Well, just when I thought I was familiar with all of the British shows of the 60s and 70s, I come across a DVD set for a series called “The Persuaders.” Not only was I surprised that I had never heard of it, but I wondered how I could have missed a TV show that starred Roger Moore and Tony Curtis! It seems “The Persuaders!” was a one-season wonder that ran from 1971 – 1972 and, thanks to the charm of its two stars, became extremely popular. Fans were disappointed when it ended its run after only 24 episodes, due to the large budget the show required. (That, and the fact that it ran against “Mission” Impossible”) Sitting down to watch the “The Persuaders!”, I was immediately struck by the tongue-in-cheek nature of the series. Roger Moore (hot off “The Saint”) plays Lord Brett Sinclair, an English aristocrat who finds his elegant life a bit dull, while Tony Curtis is Danny Wilde, a self-made millionaire from the Bronx.

They are thrown together by a former judge (Laurence Naismith) who wants them to help take down criminals who ‘got away.’ The clash of personalities between the stuffy upper class Brit and the brash and arrogant American is priceless.

Of course the series almost didn’t make it off the ground. Creator Lew Grade (of ITC fame) originally had Rock Hudson in mind to play Wilde, and got into the habit of telling everyone that Moore had already committed. In fact, Moore wasn’t going to do the show because he was already tired of the rigor of doing a weekly series. Once Hudson was out, Grade turned to Tony Curtis, who jumped at the show. Grade then turned his attention back on Moore and told him he needed to do the show for Queen and country. Moore relented, and the team-up was set.

I really liked the “The Persuaders!”, not so much because it was necessarily a good show, but the banter between Moore and Curtis. They were constantly trying to one-up each other. Who had the faster car, who could pick up more ‘chicks’ and who had the better right cross. And as these actors are both hams, the self-indulgent nature of the series really leads me to believe they were this way off the set, as well.

The 4-disc Set 1 of “The Persuaders!” includes the first 13 episodes of the series, and A&E did a great restoration job. The video is extremely clean, and if it weren’t for the ‘mod’ clothes it almost looks as though the series was shot yesterday. There aren’t many extras, the main one being a commentary on the pilot episode. Moore joins producer Robert S. Baker and executive producer Johnny Goodman in a conversational look at that first episode. It’s not a bad commentary, but due the nature of the speakers, it is rather droll and quiet.

“The Persuaders!” is pretty light and frothy as far as cult British Television goes, but you really can’t beat the winning combination of Moore and Curtis. And my, oh my… dig that ascot!

Episodes:
Pilot
The Gold Napoleon
Take Seven
Greensleeves
Powerswitch
The Time and the Place
Someone Like Me
Anyone Can Play
The Old, The New and The Deadly
Angie…Angie
Chain of Events
That’s Me Over There
The Long Goodbye

Starring: Tony Curtis, Roger Moore, Laurence Naismith
Extras: Commentary by Roger Moore, Producer Robert S. Baker, and Executive on Charge of Production Johnny Goodman on the Pilot Episode “Overture”, Roger Moore and Tony Curtis Biographies, Photo Galleries
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: A&E
Release Date: 11/25/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: Nr
Website

We'll give The Persuaders a B.