Simon Templar
From Free net encyclopedia
Simon Templar is a fictional character in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris entitled The Saint published between 1928 and 1963, after which other authors continued writing new books featuring the character into the 1990s.
Contents |
Overview
Templar is known as The Saint because of his initials (ST), and also because of his heroic exploits, despite his nefarious reputation. He sometimes uses the nom de guerre Sebastian Tombs and also calls himself by sundry other names, all with the initials S.T., such as Sullivan Titwillow and Sugarman Treacle - the Saint has a boyish sense of humour. He frequently leaves a "calling card" at the scenes of his "crimes," consisting of a stick drawing of a man with a halo, which is the logo of both the book series and the later 1960s TV series. (This image is visible on the book cover reproduced at right.)
The books often allude to the possibility that Templar started his career as a criminal and suggest that he had somewhere developed the skills of a burglar. It is clear from the texts, however, that at the time of the books, all of his income derives from the pockets of the "ungodly" (as he terms those who live by a less moral code than his own.) There are several references to a "ten percent collection fee" as he extracts large sums of money from his victims, the remainder being returned to its owners or given away. These unworthies include corrupt politicians, warmongers, and indeed all the nastier forms of low life. "He claims he's a Robin Hood," bleats one of his victims, "but to me he's just a robbing hood."
Although the Saint functions as an ordinary detective in some stories (figuring out puzzle-mysteries), the best of the stories depict ingenious plots to get even with vanity publishers and other consumer ripoff artists, greedy bosses who exploit their workers to an extreme degree, con men, etc. These stories are not just a replay of the celebrated Raffles stories by E.W. Hornung. They are strikingly original and continue today to be as fresh and witty as when they were written in the 1930s (see for instance "The Mug's Game" and "The Uncritical Publisher.")
Although Charteris' novels had more conventional thriller plots than his confidence game short stories, both the novels and the stories are still admired by a significant fan community. As in the past, the central appeal lies in the vitality of the Templar character, a hero who can go into a brawl and come out of it with his hair still freshly combed, and who, when faced with imminent death, cooly lights a cigarette and taunts his enemy with the signature phrase, "As the actress said to the bishop..."
The Saint had many partners in his escapades, though none that lasted throughout the series. In the early books the most recurrent was Patricia Holm, his often-needing-rescue girl friend. Inspector Claude Eustace Teal could frequently be found attempting to put the Saint behind bars, although in the later books they can be found working in partnership. (Teal can be said to play a role comparable to Sherlock Holmes' Inspector Lestrade.) In the very earliest stories the Saint had a veritable band of compatriots, including Patricia Holm, Norman Kent, Archie Sheridan, Dicky Tremain (a character name that later appeared in the 1990s TV series, Twin Peaks), and Roger Conway. When most of these dropped out of the stories, the dimwitted but reliable thug Hoppy Uniatz (who drank Vat 69 like it was lemonade) was frequently found at Templar's side.
The time period of the books begins in the 1920s and moves through the 1930s and 1940s quite recognisably as the series of about 45 books progresses. In the early books most of the Saint's activities are clearly illegal, although directed at villainous characters. In later books, this becomes less so. In the books written during the period of World War II, The Saint (in common with many fictional maverick heroes) was recruited by the government to help with the war effort by tracking down spies and similar undercover work. Later he became a cold warrior fighting against Communism. The quality of writing also changes; early books have a freshness of spirit which becomes replaced to an extent by an air of cynicism in the later works. A few Saint stories crossed into the realms of science fiction and fantasy, with "The Man Who Liked Ants" being a successful example. Charteris started to step back from writing the books in the early 1960s. The last few titles released carried his name but were written by others; the last Saint novel to carry his name was published in 1973 but a number of additional books have appeared since then. Charteris died in 1993. A few additional Saint novels appeared around the time of the 1997 film starring Val Kilmer.
The character appeared in a string of movies in the 1930s and '40s, frequently portrayed by George Sanders. (He later appeared as a very similar character called The Falcon in a string of Falcon movies.) Vincent Price played the Saint in a radio series made around the same time. Many years later, Roger Moore revived the role in a long-running television show The Saint (1962 - driving a Volvo P1800 with licence plates ST1). Since then there have been several other actors who played him in less successful TV series, most notably Return of the Saint (1978) starring Ian Ogilvy. In the mid-1980s, the National Enquirer and other newspapers reported that Moore was planning to produce a movie based upon The Saint with Pierce Brosnan as Templar, but it was never made. A pilot for a The Saint in Manhattan series starring Australian actor Andrew Clarke (who with his moustache bore a passing similarity to Tom Selleck) was shown in 1987, produced by Don Taffner, but it never progressed beyond the single pilot episode. That production featured another character from the Charteris book The Saint in New York, Inspector John Fernack of the NYPD, while Templar got about in a black Lamborghini, also bearing the ST1 licence plate. In 1989, a series of six movies was made for Britain's ITV by Taffner, starring Simon Dutton.
A film with Val Kilmer in the title role was finally made in 1997, but diverged far from the Charteris books, although it did revive Templar's use of aliases. Among other things, Kilmer's Saint is unable to defeat a Russian gangster in hand to hand combat and is forced to flee; this would have been unthinkable in a Charteris tale. Whereas the original Saint resorted to aliases which all had the initials S.T., Kilmer's character used names of Christian saints, regardless of whether they shared the initials. The film mirrored some aspects of Charteris's own life, notably his origins in the Far East, though not in an orphanage as the film portrayed.
The Saint book series
Most Saint books were collections of novellas or short stories, some of which were published separately. Many of the books have also been published under different titles over the years; the titles used here are the more common ones for each book. All non-Charteris Saint books were nonetheless credited "Leslie Charteris" with the exception of 1983's Salvage for the Saint and the two novels by Burl Barer in 1997.
| Year | First publication title (and author if not Charteris) | Stories | Alternate titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Meet the Tiger | novel | The Saint Meets the Tiger Scoundrels Ltd. Crooked Gold The Saint in Danger |
| 1930 | The Last Hero | novel | The Creeping Death Sudden Death The Saint Closes the Case The Saint and the Last Hero |
| 1930 | Enter the Saint | "The Man Who was Clever" "The Policeman with Wings" "The Lawless Lady" | none |
| 1930 | Knight Templar | novel | The Avenging Saint |
| 1931 | Featuring the Saint | "The Logical Adventure" "The Wonderful War" "The Man Who Could Not Die" | none |
| 1931 | Alias the Saint | "Story of a Dead Man" "The Impossible Crime" "The National Debt" | none |
| 1931 | She Was a Lady | novel | The Saint Meets His Match Angels of Doom |
| 1931 | Wanted for Murder | compilation of previously published stories | The Saint Wanted for Murder |
| 1932 | The Holy Terror | "The Inland Revenue" "The Million Pound Day" "Melancholy Journey of Mr. Teal" | The Saint Vs. Scotland Yard |
| 1932 | Getaway | novel | The Saint's Getaway Property of the Deceased Two Men from Munich |
| 1933 | Once More the Saint | "The Gold Standard" "Man from St. Louis" "The Death Penalty" | The Saint and Mr. Teal |
| 1933 | The Brighter Buccaneer | "The Brain Workers" "The Export Trade" "The Tough Egg" "The Bad Baron" "The Brass Buddha" "The Perfect Crime" "The Unpopular Landlord" "The New Swindle" "The Five Thousand Pound Kiss" "The Blind Spot" "The Unusual Ending" "The Unblemished Bootlegger" "The Appalling Politician" "The Owner's Handicap" "The Green Goods Man" | none |
| 1934 | The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal | "The Simon Templar Foundation" "The Higher Finance" "The Art of Alibi" | The Saint in London The Saint in England |
| 1934 | Boodle | "The Ingenious Colonel" "The Unfortunate Financier" "The Newdick Helicopter" "The Prince of Cherkessia" "The Treasure of Turk's Lane" "The Sleepless Knight" "The Uncritical Publisher" "The Noble Sportsman" "The Damsel in Distress" "The Loving Brothers" "The Tall Timber" "The Art Photographer" "The Man Who Liked Toys" "The Mixture as Before" | The Saint Intervenes |
| 1934 | The Saint Goes On | "The High Fence" "The Elusive Ellshaw" "Case of the Frightened Innkeeper" | none |
| 1935 | The Saint in New York | novel | none |
| 1936 | The Pirate Saint | novel | Saint Overboard |
| 1937 | The Ace of Knaves | "The Spanish War" "The Unlicensed Victuallers" "The Beauty Specialist" | The Saint in Action |
| 1937 | Thieves' Picnic | novel | The Saint Bids Diamonds |
| 1938 | Prelude for War | novel | The Saint Plays with Fire The Saint and the Sinners |
| 1939 | Follow the Saint | "The Miracle Tea Party" "The Invisible Millionaire" "The Affair of Hogsbotham" | none |
| 1939 | The First Saint Omnibus | compilation of previously released stories | Arrest the Saint |
| 1939 | The Happy Highwayman | "The Man Who was Lucky" "The Smart Detective" "The Wicked Cousin" "The Well-Meaning Mayor" "The Benevolent Burglary" "The Star Producers" "The Charitable Countess" "The Mug's Game" "The Man Who Liked Ants" | none |
| 1940 | The Saint in Miami | novel | none |
| 1942 | The Saint Goes West | "Arizona" "Palm Springs" "Hollywood" | none |
| 1942 | The Saint Two in One | compilation of previously published stories | none |
| 1943 | The Saint at Large | compilation of previously published stories | none |
| 1944 | The Saint on Guard | "The Black Market" "The Sizzling Saboteur" | none |
| 1945 | Paging the Saint | compilation of previously published stories | none |
| 1946 | The Saint Sees it Through | novel | none |
| 1948 | Call for the Saint | "The King of the Beggars" "The Masked Angel" | none |
| 1948 | Saint Errant | "Judith: The Naughty Niece" "Iris: The Old Routine" "Lida: The Foolish Frail" "Jeannine: The Lovely Sinner" "Lucia: The Homecoming of Amadeo Urselli" "Teresa: The Uncertain Widow" "Luella: The Saint and the Double Badger" "Emily: The Doodlebug" "Dawn: The Darker Drink" | none |
| 1951 | The Second Saint Omnibus | compilation of previously published stories | none |
| 1953 | The Saint in Europe | "Paris: The Covetous Headsman" "Amsterdam: The Angel's Eye" "The Rhine: The Rhine Maiden" "Tirol: The Golden Journey" "Lucerne: The Loaded Tourist" "Jaune-les-Pins: The Spanish Cow" "Rome: The Latin Touch" | none |
| 1955 | The Saint on the Spanish Main | "Bimini: The Effete Angler" "Nassau: The Arrow of God" "Jamaica: The Black Commissar" "Puerto Rico: The Unkind Philanthropist" "Virgin Islands: The Old Treasure Story" "Haiti: The Questing Tycoon" | none |
| 1956 | The Saint Around the World | "Bermuda: The Patient Playboy" "England: The Talented Husband" "France: The Reluctant Nudist" "Middle East: The Lovelorn Sheik" "Malaya: The Pluperfect Lady" "Vancouver: The Sporting Chance" | none |
| 1957 | Thanks to the Saint | "The Bunco Artists" "The Happy Suicide" "The Good Medicine" "The Unescapable Word" "The Perfect Sucker" "The Careful Terrorist" | none |
| 1958 | Señor Saint | "The Pearls of Peace" "The Revolution Market" "The Romantic Matron" "The Golden Frog" | none |
| 1958 | Concerning the Saint | compilation of previously published stories | none |
| 1959 | The Saint to the Rescue | "The Ever-Loving Spouse" "The Fruitful Land" "The Percentage Player" "The Water Merchant" "The Gentle Ladies" "The Element of Doubt" | none |
| 1959 | The Saint Cleans Up | compilation of previously published stories | none |
| 1962 | Trust the Saint | "The Helpful Pirate" "The Bigger Game" "The Cleaner Care" "The Intemperate Reformer" "The Uncured Ham" "The Convenient Monster" | none |
| 1963 | The Saint in the Sun | "Cannes: The Better Mousetrap" "St. Tropez: The Ugly Impresario" "England: The Prodigal Miser" "Nassau: The Fast Women" "Florida: The Jolly Undertaker" "Lucerne: The Russian Prisoner" "Provence: The Hopeless Heiress" | none |
| 1964 | Vendetta for the Saint (Harry Harrison) | novel | none |
| 1968 | The Saint on TV (Fleming Lee, John Kruse) | "The Death Game" "The Power Artist" | none |
| 1968 | The Saint Returns (Fleming Lee, John Kruse, D.R. Motton, Leigh Vance) | "The Dizzy Daughter" "The Gadget Lovers" | none |
| 1968 | The Saint and the Fiction Makers (Fleming Lee, John Kruse) | novel | none |
| 1969 | The Saint Abroad (Fleming Lee, Michael Pertwee) | "The Art Collectors" "The Persistent Patriots" | none |
| 1970 | The Saint in Pursuit (Fleming Lee, Leslie Charteris) | novel | none |
| 1971 | The Saint and the People Importers (Fleming Lee, Leslie Charteris) | novel | none |
| 1974 | Saints Alive | compilation of previously published stories | none |
| 1975 | Catch the Saint (Fleming Lee, Norman Worker) | "The Masterpiece Merchant" "The Adoring Socialite" | none |
| 1976 | The Saint and the Hapsburg Necklace (Christopher Short) | novel | none |
| 1977 | Send for the Saint (Peter Bloxsom, John Kruse, Donald James) | "The Midas Double" "The Pawn Gambit" | none |
| 1978 | The Saint in Trouble (Graham Weaver, John Kruse, Terence Feely) | "The Imprudent Professor" "The Red Sabbath" | none |
| 1979 | The Saint and the Templar Treasure (Graham Weaver, Donne Avenell) | novel | none |
| 1979 | The Saint: Good as Gold | compilation of previously published stories | none |
| 1980 | Count on the Saint (Graham Weaver, Donne Avenell) | "The Pastors' Problem" "The Unsaintly Santa" | none |
| 1982 | The Fantastic Saint | compilation of previously published stories | none |
| 1983 | Salvage for the Saint (Peter Bloxsom, John Kruse) | novel | none |
| 1997 | The Saint (Burl Barer, Jonathan Hensleigh) | film novelization | none |
| 1997 | Capture the Saint (Burl Barer) | novel | none |
In addition to the above, according to www.saint.org and [1], a large number of Saint adventures were published in French over a 30-year period, many of which have yet to be published in English. Most if not all of these stories were ghostwritten by Madeleine Michel-Tyl and credited to Charteris.
Movies (and actors playing The Saint)
Image:Ogilvy.jpg Since 1938, numerous films have been produced in the United States, France and Australia based to varying degrees upon The Saint. The best-known, if not particularly popular, adaptation was a big-budget film released in 1997 starring Val Kilmer in the title role, but The Saint made regular appearances in Hollywood-produced films over a 16-year period during the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s.
This is a list of all the films featuring Simon Templar released to date, and the actors who played The Saint:
- The Saint in New York (1938 - Louis Hayward)
- The Saint Strikes Back (1939 - George Sanders)
- The Saint in London (1939 - Sanders)
- The Saint's Double Trouble (1940 - Sanders)
- The Saint Takes Over (1940 - Sanders)
- The Saint in Palm Springs (1941 - Sanders)
- The Saint Meets the Tiger (1941 - Hugh Sinclair)
- The Saint's Vacation (1941 - Sinclair)
- The Saint's Return (1953 - Hayward)
- The Saint's Girl Friday (1954 - Hayward)
- Le Saint mène la danse (1960 - Félix Marten)
- Le Saint prend l'affut (1966 - Jean Marais)
- The Fiction Makers (1968 - Roger Moore) - edited from episodes of The Saint
- Vendetta for the Saint (1969 - Moore) - edited from episodes of The Saint
- The Saint and the Brave Goose (1979 made for TV - Ian Ogilvy) - edited from episodes of Return of the Saint
- The Saint in Manhattan (1987 made for TV - Andrew Clarke)
- The Saint: Fear in Fun Park (1989 made for TV - Simon Dutton)
- The Saint: The Big Bang (1989 made for TV - Dutton)
- The Saint: The Blue Dulac (1989 made for TV - Dutton)
- The Saint: The Brazilian Connection (1989 made for TV - Dutton)
- The Saint: The Software Murders (1989 made for TV - Dutton)
- The Saint: Wrong Number (1989 made for TV - Dutton)
- The Saint (1997 - Val Kilmer)
Comic strip
The Saint appeared in a long running comic strip series starting as a daily strip 27 September 1948 with a Sunday added on 20 March the following year. The early strips were written by Leslie Charteris, who had previous experience writing comic strips, having replaced Dashiell Hammett as the writer of the Secret Agent X-9 strip. The original artist was Mike Roy. In 1951, John Spranger replaced Roy as the artist. The final two years of the strip were drawn by Doug Wildey. It ended September 16 1961.
Television series
- The Saint (1962-1969 - Roger Moore)
- Return of the Saint (1978-1979 - Ian Ogilvy)
Compare with:
James Bond, The Persuaders!, Matt Helm, The Avengers, To Catch a Thief, Robin Hood
External links
- The Saintly Bible: Large website about Leslie Charteris' creation
- Official Website for Leslie Charteris
- The Saint Novels in French
- Radio Lovers.com collection of public domain recordings of Saint radio episodes in MP3 format, starring Vincent Price.de:Simon Templar