How Simon Templar became involved with an odd little Welshman

Hodder's Mulholland Books are in the process of reissuing all of Leslie Charteris's Saint novels in both print and eBook, and together with the forthcoming pilot for a new TV series based on the character it means that 2013 is shaping up to be a most Saintly year.

The Saint or Simon Templar was created way back in the 1920's, and like a select few other fictional characters has achieved true immortality - the character is reinvented for successive generations. I first became aware of the Saint from the reruns of the Roger Moore series in the 70's, and a decade later  I tuned into the Ian Oglivy revamped series. Of course I soon discovered the Saint's rich heritage - the old movies with George Sanders, Louis Hayward or Hugh Sinclair in the title role. It was these movies, far grittier than the TV series that set me off on a quest to read the original books.

The first Saint novel I read was The Saint in New York, and I remember on the first reading (I've read it several times since) being blown away. The fact that the book was so hard-boiled was a revelation  From there on I was hooked, I became a member of the Saint Club and started to pick up every Saint novel I could find. And later still I discovered the old radio series via Old Time Radio Web sites.

I guess you could say I'm something of a fan.

"Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s participation were published in 1997. The character has also been portrayed in motion pictures, radio dramas, comic strips, comic books and three television series"

Last year Hodder's new imprint Mulholland Books started reissuing the entire Saint series of Saint novels in both eBook and Print format. Looked over by Ian Dickerson, president of The Saint Club and close friend of the late Leslie Charteris, the books are handsome editions with all new artwork featuring that oh so familiar stickman.

On June 20th this year The Saint in New York will be reissued with an all new introduction by a certain Gary Dobbs. I am thrilled and incredibly honoured to have been given the job of writing the intro - it makes me a small part of the character's rich heritage. I feel as if I've been bestowed with a sainthood.

Saint Gary Dobbs - ahh well, perhaps not.

So remember - watch out for the sign of The Saint - he will be back!

NEXT

The finale of The Saint Weekend - first ever digital publication of the ultra rare Saint comic strip by Keith Chapman AKA western writer, Chap O'Keefe.

THE SAINT WEEKEND IS GO

I'm not actually here at the moment - I'm currently on set somewhere in darkest South Wales filming a movie called The Royal Wedding. Yep, we're going back to the Eighties for this feature film which will hit screens...well, one day soon.

However with or without me The Saint Weekend blasts off.

There'll be several further posts this evening as The Archive goes Saint crazy.

The line up includes:


The Digital Publication of The Saint Settles a Score by Keith Chapman, a comic strip which has not seen publication in a number of decades. We've dusted it down and hope you enjoy it. This will be posted this Sunday evening. We'll also have a few words from Keith himself.

An interview with Ian Dickerson of The Saint Club - this guy is a massive Saint buff and had the honour of counting Leslie Charteris as a personal friend.

A look at all The Saint big screen movies (well the English language ones, actually.)

A full episode of OLD TIME RADIO SAINT - The Previewed Murder starring Vincent Price

News on that new TV series

A look at an issue of The Saint Magazine from 1967

A comparison of the 1969 and 1979 Saint annuals

A look at the first season of Roger Moore's Saint

Book reviews

An appreciation by John Sinclair

But to kick off proceedings we hand you over to Cullen Gallagher, film critic, for a review of a recent live recreation of one of those old time radio Saints that he attended in a premier New York book store.

So over to you Cullen:

On the first Saturday of every month, New York City’s great mystery bookstore Partners and Crime converts its backroom into an old-fashioned radio studio for W-WOW! Radio Mystery Hour. A long-standing tradition at the bookstore, W-WOW consists of local actors (some of whom even work for the bookstore) who perform vintage radio scripts just as they would have on the air originally, complete with commercials, live music and sound effects. For the start of this season, the group performed two shows, the first of which was an episode from The Saint called “The Alive Dead Husband,” which originally aired January 7, 1951.

This story finds Simon Templar (here played by Greg Oliver Bodine) with an odd case, indeed. At the start, Claire Gordon (played by Rebecca Roe) comes to his office to confess the murder of her husband. Moments after the she leaves, the husband (played by Bob Rutan) shows up demanding to know why his wife was there. Of course he doesn’t believe Templar – until he steps out of the door and is promptly shot dead. But by whom? Templar visits the wife – now a widow – only she doesn’t remember confessing at all, and has an alibi when the murder occurred. A most tricky case. But luckily Templar has his Brooklyn cabbie sidekick Louie (played by Alan Dolderer) to help out and provide comic relief.

As always, W-WOW performed marvelously, transporting its audience back half a century ago, back to when everyone sat around the radio listening anxiously to hear the latest adventure of The Saint. If you happen to be in New York City, definitely drop by Partners and Crime to check out one of W-WOW’s shows, and pick up a couple books while you are waiting. Visit their website at www.crimepays.com for more info.

Saint strikes again

From Leslie Charteris. com -

17th August 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.

Well thank you lesliecharteris.com

THE SAINT WEEKEND LINE UP CONFIRMED

This weekend - well Sat and Sun - is the Saint Weekend on The Archive. The full confirmed features are:

Interview with Ian Dickerson of the Saint Club - Saint buff and close friend of the late Leslie Charteris.

Cullen Gallagher reviews a live Saint drama that he recently saw performed at New York's Partners And Crime Bookshop.

"On the first Saturday of every month, New York City’s great mystery bookstore Partners and Crime converts its backroom into an old-fashioned radio studio for W-WOW! Radio Mystery Hour. A long-standing tradition at the bookstore, W-WOW consists of local actors (some of whom even work for the bookstore) who perform vintage radio scripts just as they would have on the air originally, complete with commercials, live music and sound effects."

Book reviews

A potted history of The Saint on the Radio

We review all of the Saint big screen movies

All the news and rumours on the new TV series.

1969 v 1979 - We compare the Saint annuals 1969 and 1979.

A look at a vintage issue of The Saint Magazine (July 1967) which was edited by Leslie Charteris himself.

Keith Chapman tells us of his own connection with The Saint.

A complete episode of The Saint radio series starring Vincent Price in podcast format.

And the digital publication of the long out of print comic strip, The Saint Settles a Score by Keith Chapman and originally published by Thorpe and Porter.

Now that can't be bad, and all for the credit crunch busting admission price of £00.00. The Tainted Archive helping to kick the recession in the arse.

WATCH OUT FOR THE SIGN OF THE SAINT THIS WEEKEND