In my opinion, it should have been Patrick McGoohan's stunt double on the production, Frank Maher, who should have played the Prisoner in the role of the Colonel. At least that way, while the mind of the Prisoner was in the body of the Colonel, he would have acted just like how McGoohan would have. Because it's the mind that controls the body.
And remember when the Prisoner woke up that morning of Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling back in his own London home? An arm is raised and the Prisoner looks at his wrist watch upon his wrist to see the time. At that moment the Prisoner should have realised that something was wrong, seeing as how that wrist, and hand was not that of the Prisoners. Mind you they were not those of Nigel Stock either. The cameraman Len Harris filmed his own wrist and hand as those of the Colonel!
BCNU
I suppose the idea was that the prisoner had to be desperate to get his real body back, so if they'd put him in a similar one, he might never have bothered finding Seltzman and just done a runner and made do with what he had.
ReplyDeleteThere is a remarkable secret in one of my blogs about Nigel and Patrick actually. It may even have had a bearing on the casting choice. Pat and Nigel had worked together in Danger Man of course but there is another link between them that went way way back, before John Drake had ever been thought of....... ;-)
Hello Moor Larkin,
ReplyDeleteAh! That's a good reasoning about the use of the Colonels body, and why they didn't give one similar to that of the Prisoners own. I like your take on that. And that is what 'the Prisoner' is all about, the exchange of ideas.
Yes indeed, Patrick and Nigel did indeed work with each other on 'Danger Man,' in the episode 'Loyalty Always Pays,' which is one of my favourite 'Danger Man' episodes. But what, I wonder what the link is between Patrick and Nigel is before 'Danger Man?' I'll have to seek out your blog.
BCNU