Leslie Charteris' square-jawed, blue-eyed hero loved, fought and stole his way through Europe in the 1930s, endlessly pursuing blondes, baddies and boodle. Adored by women and feared by his foes, he was known as 'The Saint' after the calling card he left at the scenes of his crimes - a sketch of a stick figure with a halo. In "Saint Overboard", a villain plans to steal a shipment of sunken treasure. Simon Templar will go to any lengths to stop him - even under the sea..."The Saint Plays with Fire" sees our hero investigating a country house fire - and uncovering a Fascist conspiracy to seize power in France. Starring Paul Rhys as Simon Templar and with Patsy Kensit as Loretta and Fiona Fullerton as Valerie, these two thrilling dramas are full of the charm and verve of the original stories. '...full of nostalgic charm' - "Daily Express".
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... full of nostalgic charm -- Daily Express
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Vine™ Review
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Simon Templar. AKA the saint. Debonair and dashing adventurer, always fighting the good fight, most likely to be found driving at breakneck speed through the countryside with a beautiful blonde on his arm whilst evading the police and on his way to save a beautiful girl from a fate worse than death.
Probably best known for the Roger Moore tv version, but there have been attempts since, and he was also on film, and he started out in books back in the 1930's.
Speaking as someone who read a lot of saint novels when I was growing up decades back, that period was the best for the character. Afterwards he lost his supporting cast and went globe trotting, and was never quite as good. 1930's saint was the best, and here we have two radio dramatisations of Saint novels from the 1930's. These were made in 1995.
There are two discs here, with one story on each. They both run roughly fifty seven minutes. With no breaks in the middle other than chapter ones on the disc. There are minimal sleeve notes giving cast details and the dates of original broadcast, plus a short biography of the writer who created the Saint.
In the Saint overboard he comes to the aid of a lady insurance investigator off france who is on the hunt for buried treasure. In the Saint plays with fire an attempt to rescue a man from a fire at a country house leads him to dealing with a fascist organisation who are attempting to take over france.
Both are relatively simple adventure and crime plots typical of the time. And that time is the aforementioned 1930's. That's the strength of these plays in that they recapture the spirit of the time. From period music to characters who speak in authentic 1930's speech patterns, this gives them a delightful period feel.
Two nice bits of nostalgia for Saint fans, and two decent bits of period crime drama for anyone else. Worth a listen.
Probably best known for the Roger Moore tv version, but there have been attempts since, and he was also on film, and he started out in books back in the 1930's.
Speaking as someone who read a lot of saint novels when I was growing up decades back, that period was the best for the character. Afterwards he lost his supporting cast and went globe trotting, and was never quite as good. 1930's saint was the best, and here we have two radio dramatisations of Saint novels from the 1930's. These were made in 1995.
There are two discs here, with one story on each. They both run roughly fifty seven minutes. With no breaks in the middle other than chapter ones on the disc. There are minimal sleeve notes giving cast details and the dates of original broadcast, plus a short biography of the writer who created the Saint.
In the Saint overboard he comes to the aid of a lady insurance investigator off france who is on the hunt for buried treasure. In the Saint plays with fire an attempt to rescue a man from a fire at a country house leads him to dealing with a fascist organisation who are attempting to take over france.
Both are relatively simple adventure and crime plots typical of the time. And that time is the aforementioned 1930's. That's the strength of these plays in that they recapture the spirit of the time. From period music to characters who speak in authentic 1930's speech patterns, this gives them a delightful period feel.
Two nice bits of nostalgia for Saint fans, and two decent bits of period crime drama for anyone else. Worth a listen.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This is one of those wonderful old fashioned BBC plays, the ones my mother used to listen to in the 50's - although it is not made in the 50's, far from it, it is such a good take on how recordings used to be made. I loved it, great story, very well acted, as opposed to actors reading a script in front of a microphone, and easy to follow. I listen to these stories in the car, making long journies far more enjoyable.
The story itself, Simon Templar alis The Saint is nothing like the television series. In fact I must admit to being somewhat shocked by the behaviour of Simon Templar, occasionally not very saintlike. Mind you it did add a certain something to the story and, like I have already said, I really enjoyed it, so much so that I am almost ready to listen to it again.
The story itself, Simon Templar alis The Saint is nothing like the television series. In fact I must admit to being somewhat shocked by the behaviour of Simon Templar, occasionally not very saintlike. Mind you it did add a certain something to the story and, like I have already said, I really enjoyed it, so much so that I am almost ready to listen to it again.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By M. J. Jacobs
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This was an interesting collection of 2 radio dramatisations, and had an authentic period feel. The voice talents were well-chosen, and the accents, whilst a bit over-the-top to modern ears, were nowhere near as plummy as the real accents of the time.
In story terms, these were true to period, and that means that they were also a bit dated by modern standards. I doubt that the adaptation was an easy job, because being faithful to the source meant being a bit old-fashioned. It's a case of been there, seen it, heard it - the plot was very cliched so many years after they were written, and the times very different to what we know and expect today. The police and servants all have the predictable rough low-class voices to distinguish them from the plummy upper class toffs, and the police aren't as smart as Templar, who is so smooth, he'd slide off any surface. The villains are also very obvious, and don't hide their true intentions. So it's not a drama for somebody who would have trouble with a Scooby Doo plot.
Given visuals, or placed on TV, it might have made for a decent Poirot, or other Agatha Christie. Don't expect the pacing to match the 1960s Roger Moore, or the later TV version.
In short, it was fun to listen to, but felt a bit to simplistic for my tastes. You need more than an hour to do a dramatised novel proper justice.
In story terms, these were true to period, and that means that they were also a bit dated by modern standards. I doubt that the adaptation was an easy job, because being faithful to the source meant being a bit old-fashioned. It's a case of been there, seen it, heard it - the plot was very cliched so many years after they were written, and the times very different to what we know and expect today. The police and servants all have the predictable rough low-class voices to distinguish them from the plummy upper class toffs, and the police aren't as smart as Templar, who is so smooth, he'd slide off any surface. The villains are also very obvious, and don't hide their true intentions. So it's not a drama for somebody who would have trouble with a Scooby Doo plot.
Given visuals, or placed on TV, it might have made for a decent Poirot, or other Agatha Christie. Don't expect the pacing to match the 1960s Roger Moore, or the later TV version.
In short, it was fun to listen to, but felt a bit to simplistic for my tastes. You need more than an hour to do a dramatised novel proper justice.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Moore of Rog, less of Rhys
I've recently heard these plays on Radio 4 Extra and while they are reasonably entertaining there's a lack of edge. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Nugent_Dirt
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining if you can get beyond the 1930's setting
The Saint:Saint Overboard and The Saint Plays with Fire are a pair of BBC radio plays. As a child I was aware of the saint as a 1960's TV series so I was a little thrown when I... Read more
Published on 11 Oct 2010 by Mr. P. HAIGH
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you liked Roger Moore don't bother with this - on the other
hand if like me you read the original Saint books when a teenager you'll love this ! As I say about all audio books these are great to have in the car to enliven a boring journey.
Published on 4 Sep 2010 by fivestarfrankie
3.0 out of 5 stars
Slightly dated escapism
Having only been familiar with The Saint from the television series, I wasn't sure what to expect here, but was fairly well entertained by what I got - namely partly dramatized... Read more
Published on 19 Aug 2010 by bluecougar25
4.0 out of 5 stars
Return of an Old Friend
I first heard of the Saint in the 70's, through reruns of the Roger Moore TV series, and then the original Leslie Charteris stories. Read more
Published on 19 Aug 2010 by Michael Mooney
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, old-fashioned storytelling
This CD contains two Saint stories based on the books by Leslie Charteris. The two stories in this collection are The Saint Overboard and The Saint Plays With Fire. Read more
Published on 12 Aug 2010 by josie82
3.0 out of 5 stars
Transported through time
To begin with, any listeners with prior knowledge of the Saint TV series, you most definitely have to try and forget Roger Moore's sublime portrayal of the fictional... Read more
Published on 22 July 2010 by Fantasy Lore
5.0 out of 5 stars
Atmospheric intrigue
This is an excellent audiobook that excudes atmosphere and intrigue. The storylines are compelling and capture the era of the Saint perfectly. Read more
Published on 15 July 2010 by Paul Madge
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable adventures from the 1930s...
This product features two full-cast audio adaptations of the Leslie Charteris stories, originally published in 1936 and 1938. Read more
Published on 4 July 2010 by S. P. Moses
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Saint Overboard/The Saint Plays With Fire - Two entertaining...
Simon Templar, AKA the Saint, is a classic hero who has entertained us since the 1930's, and will hopefully be around for a lot longer yet. Read more
Published on 28 Jun 2010 by Victor
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