The Persuaders!

My Sunday afternoon ritual in the 1970s was to watch the Persuaders at 3-30pm.

It adopted the formula of the earlier Man From Uncle: suave actor (Robert Vaughn) opposite someone totally different – Russian Ilya Kuryakin (the Scot David McAllum ) – overseen by an old boy (Leo Carroll).

The Persuaders were Bronx boy Danny Wilde (Tony Curtis) alongside posh boy Lord Brett Sinclair (Roger Moore) and the old boy Judge Fulton (Laurence Naismith).

Both Persuaders liked fast cars, jet setting and women.

The locations – often on the Riviera – were glamourous.

Roger Moore always struck me as debonair and decent and his chemistry with Tony Curtis – born Bernie Schwarz – makes the series work.

Lew Grade had the common touch for what audiences like and the series was an enormous success.

There was nothing of appeal in the TV listings yesterday so I watched three episodes again on Amazon Prime and enjoyed them immensely.

Could it be made today ? I doubt it. The diversity department and the sisterhood would prevent it.

Tony Curtis made 100 films of which the next known were The Sweet Smell of Success, Some Like it Hotand Spartacus.  Roger Moore morphed from the Saint to James Bond and both actors did laudable charitable work in later years. Neither were actors of the top rank but both could deliver comic lines and the screenplay of The Persuaders! therefore suited them .