Created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 through a series of novels, The Saint follows Simon Templar—a suave, philanthropic globetrotter, amateur detective, and modern-day Robin Hood who takes down villains the law can’t touch. Easily identified by his signature halo icon drawn above his name, Templar became a cornerstone of adventure fiction. The character hit legendary status with the 1960s ITC television adaptation starring Roger Moore. Moore’s iteration defined smooth, tongue-in-cheek espionage and mystery television, blending sharp tailoring, high-rolling charm and effortless cool years before he stepped into the tuxedo as James Bond.
Somehow, The Saint Volume 1 ended up being in the Sybil Danning Adventure Video line. There are just two episodes on this, “Simon & Delilah” and “A Double In Diamonds.”
First, it’s movie-making chaos in Rome, where a lavish Biblical epic is currently shooting its grand scenes. Enter Serena Harris (Suzanne Lloyd), a wildly temperamental international film star playing the iconic role of Delilah. Serena is a nightmare to work with, making enemies out of practically everyone on set. Things escalate quickly when Serena is snatched at gunpoint right off the soundstage. While Simon Templar manages to track down her location, there is a massive catch: her producer, director, publicist and even her husband all despise her so thoroughly that half the crew would prefer she stay locked away. However, with a cool million dollars riding on the film’s completion, someone has to cough up the ransom and drag her back to work. Naturally, the job falls to Simon, who has to sift through a stacked lineup of prime suspects to find out who staged the abduction—or who turned a publicity stunt into a real crime.
This episode serves as an incredible miniature crossover for future James Bond alumni, pairing Roger Moore up with Lois Maxwell, who would play Moneypenny. It’s directed by Roy Ward Baker, who would helm Asylum, The Monster Club, The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires and Scars of Dracula. Speaking of Gammer, there’s Leon Greene, playing actor Tig Jordan. You’ll remember him from The Devil Rides Out.
That character was directly modeled after iconic beefcake star Victor Mature, who famously headlined Samson and Delilah. Legendary Hollywood director Cecil B. DeMille notoriously described Mature with the biting behind-the-scenes quote: “100 percent yellow”—a piece of Hollywood lore baked right into this episode’s script.
The second episode, “A Double In Diamonds,” was directed by John Gilling (The Reptile, The Mummy’s Shroud, The Plague of the Zombies). This time, high society meets high crime when a priceless, heavily insured necklace vanishes from the private collection of Lord Gillingham (Cecil Parker). His trusted secretary, Kate (Yolande Turner), decides to skip the paperwork, steal the jewels herself and murder the jeweler in the process.
Naturally, things get complicated. The hot ice suddenly pops up on a glamorous high-fashion runway adorning a striking model. Or does it? It turns out the model is a twin, and her sister has apparently jetted off to Paris to fence the real ice to a wealthy, shady dealer. Before anyone can sort out which sister is wearing what, Lord Gillingham receives a cheeky ransom call demanding ten thousand pounds for the safe return of the goods. With international crooks, twin trickery and Scotland Yard’s Chief Inspector Teal (Ivor Dean) running in circles, there’s only one man cool enough to untangle the double-cross: Simon Templar.
Ferdy Mayne shows up as one of the bad guys! And if you love fashion, the dresses were provided by designer Norman Hartnell. If you enjoy the Graham Twins in this episode, check them out as twin robots in another Eurospy film, Some Girls Do.
