Last night, after I got home from work, I settled down to watch an old episode of "The Saint," Roger Moore's spy/detective show from the '60s. It's the show that set him up as a successor to Sean Connery, playing James Bond. I love "The Saint," which usually involves patchy, somewhat incomprehensible plots, men playing baccarat in tuxedoes, and women with bouffant hair in glamorous gowns. Everyone's always in a casino in Monte Carlo or on a canal in Venice or in a chalet in Switzerland.
Which brings us here. I was watching last night's episode, when this image flashed on the screen. It's supposed to be a Swiss chalet where the Russians were holding a dissident who wanted to defect. Moore's character, Simon Templar, was showing it to the dissident's daughter through a pair of binoculars -- hence the silly black frame (a constant feature in '60s shows even though images seen through binoculars never actually look like that).
When I saw that house, I thought: "Wait! I know that place!"
I dug out some old pictures, and sure enough, it's what is now known as the Grim's Dyke Hotel north of London, where Dave and I stayed with Olga back in 2019. Click here to see photos from our stay. Before it was a hotel it was the home of William S. Gilbert, of Gilbert and Sullivan. It's very close to Elstree, the home of filmmaking studios where "The Saint" and other productions were made.
As I watched the show, it was obvious they filmed on location.
Here the camera is set up in the woods surrounding the house, near the redwoods I mentioned in my post. Funny how the obviously fake mountains in the top image have magically disappeared.
Here's Roger Moore, hunched over and acting all furtive, sneaking up on the house.
And here's the Russian dissident's daughter -- who (spoiler alert!) of course turns out to be not the daughter at all, but a Russian spy -- outside the main entrance. I have a picture of Olga in this same location!
Anyway, it was funny to recognize this place, despite the passage of the years. I don't remember ever hearing that "The Saint" had been filmed there, so it was a surprise to me. (That makes it even more ironic that the bartender couldn't make me a martini when I stayed there. What would Simon Templar or James Bond have said?!)
I remember The Saint, but I also remember lots of tennis matches being played, unless I'm confusing it with a different series?
ReplyDeleteThat's quite remarkable and well done for picking up the location. It does look quite different when Olga was in the photo.
ReplyDeleteSimon Templar or James Bond would have said, "I'll have a pint of Yorkshire bitter please!" Grim's Dyke Hotel looks nothing like a Swiss chalet!
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff, Steve. And bless your memory!
ReplyDeleteThere is a rural area south of Dublin (Wicklow hills) where we went for many long walks and where my man used to spend many of his biology research student days, which has been used as location for lots of films and series in recent years. We watched two episodes of The Tourist (season 2) on BBC last weekend which were filmed there and we had a good laugh and many sighs of recognition.
I remember The Saint, who seemed to do most of his job in a tux! Always the cocktails and glamor. And Moore's terminally annoying smirk..
ReplyDeleteAnd the bartender couldn’t make you a martini! This is hilarious.
ReplyDeleteIf I've watched two James Bond films, I'd be surprised.
ReplyDeleteHow cool to see something on film that you know, a place you've been! One of the things I'm enjoying about the Barbra Steisand book is that I'm learning a lot about movie-making. Finding locations and using them is a huge part of the whole process. It's so interesting! The basis for the Tom Hanks book I just listened to a month or so ago is, in fact, that very subject.
Wow! Good eye, Steve, that you remembered that place. We have lots of snow today so I might be able to binge watch the rest of "Fool Me Once"! Yay!
ReplyDeleteThere were some great old shows that are still worth watching.
ReplyDeleteThe fact you remembered the hotel where the filming took place is amazing. That said, how is it possible that a bartender can not make a martini. Maybe he was a bartender in training!
ReplyDeleteI salute your detective skills!
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to spot places you know being used in movies and shows. It's even more fun when they try to pass it off as somewhere else entirely. That is such a beautiful place, I can see why it might be a good filming location.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen an episode of The Saint in ages.
That's a strange feeling to recognize a place in a show. When I've watched Northern Exposure, it's weird to see my dad's hometown with its shops and stores where I've spent a lot of time. It's poignant that the street where my grandparents lived is visible in some of the shots.
ReplyDeleteBond (Connery) or Templar (Moore) would have said to the bartender: "I'm shaken, not stirred!"
ReplyDeleteI LOVED (loved) the Val Kilmer movie The Saint. Possibly because he was so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I ever watched The Saint any, and no, that doesn't look like a Swiss Chalet to me at all. Love seeing the photos of Olga there!
ReplyDeleteWhat A Trip - I Obviously Clicked The OLGA Link And I Relied On That Post - This Means That You And I Have Been Blog Buddies For Over Half A Decade Now - That's So Damn Righteous - I Appreciate You There Brother Reed - All The Best This February With Your Upcoming Travels To The States
ReplyDeleteBig Hugs,
Cheers
P.S. Please Stash 5 Treats Around The House Tonight For Olga Girl
No martini? Oh no!
ReplyDeleteI was just watching "Saint" movies from the 40s (I think) with George Sanders on TCM yesterday. (Slow day.) I loved that TV series too -- how fun to recognize the place!
River: Hmmmm...I don't remember tennis in that particular show!
ReplyDeleteAndrew: More potted plants, anyway. :)
YP: It does if it saves your production team from having to fly to Switzerland!
Sabine: Oh, Dave and I watched that show! Just the first season, I think.
Boud: Yes, he really embodied the stereotype of the suave private-eye!
Mitchell: Isn't that absurd?? I couldn't believe it. I even complained to the management.
Ms Moon: We have that Tom Hanks book in the library. I haven't tried it yet! I'm sure finding locations is a huge task.
Ellen D: Enjoy it!
Red: Definitely. I'm a big believer in "comfort" television, or re-watching old favorites.
Susan: I think he wasn't really a bartender. I think he was basically a waiter. Why they didn't have an official bartender on duty is a mystery.
Colette: More like a glimmer of recognition -- not really any skills. LOL
Sharon: Yeah, it makes sense, doesn't it? And it does look vaguely alpine, despite YP's comment above. :)
Margaret: It must be strange! Were your grandparents living there at the time?
Catalyst: Ha! Exactly!
Bug: You know, I have never seen that movie. I don't think I'd want to see a good, camp-free version. I like the campiness.
Kelly: It was syndicated in the states in certain markets. One of our local TV stations in Tampa used to air it in the daytime in the early '80s -- late morning, as I recall.
Padre: It's amazing how blog-time passes! There are blogs I've been reading for more than a decade. It blows my mind.
Jeanie: Oh, I didn't realize there were "Saint" shows and movies before the Roger Moore series. But that makes sense, because apparently the character dates back to the 1920s and '30s.
No, they weren't alive then.
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