The Prisoner Nummer 6
The
sediments at the bottom of television: series and serials, omnipresent
and almost as infinite as the medium itself. Few only were successfull
in touching the underside of our attentiveness.
UNWAHRSCHEINLICHE GESCHICHTEN ("Improbable Stories") was one
that did, the classic TWILIGHT ZONE.
Anything associated with the expression TV-magic
applies to this.
Phantastic
television of the sixties, among other things, is one conjuring formula:
"Be
seeing you!" or
L'année dernière
au Village:
CONTRIBUTING
AUTHORS:
(GERMAN KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED)
| MIT BEITRÄGEN FOLGENDER AUTOREN: |
DAVE BARRIE  |
| FRANK T. BITTERHOF |
| TOBIAS BECKER |
| M. KEITH BOOKER |
| MICHAEL BRÜNE |
| PATRICK DUCHER |
| ROBERT FAIRCLOUGH |
| HOWARD FOY |
| GUILLAUME GRANIER |
| LARRY HALL |
| HARALD KELLER |
| MOOR LARKIN |
| KEVIN P. MAHONEY |
| RICK McGRATH |
| JANA MÜLLER |
| CHRIS RODLEY |
| CHRISTOPH WINDER |
| VALARIE ZIEGLER |
I WILL NOT MAKE ANY DEALS
WITH YOU. I'VE RESIGNED.
Originally
titled 
NUMMER 6 (written with the number "6"
in the German opening scenes and "sechs" in magazines) is the brainchild of its principal actor,
executive producer and part time director: Patrick McGoohan (1928 - 2009).
The
series was produced by Every Man Films, McGoohan's own production company,
and Lew Grade's ITC which, among many others, was also resonsible for
the career boost of Roger Moore with THE SAINT.
McGoohan, born 1928 to Irish parents in New York and raised very strictly to the catholic faith (more...), after moving to Ireland went through several jobs before going to the theater. In 1954 he had his first bit part in front of the camera and was later seen in quite many flicks. Soon he appeared on television, too, which was very young then (more...). By the mid 1950s Orson Welles took him on the stage because of his acting talent to play in "Moby Dick". He also was actor as well as director of a couple of his friend's Peter Falk COLUMBO episodes.
<
Free Sea
In
the credit sequence of his long running show GEHEIMAUFTRAG FÜR JOHN DRAKE
("Secret Assignment for John Drake"/DANGER MAN aka SECRET
AGENT), originally running 30 minutes, viewers learned that this special
agent,
NATO said to be his employer, was called into action when delicate tasks had to be accomplished. By 1967 and after 50 episodes McGoohan's
TV series came was terminated. It had been a big success in Germany,
too, where only the early 30 minute episodes were shown. "Koroshi" und "Shinda Shima", the very
last episodes, were running one hour each, shot in colour and were also re-edited
into a movie.
Smartly he used to serve
Her Majesty always employing his wits rather than his muscles,
always gentleman-like and with the help of sophisticated gadgetry. A consequential
anti-Bond was the character: no guns, no women, no affairs, lasting elements
of THE PRISONER, too. The last spoken line of the 30 minute episodes' credit sequence (more...) was, "My name is Drake - John Drake" which a little later was to become a standard introduction of a different kind. Being one of Britains most popular TV stars McGoohan was in the position
to turn down the offer to play James Bond in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
for moral reasons and thus waving good-bye to a promising Hollywood career.
Enter Sean Connery.
One of the
most frequently asked questions of the time whether Drake was Number Six McGoohan
always denied. There are certain strains and parallels, though, considering
the character; it is known that he had become tired playing the same role
again and again. Also, working on THE PRISONER had begun when DANGER
MAN was still being shown and many collaborators would keep on working
with THE PRISONER. What’s more, even the SECRET AGENT
title song by Johnny Rivers seemed to be telling about future things:
"they've
given you a number, And taken away your name..." This,
in fact, was a coincidence.
In David
Cronenberg's 1981 movie SCANNERS he took on one of those most likely
rare memorable roles as Dr. Ruth, inventor of some telepathy causing drug,
a dubious scientist character but still a goodie. And a fitting role.
As an actor one facial expression made him unmistakeable. Which is, basically, the only one he's got, always
a controlled face. Provided directing him makes good use of this particular
trait: Striding down the long dark corridor to his superior's office he
is shot a couple of times from an obligue overhead p.o.v. From deep inside
his look emerges with the corners of his mouth slightly twisted. He delivers
a kind of certain and knowing (German wordplay: "eine gewisse und
wissende") grim decisiveness. Here it is, the icon: "Number
Six" is Patrick McGoohan. He was in control of the production. It
was his baby. It was the show that all of those who participated went
through physical and psychic torment. He convinced everyone and all. But
at last it was him who became overpowered by the show.
With the series ending McGoohan resigned from England. TV audiences had felt dissatisfied watching the series' unusual coda and literally infringed his privacy. Since then he has been living in California. What a lovely place, just like The Village.
Since decades, whenever possible, he has avoided interviews on his biggest success. And if he does give them his statements still are no less enigmatic than the series itself. The most extensive interview in this respect could be the so called Troyer interview of 1977. Presented here is the (presumably) first German version ever.
"The thing one must never do which is in some ways... - I shouldn't be doing this, talking to you and to people who are going to view it and hear it, to explain THE PRISONER. I mean, I don't think they'll understand it, perhaps they won't understand it any better after this attempt at explaining it..." (Patrick McGoohan, 1984, "Six Into One - The Prisoner File")
