On 05/25/2017 10:29 AM, Steve Kinney wrote: > > 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: > >
"Secret Agent" was good. As realistic as TV was ever going to be about the topic Then McGoohan turned on them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5dNzBx7kgg&index=1&list=PLVALKNg_kP1dYVyBvy71PKRlugiaqGmW1 Rr > > 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) > > > > >