21st March 2010: The Saint on CD (part two)

We got them. Well, the cover at least.

3rd March 2010: The Saint on CD
BBC Audiobooks are releasing a CD containing two episodes of The Saint on May 6th. These are two of the three shows that were made in the 1990s and star Paul Rhys as Simon Templar, episodes are The Saint Plays With Fire and Saint Overboard. No word yet as to why The Saint Closes the Case has not been included but more details, and hopefully a cover illustration, when we get them.

2nd December 2009: Sherlock Holmes
We blame the Saint for our love of audio dramas. Well, wouldn't you? After all when you find out that the Saint had a long run on American radio in the 1940s and 50s it's only natural that you'd want to hear some of the shows. And when you discover that Saintly audio drama allowed your imagination to run riot and provide a whole new angle to an adventure of the Saint, it's perhaps unsurprising that you'd seek out some more, perhaps non-Saint, audio drama.

And whilst there was a fair amount of audio detective drama on American radio in the 40s and 50s which can be found around the internet there's been precious little produced in this century. Sure, BBC 7 are doing their best but it's very much niche drama on a niche station. Which is why we should be thankful for Big Finish Productions.

Big Finish made their name producing Doctor Who audio dramas whilst the show was off-air. Since the show's return their range of Doctor Who stories has blossomed almost as much as the company itself. Now they produce audio drama featuring Sapphire and Steel, Dark Shadows, Highlander, Robin Hood and many others. The latest addition to their range is Sherlock Holmes.

We know many Saint fans also enjoy the adventures of Sherlock Holmes so we feel no guilt in unsubtly plugging this. Go to the Big Finish web site and play the trailer. It is quite simply wonderful stuff, evocative, intriguing and thoroughy enjoyable; everything you could hope for from a Sherlock Holmes story.

The synopsis for this one, 'The Last Act' is;

It is 1916 and Sherlock Holmes has returned to his rooms in Baker Street after attending the funeral of his long time associate, Dr John H. Watson . Holmes reflects on the old days and comes to realise that not only was there so much that he had shared with Watson in his lifetime but also there was so much that he had not revealed to him: things he had kept hidden, including his deep affection for his friend. Imagining that Watson is present, Holmes addresses this failing and touches on aspects of past cases and the various characters he encountered during his investigations, including ‘ The Woman' Irene Adler and of course Professor Moriarty .

Holmes delves deeper into the darker aspects of his own history, revealing at last a shocking secret. Realising now how lonely and isolated he is without his old comrade, adrift in a new modern and war-ravaged age, he comes to wonder whether, like Watson, he too has come to the end of his time…

And it's out now. Best of all their web site shows they've got another story out this month and one more out early in the New Year. Kinda makes you wonder what they could do with the Saint...

Robert S. Baker (1916 - 2009)

A tribute by Ian Dickerson

My friend Bob was one of the kindest men I have ever had the privilege of knowing and working with. I little realized when Bob and I first met back in 1961 how our lives were destined to become a long and happy association. That of course was when I arrived back in England to shoot what I then thought would be just twenty six episodes of the Saint. It became over a hundred episodes, in the course of which Bob and I became partners in the production company which went on to produce The Persuaders and also a feature film for UA, Crossplot. In those ten years or so our families became very close, Bob was Godfather to my daughter Deborah. Together with his wife, Alma we holidayed together, in Spain, France and Italy. Bob was an exceedingly handsome man, always immaculate and most polite. On holiday together in Majorca, a guest at the same hotel, who had only seen Bob on the beach in bathing shorts, asked me one morning before Bob and Alma had joined us on the beach, where my ‘dapper ‘ friend was. That was Bob in or out of a suit, always dapper. I shall miss my dapper friend and business partner tremendously. I am sure that he is now reunited with his beloved wife, Alma, who died many years ago from cancer, the same dreaded disease that has finally taken Bob.

 His daughters, Marilyn, Geraldine and their children have my deepest condolences.

– Sir Roger Moore

Strange the friendships you strike up.

I had the privilege of knowing Robert S Baker for almost 20 years. Roughly half my life, less than a quarter of his. His friends called him Bob but there was no way I could do that. Not a chance that a teenager who grew up watching TV and films produced by Robert S. Baker could ever call him Bob. Nope, to me he was always Mr Baker.

A mutual friend passed on his phone number and I was quickly invited to the offices of his production company, Tribune Productions, at Elstree Studios. There he generously answered my questions and kindly put up with the inquiries of a naïve teenager.

In the following weeks he was kind enough to keep in correspondence and even open his address book to me, helping me get in touch with many of the crew who worked on The Saint and Return of the Saint. And when he invited me to help him move out of his office at Elstree Studios I was as close to heaven as a teenage TV geek can be.

Robert Sidney Baker was born in 1916. He went into the film industry almost straight from school, finding work as an assistant director in 1937, but the outbreak of World War II put paid to his immediate plans to conquer the film industry. He served as a combat cameraman in the Army Film and Photographic Unit where he found himself working alongside Monty Berman, filming the landings at Sicily and eventually moving on to Belgium and Germany. The two men hit it off and decided that once the War was over they'd go into partnership making films.

They called their company Tempean Films, and in 1948 made their first film together. A Date With a Dream starring Terry Thomas (“I think we paid Terry Thomas £50” said Bob Baker), Jeannie Carson and in a small role (as a shadow boxer) a then little-known comic called Norman Wisdom. The company was initially financed by “friends and relatives” but the distribution company Eros Films was so impressed with their work that they offered to finance future productions.

Throughout the 1950s they made over 30 ‘B' movies usually photographed by Monty Berman and often directed by Robert S. Baker. They hit on the idea of ‘stunt casting'—using faded Hollywood stars to appeal to English audiences and the market for B movies in America. “The films were good value,” said Berman. “We used to shoot in natural locations. The fact was that with our budget we couldn't afford to build the sets that the films required. This has now become the norm but we made a hell of a lot of films on location back then.”

But by the early 1960s it became clear that television was killing the market for B movies so Baker and Berman turned their thoughts to what they could do for television. One day film director John Paddy Carstairs dropped by their offices. As Mr Baker later told me,

“I had read the Saint stories as a kid and always admired them. I thought that they were a wonderful subject for television. I happened to mention that we were looking to do a television series and The Saint would be great. He said 'It's funny you should say that I had lunch with Leslie Charteris yesterday—he's over here now.' "

Carstairs arranged a lunch at which the two producers could meet Charteris. Baker and Berman came away happy, “how I managed it I don't know because Leslie was rather a mercurial figure. I persuaded him to give me a three month option, free of charge, on the Saint”

This wasn't Baker and Berman's first attempt at something Saintly. The producers' 1953 movie The Steel Key was originally intended as a Saint adventure but when the initial financing fell through, it got hastily rewritten. In the film, directed by Robert S. Baker and written by Baker & Berman stalwart John Gilling, Terence Morgan plays an attractive rogue dedicated to bringing real criminals to justice, regardless of what the police might think.

He took their pitch to put the Saint on TV to Associated Rediffusion, the London weekday franchise holder for the ITV television network. A-R's Managing Director, Brian Tesler, balked at the proposed budget of £15 000 per episode.

Shortly after, he was at a charity event, “I found myself at a table with Lew Grade [the boss of ATV]. I went over to see him and said “Lew I've got the rights to The Saint. How about a television series based on the Saint? He said “The Saint is a great idea. I've always read the books as a kid. I'd love to do it, come and see me Monday morning”

So at 7am the following Monday Robert S. Baker was in Lew Grade's office. Grade quickly saw the potential and told him to do a deal with Leslie Charteris. The next day, Baker was on a plane to Florida:

“I was in Florida motoring up the coast road towards the junction with Lantana where I was met by Leslie. He sat in his car waiting and he was not in the best of moods despite the rapidly approaching festive season; I was disturbing his creative output and he had a deadline to meet. Furthermore, he'd had many approaches for the TV rights to the Saint in the past, the last only a short time before, which like the others, fell flat on its face. So here I was another producer on a wing and a prayer hoping to fly off with a deal.

He led me to a hotel in Palm Beach where he had made a reservation for me and set up a meeting for the next day. That day stretched into a week until Leslie got what he wanted. I phoned Lord Grade head of the ATV television network. He gave it his blessing, so at long last - much to Leslie's surprise - the Saint was launched on television. I arrived home just in time for Christmas.”

The show was launched in 1962 and went on to be a worldwide hit running for 7 years and selling to over 70 countries around the world and helping ATV win a Queen's Award for Export in 1967.

“Robert Baker and Roger Moore gave me my big break. I first met Robert when I was performing stunts on his television series The Saint. Very soon after this I became a second unit director, thanks to Brian Clemens and The Avengers. Some weeks later I went to Robert Baker and asked him for the chance to direct The Saint. He said he would have to talk to Roger, as it was his name up there on the screen. Well, what can I tell you. Roger said yes, backed by Robert's recommendation and I got to direct my first show”

- Raymond Austin, stunt arranger, director

When the show had finished he went on to produce The Persuaders! with Roger Moore and Tony Curtis before deciding, in the mid-1970s, that the time was right for the return of the Saint. The idea was kick started by seeing classic drama Upstairs, Downstairs , where Ian Ogilvy had a role. Shortly afterwards he took him to lunch and explained his thoughts. When he asked if the actor would be interested he was met with a resounding “Sure!”

“Bob was the kind of producer that actors dream about. Charming and friendly, he was supportive when you needed help, and discreet when you didn't.  He trusted you to do what he was paying you to do and rarely interfered. Once he asked me to be "Not too, English , Ian." - which I didn't understand, until I did a bad imitation of Cary Grant. "That's it!" he cried, and then left me alone. He cast me as Simon Templar without demanding that I audition for the role, an action which endeared him to me for life. A kind and lovely man, whom I shall miss.”

– Ian Ogilvy, actor and writer

With Lew Grade's backing the show went into production and like its predecessor was sold around the world but a potential second season didn't come to fruition, usurped by Lew Grade's ambitions to conquer the film industry.

“I am not the only young, (as I was then) man that wanted so much to enter and learn the industry and got help from Robert.  Thanks to him and his understanding I got an even bigger break years later.  Robert contracted me to direct the two hour pilot of “The Return Of The Saint,” staring Ian Ogilvy.  This done I had another commitment to direct more episodes of the show.  At the same time I was offered a very lucrative contract in America, to direct TV shows over there.

 After a restless night, I went to Robert and told him what had been offered me.  He smiled and told me go do it.  He said chances like that don't come along very often.  I said what about our contract?  He said don't worry about that, take the offer.  Within a week I was shooting in Hollywood.  That is the sort of man Robert S. Baker was, a gentleman, and always a man of his word, to many a man and woman in life. .He was an asset and inspiration to the entertainment industry, and all of us in it.”

– Raymond Austin, director and stunt arranger

He went into semi-retirement, but couldn't resist taking a pet project from his old friend, the late actor Ivor Dean, and turning it into the mini-series Return to Treasure Island . And with continued interest in the adventures of the Saint throughout the 80s and 90s, Robert S.Baker was the man producers needed to speak to. Indeed he was key in bringing together Geoffrey Moore and William J. MacDonald and helping them secure the rights so that they could make their forthcoming pilot.

Developing a story then a script with a writer was the aspect of the business that Bob most enjoyed. He told me so more than once. He was absolutely brilliant at it. With The Saint, in its various incarnations, he was well-nigh infallible. He knew the character inside out, knew what situations would work and what wouldn't and was absolutely masterly in devising sub-plots, surprises, twists and turns. I guess our most fruitful collaboration was RETURN TO TREASURE ISLAND, a show that's enjoying a whole new life on DVD. I certainly regard it as one of my best efforts and I don't think I ever enjoyed anything as much in my professional life as working day after day at Elstree with Bob. HTV and Disney had virtually no notes! Bob had already winkled out the flaws. He was a great man and one can only reach for the usual cliché – in this case absolutely true: we will not see his like again.

As we Anglicans say: Rest eternal grant unto him O lord: And let light perpetual shine upon him.

I have no doubt that it will.

-John Goldsmith, screenwriter

I kept in touch with him over the years. After the death of the Saint's creator Leslie Charteris we discussed and planned, at considerable length, the story for a new Saint novel that would follow Leslie's wishes and tell of how the Saint would meet his son. Those conversations are engraved on my brain, for I learnt so much about story-telling just by listening to him.

And a few years after that, and after Paramount Studios had nearly killed the Saint, he was kind enough to come and help me out making some documentaries about the first two Saint TV series to be included in DVD box sets as extras.

“Robert has been a mentor to many a young film maker, actor and technician through the years.  He was one of the most genuinely helpful producers in the industry. – Raymond Austin, director and stunt arranger

I hadn't seen him for a good few years—phone calls having to do instead of face to face chats—but he hadn't changed. He still looked a good 20 or 30 years younger than he actually was. And his memory was something else. I treasure the memory of him sitting alongside Ian Ogilvy in a recording studio discussing the details of a show they made 30 years ago as if it were yesterday.

We kept in touch. And I kept sending him copies of my work on the Saint's TV career and Leslie Charteris' life. And he was nothing but encouraging and helpful. And boy did I love our conversations about the current state of the TV industry (he deplored it, in case you were wondering).

No one has a bad word to say about Mr Baker. He was a kind, generous and intelligent man, a true gentleman the like of whom British TV is now sadly lacking.

A while back I nominated Mr Baker for an award, a CBE, MBE or whatever—simply something to recognise his services to film and television, or more to the point, British film and television. The letters of support the nomination process requires were easy to get—people were only too pleased to help. But sadly cancer works quicker than the machinations of government and it's not to be.

With his passing it is truly the end of an era and we shall not see his like again, and for that British film and TV will be so much the poorer.

Thanks Bob, for everything.

30th September 2009: Robert S. Baker (1916-2009)
Sadly we have to confirm that Robert S. Baker--Bob to his friends--passed away in the early hours of the morning. He was, of course, producer of The Saint, Return of the Saint and exec producer on the later versions. With his partner Monty Berman he also made a substantial number of films before meeting Mr Templar.

A full obit will appear here in due course.

7th September 2009: The return of The Saint
The UK's Broadcast magazine is reporting that "A Canadian production company is remaking iconic ITV thriller The Saint but has yet to approach UK broadcasters about the project. Vancouver-based indie Brightlight Pictures has confirmed it is scheduled to film a pilot episode of the series later this autumn, and Welsh actor Dougray Scott is lined up to play Simon Templar. "

Shame they couldn't do their research and realise that Mr Scott is actually Scottish.

Anyway, they go on to report that " Sony Pictures Television has secured distribution rights to the pilot and any forthcoming series outside of the US and Canada, and is understood to be planning to take the format to Mip next year to pitch it to UK broadcasters. An American broadcaster is yet to be formally attached to the project, but is expected to be revealed soon."

7th September 2009: The Tainted Archive
The rather splendid Tainted Archive blog will be going Saint mad this weekend. Amongst other things will be an overview of all the movies, TV and radio shows, a review of a recent recreation of one of the old radio shows, an interview with one of the writers of a Saint comic strip as well as an interview with some bloke called Ian Dickerson.

But before you click on that link be warned. The blog is rather dangerous, it can make time disappear. Five minutes reading it can quickly turn into an hour because there's so much good stuff on it.

3rd August 2009: The Saint - Il Ladro Gentiluomo
This is a lovely book. One of those books that you just like to hold in your hand and flick through, never mind that being barely mono-lingual we can't understand a word of it. It's a collection of The Saint newspaper comic strips that debuted in the New York Herald Tribune in 1954/55 along with a handful of articles on the Saint and the people behind the strip. In Italian.

It's published by ANAFI - Associazione Nazionale Amici del Fumetto e Dell'Illustrazione--a collection of Italian comic fans. They have a number of copies left over so if anyone's interested--price, including postage and packing, would probably be around £25--please e-mail The Saint Club.

20th July 2009: A Saintly Director
The Internet Movie Databasecorrectly lists Tj Scott as the director of the forthcoming pilot film for The Saint. We hope to be able to confirm more details soon.

20th July 2009: The Saint and the AACA
The Antique Automobile Club of America is an international organization with members in all 50 states and in more than 50 countries of the world. The aim of the AACA is the perpetuation of the pioneer days of automobiling by furthering the interest in and preserving of antique automobiles, and the promotion of sportsmanship and of good fellowship among all AACA members.

As mentioned below, one of the original Volvo P1800's from the Roger Moore series of The Saint is currently on display in their museum and to help promote this the car's owner, Bill Krzastek, has written an article for their magazine.

As you can see they asked if they could use the Saint logo and The Estate of Leslie Charteris were only too happy to say yes...

13th July 2009 The Sainted Friends of Old-Time Radio
This years sees the 34th gathering of the Friends of Old-Time Radio Convention to be held October 22nd to 25th in Newark, New Jersey, USA. It does pretty much what it says on the tin insomuch as it's a gathering of fans and folks interested in (mainly American) old time radio. They also manage to persuade a remarkable number of actors and actresses to attend, many of whom worked in the radio golden age of the 1940s, and then stage a number of recreations of classic, and maybe even not-so-classic, radio shows.

This year one of the recreations is "The Adventures of the Saint" and pciking up the halo, subject to work commitments, will be the original and the best Arthur Dent, Simon Jones.

For those who can't attend we're told a DVD recording will be made available around November or December this year. More details on that as and when we get them.

29th June 2009: The Saintly Mr Baker
Before he ever met the Saint producer Robert S. Baker (and his partner Monty Berman) had a busy career making 'B' movies such as The Hellfire Club. Now VCI Entertainment in the US have released a couple of their early films on DVD. Blackout, directed by Robert S. Baker, can be found on British Cinema Crime & Noir and The Siege of Sidney Street can be found on the British Cinema Classic 'B' Film Collection volume 1. Both DVD sets are all region but are in NTSC. All these films have been digitally restored and look absolutely splendid; this is exactly how these films should be presented, in a wonderful collection that you can watch for hours...

22nd May 2009: The Hindenburg
As you may know Leslie Charteris was on the maiden crossing of the Hindenburg and Dan Grossman celebrates the maiden flight on his splendid web site. He's also gone on to create The Pauline Charteris Cocktail which is making us thirsty just reading about it...

7th April 2009: A Saintly Tattoo
Whilst browsing the internet researching something that had nothing whatsoever to do with Mr Templar we cam across this which we thought was kind of funky. And then after a bit of research we discovered that the tattoos were done to commemorate this chap, which seems like a lovely idea.

You can read more about Jimmy Zerda here.

7th April 2009: Who likes The Saint...?
Favorable reviews for the Editions Montparnasse release of the RKO films can be found around the web. 20minutes.fr seem to like them, as do dvdfr.com.