The Persuaders!
The Persuaders!
| 17 September 1971 (USA)

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SEASON & EPISODES
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    Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.
    TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
    Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
    Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
    alexanderdavies-99382 "The Persuaders" was the last of the truly great shows from "ITC." By 1971, Lew Grade had spent several years at the top of his game and had produced some solid entertainment. Now it was all about to draw to a close and would do by the mid 70s. The above show is carried along marvellously by Tony Curtis and Roger Moore. (R.I.P) Their on screen chemistry is so natural and also funny. They both maintain the shows lighthearted tone and still enjoy themselves into the bargain. 24 episodes resulted and I would rate half of them from being excellent to good. The pace never lets up, as our two wealthy heroes travel the globe and taking on all the villains that cross their path. Some great actors to be found here. Derren Nesbitt, Nigel Green, Ian Hendry, Patrick Troughton, are just a few of them. It makes for a refreshing change to see actual foreign locations being used for the series and this works well. Great fun all the way.
    jc-osms Perhaps the last hurrah for all those wonderful escapist programmes from the late 60's and early 70's, "The Persuaders" took the genre to the max with star power and location shooting the likes of "Department S", "Randall And Hopkirk Deceased" and "The Champions" could only dream of. I remember when the show came out in 1971 there was such a buzz about it, all to do of course with the curiosity of the dream pairing of Curtis and Moore as the mix and match lead characters and after catching a load of the cleverly assembled title sequence and John Barry's brilliant theme tune, it was easy to watch from there.Sure the writing and direction were by ITC stalwarts Terry Nation, Basil Deardon, Ian Broadley and the like plus the plots always seem to manage to include a pretty girl for the terrific two to squabble over and an exotic location to punch out the baddies, but it's really all about the star quality of Moore and Curtis playing out their posh Englishman versus moxy Yankee routine with petty squabbling, grudging respect, many a disorganised word and even the odd fist fight.Anyway I've just watched the first two episodes and thoroughly enjoyed them. Sure it's dated in many ways, with its dodgy fashion sense and especially its condescending outlook towards women, but I still find it as entertaining as I did all those years ago on Friday nights at 7.30 round our family's old black and white TV set.
    jimpayne1967 The Persuaders starred Tony Curtis -an authentic Hollywood star - and Roger Moore who was just about Britain's biggest TV star after The Saint. It first showed during the late summer of 1971 and finished its first run in the February of the following year. It was broadcast on a Friday evening and was unmissable. It was repeated a couple of times in the seventies then disappeared for years. It was one of those programmes that had a nostalgia surrounding it almost as soon as it disappeared and I can remember in the late eighties having conversations with friends about the opening credit sequence, the John Barry theme tune, the cars, the gorgeous female guests and the episode where Tony Curtis turns up in drag at the end. I can remember it cropped up in the Channel 4 season TV Heaven - introduced by the great Frank Muir- with the series opener- Overture- being broadcast. The BBC ran it in the mid90s and in a time of Cracker,Between the Lines, NYPD Blue and Trainspotting it seemed a bit lightweight and a bit jokey. But I saw the whole thing again recently and was pleasantly surprised at how good it still is.The opening credits are as good as I remember them - a genuine masterpiece of editing- and Barry's theme tune though more serious in tone than many of the episodes which follow is a classic too. I had remembered from its last run 20 odd years ago that too many of the episodes veered too close to comedy but now in episodes like The Man in the Middle - with Terry-Thomas guesting- and A Death in the Family the humour seems right. Of course some of the episodes are a bit naff- the Gold Napoleons may have the considerable benefit of having Susan George in it but it is really not that great and Nuisance Value and Anyone Can play are pretty weak too. Mostly though the stories are less comedic and contrived than the show's camp reputation has it - it was once memorably spoofed by Harry Enfield as the Playboys- with Someone Like Me, The Morning After and the final episode Someone Waiting being especially good. Legend has it that the two stars did not get on well - though neither ever said so- but they looked to be having a whale of a time. Curtis is a star of at least two cinema classics and although his hair colour seems to change between episodes he is fine as he usually was. Moore though is the real revelation. He is now looked on as something of a joke - largely because he overstayed his time as Bond and his increasingly lazy performances in the Saint - but here he is terrific as the privileged, titled Brett Sinclair. The Persuaders is not perfect but if you are in need of cheering up and some glamour it comes close to perfection
    Maddyclassicfilms Devised and produced by Robert S.Baker,The Persuaders is still regarded by many viewers as the greatest of Lew Grade's ITC film series.It stars Tony Curtis,Roger Moore and Laurence Naismith.From the brilliant and iconic theme tune by John Barry,to the glamorous locations and exciting car chases, this series has something for everyone to enjoy.Lord Brett Sinclair(Roger Moore)is a British peer of the realm,born into wealth and privilege. Danny Wilde(Tony Curtis)is a self made man, moving away from the poverty of the New York slums to become a wealthy oil magnate. The pair are conned into solving crimes and helping people in need by retired Judge Felton(Laurence Naismith).Although polar opposites in both taste and personality Brett and Danny soon find a way to tolerate one another. They end up becoming the best of friends and save each others lives many times.Famously Moore got to pick his co-star from a choice of three Glenn Ford,Rock Hudson or Tony Curtis he chose Curtis.Doing so was a wise decision as the pair are magical together, it's very hard to imagine anyone else playing Danny Wilde quite the way Curtis does.Famously the pair adlibbed dialogue like crazy,yet they never messed up scenes doing so. You can tell by watching the episodes that they are both having a fun time making the series.The Persuaders is a mix of adventure,action,humour and style with it's stars being the cherry on top. The Blu-ray boxset is well worth buying, the picture quality is fantastic and there's some good extras too.