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By
WADE GOSSETT
No, anxious reader, "The
Persuaders!" is not classic TV at its best,
British or American. Furthermore "The Persuaders!"
was never a hit, lasting for only two seasons, and
never acquired cult status. It was simply just
another early '70s TV series that came and went
and if it weren't for DVD it would have stayed an
obscure footnote.
But, boy is it fun! Campy, guilty fun.
Its genesis is simple and obvious from its badly
conceived pilot, the first episode in this
four-disc, 13-episode presentation: Bring together
a British aristocrat (played by Roger Moore after
"The Saint" and before assuming the James Bond
role) and an American self-made, streetwise
millionaire (Tony Curtis, on a long decline after
the bygone glory of "Some Like It Hot"), give them
improbable, cartoonish names like Lord Brett
Sinclair and Danny Wilde, and see the cultural
sparks fly.
Yes, the premise is as flimsy as the rationale:
These two playboys have lived a life of luxury and
sloth, and a retired judge upset about all the bad
guys he didn't put away essentially blackmails our
heroes into solving cases for him. Without ever
actually reflecting on their misspent lives, our
heroes continue to lead pampered playboy lives,
gallivanting in European locations, romancing
beauties, driving expensive cars (a red Ferrari
Dino 246GT for Curtis and a butterscotch Aston
Martin for Moore) and wearing some of the most
god-awful clothes I've ever seen (Moore actually
designed and signed some of his wardrobe):- Curtis
is perpetually in brownish leather and gloves, and
Moore in ascots and other pseudo-aristocratic
accoutrements. The colors are kitsch 1971 at their
brightest and most primary.
But did I say "The Persuaders!" are a lot of fun?
The joy is not in the dismissible plots but in
some genuine chemistry between the two leads and
some pretty clever banter -- which has a certain
unmistakable adlib quality. Suspense is minimal,
but the whole thing is tongue-in cheek and quite
fetching to look at -- apart from the, um,
interesting clothes and cars there are the
European locations, especially southern France.
It's obvious that a lot of the action took place
on studio sets and driving around was mostly done
with process shots, but we still get enough
natural exteriors to lend the series a
cosmopolitan aura.
The John Barry Lalo Schifrin-like score perfectly
underscores each 52-minute episode. The image is
full-frame, very clear and the colors are vivid.
The principal extra is an audio commentary track
by Moore, producer Robert S. Baker and
executive-in-charge of production Johnny Goodman
on the episodes "Overture" and "The Time and the
Place" (which Moore directed). It's touching to
realize how fondly Moore remembers this otherwise
inconsequential TV series. Also included is a
stills gallery -- some are from the series, while
a few are recent ones showing Moore with a
newly-restored butterscotch Aston Martin -- and
filmographies of Moore and Curtis. |
