Secret Agent (a.k.a. Danger Man): The Complete Series
One of the most enjoyable examples of television’s ’60s spy mania was “Danger Man,” starring Patrick McGoohan as globe-trotting John Drake, a more realistic version of James Bond.
The program ran several seasons before it was shut down and retooled, with 60-minute episodes replacing the earlier half-hour shows. The American run of the new series was called “Secret Agent,” but in Britain the program retained the “Danger Man” title. (The earlier run is included in this set as the first 39 episodes.)
“Secret Agent” was more action-oriented and employed more spy gadgetry than the earlier program. Except for the final two episodes of the later series, the show was in black and white.
Drake assumed identities to carry out his missions. He tried to use his intelligence to solve problems, mostly eschewing firearms, but wasn’t above using his fists. He developed a couple of signature phrases, including, “Do exactly as he says.” McGoohan’s clipped delivery and intense stare made the character indelible.
Even the American show’s theme song, “Secret Agent Man,” clicked with the public and became a hit record for Johnny Rivers. (This set uses the British opening, with different music, but includes “Secret Agent Man” as a bonus.)
McGoohan’s Drake was a man of principle, unlike many of the womanizing, guns-blazing, amoral spy characters of the day, whom the actor disdained. As the series progressed, the episodes began to show Drake’s conflicts with his superiors, who were interested only in results.
Drake was a (somewhat) subversive secret agent, a theme McGoohan brought front and center in his next spy series, “The Prisoner.” He created, produced and starred in this innovative show with sci-fi tinges and countercultural overtones, about a secret agent held at a mysterious village after he resigns. Some fans believe that the “Prisoner” character, identified only as No. 6, is actually John Drake.
McGoohan began acting in the theater and won a London Drama Critics Award in 1959 for his work in Ibsen’s “Brand.” He occasionally collaborated with Peter Falk on the “Columbo” TV series, and registered strongly in movie roles, including “Escape From Alcatraz,” “Ice Station Zebra” and “Braveheart.”
Extras include audio commentaries by writer Brian Clemens and director Peter Graham Scott, and a new interview with McGoohan’s daughter Catherine.
— Walter Addiego