‘The Saint’ Rises Again At Paramount As Possible New Franchise

Anita Busch at Deadline.com offers a piece on the possibility that Paramount may launch a series of films based on Leslie Charteris's great character, Simon Templar, aka, The Saint.

I did not much care for the Val Kilmer-Saint film in the 1990s, but I loved the 1960s TV series with Roger Moore (seen in the above photo) as Templar.

Unlike the film, the TV series was faithful to Charteris's stories and the author liked Moore as Templar.

I hope the film producers lean more towards the old TV series and Charteris' character and stories rather than the Kilmer film.

You can read the Deadline.com piece via the below link:

http://deadline.com/2016/06/the-saint-new-paramount-movie-1201769894/

You can also read an earlier post on The Saint via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2016/01/the-saint-seasons-1-2-on-dvd.html

The Saint Of Smooth - The Saint: Seasons 1 & 2 On DVD

I've been watching a DVD copy of The Saint: Seasons 1&2, which was a Christmas gift I received from my daughter and her boyfriend.

I've been a huge fan of The Saint since the British TV program first aired on American TV in the early 1960s when I was a teenager. I went on to read Leslie Charteris' novels and short stories about Simon Templar.

Rober Moore's Templar was a cool, witty and tough globe-traveling crime fighter (although The Saint himself was a Robin Hood-type of crook).

Although I would later dislike Roger Moore's light and comedic portrayal of Ian Fleming's iconic character James Bond, I thought his portrayal of Leslie Charteris' Simon Templar was near perfect.

I enjoyed listening to the DVD's audio commentary and hearing the clever, classy and amusing Moore and the TV program's producers discuss the series and the episodes' back stories.

You can read more about the DVD from www.shoutfactory.com:

All 39 heavenly episodes from Seasons 1&2 of THE SAINT

Modern-day Robin Hood. Wealthy man of mystery. Debonair rogue. Call Simon Templar what you will, but never cross THE SAINT. A timeless figure of adventure since his creation by Leslie Charteris in 1928, The Saint has thrilled adventure aficionados with his exploits in a variety of media, including novels, movies, and radio—but nowhere was the dashing Mr. Templar more indelibly realized than in his 1960s television series, starring the perfectly cast Roger Moore in the title role.

Seasons One and Two of The Saint set the stage for what would become a six season run on television, and paved the way for the dashing Roger Moore to take on the role of an even more famous man of action later in his career. With guest starring appearances by such notables as Oliver Reed (Tommy, Gladiator), Academy Award-winning actress Julie Christie (Darling, Doctor Zhivago) and a pair of beauties from the spy classic Goldfinger (Honor Blackman and Shirley Eaton), The Saint is a wild and witty adventure that is every bit as fun and exciting today as it was when it first aired.
Bonus Features

• Audio Commentary On "The Talented Husband" And "The Saint Plays With Fire" By Roger Moore, Robert S. Baker (Executive Producer), And Johnny Goodman (Associate Producer)
• Audio Commentary On "Luella" By Roy Ward Backer (Director) And Sue Lloyd (Guest Star).
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• http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Seasons-1-2/dp/B00S4YGV16/ref=sr_1_4?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1451877697&sr=1-4&keywords=the+saint+season+1+and+2 

You can watch the first intro to The Saint, in which Roger Moore speaks to the camera, via the below link. I love it when a halo appears over his head when his name is first spoken and then the Edwin Ashley theme song kicks in: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIEblgU_z50   

Happy 88th Birthday To Actor Sir Roger Moore

Happy 88th birthday to British actor Sir Roger Moore.

The former star of seven James Bond films and The Saint and The Persuaders on TV is also the author of a memoir called One Lucky Bastard: Tales From Tinseltown. 

As I noted on this site before, I don't care for Sir Roger Moore's lighthearted portrayal of Ian Fleming's iconic character James Bond, but as a teenager I very much enjoyed his portrayal of Leslie Charteris' character Simon Templar in The Saint on TV. 

I also liked him in The Persuaders. 

According to Biography.com, Sir Roger Moore was born on October 14, 1927, in London, England. 

You can learn more about Sir Roger Moore via the below link:

http://www.biography.com/people/roger-moore-9413743

You can also watch Moore as the cool Simon Templar and the cool intro to The Saint, with Edwin Astley's cool theme song, via the below link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIEblgU_z50

'The Saint: The Complete Series" Starring Roger Moore Released On DVD

I did not care for Roger Moore's light and comic portrayal of James Bond, but as a teenager in the 1060s I was very fond of his portrayal of Leslie Charteris' Simon Templar, otherwise known as "The Saint."

The below announcement was released by www.shoutfactory.com:

When sinners strike, call on THE SAINT!

Modern-day Robin Hood. Wealthy man of mystery. Debonair rogue. Call Simon Templar what you will, but never cross THE SAINT. A timeless figure of adventure since his creation by Leslie Charteris in 1928, The Saint has thrilled adventure aficionados with his exploits in a variety of media, including novels, movies, and radio—but nowhere was the dashing Mr. Templar more indelibly realized than in his 1960s television series, presented here in one outstanding collection: The Saint - The Complete Series.

Starring the perfectly-cast Roger Moore as Simon Templar, The Saint was a benchmark in the lifespan of the character, and a stepping stone to Moore taking on the role of an even more well-known man of action later in his career. Featuring thrilling acts of derring-do, beautiful places (and people), and a sly wit, this complete set of all episodes from The Saint are a heavenly addition to your collection.

With guest star appearances by Oliver Reed (Tommy, Gladiator), Academy Award-winning actress Julie Christie (Darling, Doctor Zhivago), Donald Sutherland (The Dirty Dozen), Edward Woodward (TV's "The Equalizer"), a bevy of Bondian beauties (Goldfinger's Honor Blackman and Shirley Eaton, as well as Lois "Miss Moneypenny" Maxwell), and many more.

Whether you're a longtime fan or a newcomer to the series, it's time to say "Halo!" to The Saint.

Bonus Features

• Audio Commentary On Select Episodes
• Behind The Scenes With Sir Roger Moore As Director   

Roger Moore: Patron Saint Of Smooth

Daphne Lockyen at the British newspaper the Telegraph offers a good piece on the amusing, intelligent, and self-deprecating 85-year-old actor Roger Moore.

Moore talks about how he and his son are producing a new series based on The Saint, a character, Moore portrayed on TV in the Sixties.

As you might expect, this elder statesman of British acting is charm personified. He is also full of pithy one-liners, protecting his privacy with mots justes. Any big regrets? “I’d be an ungrateful b------ if I did; I’ve been so incredibly lucky.”

Moore probably learned how to use the art of suave humour to handle tricky situations from playing Bond and his precursor, The Saint’s Simon Templar – the rakish character with a Robin Hood morality that we are here today to discuss. Moore and his eldest son, Geoffrey, are co-producers on an American television remake of The Saint. The British series, based on the novels by Leslie Charteris, occupied seven years of the actor’s life during the Sixties.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/9843924/Roger-Moore-patron-Saint-of-smooth.html

Moore also has a book out on James Bond, the iconic Ian Fleming character Moore portrayed in the Seventies.

As I've noted here before, I was not a fan of Moore's lighthearted approach to Bond, but as a teenager in the Sixties I liked Moore very much in The Saint. I look forward to watching the new series.