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 both Roger Moore and Tony Curtis! After all Moore ruled as “The Saint”, and I still love Curtis’ turn as “Houdini.” 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. (Well that, and the fact that it ran against “Mission Impossible.”) When I watched the first set of “The Persuaders!”, which came out last year, 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 second set of “The Persuaders!” hits the stores this month, and it includes the final 11 episodes of the series, and again 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. These final episodes are as fun as the first, but unfortunately there aren’t many extras. Actually there are less than on the first set, which had commentaries and the like. This time around we only have biographies and filmographies for the two stars.

“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:
The Man in the Middle
A Home of One’s Own
Five Miles to Midnight
Nuisance Value
The Morning After
Read and Destroy
The Ozerov Inheritance
A Death in the Family
To the Death, Baby
Someone Waiting
Element of Risk

Starring: Tony Curtis, Roger Moore, Laurence Naismith
Extras: Roger Moore and Tony Curtis Biographies and Filmographies
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: A&E
Release Date: 7/27/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give The Persuaders: Set 2 a B-.