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Monday 25 July 2011

Even As A Child There Is Somehting Inside Your Brain Which Is A Puzzlement

    'When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.'
                                {Corrinthians1 verse 25}

    What is it about the Prisoner which attracts the mind of a child? I myself was a mere 12 years old in 1967 when I began to watch the series, as were many of my contemproraries at the time, perhaps even a year or two younger. And the story has been much the same through the decades, young children drawn to and becoming fans of the Prisoner, when originally the series was never meant as a childrens Television series. However, there are many childish things within the Prisoner, the use of nusery rhymes for one, the tune of 'Pop Goes The Weasle' features much in Arrival, and in following episodes of the series, with No.8 pompomming the tune in Checkmate as one such example, as she makes No.6 his nightcap of hot chocolate. No.6 is later accused by No.2 of telling us a blessed fairy tale in The Girl Who Was Death.....is that what Patrick McGoohan was doing all along? And don't forget for Once Upon A Time No.6 was regressed to his childhhood.
    If I have discovered anything about the Prisoner, it is that the series is best viewed through the eyes of a child, and is best understood as a child, and that has been true all through the years and decades since the first days of the Prisoner. And is that what Patrick McGooahn did, unbeknown to the majority, made us get out our childish things once more? Perhaps that's why the vast majority of the general public could not understand the Prisoner at the time, thought it the biggest load of rubbish to be seen on British television, because they had put away such childish things!   Anyone for a game of conkers round the back of the bike sheds?   BCNU

2 comments:

  1. This blog is rather amusingly abbreviated by your blue writing on the right.

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  2. Hello Mister Anonymous,

    Ha,ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,ha, ha, ha {laughter in the form of No.2-Leo McKern} yes very amusing, Paddy McG would not have thought so though I'm sure.

    Now can you help me? In the year 1968-69 'the Prisoner' was screened in America for the first time, yet the episode 'Living In Harmony' was deleted from that screening, and not shown. I know of two stories which have been drifting around for many, many years as to why. One being the use of drugs and conditioning treatment used in 'Living In Harmony,' but then other episods have drug use in them. The second reason given was that the Vietnam war was on at the time, and in 'Living In Harmony' the Prisoner showed subversiveness by refusing to take up arms! As you are well up on facts concerning 'the Prisoner,' I wondered if you could shed any light on why 'Living In harmony' was not shown in the first American screening of 'the Prisoner' 1968-69?

    Regards
    David
    BCNU

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