The Saint: Set 2
It’s phenomenal that this character — a man of international action created in the 1920s by mystery writer Leslie Charteris — continues to thrive. Stories about Simon Templar, a.k.a. “The Saint” (based on his initials), first inspired a series of lowbudget RKO programmers in the 1940s starring George Sanders. Templar was voiced by Vincent Price in a radio series running 1949-50, and portrayed by Roger Moore in a British TV series (1962-69). Val Kilmer did a one-shot feature in 1997, and Ian Ogilvy lasted for a single TV season (1978-79). Being transferred to DVD for the first time is the last British attempt (1989), which starred Simon Dutton as the mysterious figure who works his way all over the world looking for evildoers, while he himself is being sought by police. Clad in a Savile Row suit that never gets rumpled, Dutton makes for a charming, never-outwitted hero, and there’s always a dame nearby. Set 2 features the three 90-minute episodes that concluded the series. In “Wrong Number,” filmed in Paris, Templar is joined by a U.S. antiterrorist squad (led by Vince Edwards) to prevent a possible missile attack. “The Big Bang,” set in Berlin, co-stars Morgan Brittany as a sexy reporter who assists Templar in preventing an illegal corporate takeover. Another lady (Pamela Sue Martin) is on hand in “The Software Murders” to help Templar solve the killings of three scientists. Each episode has touches of romance, but the main thrust is fast-paced, suspenseful action, often with good stunt work.