Six of Khan
typed for your pleasure on 15 January 2009, at 1.30 amSdtrk: ‘Sur ta moto’ by Karo
Well, this is bollocks. I come home from work to find that not only has Ricardo Montalban passed away, but Patrick McGoohan, too??
Prisoner star McGoohan dies at 80
BBC News | Published Wednesday, 14 January 2009Emmy-winning actor Patrick McGoohan, best known for starring in cult 1960s TV show The Prisoner, has died at the age of 80.
He died in Los Angeles after a short illness, his film producer son-in-law Cleve Landsberg told Associated Press.
McGoohan played the character Six in the surreal 1960s show, filmed in the north Wales village of Portmeirion.
He won two Emmy awards for his work on TV detective series Columbo, playing different characters.
The first came for an episode of the series in 1974, with another 16 years later.
the rest of the article is here
As I’ve often stated, being within broadcast distance of Windsor, Canada, I grew up watching a large amount of English television, and The Prisoner was one of my favourites even then. Sometimes the reception wasn’t exactly crystal-clear, but I do recall the very first episode I watched was ‘Free for all’, where Number Six believes he can instigate a revolt in the normally placid citizens of the Village by running for the office of Number Two, with predictable results. I’m fairly certain my reaction was pretty much the same as those who watched it when it first aired back in 1968 — one of delighted astonishment, that a television show could be revolutionary, surreal, and engaging all at once. In the hands of someone else, the series probably wouldn’t stand the test of time, but Patrick McGoohan made it happen.
Also: Rover still freaks me out to this day.
Fantasy Island’s Montalban dies
BBC News | Published Wednesday, 14 January 2009Actor Ricardo Montalban, who starred in the popular US TV show Fantasy Island in the 1970s-80s, has died aged 88, a Los Angeles city official says.
The Mexican-born actor died at his home, the official said.
Fantasy Island ran for six years and centred on a magical island where guests could live out their dreams.
Montalban – who had a long career in entertainment – was also well-known for playing the villain in Star Trek, both on television and in a feature film.
Montalban’s death was announced by Eric Garcetti, who represents the LA district where the actor lived.
David Brokaw, the actor’s friend, described him as a “very courtly, modest, dignified individual,” the Associated Press news agency reports.
Montalban had been a film star in Mexico before moving to Hollywood in 1946.
Despite the fact that I find Star Trek to be a bland series overall, I will fully admit to enjoying ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’, as it goes without saying that Ricardo Montalban’s role pretty much makes the film. Once, I’d seen him on an episode of David Letterman; Letterman had asked him what exactly was the deal with the whole ‘reech Coreenthian layther’ that Montalban used to promote in old Chrysler adverts from the Seventies and Eighties, and Ricardo jokingly confessed that there wasn’t such a thing. Awesome.
RIP Patrick McGoohan, RIP Ricardo Montalban. Both of you will be sorely missed
Technorati tags: Patrick McGoohan, The Prisoner, The Village, Ricardo Montalban, Fantasy Island, Corinthian leather, KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN
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January 15th, 2009 at 2.53 am
I never took you for Trekkie.
Wow. There’s geeky. And then there’s Trekkie geeky.
😛
January 15th, 2009 at 11.42 am
If I’m considered a Trekkie, then Trekkie standards have lowered dramatically!
I suppose I don’t hate Star Trek, all told, as I will watch some episodes (especially ones with that hot little Kira Nerys in them — om nom nom), but I do find it very, very dull. If I’m gonna watch space opera, give me ‘Raumpatrouille: Orion‘. 🙂
But ‘Wrath of Khan’! Who doesn’t like ‘Wrath of Khan’? It’s ‘Wrath of Khan’! KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN
January 21st, 2009 at 5.08 am
‘allo D.C. and the ever-lovely Shi-chan,
This news bummed me out as well, since McGoohan was one of the few actors I admired and would watch any project that he was involved with. He STOLE Braveheart LOL
Being a HUGE Prisoner fan since the days that it aired, and of his Danger Man before it, I always mused whether Number 6 was actually John Drake!
And yeah… ROVER :-O *shudders* You can run, but never hide, from that immense inflatable beach ball!
As an aside, I even put a Prisoner reference into Lily’s novel. On her nighttime drive along Highway One back to S.F. from her vacation spot in the opening chapter, she approaches a signpost indicating a small town ahead named “Harmony”… Since SHE loved The Prisoner too (funny, that!) she reminisced a bit about the “Living in Harmony” episode. The “why” would be telling, so I’ll leave it at that 😛
Anyway, yeah, P.M. will be missed…
Harmoniously,
PBS, Lily, and Eden (and Pennie)
January 26th, 2009 at 1.29 am
Hey hey PBS, lasses, and kitty –
Not like we knew Patrick McG personally (wouldn’t that have been impressive??), but when someone as talented as he was passes away, it’s an absolute shame.
I never really liked ‘Living in Harmony’, as I was never keen on westerns! But then, it’s been years since I’ve last seen it, and I’m currently rewatching the series (on ‘Free for all’ at the time of this writing), so I’ll reassess it when the time comes…
And heh, the great ‘is No.6 actually John Drake?’ question. According to my old (circa 1988) copy of ‘The Official Prisoner Companion’, the official party line was that the two characters were unrelated. But then I recall reading something recently, stating that although McGoohan denied the connection, co-creator George Markstein said that No.6 was indeed Drake. But does it really matter? Some questions are best left unanswered. As they say in the Village: ‘Questions — a burden to others; answers — a prison for oneself’, so think on that. 🙂
January 26th, 2009 at 5.40 am
“‘Questions — a burden to others; answers — a prison for oneself’, so think on that.”
Bril!
Consider it thunk 😀
“LiH” wasn’t one of my faves either; it was just its thematic connection to Lily’s situation (spoiler snipped) 😉
It also was very coincidentally brought about by noting the town on a map tracing her route from her vacation-spot in Pismo Beach back to San Francisco. So since it was significant I had to Make It So!
As it were.
Anyway, ta-taaa!
January 30th, 2009 at 11.10 am
You should’ve thrown Portmerion in the route, just to cover all the bases. 😉