50 years
ago the Production of ‘the Pri50ner’ grew ever nearer. Certainly plans had been
formulating in Patrick McGoohan’s mind over a length of time. He wanted to do
something different, after all that’s why he resigned so that he could be free
to work on something else. But I wonder if he realised then just what an effect
he was about to create with ‘the Pri50ner,’ and how it would cause such a
reaction upon so many impressionable minds. Or did he know? Certainly the
unsuspecting young people who watched ‘the Pri50ner’ in 1967-68 didn’t know.
Thinking back ‘the Pri50ner’ was almost like the piped piper of Hamelin, and
the music he played to lure the children away from Hamelin. And yet ‘the Pri50ner’
was never meant to be a children’s television series, however the same cannot
be said of ‘Danger Man?’ Certainly I remember watching the series as a boy, in
fact John Drake was my boyhood hero. What’s more I still enjoy watching ‘Danger
Man’ immensely. Mind you, I’m at an age when second childishness is but a
finger touch away, I’ve been a prisoner of ‘the Prisoner’ for a good deal of my
life thus far, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. I wonder, has it
been childish to be so obsessed about one television series, one remarkable,
totally absorbing, mind-bending television series, for almost fifty years? Well
if it has its too late to do anything about it now. However with the onset of
second childishness in the not too distant future, perhaps I’ll gain a new
perception of ‘the Pri50ner.’ Because when I viewed ‘the Prisoner’ television
series through the eyes of a child it seemed awfully simple. And it’s only
since thinking about it as an adult that it has become complicated!
Be seeing you
I was 12 when The Prisoner first aired...and I've been hooked ever since seeing it for that first time! I had a huge crush on Patrick McGoohan as John Drake, and was impatiently waiting on this new series that was coming to the U.S. in 1968. Like you, the series is ever unveiling new concepts and ideas. I still love Danger Man, The Prisoner and Patrick McGoohan as much as I did in the 60's.
ReplyDeleteBe Seeing You!
Hallo Karen,
DeleteMy wife and I also still enjoy watching 'Danger Man'. Did you realize that certain episodes are based on fact? Episodes like 'Under The Lake,' and 'Don't Nail Him Yet.'
When I watched 'Danger Man' as a boy I liked the way Patrick McGoohan cleverly made the gadgets Drake used seem real, as though they actually worked!
Best regards
David
Be seeing you
Hi David . .
ReplyDeleteI watch Danger Man episodes once a night usually ! The older I get . ..the less I find interesting enough to watch on television . ..other than news shows.
I read that Patrick McGoohan came up with some of the gadgets for Drake to use on Danger Man . ..like the shaver/tape recorders .
I think Patrick McGoohan was a very observant person who was always seeing multiple aspects of common items.
He was also supposed to have come up with the idea of having John Drake wearing different hats as a disguise of sorts . ..and that he even bought some of the hats and brought them to the set.
I think he wanted the character of John Drake to be as REAL as he could be . .so he was on the lookout for the little things that would make sense for a secret agent to have or make use of.
BCNU
Karen
Dear Karen,
DeleteTrue enough, there are plenty of television channels, but often there’s nothing worth watching on them!
Interesting that Patrick McGoohan came up with ideas for some of the gadgets in ‘Danger man,’ I always thought it was the people in the properties department who did all that kind of thing.
McGoohan certainly made a good job of making John Drake as real as possible.
David
Be seeing you
Hi again David . .
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to say that I have heard "Be seeing you " multiple times on Danger Man . ..and that one of the episodes had a hallway with statues reminiscent of the hallway in the Prisoner and the surveillance statues outdoors on the Prisoner .
I have wondered if Peter Swanwick knew Patrick McGoohan . .or made friends with him on Danger Man . .because his character was murdered within a few minutes on Danger Man . .yet he had one of the few returning roles on The Prisoner .
I really enjoy reading about the production of both shows...and about the actors and crew .
BCNU
Karen Marshall
Dear Karen,
DeleteYes the phrase “Be seeing you,” does appear many times in ‘Danger Man.’ Indeed during the 1940’s and 50’s the phrase was very popular on both sides of the Atlantic, featuring in numerous feature films.
I remember that passageway, and it is reminiscent of the passageway in the Town Hall in ‘the Prisoner.’
Peter Swanwick also appears in the ‘Danger Man’ episode ‘The Paper Chase.’ In ‘the Prisoner’ Peter doesn’t appear quite as much as it might seem. He does have some speaking parts in the series, then again some of his appearances are via stock film footage.
David
Be seeing you
Hi David ,
ReplyDeletePatrick McGoohan was supposed to have been the one that came up with the idea of using hats as a prop too. Some of the hats were ones that he had bought and brought to the set for filming .
He said that he didn't believe in "living" a character after the show ( stage ..tv..or screen )
was over...but I think he was always thinking about ways to make his character "come alive" to the audience.
Someone wrote that Patrick was originally told that John Drake would be a spy like Bond...no arguments. He was supposed to have accepted the position with the idea of filming as much as he could before he ran into an objectionable scene...knowing that once a lot of money was spent on what was in the can already . ..that he would be able to persuade them to do it HIS way....looks like he won that argument .
As it turns out..I like his John Drake much better than Bond...or other unrealistic portrayals of spies jumping into bed with possible enemies every 15 minutes .
I like sci-fi to a point . ..but I prefer the ones that challenge me...and obvious holes in the plot or things stuck in to fill up time...NOT my cup of tea!!
Guess that's why I love mysteries . ..and I think Patrick McGoohan knew that suspense and mystery are ways to keep people interested.
Almost 50 years later and we are still interested in The Prisoner and solving it's mysteries ! How cool is that ? ??!!!?!
Also...
ReplyDeleteIn watching Danger Man and the gadgets that he used . ..
He had the shoe with a hidden compartment in the heel YEARS before The Wild Wild West.
He had the tape recorder hidden in the shaver years before Mission Impossible.
He had wireless phones on The Prisoner years before they were commonplace items.
He had wireless speakers years before they were invented.
Now maybe not all of these things were HIS idea...but he had a great amount of influence on both Danger Man and The Prisoner ...so I think he would have had a lot of power with decisions on both shows .
BCNU
Karen
Hallo Karen,
DeleteI remember the hollow heel in one of Drake’s shoes in ‘Colony Three.’
The scene in ‘The Girl Who Was Death’ when Mister X goes into a record booth in the Magnum Record shop to receive instructions via a long playing record is Mission: Impossiblesque. Because in the early episodes of ‘Mission: Impossible’ Dan Briggs gained his mission instructions via a long playing record.
The credit card, at the time there was only the Diners card and Barclay card.
Not only cordless telephones in ‘the Prisoner,’ and wireless speakers, but also micro cameras. Can you spot the surveillance cameras in Number 6’s cottage, or any cottage for that matter!
And The Village, an international community, which I have seen as a prediction for what Europe would become {then it was merely the Common Market} what it is today, an International community.
Be seeing you
David
Hi David ,
ReplyDeleteI also think the scene where Number 6 took the pillow and put it in front of the television and it makes the static - screeching noise....is prophetic of how laptops and computers now have cameras so you can SEE in BOTH directions .
I read that hackers could turn on the cameras and WATCH others . ..to keep your eyes on the monitor symbol to make sure it was NOT turned on.
I'll have to watch Say It With Flowers again . ..with a mind to seeing what you saw.
One WORLD Village of The Prisoner is slowly coming about . .eventually I believe that EVERY facet of our lives may be under the control of some kind of "WORLD" Counsel....someone else who decides what when should do...work....cars...food...religion seem to be evolving ...and people seem to be becoming blinder to individual rights and responsibilities.
Not long ago in the U.S. a group of college kids took over the Dean's office...to PROTEST that someone else had the right of FREE SPEECH !!!!!
I know that you said you aren't religious . ..but I wanted to say that these very issues are spoken about . .warned about . ..in the Bible.
The Schizoid Man is one of the episodes that I enjoy the most ...even though there are some little things that could've been better .
Best Regards ,
BCNU
Karen
Hello Karen,
DeleteThat is a very take on the scene when Number 6 places the cushion in front of the television screen, to annoy the Observers. However at that point would an observer actually be able to see Number 6 through that two-way television set when it’s switched off? That’s a question I used to ask myself. However you have answered that question in regard to hackers of modern day, being able to turn on your computer or phone, or other device so to be able to watch you, even when that device is turned off!
As for the electrical screeching noise, I cannot account for that, unless it’s the machine protesting against the possibility of suffocation!
The whole Earth as The Village, it already is, especially here in Britain. Britain has the most surveillance cameras than any other country in the World. And both the British Government, as well as the European Parliament love to tell us what we can and cannot do. At least we do still have free speech.
There is one thing about ‘The Schizoid Man’ I always wanted to know. How did it come about that that Number 6 discovered that he shared a mental link with Alison?
Best regards
David
Be seeing you
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteI think that the television making a screeching noise when Number 6 put the pillow over the screen, was somewhat like the General starting to smoke and spark when the question WHY was asked of it.
The television surveillance system was perhaps being overloaded in trying to "see" when the pillow was placed over the screen.
I didn't equate the television being "off" with the surveillance system NOT being able to still keep track of Number 6!!
Since there are a number of scenes ...for example, when Number 2 calls and asks if he can speak with Number 6, and the answer is "The mountain can come to Mohammed!" Then by the time Number 6 can hang up the phone and go to the stairs, his door opens and Number 2 is THERE!!!
I guess when I was young the strangeness of some of the scenes didn't click with me, as I accepted the time jumps and other details, such as the duplicate people, as just another weird event that I didn't think about deeply....until now!
I don't think that hackers can turn a computer on remotely...YET...but they CAN turn on the camera on your laptop or computer remotely.
Patrick McGoohan really had some details in The Prisoner that have become an ordinary part of our lives today, that were unheard of back in the late 60's...and whether they were some of the "happy" accidents that he talked about, or whether he had an idea of things to come that he wouldn't like to put up with...are these his thoughts about the future..or just things that came about because he wanted a futuristic set ?
No matter what the answer really is, I am just thankful and appreciative of the beauty, imagery, allegory and mystery of The Prisoner!
BCNU
Karen
Hello Karen,
DeleteThat is a good comparison between Number 6 placing a cushion over the screen of the television set being like when the General began to spark and smoke. Its just as well the sound effect was inserted, as no sound effect and the television viewer would be wondering what Number 6 was doing holding a cushion to the television screen! When Number 6 does that, and there comes that electrical screeching, I like to think it’s the machine that is protesting at the possibility of suffocation!
My wife Morag on the other hand has always had the idea that the electrical noise was quite deliberate, in order to stop citizens placing something in front of the television screens to stop them having to watch public announcements, such as Number 6’s electoral speech, and Speedlearn’s educational programmes. And as it’s a two-way television viewer, such an obstacle would prevent the occupier being watched by the Observers. After all who would be able to stick something in front of the television and be able to put up with that electronic noise all the time? In fact I’ve a piece of blog to write on that very subject.
That is a surreal moment when the one minute the image of Number 2 is on the television screen pictured in the Control Room, the next he’s at the door of Number 6’s cottage. Unless of course there is a painted backdrop of part of the Control Room wall outside Number 6’s cottage, that would account for how Number 2 arrived at Number 6’s cottage so instantly!
There are a number of predictions for the future made in ‘the Prisoner,’ the combination of television screen and telephone as used in ‘Free For All’ between Number 2 and Number 6, might be seen as a very primitive video phone!
Be seeing you
David
Hi David ,
ReplyDeleteYes...The Prisoner was quite forward thinking !
I was struck by how much of the shows props . ..and statements about surveillance . .education...politics and the One World Village are the SAME topics that we should be discussing and in some cases . ..resisting !
BCNU
Karen