Quite a lot of actors in this one and really good to see Simon Templar do more outdoor shots. Nanette Newman as lovely as ever and Fabia Drake as Aunt Hattie was absolutely delightful. Robert Brown, one of the baddies, not only starred in Bond films with Roger Moore but was in Ivanhoe with him in the 1950s. They must have been friends as he is godfather to Roger Moores daughter. The fight scene between Roger Moore and Robert Brown was pretty good and quite energetic! This episode was also directed by Roger which impressed me..he did a very good job. Although almost 60 years old, a few of the actors in this are alive and well in their 80s!
5 Reviews
The Miracle Tea Party
Prismark108 January 2023
The opening episode from series 3. Roger Moore has taken directorial duties. It has an espionage storyline. It also has Robert Brown, the actor who will play M in the later Moore, Bond movies.
The Saint comes into the aid of a nurse in distress. Geraldine McLeod (Nanette Newman) works as a civilian nurse in a naval base in Portland.
On a trip to London, A man she knew from the base is killed in a phone booth at Waterloo station. Geraldine was in the next booth and the man had planted a carton of Miracle Tea in her handbag.
Simon Templar was also in a phone booth and he notices a broken vial where the man died.
Special Branch inform Templar that the dead man was an undercover agent as secrets were being leaked from the base. They want Templar to go to Portland and snoop about.
It is a story with codes, secret messages, miniature cameras in hidden compartments. The Saint gets Geraldine aunt as an accomplice to take pictures of people going in and out of a chemist.
Aunt Hattie has a long lens camera as she likes to take photographs of birds. I wonder if she has the book, Birds of the West Indies!
As director, Moore has gone for several action scenes. The stunt doubles must have been on overtime.
The Saint comes into the aid of a nurse in distress. Geraldine McLeod (Nanette Newman) works as a civilian nurse in a naval base in Portland.
On a trip to London, A man she knew from the base is killed in a phone booth at Waterloo station. Geraldine was in the next booth and the man had planted a carton of Miracle Tea in her handbag.
Simon Templar was also in a phone booth and he notices a broken vial where the man died.
Special Branch inform Templar that the dead man was an undercover agent as secrets were being leaked from the base. They want Templar to go to Portland and snoop about.
It is a story with codes, secret messages, miniature cameras in hidden compartments. The Saint gets Geraldine aunt as an accomplice to take pictures of people going in and out of a chemist.
Aunt Hattie has a long lens camera as she likes to take photographs of birds. I wonder if she has the book, Birds of the West Indies!
As director, Moore has gone for several action scenes. The stunt doubles must have been on overtime.
Solid start
Leofwine_draca25 March 2023
THE MIRACLE TEA PARTY is the first episode of the third series of the Roger Moore-starrer and it's a solid start for the show. It begins with the lovely Nanette Newman meeting a stranger who's quickly killed at a train station, and Templar also happens to be on the scene, leading him to investigate. What follows uncovers the usual minor conspiracy as our hero ends up tackling a criminal gang with murder in mind. The political aspect is well handled and there's a wealth of action to be enjoyed in the second half alongside some suspense; furthermore, Conrad Phillips, a veteran '50s star, has a prominent guest role.
The Saint Starts to Hit His Stride
aramis-112-80488029 August 2022
A man is killed in a phone booth under the eyes of a nurse (Nanette Newman). The Saint happens to be in another booth. Coming to the nurse's assistance, Simon Templar finds himself involved in a web of espionage and the difficult job of protecting the nurse's life.
And just what can a box of tea have to do with it?
Changes to the Charteris story are for the better this time. Charteris' yarn was even more based on coincidence than this is. Usually I hate the way the original stories get changed and softened but this version of the story makes more sense.
The first couple of series of The Saint were a bit stodgy, despite some impressive guest stars. The episodes were mostly carried through by Roger Moore's winsome personality.
As series 3 kicks off, Moore continues to be extremely likeable, as usual. But the settings are better and the whole series seems to be looser. A very enjoyable episode, and Nanette Newman (Mrs. Bryan Forbes), though she gives the same performance in everything she does, is ethereal lovely. Also in the cast is Robert Brown, whom Moore slipped in as M in the Bond movies after the untimely death of Bernard Lee.
Also of note is the always delightful Fabia Drake.
One of my favorite episodes.
And just what can a box of tea have to do with it?
Changes to the Charteris story are for the better this time. Charteris' yarn was even more based on coincidence than this is. Usually I hate the way the original stories get changed and softened but this version of the story makes more sense.
The first couple of series of The Saint were a bit stodgy, despite some impressive guest stars. The episodes were mostly carried through by Roger Moore's winsome personality.
As series 3 kicks off, Moore continues to be extremely likeable, as usual. But the settings are better and the whole series seems to be looser. A very enjoyable episode, and Nanette Newman (Mrs. Bryan Forbes), though she gives the same performance in everything she does, is ethereal lovely. Also in the cast is Robert Brown, whom Moore slipped in as M in the Bond movies after the untimely death of Bernard Lee.
Also of note is the always delightful Fabia Drake.
One of my favorite episodes.
An insipid brew from a superior source
wilvram5 December 2012
It became an increasingly regular lament of the Saint author and creator Leslie Charteris, that in the adaptation of his original material for this celebrated TV series, his quirky and unconventional plots were frequently dismantled and then hammered out into the mundane and commonplace. This version of one of his most entertaining stories suggests he had a good cause for his complaints.
Here, Paddy Manning O'Brine has filtered out all the abundant humour of the original, much of it concerning Templar's old adversary Claud Eustace Teal who played a major role in the story, but who is now omitted altogether. Also gone is another potentially funny scene, in which Templar, having temporarily incapacitated crooked chemist Osbett, proceeds to flog various goodies in the shop to customers for next to nothing. Instead we get a rather grim tale of espionage at a naval base, including a number of absurd coincidences and a punch-up every ten minutes or so. Roger Moore was the ideal Saint, but he's not quite at his assured best here. He also directed the piece and has a couple of his old pals in the cast; versatile Robert Brown, whom he was to successfully nominate as 'M' years later, is a thug, but Charles Houston is lumbered with one of the most hackneyed of B movie type roles, the nervous little guy who gets involved in criminal activity over his head and wants out. "I'm not taking it any more, I'm going to the police". He's developing a stomach ulcer so why doesn't he try some Miracle Tea, after all, it's supposed to be a cure all for that sort of thing, as well as providing a cover for passing secrets. And how such a master of the English language as Charteris must have winced at the profusion of O'Brine's trite and shop-worn dialogue. It does have its moments, including a well-staged and vicious looking closing fight scene between Robert Brown and Sir Roger and good performances from Fabia Drake and Patrick Westwood, but it could have been so much better, as many in the series were.
Here, Paddy Manning O'Brine has filtered out all the abundant humour of the original, much of it concerning Templar's old adversary Claud Eustace Teal who played a major role in the story, but who is now omitted altogether. Also gone is another potentially funny scene, in which Templar, having temporarily incapacitated crooked chemist Osbett, proceeds to flog various goodies in the shop to customers for next to nothing. Instead we get a rather grim tale of espionage at a naval base, including a number of absurd coincidences and a punch-up every ten minutes or so. Roger Moore was the ideal Saint, but he's not quite at his assured best here. He also directed the piece and has a couple of his old pals in the cast; versatile Robert Brown, whom he was to successfully nominate as 'M' years later, is a thug, but Charles Houston is lumbered with one of the most hackneyed of B movie type roles, the nervous little guy who gets involved in criminal activity over his head and wants out. "I'm not taking it any more, I'm going to the police". He's developing a stomach ulcer so why doesn't he try some Miracle Tea, after all, it's supposed to be a cure all for that sort of thing, as well as providing a cover for passing secrets. And how such a master of the English language as Charteris must have winced at the profusion of O'Brine's trite and shop-worn dialogue. It does have its moments, including a well-staged and vicious looking closing fight scene between Robert Brown and Sir Roger and good performances from Fabia Drake and Patrick Westwood, but it could have been so much better, as many in the series were.
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