Between heroic spells as the Saint and James Bond, Roger Moore was teamed with Tony Curtis in The Persuaders, a derivative but fun series about a couple of millionaire dilettante adventurers who swan around the world compe... more »ting for the attention of beautiful women and getting involved in perplexing mysteries. Moore is Lord Brett Sinclair, an upper crust Brit of impeccable breeding, while Curtis is Danny Wilde, an up-from-the-streets self-made man whose trademark is a pair of brown gloves. The allegedly tasteful Brett and the crasser Danny both model a succession of garish early-'70s fashions while their pursuits of duplicitous women usually wind up with the women getting away and the heroes stuck with each other. Set 1 includes the first 13 episodes, running about 52 minutes each. --Kim Newman« less
Actors:Tony Curtis, Roger Moore Genres:Action & Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Television Sub-Genres:Roger Moore, Comedy, Drama, Comedy, Drama Studio:A&E Home Video Format:DVD - Color,Full Screen DVD Release Date: 11/25/2003 Original Release Date: 09/18/1971 Theatrical Release Date: 09/18/1971 Release Year: 2003 Run Time: 11hr 16min Screens: Color,Full Screen Number of Discs: 4 SwapaDVD Credits: 4 Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 0 Edition: Box set MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated) Languages:English
"Back in the later 60's Tony Curtis ran afoul of the MJ laws in California, so he moved to Merry Ole England to work. Strange to think of him doing that, and even farther back, Robert Mitchum doing time because of simple infractions that today would barely get a fine in California. A lot of the work Curtis did during that period was just paying the bills, but this sort lived series (two years), did a wee bit more...or should that be Moore? In his post-Saint removal of halo, and pre-Bond days, Moore joined with Curtis to make a great mix of Who Dun Its. Sort of Charlie's Angels for the ladies!Moore plays the typically upper crust Brit born with the silver spoon in his mouth, Lord Britt Sinclair, old money in other words...Curtis is brassy new money in Daniel Wilde, a self-made Yank Millionaire. They naturally dislike each other intensely, but come to a grudging respect when Judge Fulton (Lawrence Naismith doing his "Bosley routine") sets them to solving crimes that Scotland Yard cannot touch. They are super tales done with panache, when Moore and Curtis were at their peak. With witty dialogue, fast paced scripts directed by Roy Ward Baker, the series was fun from beginning to end. Especially funny was the episode that was a take off of the Old Alec Guinness Movie..."Kind Hearts and Coronets" (1949) where Guinness played nearly a dozen family members being systematically bumped off. Moore gets to do a nifty turn in various family roles who are being eliminated with Moore next on the list.So don't wait till someone persuades you...a must more any Moore and Curtis fan."
Chance purchase yields great entertainment!
Michael Ziegler | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States | 05/31/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this series based on the two listed stars. I had never seen any of the episodes and was completely unaware that it ever existed. Now having been brought up during the Golden Age of Television Detectives (Columbo, Kojack, Streets of San Francisco, Banacek, etc.) I would have expected a rip-off of some sort. To my delight, this exceeded my expectations by miles! Roger Moore and Tony Curtis are great together. They are somewhat hammy but this series has a charm that can't be explained that make all of it fun. It is not cheap! They have on location adventures in some of the most fascinating places in Europe. It is a colorful work of art. A true 70's "Austin Powers" atmosphere and seems to be a cross between that and 'The Avengers' without the English eccentrics bent on taking over the world. There is occasional camp, but it is funny! Roger Moore wore his own line of clothes in this series and now I know where he got the idea of the Safari jacket. Tony Curtis is an American in exile (as an Actor) and filled in his time while in England with Moore in this series and he is older but still has that "Great Leslie" personality (from 'The Great Race") to carry him through awkward moments. The story writers do a good job here and the character of "the Judge" is our old friend "Argus" , the builder of the ship Argo from "Jason and the Argonauts". There is a lot of Psychedelic lunacy included and plots revolving around interesting things. This is well worth your time and attention and I look forward to the next DVD set! It was only on for one season but you have a full 26 episodes in Volumes I & II together."
Another botched A&E audio transfer
Michael Ziegler | 07/02/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This series is very entertaining but is marred by an out of sync audio transfer. Once again A&E has released a DVD title without doing any kind of quality control check before going to market. Too bad. I quite enjoyed the show, but the out of sync audio will relegate this title to the rental only queue."
Two nice new Audio commentaries
Wonderer | Germany | 01/11/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"There are actually TWO funny and interesting audio commentaries in this Set 1 with Roger Moore, Robert Baker and Johnny Goodman: Episodes OVERTURE and THE TIME AND THE PLACE. Photo Gallery (no behind the scenes) and some new pictures of Roger signing the restored Aston Martin DBS. Four seperate Amaray-style cases in box. Check out the french edition (AMICALEMENT VOTRE) for a lot more interesting extras. Sadly the English/American people will never know anything about the enormously popular German dub that added wit, double meanings and ironic fun. The two send up each other a lot more... In all, 24 episodes were filmed (not 26), 13 are in this set. Codefree Discs, not code 1."
An Excellent 70's Series
DigitalMan | New York | 12/03/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I first saw this British series when it was broadcast on a local channel in the early to mid 1980's and I enjoyed it quite a bit then.
When I became aware of this DVD release, I was curious to see if it would hold up to my memories of it, and I'm very pleased to say that it did.
What I like about this series is the light, fun and witty chemistry between Roger Moore and Tony Curtis, the 70's fashions and ambiance, the outstanding theme song and music, and the refreshing international feel to the show. This show is reportedly the most expensive series ever produced by ITC Entertainment and with filming locations in Monaco, France, Italy, etc. it shows.
The series only ran for one season and I was ever so slightly irked that the one seasons has been split into two DVD sets, but that is a minor gripe. Yes, as other reviewers have noted, the voices are on some rare occasions ever so slightly out of sync with the mouth movements on screen, but that is very minor and isn't too distracting.
As far as bonus features are concerned, there are not just one, but two Roger Moore commentary tracks on two separate episodes which are both fun and insightful listening (only one is advertised on the packaging). There are also some more contemporary stills of Roger Moore with the very same Aston Martin he drove in the series, and if you're perceptive, you'll be able to find the hidden "Easter Egg" photo of Roger Moore recording his commentary track!
Overall, a very nice package and a truly great television relic from the 1970's. It may not have been groundbreaking, but it has a wonderful and unique feel to it which I enjoy revisiting."