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Patrick McGoohan: Danger Man or Prisoner?
Patrick McGoohan changed the history of television with his landmark series The Prisoner. Many TV series since have cited The Prisoner as an inspiration, including Lost. But there is a lot more to McGoohan than The Prisoner. This renowned actor has an impressive CV of stage, screen and TV productions, and is often declared to be one of the best actors to have ever come out of Britain. Yet, his obsessive protection of his privacy and the often conflicting and provocative remarks made to the press over the years have created a need to set the record straight. This first ever biography of McGoohan does just that. It chronicles a career that begins on the Sheffield stage and ends with international stardom. The book details McGoohan's classic television series Danger Man and The Prisoner; it explains why McGoohan was top choice for James Bond, and why he turned down the role; it explores the impact he had on both actors and directors he has worked with; and highlights McGoohan's friendship with Peter Falk.
339 pages, Paperback
First published November 8, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 19, 2008
This book is one that has been long overdue. As the principal author and star of one of the most original, thought-provoking TV shows of all time ("The Prisoner"), Patrick McGoohan is a most deserving subject for in-depth biographical study.
Roger Langley, a lifelong fan of all things McGoohan and co-founder of Six of One/the Prisoner Appreciation Society, is the writer best suited for such a task. Langley has provided readers with an exhaustively researched, detailed portrait of an actor/writer/director whose career has been marked by a fierce independence and guardedness. Aside from tracing McGoohan's life and career, Langley devotes considerable space to "The Prisoner", its levels of allegory and the "Star Trek"-like fandom it spawned in the wake of its 1967 premiere.
Langley's closeness to his subject matter (through his Appreciation Society, Langley has struck up an acquaintance with McGoohan) proves to be a double-edged sword. On the plus side, the author's interest in his subject matter is often contagious. His descriptions of McGoohan's numerous film and TV appearances will have you trawling amazon.com and local TV listings for must-see programs. From the extensive research and interviews Langley conducted, the only thing you will walk away from DANGER MAN OR PRISONER not knowing is whether McGoohan prefers butter or jam on his scones.
However, this familiarity and thoroughness frequently proves to be a liability in Langley. The portrait of McGoohan that emerges here is one of a man who is very human---equal parts genius and enfant terrible. The problem is, at those times when McGoohan's behavior clearly falls under the heading of the latter, Langley chooses the former. A good biographer knows when to allow his subject to stand in the hard, cold light of day. Too often, Langley casts McGoohan in the forgiving shadows of hero worship.
Langley, likewise, could've benefitted from a tougher editor. Detailed accounts of his---let's be honest---at-arm's-length dealings with McGoohan, fan club activities and many of the hundreds of footnotes could've easily been cut or condensed to make a much smoother read. After maintaining a clear and professional tone throughout the text, the author resorts to fanzine-style gushing in its finale. The pun Langley ends his book with is flat-out terrible. A tougher editor would've sent this final chapter back for one more draft, saving the author some embarrassment and the reader an unsatisfying conclusion.
Still, I recommend DANGER MAN OR PRISONER. Casual fans and Number Six-aholics alike will find much of interest between these two covers. And while he stumbles a bit at the end, Langley delivers a commendable biography of a worthy subject.
Roger Langley, a lifelong fan of all things McGoohan and co-founder of Six of One/the Prisoner Appreciation Society, is the writer best suited for such a task. Langley has provided readers with an exhaustively researched, detailed portrait of an actor/writer/director whose career has been marked by a fierce independence and guardedness. Aside from tracing McGoohan's life and career, Langley devotes considerable space to "The Prisoner", its levels of allegory and the "Star Trek"-like fandom it spawned in the wake of its 1967 premiere.
Langley's closeness to his subject matter (through his Appreciation Society, Langley has struck up an acquaintance with McGoohan) proves to be a double-edged sword. On the plus side, the author's interest in his subject matter is often contagious. His descriptions of McGoohan's numerous film and TV appearances will have you trawling amazon.com and local TV listings for must-see programs. From the extensive research and interviews Langley conducted, the only thing you will walk away from DANGER MAN OR PRISONER not knowing is whether McGoohan prefers butter or jam on his scones.
However, this familiarity and thoroughness frequently proves to be a liability in Langley. The portrait of McGoohan that emerges here is one of a man who is very human---equal parts genius and enfant terrible. The problem is, at those times when McGoohan's behavior clearly falls under the heading of the latter, Langley chooses the former. A good biographer knows when to allow his subject to stand in the hard, cold light of day. Too often, Langley casts McGoohan in the forgiving shadows of hero worship.
Langley, likewise, could've benefitted from a tougher editor. Detailed accounts of his---let's be honest---at-arm's-length dealings with McGoohan, fan club activities and many of the hundreds of footnotes could've easily been cut or condensed to make a much smoother read. After maintaining a clear and professional tone throughout the text, the author resorts to fanzine-style gushing in its finale. The pun Langley ends his book with is flat-out terrible. A tougher editor would've sent this final chapter back for one more draft, saving the author some embarrassment and the reader an unsatisfying conclusion.
Still, I recommend DANGER MAN OR PRISONER. Casual fans and Number Six-aholics alike will find much of interest between these two covers. And while he stumbles a bit at the end, Langley delivers a commendable biography of a worthy subject.
January 18, 2016
The author's attempts are to be commended in gathering together so much information on such a private person as McGoohan. Nonetheless, the book itself read a bit like a first draft. I would have preferred to have less capsule reviews for the films, as most are from sources that one can just as easily read online, some even on Amazon. More appreciated was information from sources that the common fan would not have any access to. The book features a number of interesting photographs, however it would have been nice to have them grouped together in better context. I do recommend this to any McGoohan fan; especially for the various appendices the book features on the actor's works.
August 27, 2008
Very disappointing for fans of Patrick Mcgoohan. If you know nothing about the actor it will be informative so I give it one star for that. Older fans may be disappointed with it. Why? It's hard going and amateur like.
October 12, 2018
Wow - well, if you don’t count the seven (yes, SEVEN) appendices, this is a short but fawning biography of Patrick MacGoohan. It manages to give a cursory look at his career and achievements but still reads very much of the kind of thing the founder and president of a fan-club devoted to the subject would - and, hey! Look! Roger Langtry created Six Of One, the PRISONER fan-club. I wasn’t expecting this to be warts-and-all, but I expected something with a LITTLE more texture than polished glass.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews