuted on September 11, 1960 on ITV in the United Kingdom and aired until February 26, 1967. It would become the first spy series to air on American network in the Sixties, as well as the first British series imported in the Sixties.
In its original, half hour format, Danger Man followed the exploits of John Drake (Patrick McGoohan), a security specialist working for NATO. He travelled around the world (primarily Europe) tackling cases of international concern. He had no partners and almost always worked alone. His superior was Hardy (Richard Waits).
In the mid-Fifties Parliament finally permitted the existence of commercial television in the United Kingdom. The newly created commercial television units naturally wanted to create programming that could compete not only with the BBC (Britain's public broadcasting company), but with American products as well. Initially the commercial companies concentrated on such high brow series as Armchair Theatre and mediaeval action-adventure series such as The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Adventures of Sir Lancelot. By the late Fifties and early Sixties, however, British commercial television started to develop its own action-adventure shows set in modern times, similar to those seen on the American networks but with a distinctly British flavour.
One of the earliest such series was The Invisible Man, which was produced by ITC from 1958 to 1959. In The Invisible Man a young scientist was accidentally and permanently turned invisible during an experiment. Naturally he set to work trying to find a cure for his condition, though he also decided to put it to good use by offering his services to British intelligence. The Invisible Man proved fairly successful and even aired in America. The series' producer was Ralph Smart, a man who would see even greater success with his next action/adventure project--Danger Man.
Danger Man was an espionage series as had never been seen on either side of the Atlantic. It took its inspiration from the popular Hitchcock movies and Bond novels of the time, in which the opponents were portrayed as intelligent human beings and there was plenty of action and suspense to be found.
At the same time, however, John Drake stood apart from Bond and other spies before him as a distinctly original creation Though there were plenty of beautiful women to be seen in episodes of Danger Man, John Drake never once kissed one of them. Star Patrick McGoohan felt that if Drake kissed a girl, then he would be expected to do so every week. This he felt could teach British children that promiscuity was perfectly acceptable, so he decided that Drake would never kiss a woman in the course of his adventures. Similarly, John Drake almost never carried a gun. Again, Patrick McGoohan felt that this could teach children that violence, especially the use of lethal force, was an acceptable solution to almost any problem. Rather than risk sending the wrong message to British youth, then, McGoohan decided that Drake would almost never use firearms. The fact that Drake did not set about seducing women and that he did not use a gun set him apart from most of the other fictional spies of his times, particularly James Bond, who slept with at least one woman in nearly every novel and carried a licence to kill.
Even at a mere half hour, Danger Man featured stories that moved at a fairly rapid pace and boasted a good deal of character development. Drake's adventures also tended to be more realistic than those that would later appear on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Drake never faced a situation in which the entire free world ws threatened and gadgets very rarely appeared--when they did they were nearly always well within the means of 1960's technology. Similarly, Drake faced more realistic opponents than the would be world conquerors sometimes encountered by other spies. The end result was episodes that were exciting, but almost never melodramatic. In "The Lonely Chair" Drake's mission was simply to rescue an industrial designer's daughter whose kidnappers were demanding top secret blueprints for a government project in exchange for her release. In "The Prisoner (not to be confused with McGoohan's later TV series of the same name)," Drake must smuggle a United States citizen out of a Carribean nation which is demanding his arrest. In "The Contessa" Drake msut uncover a drug smuggling ring.
While most of Drake's adventures in the first series of Danger Man could realistically occur, that is not to say that he did not have his share of unusual adventures. In "Name, Date, and Place," John Drake faced an international ring of assassins--something similar to Muder Inc. but operating world wide. "The Relaxed Informer" found Drake investigating a security leak, only to find that the trail leads to an interpreter who has been hypnotized to reveal top secret information. In "The Leak" Drake investigates a North African nuclear power plant whose employees have been dying of radiation poisoning. "Dead Man Walks" may be the closest that Drake ever came to a Bondian situation in the first series of Danger Man. It featured a highly contagious new bacteria that could kill vegetation in a matter of hours.
Danger Man proved extremely successful, so successful that it and The Avengers (which debuted the following January), sparked a spy craze in Great Britain. Of course, this spy craze would lead to the Bond films, which would create a spy craze on American shores as well (ironically McGoohan was even offered the role of 007, but turned it down). Such success did not go unnoticed by the American networks, so that Danger Man was imported for a short run on CBS starting in April 1961. This made Danger Man the first spy drama to air on American television in the Sixties. And while it aired only for a short while on CBS, it would not be long before similar series would be filling the American airwaves.
The first series of Danger Man ended after 39 episodes in June, 1961. Ralph Smart would go on to another series (Man of the World<) in 1962, while McGoohan would assume othe roles. This did not mean that television viewers had seen the last of John Drake, however, as the series would return in an hour long format in October 1964. The hour long version of Danger Man debuted on ITV on October 13, 1964. It still followed the exploits of John Drake (Patrick McGoohan), although it would see some changes as well. As before, Drake was a highly skilled agent who usually worked alone. On the hour long version, however, Drake had become an agent for M9 (a fictional branch of Her Majesty's Secret Service). His superior was now Hobbs (Peter Madden). The cover utilized by M9 and its agents was usually that of World Travel, a travel agency which serviced a good number of destinations (some of which would definitely not welcome tourists).
Danger Man was one of the most popular TV series of its time in the United Kingdom. In fact, in the years since its original run, Britain's taste for similar such material had own grown that much greater. The Avengers, which had debuted a mere four months later, had become a phenomenon in its own right. Similar action adventure series, such as the anthology series Espionage and Man of the World (produced by Danger Man's Ralph Smart), had become rather common on British television. And putting aside all doubts that a spy craze had overtaken England were the Bond films--Dr. No and From Russia with Love had been top money makers in 1962 and 1963 respectively. The time then seemed right for the return of Danger Man.
The new series would eventually find its way to the United States just as the original had. In America, however, the series was renamed Secret Agent in hopes of capitalizing on the growing spy craze. It was also given a new theme song, "Secret Agent Man," sang by Johnny Rivers, and a new title sequence. Secret Agent debuted in America on CBS in April 1965 and ran much longer than the original series had in the States--it even made the network's 1965 fall schedule and ran until September 10, 1966. No doubt CBS had noticed the new series' success in Great Britain, all the while keeping an eye on the steadily increasing ratings of NBC's The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The new Danger Man series saw Ralph Smart once again at the reins as executive producer. Initially Aida Young served as the line producer, though this function would later be filled by Sidney Cole, whose previous work included The Adventures of Robin Hood and Sword of Freedom, two mid Fifties mediaeval adventure series. And, of course, Patrick McGoohan remained as superspy John Drake.
The hour long version of Danger Man differed only slightly from the original half hour version. With the series expanded to an hour, this resulted in episodes with more complicated plots, more action, and more character development (none of which Danger Man had ever lacked anyhow). Other changes involved the character of John Drake himself. As pointed out above, he no longer worked for NATO, but instead for the fictional agency M9. Drake's personality was also softened so as to emphasize his wry sense of humour. The hour long version of Danger Man also saw Drake's sense of decency emphasized. As the new series progressed it would become more and more apparent that John Drake was a man of conscience, often unhappy with the violence which sometimes occurred in his line of work and even questioning the motives of his superiors. As in the original series, Drake never indulged in frivolous affairs with the fairer sex (not even so much as a kiss) and rarely, if ever carried a gun.
Another change in the new series from that of the old was the increasing number of gadgets in episodes, whether due to a larger budget, their popularity in the Bond films and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., or both. During the first season such high tech gear appeared on a somewhat irregular basis; however, the second season would see gadgets increase at such a rate that at least one usually appeared in every episode. While gadgets had become more prevalent on the hour long version Danger Man, they were still a far cry from the highly advance devices which appeared in the 007 movies or on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Instead the gadgets were of the realistic sort that would later be seen on Mission Impossible--devices which could conceivably be built using mid Sixties technology. Among the most popular such gadgets on the series were miniaturized tape recorders (forerunners of a sort of our modern cassette tapes); for instance, "You're Not in Any Trouble, Are You?" featured one disguised as an electric razor. Another popular device were gas guns which emitted a harmless knockout gas. Such guns were used to great effect in "A Room in the Basement." Another episode, "English Lady Takes Lodgers," featured one disguised as a tobacco pipe. Electronic gadgets of various types appeared throughout the series. In various British government offices Drake could communicate with his superiors by a hidden television screen (a video phone of some type). "A Room in the Basement" featured miniaturized walkie talkies (about the size of today's cellular phones), while various other episodes featured electronic tracking devices and surveillance equipment. Much lower tech were the pocket telescopes which Drake sometimes carried. The presence of gadgets on Secret Agent was perhaps made most obvious in "The Hunting Party," where Drake opens a briefcase to reveal an entire arsenal of them--everything from wire clippers to a tape recorder!
Despite the greater frequency of gadgets in the series, Danger Man's episodes still continued to be more realistic than those seen on The Avengers or The Man from U.N.C.L.E. In "Fair Exchange" Drake must find a way to stop a fellow agent (Lisa James, played by Lelia Goldoni) from killing the East German secret policeman who had tortured her years before. This episode even sheds a bit more light on Drake the man--Lisa, who obviously carries a torch for Drake, intimates that he is afraid of commitment! "Whatever Happened to George Foster?" as Drake investigating a plot to overthrow a Central American government which is being financed by a British lord. In "English Lady Takes Lodgers" Drake investigates the sale of stolen, top secret information. "Yesterday's Enemies" utilizes the time honoured device of a spy ring which our hero must infiltrate.
Other episodes of the hour long Danger Man are a bit more offbeat, foreshadowing The Prisoner. The first season episode "The Room in the Basement" could almost have been a prototype for the typical Mission: Impossible episode. In this episode a fellow agent is being held captive in an Eastern bloc embassy in Switzerland. Drake gathers together a group of highly skilled friends and together they execute a highly complex scheme to rescue him. "Colony Three" concerned a Russian village disguised as a typical English hamlet and its rather mysterious purpose. "Say It With Flowers" involved a Swiss clinic where agents are murdered and their secrets sold to various clients.
Danger Man proved extremely successful, but after playing John Drake through 39 episodes of Danger Man and 47 episodes of Secret Agent, he war ready to move onto other projects--namely, The Prisoner. Danger Man ended this second run on ITV on April 7 1966, which naturally meant it would air no longer on CBS. Following The Prisoner, however, there would be two more Danger Man episodes. Unlike the others, which had all been shot in black and white, "Koroshi" and "Shinda Shima" were shot in colour. The two episodes aired within a week of each other, the first on June 3, 1968 and the second on June 12, 1968. These episodes would also make it to the United States, though not as part of a television series. The two episodes were edited together and released theatrically in the United States under the title Koroshi.
After its initial run Danger Man (still under the title of Secret Agent) was released into American syndication. The 39 episodes of the half hour Danger Man were even retitled Secret Agent and given the new title sequence with the theme song "Secret Agent Man," so that they could be added to the package. Eventually, the final two episodes ("Koroshi" and "Shinda Shima") would be added to the package as well. Danger Man continues to be a cult series in the United States, often considered among fans to be the prequel to The Prisoner (although whether Number Six is John Drake continues to be matter of debate). Both the half hour and hour Danger Man series aired for quite a while on Encore's Mystery Channel on cable. Both the half hour and hour long series have been released on DVD.
Danger Man was both a revolutionary and influential spy series. Along with The Avengers it would spark a spy craze in the United Kingdom, which through the 007 movies, would spark a spy craze in America. It was also truly a classic, an intellectual action-adventure series for the thinkging man with three dimensional characters and quality stories. Along with The Avengers and The Prisoner, it may have been the best spy series ever produced.
In its original, half hour format, Danger Man followed the exploits of John Drake (Patrick McGoohan), a security specialist working for NATO. He travelled around the world (primarily Europe) tackling cases of international concern. He had no partners and almost always worked alone. His superior was Hardy (Richard Waits).
In the mid-Fifties Parliament finally permitted the existence of commercial television in the United Kingdom. The newly created commercial television units naturally wanted to create programming that could compete not only with the BBC (Britain's public broadcasting company), but with American products as well. Initially the commercial companies concentrated on such high brow series as Armchair Theatre and mediaeval action-adventure series such as The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Adventures of Sir Lancelot. By the late Fifties and early Sixties, however, British commercial television started to develop its own action-adventure shows set in modern times, similar to those seen on the American networks but with a distinctly British flavour.
One of the earliest such series was The Invisible Man, which was produced by ITC from 1958 to 1959. In The Invisible Man a young scientist was accidentally and permanently turned invisible during an experiment. Naturally he set to work trying to find a cure for his condition, though he also decided to put it to good use by offering his services to British intelligence. The Invisible Man proved fairly successful and even aired in America. The series' producer was Ralph Smart, a man who would see even greater success with his next action/adventure project--Danger Man.
Danger Man was an espionage series as had never been seen on either side of the Atlantic. It took its inspiration from the popular Hitchcock movies and Bond novels of the time, in which the opponents were portrayed as intelligent human beings and there was plenty of action and suspense to be found.
At the same time, however, John Drake stood apart from Bond and other spies before him as a distinctly original creation Though there were plenty of beautiful women to be seen in episodes of Danger Man, John Drake never once kissed one of them. Star Patrick McGoohan felt that if Drake kissed a girl, then he would be expected to do so every week. This he felt could teach British children that promiscuity was perfectly acceptable, so he decided that Drake would never kiss a woman in the course of his adventures. Similarly, John Drake almost never carried a gun. Again, Patrick McGoohan felt that this could teach children that violence, especially the use of lethal force, was an acceptable solution to almost any problem. Rather than risk sending the wrong message to British youth, then, McGoohan decided that Drake would almost never use firearms. The fact that Drake did not set about seducing women and that he did not use a gun set him apart from most of the other fictional spies of his times, particularly James Bond, who slept with at least one woman in nearly every novel and carried a licence to kill.
Even at a mere half hour, Danger Man featured stories that moved at a fairly rapid pace and boasted a good deal of character development. Drake's adventures also tended to be more realistic than those that would later appear on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Drake never faced a situation in which the entire free world ws threatened and gadgets very rarely appeared--when they did they were nearly always well within the means of 1960's technology. Similarly, Drake faced more realistic opponents than the would be world conquerors sometimes encountered by other spies. The end result was episodes that were exciting, but almost never melodramatic. In "The Lonely Chair" Drake's mission was simply to rescue an industrial designer's daughter whose kidnappers were demanding top secret blueprints for a government project in exchange for her release. In "The Prisoner (not to be confused with McGoohan's later TV series of the same name)," Drake must smuggle a United States citizen out of a Carribean nation which is demanding his arrest. In "The Contessa" Drake msut uncover a drug smuggling ring.
While most of Drake's adventures in the first series of Danger Man could realistically occur, that is not to say that he did not have his share of unusual adventures. In "Name, Date, and Place," John Drake faced an international ring of assassins--something similar to Muder Inc. but operating world wide. "The Relaxed Informer" found Drake investigating a security leak, only to find that the trail leads to an interpreter who has been hypnotized to reveal top secret information. In "The Leak" Drake investigates a North African nuclear power plant whose employees have been dying of radiation poisoning. "Dead Man Walks" may be the closest that Drake ever came to a Bondian situation in the first series of Danger Man. It featured a highly contagious new bacteria that could kill vegetation in a matter of hours.
Danger Man proved extremely successful, so successful that it and The Avengers (which debuted the following January), sparked a spy craze in Great Britain. Of course, this spy craze would lead to the Bond films, which would create a spy craze on American shores as well (ironically McGoohan was even offered the role of 007, but turned it down). Such success did not go unnoticed by the American networks, so that Danger Man was imported for a short run on CBS starting in April 1961. This made Danger Man the first spy drama to air on American television in the Sixties. And while it aired only for a short while on CBS, it would not be long before similar series would be filling the American airwaves.
The first series of Danger Man ended after 39 episodes in June, 1961. Ralph Smart would go on to another series (Man of the World<) in 1962, while McGoohan would assume othe roles. This did not mean that television viewers had seen the last of John Drake, however, as the series would return in an hour long format in October 1964. The hour long version of Danger Man debuted on ITV on October 13, 1964. It still followed the exploits of John Drake (Patrick McGoohan), although it would see some changes as well. As before, Drake was a highly skilled agent who usually worked alone. On the hour long version, however, Drake had become an agent for M9 (a fictional branch of Her Majesty's Secret Service). His superior was now Hobbs (Peter Madden). The cover utilized by M9 and its agents was usually that of World Travel, a travel agency which serviced a good number of destinations (some of which would definitely not welcome tourists).
Danger Man was one of the most popular TV series of its time in the United Kingdom. In fact, in the years since its original run, Britain's taste for similar such material had own grown that much greater. The Avengers, which had debuted a mere four months later, had become a phenomenon in its own right. Similar action adventure series, such as the anthology series Espionage and Man of the World (produced by Danger Man's Ralph Smart), had become rather common on British television. And putting aside all doubts that a spy craze had overtaken England were the Bond films--Dr. No and From Russia with Love had been top money makers in 1962 and 1963 respectively. The time then seemed right for the return of Danger Man.
The new series would eventually find its way to the United States just as the original had. In America, however, the series was renamed Secret Agent in hopes of capitalizing on the growing spy craze. It was also given a new theme song, "Secret Agent Man," sang by Johnny Rivers, and a new title sequence. Secret Agent debuted in America on CBS in April 1965 and ran much longer than the original series had in the States--it even made the network's 1965 fall schedule and ran until September 10, 1966. No doubt CBS had noticed the new series' success in Great Britain, all the while keeping an eye on the steadily increasing ratings of NBC's The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The new Danger Man series saw Ralph Smart once again at the reins as executive producer. Initially Aida Young served as the line producer, though this function would later be filled by Sidney Cole, whose previous work included The Adventures of Robin Hood and Sword of Freedom, two mid Fifties mediaeval adventure series. And, of course, Patrick McGoohan remained as superspy John Drake.
The hour long version of Danger Man differed only slightly from the original half hour version. With the series expanded to an hour, this resulted in episodes with more complicated plots, more action, and more character development (none of which Danger Man had ever lacked anyhow). Other changes involved the character of John Drake himself. As pointed out above, he no longer worked for NATO, but instead for the fictional agency M9. Drake's personality was also softened so as to emphasize his wry sense of humour. The hour long version of Danger Man also saw Drake's sense of decency emphasized. As the new series progressed it would become more and more apparent that John Drake was a man of conscience, often unhappy with the violence which sometimes occurred in his line of work and even questioning the motives of his superiors. As in the original series, Drake never indulged in frivolous affairs with the fairer sex (not even so much as a kiss) and rarely, if ever carried a gun.
Another change in the new series from that of the old was the increasing number of gadgets in episodes, whether due to a larger budget, their popularity in the Bond films and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., or both. During the first season such high tech gear appeared on a somewhat irregular basis; however, the second season would see gadgets increase at such a rate that at least one usually appeared in every episode. While gadgets had become more prevalent on the hour long version Danger Man, they were still a far cry from the highly advance devices which appeared in the 007 movies or on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Instead the gadgets were of the realistic sort that would later be seen on Mission Impossible--devices which could conceivably be built using mid Sixties technology. Among the most popular such gadgets on the series were miniaturized tape recorders (forerunners of a sort of our modern cassette tapes); for instance, "You're Not in Any Trouble, Are You?" featured one disguised as an electric razor. Another popular device were gas guns which emitted a harmless knockout gas. Such guns were used to great effect in "A Room in the Basement." Another episode, "English Lady Takes Lodgers," featured one disguised as a tobacco pipe. Electronic gadgets of various types appeared throughout the series. In various British government offices Drake could communicate with his superiors by a hidden television screen (a video phone of some type). "A Room in the Basement" featured miniaturized walkie talkies (about the size of today's cellular phones), while various other episodes featured electronic tracking devices and surveillance equipment. Much lower tech were the pocket telescopes which Drake sometimes carried. The presence of gadgets on Secret Agent was perhaps made most obvious in "The Hunting Party," where Drake opens a briefcase to reveal an entire arsenal of them--everything from wire clippers to a tape recorder!
Despite the greater frequency of gadgets in the series, Danger Man's episodes still continued to be more realistic than those seen on The Avengers or The Man from U.N.C.L.E. In "Fair Exchange" Drake must find a way to stop a fellow agent (Lisa James, played by Lelia Goldoni) from killing the East German secret policeman who had tortured her years before. This episode even sheds a bit more light on Drake the man--Lisa, who obviously carries a torch for Drake, intimates that he is afraid of commitment! "Whatever Happened to George Foster?" as Drake investigating a plot to overthrow a Central American government which is being financed by a British lord. In "English Lady Takes Lodgers" Drake investigates the sale of stolen, top secret information. "Yesterday's Enemies" utilizes the time honoured device of a spy ring which our hero must infiltrate.
Other episodes of the hour long Danger Man are a bit more offbeat, foreshadowing The Prisoner. The first season episode "The Room in the Basement" could almost have been a prototype for the typical Mission: Impossible episode. In this episode a fellow agent is being held captive in an Eastern bloc embassy in Switzerland. Drake gathers together a group of highly skilled friends and together they execute a highly complex scheme to rescue him. "Colony Three" concerned a Russian village disguised as a typical English hamlet and its rather mysterious purpose. "Say It With Flowers" involved a Swiss clinic where agents are murdered and their secrets sold to various clients.
Danger Man proved extremely successful, but after playing John Drake through 39 episodes of Danger Man and 47 episodes of Secret Agent, he war ready to move onto other projects--namely, The Prisoner. Danger Man ended this second run on ITV on April 7 1966, which naturally meant it would air no longer on CBS. Following The Prisoner, however, there would be two more Danger Man episodes. Unlike the others, which had all been shot in black and white, "Koroshi" and "Shinda Shima" were shot in colour. The two episodes aired within a week of each other, the first on June 3, 1968 and the second on June 12, 1968. These episodes would also make it to the United States, though not as part of a television series. The two episodes were edited together and released theatrically in the United States under the title Koroshi.
After its initial run Danger Man (still under the title of Secret Agent) was released into American syndication. The 39 episodes of the half hour Danger Man were even retitled Secret Agent and given the new title sequence with the theme song "Secret Agent Man," so that they could be added to the package. Eventually, the final two episodes ("Koroshi" and "Shinda Shima") would be added to the package as well. Danger Man continues to be a cult series in the United States, often considered among fans to be the prequel to The Prisoner (although whether Number Six is John Drake continues to be matter of debate). Both the half hour and hour Danger Man series aired for quite a while on Encore's Mystery Channel on cable. Both the half hour and hour long series have been released on DVD.
Danger Man was both a revolutionary and influential spy series. Along with The Avengers it would spark a spy craze in the United Kingdom, which through the 007 movies, would spark a spy craze in America. It was also truly a classic, an intellectual action-adventure series for the thinkging man with three dimensional characters and quality stories. Along with The Avengers and The Prisoner, it may have been the best spy series ever produced.
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