MovieChat Forums > The Saint (1967) Discussion > Question about the early episodes.

Question about the early episodes.

posted 20 years ago by terrasolo
6 replies | jump to latest

Ok I have seen all the color episodes and Love the Saint, but I know that Claude Eustis Teal chases him believing him to be a thief and that The Saint used to leave his mark of the stick man saint behind, but what I don't know is what do the black and white episodes tell us. I can't find them for sale anywhere.

So my question is, Was Simon Templer a thief before he changed his mind and helped the little people and stole form the baddies instead? Or do they never really go into it? I mean there must be a reason, but with out seeing the B&W episodes I feel a bit lost.

I have seen the movie that suggests that he was a thief, but from what I can tell they really changed a lot of the story of the Saint. But was that a truthful starting point for the movie? It makes me wonder that if the movie ever had a Saint 2 that it would be more like the Saint we all know.

Anyway any help would be great. Thanks

--Terrasolo

[–] ashley-110 20 years ago

"Roger Moore is Simon Templar, better known as The Saint. The Saint out-swindles the swindlers for the good of the little guy: he's handsome, charming, suave and sophisticated!" (From the DVD Box).

Just to let you know the first series (1962) from ITC is out on DVD (10 discs) in the UK, this has all 39 (50 mins) episodes all black and white and in very good quality.

You can get this from many sites on the net for about £34.99 (about $63) but remember these DVD are Region 2, PAL

Hoping this is of help

[–] janebutterworth 20 years ago

Try reading the excellent books by Leslie Charteris, on which the series was based. They will tell you everything you need to know about the Saint. He's a buccaneer, a modern day Robin Hood who has always lived dangerously. He stole, but only from the far too wealthy or the pompous. The books are excellently written and give you a far greater insight into the chracter of Simon Templar than the (admittedly fairly good) early black and white TV series ever did.

[–] daveapps 19 years ago

'It was a demonstration of absolute vacuum in the space reserved by the normal citizen for storing his conscience.' - The High Fence (1934)
The Saint was cleaned up for the series of movies in the thirties and forties (mostly starring George Sanders), and for the TV series, to make hime seem less of a professional thief. Leslie Charteris' Simon Templar was a somewhat amoral character, who targetted succesful criminals and unscrupulous businessmen and relieved them of their ill-gotten gains, which he then popped in his bank account. Claude Eustace felt that the pursuit of criminals should be for a higher purpose, and that stolen property should be returned to the rightful owners. Back then, the Saint would have been called an adventurer. Today we would probably consider him as an addictive risk taker who managed to turn a profit. 'Simon Templar had his own unorthodox interpretations of the rewards of Virtue.' This aspect was played down in the TV series, leaving his character a bit of a mystery, but it is still one of my favourite shows of all time!

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] 19 years ago

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[–] caviar1234 9 years ago

They never really did go into his early years as a thief.