The Saint's Blog devoted to news and rumors about The Saint and Leslie Charteris. Simon Templar, alias The Saint, was played by Roger Moore in the 1960's TV show featuring the Volvo 1800.
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We're sad to hear that famed actor, Tony Curtis, passed away yesterday. According to reports, Curtis died at his Las Vegas home on September 29, 2010, of an apparent cardiac arrest.
Tony Curtis co-starred with Roger Moore in the TV series The Persuaders! which was based on The Saint episode titled "The Ex-King of Diamonds". The interesting dynamic between the suave Englishman Simon Templar played by Roger Moore and a crass Texas oilman (played by Stuart Damon) was a great combination that Robert S. Baker and Lew Grade extended to a new series starring Tony Curtis in the role of the texan, while keeping Roger Moore as The Saint series came to an end. The Persuaders also featured a number of other parties to The Saint, including many supporting cast members, many of the same writers, and the same director.
Tony was a good friend of Roger Moore's, and was on-hand via conference call when Roger received a blue plaque at Elstree Studios in October 2006.
"He was a fine actor ... I shall miss him," said British actor Roger Moore, who starred alongside Curtis in TV's "The Persuaders."
"He was great fun to work with, a great sense of humour and wonderful ad libs," Moore told Sky News. "We had the best of times."
Roger has also posted the following on his website, "Hearing the news about Tony deeply saddened me today. He was a great friend and a great co-star, and I will forever remember the laughs and fun we shared on The Persuaders and the friendship which endured ever after. His legacy is huge as was his star. I will miss my friend. My thoughts are with Jill and his children at this sad, sad time and I send them much love."
Think of any cult/fantasy television show of the 1960s or '70s and the chances are that they were created by ITC, the company owned by legendary media tycoon Lew Grade. For the first time in one book, the incredible stories behind the making of these enduringly popular shows are told by the actors, directors and creators involved in bringing them to the small screen. Robert Sellers' stellar list of almost fifty interviewees includes such international stars as Sir Roger Moore, Tony Curtis and Robert Vaughn; legendary animators Sylvia and Gerry Anderson; Jane Henson, widow of Muppets creator Jim Henson; Oscar nominated director Franco Zeffirelli; and cult stars such as Peter Wyngarde and Ian Ogilvy. Arranged in eight chronological sections, "Cult TV: The Golden Age of ITC" contains a wealth of anecdotes and detail that will delight fans of these remarkable series and cult television in general. The book is introduced with a foreword from former "James Bond" and "The Saint" star, Sir Roger Moore and contains an afterword by Gerry Anderson.
Roger Moore was honored with a plaque by the Town Council, in association with the British film Institute at Elstree film and television studios on October 31, 2006.
He joins a very distinguished list made up of Alfred Hitchcock, George Lucas, Stephen Spielberg, Vivien Leigh, Simon Cowell, Richard Todd, John Mills, Trevor Howard, Stanley Kubrick, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Dame Margaret Rutherford, Peter Cushing, Charles Lawton, Dame Anna Neagle, Herbert Wilcox, and Alistair Sims.
Roger's official site has three pages (1, 2, 3) about the event with lots of pictures and stories. I espicially enjoyed listening to the sound clips from the event. Tony Curtis even called in and had some very nice things to say about working with Roger Moore on The Persuaders.
Retro, an Argentinean Cable TV Channel, is broadcasting The Saint and The Persuaders on Saturday nights. Starting at 9:00 (BA,+0300), Roger Moore and Tony Curtis episodes are followed by another famous English series: The Fugitive. Only available on Cablevision and Multicanal TV Station. Viva Simon Templar!
There is news of a new movie based on The Persuaders television show which starred Roger Moore and Tony Curtis. The original Persuaders TV show was piloted in The Saint episode, "The Ex-King of Diamonds" and featured many of the same co-stars, production teams, and writers as The Saint TV show.
This new movie appears to be coming out in the summer of 2007 and will star Ben Stiller and Steve Coogan as two wealthy playboys from different backgrounds. The original series paired a Texan Oilman with a British Aristocrat. I'm not sure what updating this new Stiller/Coogan vehicle will impart.
