#producer Robert S. Baker and ITC head honcho Lew Grade seem to have begun planning The Persuaders! almost immediately from this point

[mariocki]

Stuart Damon guest stars as Texan oil baron (and Simon's new bff) Rod Huston in The Saint: The Ex-King of Diamonds (6.17, ITC, 1969); this episode was the direct inspiration for Roger Moore's subsequent series The Persuaders! (ITC, 1971 - 72)

#fave spotting #stuart damon #the champions #craig stirling #the saint #the ex king of diamonds #itc #1969 #the persuaders! #classic tv #something about the formula of stiff upper lipped english gent with new money American wiseguy really appealed to the production team #producer Robert S. Baker and ITC head honcho Lew Grade seem to have begun planning The Persuaders! almost immediately from this point #bringing Moore back (and with a much greater creative control than he'd had even on The Saint); alas not returning was Stuart Damon #i mean i don't think it's any reflection on him or his performance here; they replaced him with goddamn Tony Curtis‚ a bona fide Hollywood #legend. but it is a shame bc Stuart is so so good here; he's absolutely having a ball with it‚ from his thick Texan accent to his over #sized cowboy hat‚ from the little subtle comic business he's doing (he sits at a table for a fancy pants high stakes card game without #waiting for their host and there's a beautiful little moment he does of realising everyone else is standing as the host enters and trying #to get back up again before everyone sits down). it's a beautiful performance‚ genuinely one of the best guest spots‚ i think‚ that the #series ever had in its 100 plus episodes. when this aired The Champions would have been roughly in the middle of its run #given the fairly lengthy production on The Saint‚ it's possible he filmed this before starting work on The Champions; then again‚ he has #top billing and is the main guest‚ which might suggest he was expected to be a familiar tv star by the time this went out #hard to say without a Pixley bible... regardless he seems to have very good chemistry with Moore. but then Curtis appeared to as well and #they apparently did not always particularly get along during filming of The Persuaders so who knows #with just 3 eps left this could quite probably be my final fave spotted in the saint; it's been quite the journey but I'm grateful to the #familiar faces who popped up along the way and made it a little easier whenever it started to feel like a bit of a slog!