Sir Roger Moorepassed away this week at the age of eighty-nine after a short battle with cancer. The actor loomed large in the Spy Vibe world for his leading roles in Ivanhoe (1958-1959), Maverick (1960-1961), The Saint (1962-1969), The Persuaders (1970-1972), and as James Bond from 1973-1985. But as he portrayed our dashing heroes on the screen, perhaps his greatest satisfaction in life was trying to make a difference in the world on behalf of UNICEF. Moore continued to work through the decades, authoring books and making live appearances to talk about his career and chat with his fans. He died surrounded by family, who issued in their statement: "The affection our father felt whenever he walked on to a stage or in front of a camera buoyed him hugely and kept him working into his 90th year, through to his last appearance in November 2016 on stage at London's Royal Festival Hall. The capacity crowd cheered him on and off stage, shaking the very foundations of the building just a short distance away from where he was born."
I first saw Moore as Simon Templar in The Saint, and he made quite an impression on me as a small boy. I'm reminded about something Paul McCartney once said about Elvis Presley: that he admired Elvis as a kid, and how Presley “just looked perfect.” Growing up with The Saint, I looked to Moore with a similar sense of awe. Not only did he fill those stylish suits with an archetypal heroic physique, he had that perfect haircut that swooped back across his head. The things we focus on when we're young. Moore brought a roguish charm to The Saint, raising an eyebrow to the camera and inviting us into that deliciously decadent world of 60s jet setters. The notion of being a "jet setter" didn't seem like merely grist for adventure tales to me as a boy- it seemed like a future career option! I literally saw Moore on the screen and though to myself that looks like a good job! And the world of The Saint was filled with wonderful thriller elements such as sports cars, the gentleman thief/spy convention, gorgeous actresses, and exotic locations. Even seeing his Volvo P-1800 driving through quaint Hertfordshire villages filled me with a sense of romance. The world of Moore’s Templar was, as McCartney put it, “just perfect." I really looked up to him. Little did I know that I would grow up and eventually spend summers touring around Saint-related filming locations with friends and fellow fans in Britain.
Like many Spy Vibers, my first big-screen experience with Bond was a Roger Moore film. Though the clothes and cars seemed slightly less cool to my 1960s Spy-Vibe tastes, I remember being completely swept up by his performance. His stories were lighter, even humorous, but one always got the sense he was inviting the viewer to be a part of the fun, to enjoy the adventure, and importantly to a youngster, to trust that he would bring us home safely after the ride. Many of the tributes and obituaries that have come in this week have mentioned how Roger Moore was, by nature, self-deprecating, warm, and fun loving. No matter the roles he played (with the exception of his wonderfully sinister work in The Man Who Haunted Himself), Moore's natural charm and good nature always shined through. Screenwriters typically use five keys to evoke empathy when developing characters, and part of Moore's success as a Bond or Templar might also be attributed to his embodiment of all five traits: likability, power, sympathy, jeopardy, and humor. He had it all in spades.
In an era of cynicism and harder-edged entertainment, Moore's 007 has often held a unique spot in the hearts of Bond fans. Despite periods when I thought I needed 007 to be edgy and serious, I ultimately discovered that his era was usually more fun for me as a viewer. After meeting Richard Kiel (Jaws) about ten years ago, I re-watched my first big-screen Bond movies, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker as a double feature. This was right around the time of Quantum of Solace (Daniel Craig). Seeing Moore and Kiel once again brought me back to those early days in the theater as a boy, and I found myself once again cheering for the heroic, witty, and roguish Roger Moore. In fact, I return to his 007 films the most often because they are so fun and because he brings out the romantic kid in me. Moore once said, "Sean played Bond as a killer. I played him as a lover." Even as a fan of OHMSS, Connery, Dalton, and Skyfall, Moore will always be... "my Bond." Rest in peace, Roger Moore (1927-2017).
New release: The original black and white seasons of The Saint starring Roger Moore (Seasons 1 & 2) were released in a 10-disc box set this week by Shout Factory in the States. From the press release: "All 39 heavenly episodes from Season 1 & 2 of THE SAINT:Modern-day Robin Hood. Wealthy man of mystery. Debonair rogue. Call Simon Templar what you will, but never cross THE SAINT. A timeless figure of adventure since his creation by Leslie Charteris in 1928, The Saint has thrilled adventure aficionados with his exploits in a variety of media, including novels, movies, and radio: but nowhere was the dashing Mr. Templar more indelibly realized than in his 1960s television series, starring the perfectly cast Roger Moore in the title role. Seasons One and Two of The Saint set the stage for what would become a six season run on television, and paved the way for the dashing Roger Moore to take on the role of an even more famous man of action later in his career. With guest starring appearances by such notables as Oliver Reed (Tommy, Gladiator), Academy Award-winning actress Julie Christie (Darling, Doctor Zhivago) and a pair of beauties from the spy classic Goldfinger (Honor Blackman and Shirley Eaton), The Saint is a wild and witty adventure that is every bit as fun and exciting today as it was when it first aired." Bonus Features include: Audio Commentary On "The Talented Husband" And "The Saint Plays With Fire" By Roger Moore, Robert S. Baker (Executive Producer), and Johnny Goodman (Associate Producer); Audio Commentary On "Luella" By Roy Ward Backer (Director) and Sue Lloyd (Guest Star). 39 episodes. Black and White. US fans will be excited to see the series again for a reasonable price, especially if you've balked at the high cost of A&E's out-of-print editions. Spy Vibers can pick up the set for under $40. More info at the distributor's website here. Shout Factory also released a Complete Series box set last May. Enjoy! Also, don't miss out on Spy Vibe's contest to win a SIGNED copy of the new book, The Man With the Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming's James Bond Letters,by Fergus Fleming. Two days left to enter! Details below.
Contest: Two days left to enter! Win a signed copy of The Man With the Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming's James Bond Letters! One of the highlights of the summer was spending time with writer Fergus Fleming (Ian Fleming's nephew) and hearing about his upcoming anthology of his uncle's James Bond-related letters. The Man With the Golden Typewriter will contain numerous unpublished letters by Ian Fleming, which have been sourced from the Fleming Archive, the Cape Archive and private collections from around the world. I've been waiting eagerly for his book for many years and am so excited to see Fergus completing the task and keeping the project within the family. Bloomsbury has just released the book and I have three signed copies to give away to readers! That's right, you can win a copy of The Man With the Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming's James Bond Letters signed by Fergus Fleming. Directions: All you have to do is email me at spyvibe[at]gmail.com with 1) "Letters" in the subject heading, 2) your mailing address, and 3) your favorite Ian Fleming quote. Winners will be chosen at random on October 18th. E-mails and addresses will not be kept on file. Good luck Spy Vibers! More details on our CONTEST POST here.
If your vibe is die-cast replicas of famous cars from cult spy TV programs, you'll want to take a look at some amazing little toys showing up on eBay these days. Someone has produced great versions of The Saint Volvo P1800, The Prisoner Lotus 7, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Oldsmobile, Danger Man Mini and many others. One of the fun aspects of the line is that they have released interesting vehicles from specific episodes and films, rather than just focusing on the top few cars we've seen produced over and over. For example, I've seen quite a few Emma Peel-related cars from different episodes, like "Dead Man's Treasure", "The Hidden Tiger", "From Venus With Love", "The See Through Man", and more. The Danger Man site mentioned many models last year as limited-edition creations by Jim Wilson (there may by others who create such editions). According to auction photos, each car comes with a very well-designed display box with cool art and facsimile signatures. They are marked as "Code 3" creations, which specifies the toys as refinished and altered models, basically customized to match designs based on classic programs. Thank you to Agent Jones of The Prisoner group for his intel about Code 3 models. Prices tend be quite high (over $100), as each car may be limited to about 5 pieces in the run. Search for eBay seller "sticklogo" for current listings and happy collecting. Click for larger view. Enjoy!
Take a Sunday drive with Spy Vibe and THE SAINT! Roger Moore as Simon Templar put his Volvo P1800 through the paces in a high-speed chase through 1963 London- not only a thrill of editing, but a wonderful time-capsule of the cars, fashion, and architecture of the time. The scene is from "The Rough Diamonds" (season 2, episode 10), which co-starred Douglas Wilmer (The Avengers, Sherlock Holmes, HG Welles' Invisible Man, A Shot in the Dark, The Baron, Hammerhead, UFO, The Protectors). Moore and Wilmer were reunited in Octopussy in 1983. Next up, Jay Leno's Garage takes us on a tour of the famous Volvo P1800 from The Saint. Wrap up your morning of motoring with XCar and their documentary about The Saint. Enjoy!
Take a trip back in time with Roger Moore in his Volvo P1800 and hear about his career and experiences making The Saint. It's a wonderful 13-minute 1960s interview from the French TV archives (in English), where they even ask Moore to sing and to draw a caricature.Link here. Thanks to agent Thierry for putting this on our radar! Images below: publicity photo with Roger Moore, vintage P1800 from the Volvo Museum.
Take a drive in a vintage Volvo P1800! Hop in as XCAR takes viewers daytripping down the motorway to explore the history and handling of this classic auto, made famous by Roger Moore in The Saint (1962-1969). Edited in lovely black and white, 8 minutes. Enjoy!
Still need to enter Spy Vibe's summer contest to win vintage prizes? The deadline has been extended to August 16th. Details here. Get ready to meet MIKI ZERO, a Japanese fashion model and spy from 1965! I've written a novel inspired by Spy Vibe. More info at my website here.
