Written by / 6/23/2023 / No comments / , , , , , , , , , ,

OLIVER REED DOUBLE FEATURE ON 'THE SAINT' WITH ROGER MOORE

Oliver Reed on two 1963 episodes of THE SAINT starring Roger Moore

In his early troubled-youth pictures THE SYSTEM and THE PARTY'S OVER, British actor Oliver Reed gave his future roles away with imitations that are, in those cases, poking fun of either Americans or the typical cinematic Gangster...

The latter being used in the episode SOPHIA where Roger Moore's THE SAINT finds himself in rural Greece where the episode's titular character (played by a gorgeous Imogen Hassall)... the daughter of a stubborn, old-fashioned pub owner... is anticipating her supposedly rich New Yorker cousin...

Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA
And in that, Reed's Aristides Koralis, with a voice like a Bogart-era heavy, is about as dramatic as his name; and with the usual wide, menacing eyes, he's pretty frightening...

But eventually realizes the meager village, that he initially looked down upon as he plans to snag a treasure recently discovered by an anthropologist, is tougher than he thinks, making this role not only his usual smug and hardened but frightened, vulnerable, cagey...
Score for The Saint: KING OF THE BEGGARS: ****1/2 and for SOPHIA ****
The prior episode, KING OF THE BEGGARS, has Reed as a thug for an operation much like a side-character in the Film Noir classic NIGHT AND THE CITY as here, an Italian city's homeless population are being used by a syndicate to gather all money begged into a big pot where they get half share: A sort of Bum's union.

Before Reed discovers his CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF co-star Yvonne Romain is a stage actress pretending to be a bum in order to get into character for the night's show, he's taken Roger Moore's THE SAINT Simon Templar, who's pretending to be a blind beggar, into the gang's mysterious clutches...
Oliver Reed ruling the episode SOPHIA as a gun-wielding gangster
This episode provides Moore a terrific performance as he investigates the scam that Reed (using an Italian accent this time) protects, often at gunpoint, and herein both Moore and Reed, who was also considered to replace Sean Connery as James Bond, work really good against each other...

And while KING OF THE BEGGARS is a superior episode, building not only suspense but overall mystery of who and what's exactly behind everything, Reed is merely a cog in the wheel while in SOPHIA he drives the whole machine.
Oliver Reed guest stars early in his career on THE SAINT
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT: KING OF THE BEGGARS with Roger Moore
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT: KING OF THE BEGGARS with Roger Moor
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT: KING OF THE BEGGARS
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT: KING OF THE BEGGARS with Jessie Robins
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT: KING OF THE BEGGARS with Roger Moore
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT: KING OF THE BEGGARS with Roger Moore
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT with Jessie Robins, Yvonne Romain and Maxine Audley
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA  with Hal Galili
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA
THE SAINT episode SOPHIA with Imogen Hassall and Tommy Duggan
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA starring Roger Moore
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA with Imogen Hassall
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA starring Roger Moore
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA
THE SAINT episode SOPHIA with Imogen Hassall and Tommy Duggan
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA starring Roger Moore
Oliver Reed and Roger Moore on THE SAINT episode SOPHIA
Oliver Reed and Roger Moore on THE SAINT
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA starring Roger Moore
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT: KING OF THE BEGGARS with Yvonne Romain
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT: KING OF THE BEGGARS with Yvonne Romain
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT: KING OF THE BEGGARS with Jessie Robins
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT: KING OF THE BEGGARS with Roger Moore
Oliver Reed on THE SAINT
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA with Imogen Hassall and Roger Moore
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA with Imogen Hassall and Roger Moore
Oliver Reed in THE SAINT episode SOPHIA with Roger Moore

Share This Post :
Tags : , , , , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

All Time Popular

Featured Post

ROBERT WAGNER IN THE OBSCURE GOLF PRO CURIO 'BANNING'

Robert Wagner in BANNING Year: 1967 Rating: **** The extremely elusive and rare BANNING is a 1967 film about former golf pro Robert Wagner a...

WWW.CULTFILMFREAKS.COM

WWW.CULTFILMFREAKS.COM
Movie Reviews, Interviews, Articles and Pop Culture from White Heat to Blue City

RIP ACTOR KEN HUTCHISON

TOTAL HITS

Popular Trending

FOUNDED BY JAMES M. TATE

FOUNDED BY JAMES M. TATE
RANDOM QUOTE: "I don't know what it is, but it's yoga." Elliott Gould, The Long Goodbye

FILM NOIR & NEO NOIR CRIME

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)OTLEY 2)HELL IS A CITY 3)ROBBERY 4)THE FEARMAKERS 5)CANYON PASSAGE 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)HOT CARS 8)JUNGLE STREET 9)THE CROWDED SKY 10)THE ROARING TWENTIES 11) ANATOMY OF A MURDER 12)SHARKS' TREASURE 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)THE SYSTEM 17)WHITE HEAT 18)AL CAPONE 19)HIDDEN FEAR 20)FALLEN ANGEL 21)NIGHT CREATURES 22)THE HEROIN BUSTERS 23)ASH WEDNESDAY 24)THE BREAK 25)AIR PATROL 26)THE STONE KILLER 27)EASY LIVING 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)FRENZY 30)THE MAN FROM LARAMIE 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)STANLEY BAKER 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)CHARLES BRONSON1)VIRGINIA MAYO 2)SUE LYON 3)GENE TIERNEY 4)MERRY ANDERS 5)FAYE DUNAWAY DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)STANLEY KUBRICK 4)ORSON WELLES 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)JOHN LANDIS 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)VAL GUEST 9)JOHN CARPENTER 10)MICHAEL WINNER

BRITISH NEW WAVE CINEMA

RARITIES AND EXPLOITATION

HAMMER HORROR & THRILLER

Popular This Month

CHARLES BRONSON CINEMA

CINEMA OF DANA ANDREWS

WESTERN GENRE REVIEWS

PEAKING INTO THE SIXTIES

KICKING IN THE EIGHTIES

TALES AND REFLECTIONS

REVVING THE SEVENTIES

FOR HORROR MOVIE REVIEWS

Most Popular Last Year

RETURN TO THE HOMEPAGE