Danger Man: The Complete Series 1 [DVD]

As a kid/early teen I remember watching danger man and preferring it to the Saint or Man in a Suitcase or any of the other Elstree shows which poured out in the first decade of commercial TV in the UK. I only ever remember the 50 minute Danger Man shows though - these are mainly 30-minute shows - all from series 1 - and many of them look like they were shot in a hurry on a low budget. The John Drake character is not quite fully formed yet, though very recognisable and if you watch them one after the other you can see they reused sets and library clips with monotonous regularity.Now, that sounds like I didn't enjoy these all that much, but that's not true. This is a huge nostalgia wallow. A parade of old-time stars troop through these shows, and you have the fun of seeing people who later because very famous in walk-on parts or doing something completely different to what they eventually became famous for. The stories too are very inventive (within the bounds of the show's premise) and although what we usually call the production values are not always up to the standard of the later shows (when presumably the 50 minute running time allowed bigger budgets) Pat McGoohan gives a committed performance every time - as does pretty much everyone else.I was always mystified as to why Danger Man was not THE top show in this genre, far less fey than The Saint and with the advantage that the Drake character did not have to dominate everything, it was a far more flexible format for storytelling. McGoohan of course was famously a bit of a grump and a rebel. Eventually (if TV history is to be believed) he got so much control of his contract, that he was able to go off to Wales and get some way into filming "The Prisoner" before ITV discovered that he was not, as they believed, filming for another Danger man series! Hard to imagine that happening today - or even then, really. But, that's how the story goes. I hope its true.If you like 60s TV and good storytelling and can tolerate a few corners cut in a B&W production, you will most likely enjoy this.

I really love this show!Since I was too young to see any Danger Man episodes in my toddler years, I was only familiar with Patrick McGoohan - the Television Actor - through his work on 'The Prisoner'. That was a show that aired a couple of years later and naturally I was completely confused by it as well.But I remembered the Actor...So many years later, still intrigued by the memories of the Mysterious 'Prisoner', I purchased that show, first on VHS and later on DVD. And I loved it very much. Patrick McGoohans crisp and rapid way of acting was something a person could get addicted to, and he got me hooked, as well!Already loving 'The Prisoner', I felt very confident about purchasing this box of half-hour Danger Man episodes.............and I was even more blown away! With this show it becomes very clear what an intense and (especially) versatile actor McGoohan actually was! Of course I have seen him act in other films as well; Ice Station Zebra, Braveheart, to name but a few. But to see him in this show...marvelous!I enjoyed the fast pace and excellent timing for these episodes; it is allmost incredible how they were able to fit a small movie in 30 minutes time! The stories were fresh, acting was intense (and sometimes very humorous as well!) and it was great to see so many actors of later production at a time in their life when they were so much younger!Is it a big surprise that I'm watching the DVD-Box with the 1 hour episodes now?

These DVDs contain the first 39 half hour Danger Man episodes, known in the US as Secret Agent. Stylistically they are typical TV dramas of the time when they were produced, the early 1960s, and may seem a bit archaic to viewers brought up on modern TV crime shows. The shows are quite well made, however, considering their very short run time. Everything is condensed into a rapid fire set of short scenes, with little time for character development or involved plot twists. The focus is on McGoohan throughout. A big plus for this set over other sets of the same episodes available from other companies is the inclusion of English subtitles by Carlton, great for those whose first language is not English. Picture and sound quality is good, but these DVDs are nowhere close to the great quality on blu-ray releases of similar old TV shows like McGoohans The Prisoner. Enjoyable watching to see the beginning of the TV spy show genre, the Danger Man series improved as the series later moved to an hour format (not included here). Unfortunately, the hour format later shows have yet to be released with subtitles.

With television of the 21st century rapidly giving way to "reality tv" (which is anything but real) coupled with umpteen repeats on cable and satellite, I decided instead to spend the subscription money on some good quality DVDs, and when I bought "Danger Man", I was not disappointed. Pre-dating James Bond by a couple of years Patrick McGoohan is definitely in a class of his own. With his reassuring manner and matter of fact approach to his job, it is easy to see how Danger Man was catapulted into what is known today as Cult TV. This 39 episode box set has strong story lines, a good plot with suspense guaranteed in every episode. I was too young to remember "Danger Man" when it was first shown on TV but I am delighted with what I have seen. It really is a must for anyone who is a James Bond fan. Dont be put off that the episodes are only 30 mins long and in black and white. In some ways its much better as a result, being more compact, fast moving and definitely no filler. This collection will certainly be an all time favourite in my rapidly expanding DVD collection. Roll on the next series please, I am waiting!!