The Saint: A Complete History in Print, Radio, Film and Television of Leslie Charteris' Robin Hood of Modern Crime, Simon Templar, 1928-1992

by Burl Barer

The now legendary character created by Leslie Charteris has survived nearly three-quarters of a century of perilous action and narrow escapes with nary a hair out of place nor the slightest jolt to his jauntily tipped halo. From his earliest days battling "crooks, blood suckers, traders in vice and damnation" (and cracking the occasional safe on the side), the Saint has captured the imaginations of millions. Using the voluminous correspondence and writings of author Leslie Charteris and examining the many incarnations of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint," in other media, a detailed history emerges. Includes plot synopses of the radio and television programs, with air dates and production credits; descriptions of the movies and their credits; a bibliography, reviews of the books, and quotes from the principals.

Genres: Biography

431 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 1993

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is one review that must have disappeared somehow from GR, which I find rather odd. But lets do one again.
This version of the complete history in print and radio is a rather full look at the character by the name of Simon Templar aka "the Saint", anything we mere mortals would like to know about this crime-fighter, unless you work for some department of Justice of police force anywhere on the globe you'd might see him as a criminal. This book is indeed quite comprehensive on the subject of this modern Robin Hood. While I do rarely read it in its completeness I do occasionally return to it to look something up when enjoying something Saintly.
For a Saint fan this book is a must-have even if the price is somewhat steep, I've never really felt that it was not worth the price. However some parts of this Tome has been delved into by the honorable Ian Dickerson whose books on the subject of The Saint on the radio or the life and times of a certain Leslie Charteris have been a welcome addition to my knowledge on the subject of Saintly endeavors.
Barr has even released two Saintly adventures one novelisation of the Val Kilmer Saint movie and another strictly written for the fanclub released adventure in which he wants to enlarge our amount Saintly adventures albeit in a sense you'd feel like it is more of an grammatical avalanche which s perhaps the sign of the earlier Saint adventures, and he'd gracefully admit that the true and only master would be Charteris himself.

Anyhow are you a Saint fan and would you like to know more this book would be most strongly advised to obtain and study. Are you a casual fan, it is a nice read. If you dislike the Saint, you'd be advised to simply disappear somewhere you'd not capable of annoy the human race.

Yes I had this book in my hands earlier this year while re-reading some Saintly mystery and that is what I have done so often. This is one book which the writer is permitted to rate his own work as a 5 star piece of literature.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to know anything & everything about The Saint then you can probably find it in Burl Barer's superbly detailed book.
Barer tells the story of the famous Simon Templar in every format you could wish for, from the printed story to the old Saint movies, the radio series as well as the successful TV shows starring Roger Moore & Ian Ogilvy.
Barer had unlimited co-operation from author Leslie Charteris & also interviewd a wealth of people involved with the many incarnations of The Saint. It's a hugely detailed & highly informative read & a useful guide that I will use again in the future.
Barer's book has inspired me to revisit the Saint in 2021 & relive my youth in as many formats as I can find. Watch for the sign of The Saint. He will be back!

[Michael P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative but frustrating book: informative because there is lot of behind the scenes information about The Saint in his various print, radio, film, TV, and comics incarnations. Frustrating because there are so many things that author leaves out or does not know. Several times he seems to build to a point of revealing something even more interesting, only to move on to another subject. Most of the story is seen from the perspective of Saint creator Leslie Charteris, a feisty and rude "my way or the highway" sort of man. Other voices do not balance his views of the history in radio, film and television nearly enough. Still, three stars to the author for revealing more than any one has before in the first 2/3 of the book, and an extra star for the very informative appendix in the final 1/3.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes me a little sad. The Saint was a honking big deal when I was a boy, and then a teenager; for Generation X on down he's probably the heroic equivalent of a Dad joke, yesterday's hero. As far as I know nothing's been done with him since the flop Val Kilmer movie of almost 30 years ago (this came out when the author was anticipating a successful franchise once the movie hit the theaters).
Personal stuff aside, this is a good book for anyone who cares about the Saint, AKA "the famous Simon Templar." Created by Leslie Charteris about 90 years ago, he was a modest success until "the Saint in New York" made him a star. From which flowed movies, radio shows, comic strips, comic books, magazines, Roger Moore's TV show and several subsequent TV attempts.
A good history that doubles as a biography of Charteris.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The main focus is on radio, film, and television adaptations, and it provides capsule summaries of each episode and film. If I ever get round to watching the TV series past episode 2, it would come in handy.

But my main interest is in the short stories and novellas. For works that Leslie Charteris actually wrote rather than just profiting from, Barer provides only a bare list. I can print that from Wikipedia. He offers no synopses, let alone critical comments. As far as I know, no one else has published what I'm looking for in any format. Maybe a dissertation somewhere?