Prisoner dead at 80

[punkdrew]

Patrick McGoohan, best known for his amazing TV series The Prisoner, died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 80.

Originally McGoohan was known for a series called Secret Agent, in which he played John Drake, a British agent who, like 007, put his life on the line for his country. And like Mr Bond, he was quite attractive to the ladies. However, McGoohan grew bored of the role--which originated as a BBC series called Danger Man in 1961--and, in 1967, he approached the fledgling ITC network with a completely new idea:

Imagine waking up in a strange place. You have no memory of being taken there. Your last coherent memories are of resigning from your job as secret agent, driving home, and packing for a trip. You look out your nearest window. This clearly isn't the place you intended to go on your trip. Suddenly, a phone ringing shatters your thoughts. Out of reflex, you go over and pick it up, holding the receiver to your ear. An unfamiliar voice says, "Good morning Number 6. Hope you slept well. Please come by later for tea--Number 2's residence. Be seeing you." A click, and the line is dead.

This is the beginning of The Prisoner, a 17 episode series in which McGoohan, as Number 6, continually tries to escape from the Village, the place where he was taken after being drugged and kidnapped. Each escape attempt is foiled, either by Number 2 or his associates. And every week, a different Number 2--sometimes a man, sometimes a woman. The final two episodes involve Number 6's final attempt to escape and have created much debate: Was he ever actually a prisoner? Did he actually escape or is he still a prisoner? Who is Number 1? Was the Prisoner Number 1 all along? The show offers no answer, and challenges you to find your own. In 1968, that was a lot to ask of TV audiences. And yet the show's reputation has endured, to the point where AMC will be broadcasting its own remake of the show later this year. (One wonders if McGoohan, having gotten wind of this project, decided to check out before it aired.  You don't remake the Mona Lisa, or Beethoven's Ninth.)

Although McGoohan went on to do much other work--including his pivotal role as King Edward Longshanks in BRAVEHEART--he will always be remembered for his role as Number 6 and his defiant shout, "I AM NOT A NUMBER--I AM A FREE MAN!!!"

[odeon]

 

[P7PSP]

I barely remember the Prisoner, but as Longshanks McGoohan was great. RIP Longshanks.

[Parts]

  we used to get it on PBS just before Dr Who came on

[punkdrew]

It was BRILLIANT. Every time I see it, I think new thoughts. Patrick McGoohan was BRAVE!

[punkdrew]

This is an obit/essay I wrote and posted on the Internets:

THE PRISONER…HAS…ESCAPED
Patrick McGoohan (1928-2009)

   Patrick McGoohan taught me how to think. He taught me how to question. He taught me there are no easy answers. He taught me that defiance married to intelligence, while it might not always win out, was far, far better than conformity married to ignorance. And the most amazing thing is that he did it through a TV show.

   When The Prisoner debuted on American television in 1968, as a summer replacement for The Jackie Gleason Show, I can only imagine the stunned reactions of viewers, especially when confronted with the two-part series finale, which offered no pat answers and no wrap-ups of any loose threads. It was a Chinese puzzle-box, complete with pop culture images and Beatles music, whose depths--soaked in allegory and metaphor--could never be fully plumbed.

   One of my earliest memories is of this show: a vague, shadowy image of the menacing, spherical watchdog of The Village, known as Rover, as it corners and smothers a victim. I remember having nightmares afterwards and, many years later, seeing the show as an adult, having a chill run down my spin every time Rover appeared on screen. It was the embodiment of George Washington’s famous quote about government: “(It) is not reason, it is not eloquence — it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”

   As with my other TV hero, Bugs Bunny, I pepper my thoughts and essays with quotes from this most wonderful and influential show: “I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered!” “My life is my own.” And, of course, the most famous one from the show’s opening credits: “I AM NOT A NUMBER! I AM A FREE MAN!”

   As far back as the 1960’s, McGoohan saw how multi-dimensional man was becoming, in Herbert Marcuse’s apt title, one-dimensional man. A point on a graph. A datum on a spreadsheet. A face in the crowd. No more important or meaningful than a grain of sand, and perhaps less. In creating The Prisoner, McGoohan, to quote a famous World War II general, said “Nuts!” to that.  God love him for it. And yes, God love Sir Lew Grade for putting up the money even though he didn’t understand the show’s premise. Would that more studio heads had such faith in creators.

   So, we say Goodbye to Patrick McGoohan. I personally will raise a glass to him and wish, in the words of the old Irish blessing, that he be in Heaven half-an-hour before the Devil knows he’s dead. God rest ye, sir.

[P7PSP]

Nice requiem punkdrew. I like the reference to Bugs Bunny, he's probably my favorite pop icon ever.

[punkdrew]

Thanks.