Archive-name: tv/the-prisoner/part1
Version: 3.12 Last-modified: 1995/11/03 20:40:11 See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge This is Volume I of the FAQ for _The Prisoner_. I have tried to make it accurate and spoiler-free, but I can guarantee neither. Still, it is probably safe to read this document even if you have never seen the show. All spoilers have been moved to Volume II (coming Real Soon Now to a newsgroup near you). Please send me your comments, corrections, and additions. - Patrick LoPresti patl@lcs.mit.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- _The Prisoner_ FAQ Volume I - No Spoilers TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- 1: What is _The Prisoner_? 2: Where can I find _The Prisoner_? 3: What are _Danger Man_ and _Secret Agent_? 4: In what order should I watch the episodes? 5: Are there any fan clubs devoted to _The Prisoner_? 6a: Where is the Village? 6b: How do I get there? 7: What kind of car is KAR120C? 8: What _Prisoner_ material can I find on-line? 9: What _Prisoner_ material can I find in the real world? 10: What is that font? 11: What shows/music/movies refer to _The Prisoner_? 12: In what shows and movies has Patrick McGoohan appeared? 13: Do we ever find out... ASCII Drawings Credits ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1: What is _The Prisoner_? _The Prisoner_ is a television series created by Patrick McGoohan, who also plays the title role. It first aired in the UK on October 1, 1967, and has retained a strong (some would say "cult") following ever since. There are reasons for this. It consists of 17 one-hour episodes. While each makes sense when viewed alone (_The Prisoner_ is no soap opera), they also come together as a complete story. The series has a definite beginning and a definite end; the conflicts are resolved and the questions are answered (more or less). There are no transparent hooks for a movie sequel, and there is no room for a "next generation" :-). [Although ITC is going to make a movie anyway; release is scheduled for 1997. McGoohan is involved in writing the script, and has stated publicly that Kevin Costner will *not* be the actor.] On the surface, it is a well done action/suspense show, and is quite enjoyable as such. But closer inspection reveals multiple levels of meaning and numerous possible interpretations, many of which are still debated today. It has a lot of intellectual appeal, with a feel reminiscent of Huxley and Orwell. _The Prisoner_ is a refreshing change from the mindless sludge so common on modern television. 2: Where can I find _The Prisoner_? In the U.S., the show is variously aired on the Sci-Fi channel and local PBS stations. Check your local listings. The episodes are available on video tape and laser disk; check your local video store, or order them yourself (see below). [Note: This section reflects my U.S. bias. Feel free to help me correct it. - Pat] 3: What are _Danger Man_ and _Secret Agent_? _Danger Man_ was the name a series about the secret agent John Drake (played by Patrick McGoohan), a man who preferred to use his intellect to resolve situations. He did not carry a gun, nor did he get involved with every woman he met. McGoohan played a large role in shaping Drake's character, which was a specific reaction against the "James Bond" types popular in cinema and television at the time. Drake had a conscience; the moral conflicts of his job were a major theme in the series. The shows were 30 minutes black and white. Later on, the series was filmed as 60 minute black and white _Secret Agent_ episodes. There were also two color _Secret Agent_ episodes filmed, but they were never released as part of the series. They were later edited together, however, to produce a 100 minute TV movie called _Koroshi_. (Note: The mixed up "puzzle" letters that appear in the closing credits of some episodes of _Secret Agent_ unscramble to spell "Danger Man".) Patrick McGoohan conceived the concept for _The Prisoner_ while filming some episodes of _Danger Man_ in Portmeirion (the Village). There is also a _Secret Agent_ episode about a "village" of agents training to become imposters that was used as part of the idea for _The Prisoner_ (this is the show where he hides a camera in a typewriter). Many of the actors in _Danger Man_ and _Secret Agent_ also appear in _The Prisoner_. There is some debate on whether _The Prisoner_ is a sequel to _Danger Man_. To call the disagreement violent would be a gross understatement. For more information, watch _The Prisoner_, then refer to Volume II of this FAQ [not written yet - Pat]. Opening Lyrics - Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers Written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri There's a man who leads a life of danger To everyone he meets, he stays a stranger With every move he makes, another chance he takes Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow. Secret Agent Man, Secret Agent Man They've given you a number and taken away your name. 4: In what order should I watch the episodes? That is a very good question. Here are a few possible orderings: KTEH 6o1 SciFi ITC 1st McG *1* || 1 Arrival 2 3 2 || 8 8 || 3 Dance of the Dead 3 4 4 || 11 9 || 4 Checkmate 4 5 5 || 2 2 || 5 The Chimes of Big Ben 5 2 3 || 4 4 || 2 Free For All 6 9 9 || 7 7 || - Many Happy Returns 7 8 8 || 5 5 || - The Schizoid Man 8 7 6 || 6 6 || - The General 9 6 7 || 3 3 || - A, B, and C 10 14 14 || 12 14 || - Living in Harmony 11 10 10 || 10 11 || - It's Your Funeral 12 13 13 || 9 13 || - Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling 13 11 11 || 13 12 || - A Change of Mind 14 12 12 || 14 10 || - Hammer Into Anvil 15 || - The Girl Who Was Death *16* || 6 Once Upon a Time *17* || 7 Fall Out KTEH: Arranged by Scott Apel for KTEH channel 54 (PBS affiliate in San Jose, CA); reportedly approved by McGoohan himself 6o1: Endorsed by Six of One SciFi: Used for the Sci-Fi Channel marathon (Note: The Sci-Fi Channel normally uses the Six of One order) ITC: "Official" ITC sequence 1st: Original airing sequence McG: Patrick McGoohan's original seven episodes which "really count" (Note: "Living in Harmony" was omitted by CBS from the first showing of the series in the U.S. CBS claimed this censorship was because of the drug use portrayed, but this is unlikely in light of other episodes which were aired freely (e.g., "A, B, and C"). A more common explanation is that it was pulled due to the Vietnam era and the episode's themes of anti-authoritarianism and disrespect for the law.) McGoohan has stated in an interview that he only wanted to do seven episodes, but his financier (Lew Grade) insisted that he needed more in order to sell the series. Grade, in fact, wanted 30 episodes; McGoohan managed to compromise on 17. Some of the extra episodes are basically "filler" and contain no (or re-used) shots of the Village. The seven core episodes are crucial; the rest, though individually worth watching, are less essential to the series as a whole. The show had many production problems. When _The Prisoner_ was first shown on British television, several episodes were still being produced on the date they were supposed to air, so other episodes that were finished were scheduled in their place (in particular, changes were made to "The Chimes of Big Ben" shortly before airtime; hence the existence of the alternate version). The order in which ITC later released the series is considered "official". "Arrival" is indisputably the first episode. "Once Upon a Time" and "Fall Out" are indisputably the last pair. "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling" flashbacks to "Arrival" and "Free For All". Four of the script writers thought they were writing the second episode; in two of them, "Dance of the Dead" and "Checkmate", the Prisoner says he is new, although these were eventually shown about halfway through the series. The Number Two from "The General" returns in "A, B, and C", and in the opening he says "I am Number Two" instead of "the new Number Two". Also, the Tally Ho bears the headline "Is No. 2 Fit For Further Term?" They seem to belong together in sequence. Examining dates and time periods, the date at beginning of "The Schizoid Man" is presumably February 10. In "Many Happy Returns", we learn the date is March 18. In "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling", he has been away for a year. If one arranges the episodes so the interrogation of the Prisoner gets riskier and more intense as the series progresses, then episodes where the Prisoner's life is endangered like "A, B, and C" and "The Schizoid Man" probably belong later in the series. The episodes can also be ordered to show the progression of the Prisoner as a character, at first angry and trying every chance to escape, making various mistakes and being fooled by simple ploys, later becoming more sophisticated, finding out how the Village works and avoiding the more obvious pitfalls. Or one can order them on the themes, like escape and betrayal, within the series. Thinking about the order of the episodes and coming up with your own is an interesting way to appreciate _The Prisoner_. 5: Are there any fan clubs devoted to _The Prisoner_? The largest and best known is called "Six of One, The Prisoner Appreciation Society". It is officially recognized by Patrick McGoohan and ITC. The Six of One newsletter is currently called "In The Village" and is published quarterly. Former titles include "Number 6", "PM", "Spokes", and "Alert". Many of these are now serious collectors' items. A year's membership in the Society costs UKP20.00 or US$39.00 and provides four copies of the newsletter and voluminous other material related to _The Prisoner_. Six of One also hosts a Prisoner convention in Portmeirion every summer, and is a supplier of photos, CDs, and merchandise. Six of One is based in the U.K., and has official points of contact in the U.S. and France. For more information, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: U.S. Six of One, 871 Clover Dr, North Wales, PA, 19454 France Six of One/France, Jean-Michel Philibert, BP 633, 42042 Saint-Etienne Ce'dex, France U.K. Six of One, PO Box 66, Ipswich, IP2 9TZ, (and elsewhere) UK There were several attempts by individual fans, especially in the late 70's, to promote personal newsletters as official fan clubs. These went under such names as "The Green Dome" and "The Prisoner Newsletter". None of these were recognized by ITC, and in most cases they just republished information provided by Six of One. Many were told by ITC or Six of One to cease copyright violations. However, there is a long running publication which is recognized by ITC (at least, it has full permission to reproduce photos). Subscriptions are $8 per year for three issues: Once Upon a Time c/o David Lawrence 515 Ravenel Circle Seneca, SC 29678 "Once Upon a Time" was originally published under the auspices of Six of One, but due to differences of opinion became an independent production. (Naturally, there are those who point out that any "society" based on _The Prisoner_ is somewhat ironic.) 6a: Where is the Village? In real life, it is a seashore resort called the "Portmeirion Village Hotel" (formally "Hotel Portmeirion") in North Wales, built by the eccentric architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. It is located in the town of Penrhyndeudraeth. To find it on a map, look for Cardigan Bay on the western shore; at the north end is Tremadoc Bay; look along its north-central shore and find the town of Porthmadog; go east, and at the north-eastern corner of Tremadoc Bay, there is an inlet pointing slightly north of east. Portmeirion is on the north shore of that inlet. It is reachable by rail or car from London (see below). The Hotel Portmeirion is a hodge-podge collection of odd buildings and structures of all different kinds of architecture. Some were built on-site as examples of styles of architectures, ranging from Oriental to Italianate, and some structures or parts of structures (such as porticos, balconies, and ceilings) were moved from other places, purchased by Sir Williams-Ellis just before they were supposed to be demolished. The buildings are painted in lively, uncoordinated colors on purpose and, they say, are repainted on a carefully scheduled rotation so that some buildings look newly painted, but others look old and scruffy. On some buildings, windows are merely painted on and do not really exist. On others, they get smaller higher up to give the impression of height. The viewer's perspective changes completely with every few steps. The land was once the estate of an eccentric old lady who never let anyone visit and who had a large pack of pet dogs. There is a dog cemetery in the woods along one of the many walks and trails through the grounds. When the lady died, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis bought the land for his architectural project. The beach is exactly as shown in the series. The tides are extreme, with high tide bringing the water up to the stone wall (on which the Stone Boat is built), and low tide exposing a very large sand beach. In fact, you can simply walk a great distance during low tide (a fact kept hidden in the TV series). The main hotel served as the "Old People's Home" in the series. The scattered cottages and buildings served as the private homes, shops, halls, etc. Sir Clough Williams-Ellis's daughter, Susan, went on to found a line of pottery (dinnerware and china). Her flagship design is called, of course, "Portmeirion". It is now world famous and is sold in all the best department stores, including Bloomingdales. Portmeirion Village Hotel Phone: 0766 770228 Portmeirion Fax: 0766 771331 Gwynedd Telex: 61540 PORTM G Wales LL48 6ER UK 6b: How do I get there? Resign and wait. Alternatively, travel by rail (recommended) or by car. Either way, the trip is around 260 miles and 6 to 7 hours from London. Begin by getting a map. Good quality maps showing both road and rail routes everywhere are easily and cheaply available in the UK. Portmeirion is so small that it is unlikely to be shown on any map at a scale less than three miles to the inch, but Porthmadog should provide a point to aim at. To go by rail: A comprehensive rail timetable for the UK can be bought for GBP6 ('the ABC Rail Guide') at newsagents' shops, the 'official' and much heavier BR timetable for GBP7.00 at stations. The nearest main railway station to Portmeirion is at Minffordd, one-and-a-half miles away. It is an easy walk from there. Alternatively, travel 3 miles further to Porthmadog (a town, whereas Minffordd is only a village) and take a taxi from the station; it's about 3 miles from there. All trains shown below to Minffordd also call at Porthmadog. [Oops; the next section needs updating. Send me information if you are motivated... - Pat] Currently (winter 1993/4), there are six trains a day to and from Minffordd, except on Sundays, when there is only one. The line runs from Shrewsbury to Pwllheli, and this is an extract from the 1993/4 timetable (local trains with no connections to further afield are ignored): Monday to Saturday | Sunday (London) 0710 0940 1140 1340 | 0940 (Birmingham) 0655 0925 1152 1404 1558 | 1405 Shrewsbury 0822 1040 1255 1504 1718 | 1612 Minffordd 1202 1427 1559 1810 2028 | 1929 Minffordd 0738 0954 1307 1526 1820 | 1523 Shrewsbury 1046 1259 1723 1937 2127 | 1829 (Birmingham) 1204 1404 1853 2049 2234 | 2007 (London) 1429 1629 2103 2319 0048 | 2310 Trains do not run through from London (hence the parentheses around the times from there): a change is always needed at Birmingham or Wolverhampton, then again at Shrewsbury, and usually again at either Machynlleth or Dovey Junction. The UK railways being run as a unified system (for the present) means that trains connect, and you can book through on one ticket. Sunday travel by train can be difficult, as most engineering work on the lines is done on this day and the longer the journey the more likely that the trip will be disrupted by this. The train times in any case make a Sunday visit difficult, although there are more trains in the summer. So from London, a departure at 0710 will get you to Minffordd at 1427, changing at Birmingham and Machynlleth. The 1820 return train will get you to London at 0048 next day, same changes. So a day trip from London with around two-and-a-half hours in the Village is just about possible, though quite hard work. It is more realistic to see it as part of a two-day trip unless you are in Wales already. Current off-peak return fare from London to Minffordd is UKP 45.00. A bus runs from Minffordd post office (4 mins. walk from station) to Portmeirion at 1114 and 1314; return at 1117, 1317, 1500. (Monday to Saturday only). To confirm these bus times ring (UK) 0286 679378. To check the train times ring (UK) 0743 364041. Portmeirion is just half a mile from Boston Lodge station on the Ffestiniog railway, a local line with no connections towards London, which intersects the main line at Minffordd: on arriving at Minffordd you could check the times of trains on this line which might save you the walk. (Aside: The Ffestiniog railway runs old steam trains, which is Porthmadog's biggest claim to fame among _Prisoner_ non-fans.) To go by car: Here is the "Preferred" route from Central London to Penrhyndeudraeth as generated by the computer program Autoroute V2.02. Time 4 hrs 48 min. Distance 241 miles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Time | |Road |For |Dir|Towards -----+--------------------------+-------+-----+---+--------------------- 00:00|DEPART London (Gt London) |A400 |1/2 m|N |Camden Town 00:02|Turn left onto |A501 |1 m|W |(Marylebone) 00:04|At Marylebone turn off ont|A41 |1/2 m|NW |(St John's Wood) 00:06|At St John's Wood stay on |A41 |1 m|NW | 00:10|At Swiss Cottage stay on t|A41 |4 m|NW |(Cricklewood) 00:20|At Hendon stay on the |A41 |1 m|N | 00:21|Turn off onto |M1 slip|1/4 m|W |(M1 J2) 00:22|At M1 J2 turn off onto |M1 |74 m|N |*Check access* 01:35|At M1 J19 turn off onto |M6 |45 m|W |*Check access* 02:13|At M6 J10A turn off onto |M54 |22 m|W |*Check access* 02:32|Go onto |A5 |12 m|W | 02:55|Turn off onto |A458 |12 m|W |(Middletown) 03:14|At Middletown stay on the |A458 |5 m|W | 03:21|Turn left onto |A483 |1 m|SW |Newtown 03:22|Bear right onto |A458 |1/4 m|W |Welshpool 03:23|At Welshpool stay on the |A458 |16 m|W |(Llanfair Caereinion) 03:45|At Llangadfan stay on the |A458 |11 m|W |(Dinas Mawddwy) 04:00|Turn right onto |A470 |1 m|N |Dolgellau 04:02|At Dinas Mawddwy stay on t|A470 |9 m|NW |Dolgellau 04:16|At Dolgellau stay on the |A470 |2 m|W |Betws Y Coed 04:19|At Llanelltyd stay on the |A470 |14 m|N |Betws Y Coed 04:39|Bear left onto |A487 |2 m|NW |Porthmadog 04:42|At Maentwrog stay on the |A487 |4 m|W |Porthmadog 04:48|ARRIVE Penrhyndeudraeth (G| | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ One contributer suggests modifying the above route as follows. Instead of turning onto the A458, continue on the A5 through Chirk and Llangollen, then left onto the A494 at Corwen, then onto the A4212 at Bala which joins the A470 at Trawsfynydd. This alternate route is more scenic and possibly faster. 7: What kind of car is KAR120C? The car used in the show was a Lotus Seven series II, which was available as a kit or assembled (hence why the Prisoner claimed he built it). In the U.K., a license plate number usually stays with the car for life. However, this number is owned by Caterham Cars Ltd. and is regularly transferred to a current demonstrator. The original KAR120C Lotus (which was the demo model series II) was used and eventually sold to an Australian. Its current whereabouts are unknown. When "Fall Out" was filmed, a quick mock up from a series III was used. Lotus, desiring to termininate production of the car after their failed attempt at marketing a series IV, sold all existing kits, molds, manufacturing rights, and the name "Super Seven" to Caterham Cars, their biggest dealer at the time. Caterham went back to the series III shape, and have been developing and manufacturing the Super Seven ever since. The car is still available and can be purchased as a kit for import into the U.S. If you are seriously considering purchasing a Super Seven, it is important that you find a reputable source. There are at least two such sources in the U.S. which will provide you with an assembled vehicle that you can register in most states as a composite or kit car. Pontiac Sports Cars 467 Auburn Avenue Pontiac, MI 48342-3213 (810) 335-1511 Sevens and Elans Mr. Chris Tchornicki 248 Hampshire Street Cambridge, MA 02139 (617) 497-7777 Caterham itself can provide you with additional information. The address of their sales office is: Caterham Cars Seven House Town End Caterham Hill Surrey CR3 5UG UK Phone: +44 883 346666 Fax: +44 883 349086 The cost is around $20,000. There are three basic models and numerous options. Delivery is about 6 months. The car looks very much the same as it does in the show, but the top of the range now has a 2 litre 185 BHP Vauxhall engine, 5 speed gearbox and De-dion suspension. The car is extremely fast (0-60 in 4 seconds), and can be painted any color you like. An interesting side note is that the car DID have a problem history of overheating in traffic, just like the Prisoner mentions in "Many Happy Returns". The Lotus Seven Club in the UK has 1400 members worldwide and produces a monthly newsletter. Membership is UKP 30 within the UK and UKP 42 elsewhere. The club's addess is Lotus Seven Club, PO Box 7, Cranliegh, Surrey, UK. Additional information on the Lotus Seven may be found at <http://web.kaleida.com/u/sands/>. --- While the Caterham Seven is clearly the most accurate replica of the original Lotus 7, a number of UK Kit Car manufacturers produce very close facsmiles. The only thing preventing them being more accurate is the threat of being sued by Caterham Cars (or each other?). Some of the replicas are: Westfield SE/SEi/SEiW Dax Rush Robin Hood S6/S7 Tiger 6 Vindicator Sprint We discuss the Westfield here, as they are the most accurate (and reportedly highest quality) replica; to the untrained eye it looks identical to the Caterham/Lotus car. Westfield were, in fact, sued by Caterham in the mid-80's, but settled out of court and changed the body design slightly to satisfy Caterham's requirements. Naturally, they don't offer an "official" Prisoner model. Complete kits (including engine and transimission) are available from UKP 4999.99 (for a basic 1600cc SE) and complete cars, factory-built, start at around UKP 13000. (Factory built models are the ZEi and the ZEiW.) It is also possible to buy the car at various build stages. It too, suffers from overheating in traffic. Build quality is usually good, especially on factory built cars. Information and sales : Westfield Sports Cars Ltd. Unit 1 Gibbons Industrial Park Dudley Road Kingswinford West Midlands DT6 8XF UK Phone: (+44) (0)384 400077 Fax: (+44) (0)384 288781 8: What _Prisoner_ material can I find on-line? The newsgroup <news:alt.tv.prisoner> is devoted to discussion of the show. It has relatively low volume, so you can subscribe to it and only marginally increase the amount of your life which you lose to USENET. A current copy of this FAQ is available via anonymous FTP: <ftp://ftp.uu.net/usenet/tv/> <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/> There would be a Prisoner MUD, if someone would contribute a permanent site as its home. Email Ben Salter <mailto:ec585@cleveland.freenet.edu> if you think you might like to contribute a machine. Anonymous FTP sites with Prisoner material include: <ftp://ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu/pub/gifs/Prisoner/> <ftp://plan9.njit.edu/pub/sounds/misc/> <ftp://ccadfa.cc.adfa.oz.au/archives/aus-sf/ftp_imports/scifi/> <ftp://ftp.sunet.se/pub/pictures/tv.film/Prisoner/> <ftp://pictures@nic.funet.fi/pub/pics/tv+film/ThePrisoner/> <ftp://dworkin.wustl.edu:/dist/prisoner/> (fonts) [Contributions to this list are, of course, welcome. - Pat] Liam Relihan has a collection of Prisoner material available via the World Wide Web. The URL for it is: <http://itdsrv1.ul.ie/Entertainment/Prisoner/the-prisoner.html> Bengt Dahlqvist also has a WWW page for _The Prisoner_. Its URL is <http://www.ling.uu.se/~bengt/tp.html>. Victor Volkman runs a BBS with a number of Prisoner items in directory #23. The BBS can be reached at 313-663-4173 and 313-663-3959. 9: What _Prisoner_ material can I find in the real world? Books ----- The Prisoner: Alain Carraze and Helene Oswald (Virgin A Televisionary Books, 1989) Masterpiece Contains many great color and B&W stills from the series, including behind-the-scenes shots. Originally published in French. The Prisoner and Dave Rogers (Boxtree Books, 1989) Danger Man Contains episode synopses from both series. The Official Matthew White and Jaffer Ali (Warner Books, Prisoner Companion 1988) ISBN: 0-446-38744-4 The Prisoner Thomas M. Disch (N.Y. Ace Publishing, 1970) (Dobson Books, 1980) ISBN: 0-450-04543-9 Who Is Number Two? David McDaniel (N.Y. Ace Books, 1969) (Dobson Books, 1981) ISBN: 0-450-05287-7 The Prisoner: Hank Stine (N.Y. Ace Publishing, 1970) A Day In The Life (Dobson Books, 1979) ISBN: 0-450-05106-4 The Prisoner Four part comic book sequel to the tv series (Graphic novels) by Dean Mottter (DC Comics 1988-1989) Highly recommended reading. Book A - A(r)rival Book B - By hook or by crook Book C - Confrontation Book D - Departure These may also be found as a single volume called "Shattered Visage". The Prisoner Puzzle A detailed Canadian educational text from the 70's, which included interviews with Patrick McGoohan. Considered a valued resource; probably out of print now. Videos ------ The 17 episodes are available on video tape and laser disk; check your local video store. There are also three "special" videos: "The Prisoner Companion", "The Best of the Prisoner", and "The Chimes of Big Ben" (alternate version). There was once an alternate version of "Arrival"; Six of One has an acoustically taped version of it, but no video copy is known to exist. For about $20 each, any of the tapes may be ordered from: Movies Unlimited 6736 Castor Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19149-2184 Order: (800) 523-0823 Service: (215) 722-8398 MPI Home Video ??? Oak Forest, IL ?????-????? (800) 323-0442 (Catalog numbers MP1984 to MP2000; alternate "Chimes" MP1384) Steven Ricks (a Six of One member) has produced an 8-volume video documentary called "The Prisoner in Depth". It has received rave reviews by the alt.tv.prisoner readership. However, he is only authorized to sell the videos to Six of One members, and he probably only has them in PAL format. He can be contacted at: Steven Ricks 25 Lion Court Well End Borehamwood Herts WD6 5NJ UK The laser discs breifly came back into production in the U.S. The first (and only) new disc is MPI catalog number CLV1984, ISBN 1-56278-796-9, UPC 0 30306-1984-6 0. It contains the episodes "Arrival" and "The Chimes of Big Ben". The quality of "Chimes" is reportedly better than that of earlier laser disc releases; that of "Arrival" is reportedly worse (due to lost master tapes?). Unfortunately, due to low sales on Disc 1, no further discs in the series will be produced. [Anyone have information on the Japanese imports? - Pat] Miscellany ---------- The Mini-Moke toy (the "Taxi" seen in the series) was available during the time of original broadcast, and is now considered a serious collectors' item. The Six of One organization has obtained at least one of the two real vehicles that were used in the series. Also available at that time were _Prisoner_ watches (with the penny farthing symbol on the face). Both of these are no longer available. Caterham Cars sells a metal miniature model of the Super Seven for about $40 (It's about 3 inches long). A Japanese firm sells a plastic version for slightly less: Model Kits: Lotus Super Seven Series II Tamiya 1500 Cosworth Model Rectifier Corporation (Scale 1:24) Edison, New Jersey, USA 08817 Kit No. 2446A Lotus Super Seven Wills Finecast Sports Racing Car Lower Road, Forest Row (Scale 1:24) Sussex, RH18 5HE, UK Kit No. 007 There are presently three CDs of Prisoner music. Six of One is the "official" source for them, but you can obtain them through the publisher and elsewhere. They are imports, marketed by: Silva Screen Records Ltd, Silva House 261 Royal College Street London NW1 9LU, UK The catalog numbers (?) are "FILMCD042", "FILMCD084", "FILMCD126". Photos, badges, maps, postcards, and CD soundtracks are available through the Six of One shop located at the Hotel Portmeirion. Most of the items available from the Six of One shop are also available through mail order through: The Prisoner Mail Order Service 20 Barrs Street Langley Warley West Midlands B68 8QU UK Once Upon A Time has a number of Prisoner-related literary materials which it sells to non-members. For more information, contact them directly through the address above. Some items the U.S. viewers see as novel collectables (such as the telephones) are (or were) fairly common items in the U.K. and were not specific to _The Prisoner_. There was an adventure game during the late 70's for Atari and Apple computers, called "The Prisoner". It was made by "Edu-Ware", and was loosely based on the show. There is a _Prisoner_ sourcebook for the GURPS role-playing system by Steve Jackson Games. 10: What is that font? The font used in _The Prisoner_ is a modified version of "Albertus" (dots removed from "i" and "j", loop of "e" opened). Albertus was designed by Bethold Wolpe in 1932, and is available from Monotype in their "Value Pack no. 2" and "Monotype Classic Fonts". Call 1-800-MONOTYPE for more information. It is also one of the standard fonts on the CorelDraw 4 CDs, and it is a built-in printer font on the HP DeskJet 1200C (and presumably other DeskJets). Albertus is also available in from Image Club Graphics, Inc. (see Personal Publishing magazine). The cost is $75 for 3 styles: normal, bold, and black. Postscript format. Suite 5, 1902 11th Street SE, Calgary AB Canada T2G 3G2; 403-262-8008. There are two freeware Albertus derivatives, both of which have been modified Prisoner-style. One is by Glenn Fleishman and is called "Furioso"; the other is by Mark Heiman and is called "Village". Both are available via anonymous FTP from dworkin.wustl.edu:/dist/prisoner. 11: What shows/music/movies refer to _The Prisoner_? The creator and writers of the television series "Babylon 5" are Prisoner fans, and many episodes contain direct or indirect references to _The Prisoner_. The CD single "The Prisoner" by F.A.B. ("featuring M.C. No. 6"). From Telstar records, serial number TCD2430. The album "Prisoner" by David Shea contains samples from the series throughout. Mark Burgess, originally of The Chameleons, then of The Sun and the Moon, and presently of Mark Burgess and the Sons of God, is a big fan. Consequently, Prisoner references have crept into several songs. The (rare) album "Tony Fletcher Walked on Water" by The Chameleons includes a song called "Free for All". The first album of The Sun and the Moon (self-titled) and their album "Alive; Not Dead" include sound bites. The album "Digital Dump" by The Jack Officers (1990 Rough Trade) has a song called "#6" with sound samples from the series. The album "The Prisoner" by Howard Jones (1989); also included a song called "The Portmeirion Mix". [Can anyone confirm this?] Music video "See Those Eyes" by Altered Images was filmed in Portmeirion and features prisoner costumes, Rover, etc. The song "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape" by The Times. This group also has songs called "The Chimes of Big Ben" and "Danger Man Theme". (Good luck finding these. As a last resort, try writing to Creation Records, 83 Clerkenwell Rd., London EC1, UK) The songs "Back in the Village" (on the album "Powerslave") and "The Prisoner" (on the album "The Number of the Beast"), both by Iron Maiden. The song "Big Science" (on album of same name) by Laurie Anderson includes lyrics from "Secret Agent". "Information" by Toenut, on a 7" single put out by Half-baked Records. Write to 1309 Stillwood Dr., Atlanta, GA 30306, or contact Toenut directly at toenut@mathcs.emory.edu. A Siouxsie and the Banshees video clip for their cover of "Passenger" is entirely based on _The Prisoner_. The song "Just Give 'Em Whiskey" (on the 1985 album of the same name) by Colourbox includes clips from the series. The Clash have released a song called "The Prisoner" on the B side of "White Man in Hammersmith Palais" (1978). 12: In what shows and movies has Patrick McGoohan appeared? (Random trivia: McGoohan was offered the original role of James Bond before Sean Connery was.) Films: The Dam Busters 1954 The Dark Avenger (aka "The Warrior") 1955 Passage Home 1954 (McGoohan's first film role) I Am a Camera 1955 Zarak 1956 High Tide at Noon 1956 Hell Drivers 1958 The Gypsy and the Gentleman 1958 Nor the Moon by Night (aka "Elephant Gun") 1958 All Night Long 1961 Two Living, One Dead 1961 Life for Ruth (aka "Walk in the Shadow") 1962 The Three Lives of Thomasina 1963 Dr.Syn, Alias the Scarecrow 1963 The Quare Fellow 1962 Ice Station Zebra 1967 The Moonshine War 1970 Mary Queen of Scots 1971 The Genius (aka "Un Genio, Due Compari e Un Pollo") 1975 Silver Streak 1976 Trespasses (aka "Finding Katie") 1983 Brass Target 1979 Escape from Alcatraz 1979 Scanners 1980 Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend 1985 Kings and Desperate Men 1978 TV movies: Koroshi 1966 The Man in the Iron Mask 1976 The Hard Way 1980 Three Sovereigns for Sarah 1985 Jamaica Inn 1982 Of Pure Blood 1986 TV Series: Secret Agent (aka "Danger Man") The Prisoner Rafferty (1977) Other Series: Appeared in at least 3 episodes of Columbo: "By Dawn's Early Light" (1974; won an Emmy) "Identity Crisis" (1975; McGoohan plays a spy) "Agenda for Murder" (1989/1990; won an Emmy) (also directed "Last Salute to the Commodore") Appeared in an episode of Murder She Wrote Hosted TV movie Trilogy of Terror The Vise (1953), episode "Gift from Heaven" You are There (1954), episode "The Fall of Parnell" The Makepeace Sage (1956), episode "Ruthless Destiny" Armchair Theater (1964), play "The Man Out There" Play of the Week (1964), play "Sargent Musgrave's Dance" TV Plays: All My Sons 1955 Disturbance 1957 The Little World 1957 The Third Miracle 1957 Rest in Violence 1958 This Day in Fear 1958 The Iron Harp 1959 Terminus Number One 1959 Brand 1959 The Greatest Man in the World 1959 The Big Knife 1959 A Dead Secret 1961 The Prisoner 1962 (NOT related to the later series!) Shadow of a Pale Horse 1962 Theater: PM has acted a great deal in theater. Some outstanding examples of his work are: Serious Charge (Garrick Theatre, London, 1954) Moby Dick (Orson Welles's production, 1955) Brand (Lyric Opera House, Hammersmith, 1959) 13: Do we ever find out... ...the name of the big white ball? ...the Prisoner's real name? ...where the Village is located? ...whether the Prisoner escapes? ...who is Number One? ...which side runs the Village? Yes, no, in the Village, questions are a burden, you are Number Six, and that would be telling, respectively. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- _________ | | _o_ _| ___=___ |_ _o_ /`-'\( ) ( )/`-'\ | |-| ___@___ |-| | | | | (-+-+-+-) | | | | |--\_KAR120C_/--| | `---' `---' (Thanks to Flemming Larsen for the Lotus picture) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- o ooooooo oooo$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ ooo$$$$$$$$$$""$$"$""o$o$"" oo$$$$$$$"$"$o$$oo$$$$$$$$$"" oo$$$$$$""o$oo$$$$"o$"$$"$ oo$$$$$$$""o$$$$" " "$oo" o$$$$$$$oo$o$$"" $ o$$$$""$o$$$$ $$ $$"o$$$$" $$ "$""$ o ooo$$ooo "o $ $$$$$$$$$"" " $" " " o "o ""$$"o o" " o "o o"$ $ o o o$"" " " "o o"o o " $ " o$$$$$$$$$oo "o """ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$o o $$ $$$$$$" $$$$$$ o" o$$$$$" o " o"o "$$$$$oo$$$$$$oo " $ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ " $ " "$$$$$$" "$$$$$$ " o " "$$$$$$ $$$$$$ " $ " $$$$$$ $$$$$$ " o " $o " "$$$$$$ooo$$$$$$ " " $ " " "$$$$$$$$$$"" " " $ " " """"""" " " o$ " " o" " " "o o o " "o o " " o o o " " o o o o o " (Thanks to Jason Lee Smith for the Penny Farthing picture) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CREDITS ------- Keith G. Barrett <ponds!aminet!barrett@concert.net> wrote the original FAQ, and much of the material here is his work. The following people have made significant contributions to this document: Christopher Cook <chrisc@dircon.co.uk> Flemming Larsen <flarsen@uclink.berkeley.edu> Angus Marshall <mcramm@dct.ac.uk> mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk> Other contributors include: James Amundson <amundson@yukawa.uchicago.edu> Keith A Baird <adkab@utxdp.dp.utexas.edu> Cindy Bell <ST911598@pip.cc.brandeis.edu> Chris Bergstresser <cbergstr@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> Jean-Marc F. Blanchard <blanchar@mail.sas.upenn.edu> Jesse Carliner <jesse@emptor.sbi.com> Gio Ciampa <gio@wcl.bham.ac.uk> S.D. Cox <Skip.Cox@bristol.ac.uk> didier <70202.57@compuserve.com> Peter Dunn <puapjd@admin.warwick.ac.uk> Geoff G. <gig@homer.dsto.gov.au> Glenn Fleishman <fleglei@hebron.connected.com> Rob Jenson <rob@magic.dml.georgetown.edu> Michael Johnston <ambrose@mercury.interpath.net> Mark Heiman <mheiman@carleton.edu> Alasdair Howat <Alasdair@howat.demon.co.uk> Yoav Gershon <ygershon@ucdavis.edu> Gilles Goullet <Gilles.Goullet@iacorp.fr> Steve Gutteridge <steve@bramber.demon.co.uk> Mark F. Heiman <mheiman@carleton.edu> Oliver King <king@math.berkeley.edu> Mike Khaw <khaw@parcplace.com> F.W. Laughton <F.W.Laughton@newcastle.ac.uk> Malcolm Lee <mlee@micrognosis.co.uk> Peter J.M. Lucas <pjml@swmis.nsw.ac.uk> David Moisan <moisan@bronze.lcs.mit.edu> Granville Moore <gvm@nemesys.com> John 'Cheshire' Parker <parker@cs.curtin.edu.au> J.J. Pierson <macleod@ritz.mordor.com> Kjell Post <kjell@cse.ucsc.edu> Nick Rayne <nickr@hpwin062.uksr.hp.com> Liam Relihan <relihanl@ul.ie> Scott Rogers <srogers@sdf.lonestar.org> Rosemary6 <rosemary6@aol.com> Stephen Rushe <u9348913@qub.ac.uk> Mike Shawaluk <Mike.Shawaluk@meipws.mis.mei.com> Bill Shorter <bill@aloft.att.com> Ed Wakabayashi <zorg@alois.icon.palo-alto.med.va.gov> Juergen Weinelt <rzuw039@sun.rz.uni-wuerzburg.de> PierceT WetterIII <PierceT_WetterIII@qmgate.radius.com> Curt Wiederhoeft <curtw@euler.jsc.nasa.gov> Trevor Wright <yc23@gec-mrc.co.uk> User Contributions:Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic:
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