Well, what better way to start off a review of the DVD Megaset release for the popular British Spy series “Secret Agent” than with an old fashioned sing-along? C’mon, you know the theme…. There's a man who leads a life of danger In everyone he meets he sees a stranger With every move he makes another chance he takes Odds are you won't live to see tomorrow Secret agent man Secret agent man They're giving you a number And taking away you're name Beware the pretty faces that you find A pretty face can hide an evil mind Be careful what you say you'll give yourself away Odds are you won't live to see tomorrow

Ahhh, that’s better. You know I can hardly ever even think of this show without having the theme song run through my head. I even used to have the ’45 of the Johnny Rivers hit. (By the way, for you young’ns, a ’45 was like a larger black CD that we old folks used to play on phonographs.)

“Secret Agent” was another one of those great British spy shows that were tremendously popular in the 60’s, and one that I watched all the time. Along with “The Avengers”, it was one of my favorites. The series started out life in 1960 as a half hour British show called “Danger Man.” Patrick McGoohan was John Drake, a security specialist working for NATO. The character became instantly popular in Britain, and McGoohan made sure he was unlike any other British spy out there. First of all, Drake never kissed a woman in the series as it was felt that it would promote promiscuity. And rarely did he ever use a gun. Once again the idea was not to promote the idea that violence was the answer to everything.

This was not to say the series was in any way boring. If anything, these two clauses helped the writers to become ever more creative with the plots and resolutions, making the series one of the best written at time. As the popularity of the series grew in Britain, American shores started calling. So “Danger Man” became the first spy drama to air on American televisions, when it aired on CBS in 1961.

The series ended after 39 episodes, but its end was short lived. In 1964, the series was brought back in a one-hour format. In Britain, the original title remained, but in America it became “Secret Agent.” There were a few changes, such as Drake now working for M9, which was a fictional branch of Her Majesty’s Secret Service. This later version of the show ran for two seasons before finally ending. McGoohan did end up filming two more episodes, which aired in 1968. These two, oddly enough ended up being in color!

A&E Home Video is releasing its second Megaset of the year, following on the heels of “The Saint” box set. It contains all 47 episodes of the hour-long version of “Secret Agent aka Danger Man”, including the two rarely seen color episodes. This set is huge, and I have no idea how anyone is going to fit it on their shelf!

All the episodes have been remastered, so the transfers look and sound really good, considering the show was produced in the 60’s. There are not a lot of extras, but taking into account that there are 13 discs to contend with and so many episodes, who’d have time to watch them? Even though, that is the only minor complaint I would have about the set. I loved watching the show as a kid, and would have liked to see some archival footage, or even some new interviews. Now I’m ready for them to release the original half-hour episodes.

Just to throw in a little trivia for you “Secret Agent” fans out there, did you know that Patrick McGoohan was the first choice to play James Bond? He turned it down and it went to that other guy… what was his name… uhhh Connery something. And there are fans of McGoohan’s other great series, “The Prisoner” who seem to think that Number 6 was actually Drake, and the series took up where “Secret Agent” left off. Of course no one has ever been able to prove that theory.

Excuse me now while I hum the theme to myself again as I sign off…. (“Secret Agent Man, Secret Agent Man… hmm hmm hmmm hmm”)

Episodes:
The Battle of the Cameras
A Room in the Basement
Fair Exchange
Fish on the Hook
No Marks for Servility
Yesterday’s Enemies
The Professionals
A Date With Doris
The Mirror's New
Colony Three
It's Up To The Lady
Whatever Happened To George Foster?
The Galloping Major
The Colonel's Daughter
That's Two Of Us Sorry
Such Men Are Dangerous
A Man To Be Trusted
An Affair At Castelevara
Don’t Nail Him Yet
The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove
Have A Glass Of Wine
You Are Not In Any Trouble, Are You?
Sting In The Tail
The Black Book
English Lady Takes Lodgers
Loyalty Always Pays
Are You Going To Be More Permanent?
Parallel Lines Sometimes Meet
A Very Dangerous Game
The Mercenaries
The Outcast
Judgement Day
To Our Best Friend
Say It With Flowers
The Man On The Beach
The Man Who Wouldn't Talk
Someone Is Liable To Get Hurt
Dangerous Secret
I Can Only Offer You Sherry
The Hunting Party
Two Birds With One Bullet
I Am Afraid You Have The Wrong Number
The Man With The Foot
The Paper Chase
Not So Jolly Roger
Koroshi
Shinda Shima

Starring: Patrick McGoohan
Extras: Patrick McGoohan Biography and Filmography, Complete Full Length Original U.S. Opening Featuring Secret Agent Man Sung By Johnny Rivers, Photo Gallery
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: A&E Home Video
Release Date: 8/26/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Secret Agent Man Megaset a B+.