Patrick McGoohan

[mrs tiswas]

Anyway it is the guy's 80th soon. Good Looker then, but now????

[batman]

A fine looking man .....

[smudge]

I'd be very surprised to find a recent photo of PMG as he appears to have gone into 'proper' and full retirement. He's certainly said he will never do any more interviews. I'll bet that whatever he's up to - and despite the fact that he turns 80 on Wednesday - he still looks good. As he grew older the cool, chiselled features of 'Danger Man' became distinguished. Those of you who have the latest PRISONER box set will no doubt testify that back in 1982 on Greatest Hits, even with his Joss Merlyn look for JAMAICA INN, he still looked pretty hip.

To this day it remains an awful shame that his career was effectively curtailed by THE PRISONER - he had so much more to give. I am sure that some day - possibly when he's no longer around to say, "Hey - no!" - someone will come up with a docu-drama of The Curse Of The Prisoner, similar to the comedy legends who are about to be scrutinised under the microscope of BBC4...

Smudge

[Moor Larkin]

Originally Posted by smudge his career was effectively curtailed by THE PRISONER -

I don't see how that can in any way be said to be true, other than that he never made as great a single show again. However some of his performances in lesser works have been excellent. He also gave HTV their biggest ever money-spinner, in Jamaica Inn. He featured in two 'Royal Films' after the prisoner (failing to turn up for either... naturally). His Columbo's are, without doubt, some of the finest of that strand. His performances in Rafferty were lauded at the time, as much as the scripts were derided. He seems to have continued his patterns of the Sixties by performing in worthy ideas that perhaps never were fully realised to their full potential; but then like Neil Young, maybe he felt that whilst walking on the highway was very easy travelling.... the ditch was much more interesting.

Who knows? Not I.

Originally Posted by smudge I am sure that some day - possibly when he's no longer around to say, "Hey - no!" - someone will come up with a docu-drama of The Curse Of The Prisoner, similar to the comedy legends who are about to be scrutinised under the microscope of BBC4...

From what I've read from Prisoner cultists, I think that has already been said. He made a number of remarks about what he thought to 'The Box' magazine in 1991.

Whilst he may have not had many things not in common with Bob Mitchum, I sense their main reply to 'the public' would have been "Baby, I don't care"

[smudge]

On reflection, 'career' was the wrong word - I should have said 'potential'. Had THE PRISONER been a contemporary hit, as opposed to a continuing and highly successful cult, who knows what he might have done. Plaudits for individual projects aside I don't think, after his bravura performance as Number Six, either film or television ever really knew how to properly use this individual and supremely talented actor. I think his occasional COLUMBOs came closest to gving us 'great' McGoohan subsequently. I honestly think he could have been to the screen what Olivier was to the theatre...

Smudge

[Moor Larkin]

Originally Posted by smudge I honestly think he could have been to the screen what Olivier was to the theatre...

I'm not sure that is possible for anyone. Television is too frequent a medium for anyone to dominate it. It's possible in movies, maybe.

It is too easy to forget his 80-odd hours worth of Danger Man. That show was of enormous influence and merit as well as being an enormous contemporary hit, as was the prisoner. I wonder if we properly account for his age. He would have been forty in 1968, the drive of 'career' often fades at such an age in many walks of life. He did remark once that he had stayed in America simply because there were so many more opportunities for his children. He also seemed to have tired of being a 'star' and seemed to want to be a writer/creator.

Plus fashions and tastes, particularly on television, wait for no man. Some of the best-received of his of his more wide-ranging work was in 1958/59, but many watching what still exists, now find drama from that time stilted and slow.

In 1991 he was described as 'very good' by John Gielgud, when they did a piece of TV theatre together. I can imagine that would mean a lot to him...... And he was very good in 'The Best of Friends'.

[Windthrop]

Originally Posted by smudge I honestly think he could have been to the screen what Olivier was to the theatre...

Olivier did offer PMG the pick of ther parts at Stratford once. PMG turned him down.

[Moor Larkin]

Originally Posted by Windthrop Olivier did offer PMG the pick of ther parts at Stratford once. PMG turned him down.

Yes. I've read that before. Do you know when this was? I checked out a couple of Sir L's biographies but I never came across any mention of this 'offer'. There surely can't be that many people who would turn the great man down! In interviews Patrick McGoohan certainly makes clear, in any passing reference to Olivier or others of his generation, that they were the actors to be aspired to.

Many of the Patrick McGoohan co- or guest-stars had a Shakespearean record of note. He, of course never went to Drama School or any of the accepted classical repertories. Even with his part seasons at Bristol he seems to have been preferred for the more 'contemporary' plays, rather than period pieces.

[smudge]

HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY Mr. McGoohan !



Plus a PRISONER re-run on ITV4 tonight at 8pm. Perfect timing...

Smudge

[Moor Larkin]

Originally Posted by smudge HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY Mr. McGoohan ! Plus a PRISONER re-run on ITV4 tonight at 8pm. Perfect timing...

Absolutely! Someone at the corporation still loves him...... it cannot possibly be coincidence........

[stevie boy]

Happy Birthday John Drake

[batman]

Happy Birthday Red!

[mrs tiswas]

Happy 80th Patrick McGoohan. It was a shame that the Prisoner did ruin part of his career.
I wish he should of done more British movies and shows, instead of the US shows. And I feel that he was very lucky in coming to GB when in a young age instead of growing up in the USA.
If Rafferty was a British show, it would of been a hit, but I would like to get hold of these episodes, any chance?

[mrs tiswas]

Somethings really baffle me whilst watching 'The Prisoner', and you will be forced to agree with me.
During the credits, whilst Mcgoohan is driving around and showing off in Central London, some undertakers van follows him and he seems unaware.
Also, fumes come into his abode, and did they teach this Secret Agent to open a window if toxic fumes are contaminating his habitat.
This one is something evryone with a brain would agree with, they have kitchens with knives/forks in the Village, why don't someone knife that balloon to death.

Sorry Moor Larkin, but I know Birthday Boy did well out of it and I know you are celebrating too, but do you also celebrate kith/kin birthdays too?

[Moor Larkin]

Originally Posted by mrs tiswas why don't someone knife that balloon to death.

They did in the Simpsons cartoon........
Homer used a fork, rather than a knife though.


McGoohan had a good line in that cartoon, where he said, "I've been trapped here for 33 years", or something like that. Homer ends up escaping on a raft made of scabs and toilet paper I think. Being a Hollywood show, all the people in the village talked like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins!