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Saturday 17 September 2016

Thought For The Day

    I know the 50th anniversary of the screening of ‘the Prisoner’ in Britain is coming up next year, and that is very much on the mind of enthusiasts for the series. This month I’ve had the production of the series much on my mind. The location filming at Portmeirion will have taken place by the end of the month, but a second film unit would be returning there in March 1967 to carry out further filming, with Frank Maher, Patrick McGoohan’s stunt double, mainly as Number 6. Meanwhile filming continued at MGM film studios at Elstree, creating huge interior and exterior sets, and huge painted backdrops of Portmeirion, which will be convincing enough at the time, and yet the atmosphere there will be very different from what it was elsewhere!
    And it must not be forgotten that ‘Arrival’ received its World premier at the Coliseum cinema in Porthmadog organized by
Clough Williams-Ellis,  the very first preview of the episode. Clough sent out invitations to all his friends and important dignitaries, High Sheriffs, even the Chief Constable of Caernarfon, and Director/Producer David Tomblin also attended. Clough had sent for a 35mm print of the film, which was the only print in existence at that time, so extreme care had to be taken of it, being the only copy. The preview took place on a Sunday evening, even though the cinema had no license for seven days, and they were not allowed to show films on a Sunday. But the event went ahead anyway, and was a great success, and that was the first screening of ‘the Prisoner’ anywhere, a world premier in fact at the Coliseum cinema in Porthmadog albeit it a silent one!
    Actors and actresses would come and go, some only having worked on an episode for one day or perhaps two or three at most, and some not even working together. For example Peter Howell and Betty McDowell never worked together in ‘The General,’ they never once appear in a scene together. Sad to say, but for others working on ‘the Prisoner’ was perhaps the last acting role of their lives, all of whom had had wonderful acting careers having appeared on stage, screen, and television.
    50 years of my life have been spent appreciating ‘the Prisoner,’ there are those who would say get a life, well that’s a bit late now, at my age. And I’m far from alone, there are hundreds and hundreds of people of my generation who are still enthusiastic for ‘the Prisoner,’ it might be that we’re showing our age a little bit. Mind you the jacket of my suit, just like the one Patrick McGoohan wore in ‘The Prisoner,’ fits me perfectly just as it did in the mid 1990’s when I wore it to Prisoner Conventions. Though the trousers wore out years ago!
    As September draws on so does the end of the location filming for ‘the Prisoner’ at Portmeirion, the final day of filming was on the 30th, when Patrick McGoohan directed a number of scenes for ‘The Arrival’ as it was called then. One being the Prisoner’s restructured first encounter with the Guardian on the beach. Meanwhile the second film unit was picking up on shots in the woods and for the beach chase scene. However yesterday September 16th was the main film day for the Alouette helicopter, which covered Number 2 {Bill Tailor doubling for Guy Doleman} and Number 6 stepping out of the helicopter. The main scene filmed that day was Number 6’s attempted escape by jet boat, chased by Number 2 piloting the helicopter, and Number 6’s second encounter with the Guardian.


Be seeing you

6 comments:

  1. Hello David,
    I'm another of the "original" Prisoner watcher/fans, so I join you in being fascinated as much today as I was back in 1968.
    I've been reading books and watching videotaped interviews with the production team done years ago. It's very interesting learning about the production process, and I think it also helps to understand some of the changes from the original scripts, and some of the "unplanned" things that worked perfectly in the story line!

    BCNU
    Karen

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    1. Hello Karen
      I have the complete collection of ‘the Prisoner’ in Production, the Prisoner In Depth 1-6, The Prisoner Investigated 1-2, The Prisoner On Location, The Prisoner Inspired, and the Prisoner In Conclusion, all produced by Steven Ricks. He did an excellent job in acquiring all the interviews with people who helped produced the series, and actors who performed in the series. Without Steven’s hard work, all that information would be lost.

      Be seeing you
      David

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  2. Hi David ,

    I would like to have those articles some day ! I have been watching the Facebook groups about Patrick McGoohan and The Prisoner . ..and having some fun with other fans of the show.
    I sure would like to be able to go to Portmeirion for the 50th Anniversary tribute . ..but alas...it isn't in my budget.

    I'm so glad that Steven Ricks collected all the information and interviews with people who worked on The Prisoner .
    I find it interesting to know about the process that was used to film the show , and the original plans for different scenes and the reason that they were changed .

    Even though sometimes Patrick McGoohan didn't give a reason . .it allows you to compare the two scripts or scenes ..and you can figure out how the story either became clearer...or maybe changed totally !
    Your name came up on new of the Facebook sites in regards to a reanactment at Portmeirion...I think !

    Best Regards ,
    BCNU
    Karen

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    1. Hello Karen,
      At the moment I’ve not idea what form NETWORK’s 50th anniversary event to be held at Portmeirion will take, the cost to attend excreta.

      Yes I used to portray the role of Number 6 at Prisoner Conventions in the 1990’s. I was chosen to do so for my resemblance to Patrick McGoohan. I found it very easy to get into the role of Number 6, the character very easy for me to play. I recall how at one Convention I was dressed in a suit exactly to the one McGoohan wore in ‘the Prisoner,’ and I was standing on the steps of the Hercules Hall. A day visitor had travelled to Portmeirion because he had heard the rumour that Patrick McGoohan was due to attend the Convention that year. He came walking up to me and asked “Are you Patrick McGoohan?” What could I say? “No, I’m sorry I’m not.” as he turned there was a look of disappointment on his face. Patrick McGoohan never attended the Convention that year, he never attended Prisoner Conventions.
      My wife and I enjoyed producing and acting re-enactments, the most complicated was Appreciation day, in which two pieces of action were taking place at the same time. Another year we performed the gun runners scene on the Stone Boat. And there was the boxing scene from ‘The Girl Who Was Death’ on the chessboard…….happy days. Back then I was the right age to play the role of Number 6, now I’m too old.

      Be seeing you
      David

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  3. Hi David ,

    I think the only role that I could do justice to, would be the woman on the ladies committee that said "It's obviously too premature to expect contrition from him" in A, B and C .

    Obviously , Number 6 is the PRIMO role...happy for you that you got to do all of the neat things that you did...while you were able !

    I wonder what Patrick McGoohan really thought about all of the books...reanactments....and other things that fans of The Prisoner did , and have continued to do over the past 50 years . I have an idea that the thing that might have pleased him...were the discussions about the meanings of the allegorical aspects of The Prisoner .

    I think that he didn't attend any of the anniversary tributes for one or two reasons .

    If he attended . ..he knew that people would be asking him to explain what "this" or "that" really meant...thus eliminating the mystery and thought provoking aspects of The Prisoner .

    He was so hurt and angry about the way The Prisoner was first denigrated...that he had decided to stay away from the anniversary tributes and to avoid most public events associated with The Prisoner . I believe that he made the Warner Troyer interview because HE was interested in what and how the university classes were presented . ..and what the college age folks were thinking about The Prisoner...which I believe was done in 1974.

    Patrick McGoohan took a couple of years off after making The Prisoner . ..moving to Switzerland near his in-laws.

    I think that he had worked so long and at such a pace...that he was burned out. I think he wanted to reconnect with his family , and I think that he and his wife had some in depth discussions about his work ....family . ..fans...etc.
    The people who approached his family were probably a major factor in their decision to move to America.
    I've always wondered how the movie studios here perceived him , and if any of them ever approached him to do new projects . His wife evidently had quite a successful realtor business..and they even "flipped" houses to make money for a while .

    He's as much a mystery as is The Prisoner !

    Best Regards ,
    BCNU
    Karen

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    1. Hello Karen,
      The actress Pat Keen who plays the lead lady of the Sub appeal Committee certainly throws herself into the role when she attacks Number 6 with her umbrella!

      It was a privilege to play the role of Number 6, I enjoyed it immensely, as well as it being a great deal of fun, but also hard work. My portrayal of Number 6 was so good right down to his mannerisms. One mannerism was actually natural to me as it happened. That was pointed out to me that I was always doing this mannerism, although I was not conscious of it, and wasn’t aware of what it was. I wanted my wife and others to tell me what it is. But no-one would, for fear that it would cause me to become conscious of it, and therefore stop doing it!
      I no longer attend Prisoner Conventions, and haven’t for some years now. I have seen photographs of last years prisoner Convention, and I made the observation that Number 2 seems to have become a more popular figure than Number 6. What I mean is there are more men going about as Number 2, all wearing the “old school” scarf as Number 2 does in the series.

      Who can say what Patrick McGoohan thought, he probably didn’t think anything about the books, Prisoner Conventions, and other activities carried out by the fans, why should he? He might have thought us stupid, that we should get ourselves a life, or words to that effect, I bet he didn’t read any of the books! I’m not so sure that discussions about the meanings of the allegorical aspects of the series, more likely it might have simply amused him, but no more than that. I think at the end he just wanted to get away from ‘the Prisoner,’ because at the time it was all people asked about!

      Personally I feel Patrick McGoohan never attended any Prisoner Conventions or anniversary events because he didn’t want smothering by the fans!

      Soon after ‘the Prisoner’ Patrick McGoohan first went to Wales, and from there to be near his in-laws. Switzerland. After that he went to America. But he still had ‘the Prisoner’ inside him. I expect you have seen the Colombo episode ‘Identity Crisis,’ and how McGoohan uses the phrase “Be seeing you” a few times. Well that’s not altogether ‘Prisoner’ as the phrase goes back too many years for that. But on the study walls in the house of the character Nelson Brenner there are framed items from Patrick McGoohan’s private and professional lives, including two production pictures from ‘the Prisoner.’

      I too think Patrick McGoohan had burned himself out working on ‘the Prisoner,’ that’s why he went away to recover.

      Patrick McGoohan’s reason for moving to America was to make it big in Hollywood, but he wouldn’t play their game, he wasn’t interested in the other side to film-making in Hollywood, the parties, the way celebrities are expected to behave in Hollywood, being under the spotlight and all that sort of thing. If you’ve seen the Colombo episode ‘Ashes To ashes,’ there is a reference obviously alluding to him, about an actor who came to America to make it big, but failed! But of course it was his wife Joan who made it big in America, when she got into the real-estate business.

      He's as much a mystery as is The Prisoner! That’s because he kept his private life private!
      Best regards

      Be seeing you
      David

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