Cinema's best British secret agent?

[DB7]

A timely question as Mr Bond is about to make a reappearance. If you were to send as agent on a mission, who would it be?



Bond is deadly but were it not for the evil villains propensity to talk him to death and ensure he meets an elaborate end, he'd be killed time and again. Maybe Caine's Harry Palmer, but he's often duped and you can't have a secret agent that goes shopping. Burton's Alec Leamus, alright but he looks like he'd spend most of his time on active service propping up a bar. Miss Froy? Well she could be bought off with a subscription to Readers Digest. George Smiley is fine but somehow he's just not cut out for action scenes - and he'd be too busy chatting-up Miss Froy.

[CaptainWaggett]

name='DB7']A timely question as Mr Bond is about to make a reappearance. If you were to send as agent on a mission, who would it be?



Bond is deadly but were it not for the evil villains propensity to talk him to death and ensure he meets an elaborate end, he'd be killed time and again. Maybe Caine's Harry Palmer, but he's often duped and you can't have a secret agent that goes shopping. Burton's Alec Leamus, alright but he looks like he'd spend most of his time on active service propping up a bar. Miss Froy? Well she could be bought off with a subscription to Readers Digest. George Smiley is fine but somehow he's just not cut out for action scenes - and he'd be too busy chatting-up Miss Froy.

Surely it has to be Dickie Randall aka Rex Harrison in Night Train to Munich. Master of disguise, leaper from cable car to cable car, wit, bon vivant - and he'd be able to keep you entertained on long train journeys with a selection of showtunes. Plus he has the knack of recruiting useful sidekicks and you never know when you might need someone who has played for the Gentlemen.

[batman]

Richard Burton as Major Jonathan Smith MC in Where Eagles Dare. Master of disguise, able to despatch villains from cable cars and he'd be able to keep you entertained simply by listening to that wonderful voice. Plus, he was able to fool Clint and make him play second fiddle throughout the mission .... and he had the best code message!



"Broadsword calling Danny Boy"

[dremble wedge]

Christopher Plummer as Eddie Chapman in Triple Cross .



He offered to blow Hitler up in a suicide mission, gave the German false information so that many V-1 and V-2 rockets didn't land in London, kept two fiancees on opposing sides of the conflict and received a yacht from the Nazis!



And best of all, he's From Real Life...

[Steve Crook]

Leslie Howard as Professor Horatio Smith in Pimpernel Smith.

He doesn't need to do any tough guy act. He just outwits them by hiding in the wardrobe



Steve

[Windthrop]

Lionel Jeffries as Stanley Farquhar in The Spy With The Cold Nose

[stevie boy]

name='DB7']A timely question as Mr Bond is about to make a reappearance. If you were to send as agent on a mission, who would it be?



Bond is deadly but were it not for the evil villains propensity to talk him to death and ensure he meets an elaborate end, he'd be killed time and again. Maybe Caine's Harry Palmer, but he's often duped and you can't have a secret agent that goes shopping. Burton's Alec Leamus, alright but he looks like he'd spend most of his time on active service propping up a bar. Miss Froy? Well she could be bought off with a subscription to Readers Digest. George Smiley is fine but somehow he's just not cut out for action scenes - and he'd be too busy chatting-up Miss Froy.

Could not be Leamus, he got left sitting on the fence, Smiley maybe not,but his alter ego Charles Dobbs fits the bill in grey matter and action(End of Deadly affair) Dobbs would be my choice,no question.

[Lord Brett]

name='batman']Richard Burton as Major Jonathan Smith MC in Where Eagles Dare. Master of disguise, able to despatch villains from cable cars and he'd be able to keep you entertained simply by listening to that wonderful voice. Plus, he was able to fool Clint and make him play second fiddle throughout the mission .... and he had the best code message!



"Broadsword calling Danny Boy"

And he has bags scattered across Europe with a never-ending supply of high explosives.

[batman]

name='Lord Brett']And he has bags scattered across Europe with a never-ending supply of high explosives.

While dealing with Derren Nesbitt's nasty Nazi! Top man!

[Nick Dando]

John Gielgud as Richard Ashenden?



Nick

[CaptainWaggett]

name='Nick Dando']John Gielgud as Richard Ashenden?



Nick

Only if you don't mind the wrong man being killed...



There's also Valerie Hobson in The Spy in Black and Dame Babs in Carry On Spying bith of whom quietly and efficiently get the job done without any faffing around. And Basil Radford does rather a good job in Secret Journey and he has a comedy dog too, which every secret agent needs.

[alan french]

Hi.

Either Captain Daring (A silent film British Agent.) or Lady Penelope.



Alan French.

[batman]

The little red monkey in Little Red Monkey. Can be fitted into a suitcase and is cheap to feed.

[batman]

If all else fails .... send for David Callan.

[alan french]

Hi.

Actually, if it was someone from this forum, I would pick Batman. In fact, the first Hollywood version of Batman, did involve him on the track of some Japnese spies during WW2. Coincidence?

Alan French.

[CaptainWaggett]

[batman]

[DB7]

name='batman']If all else fails .... send for David Callan.

That would be my choice too.

[batman]

name='DB7']That would be my choice too.

Absolutely!

[Polyakov]

And when all the hard men have been knocked over, send for James Wormold (Our Man In Havana) . He'd clean up the mess.