Cool I'll check it out now. Been wondering what you've been referencing for awhile.

I like to think that The Prisoner has finally escaped that creepy bubble thing.

Cats, I was up late cutting sound bites from my DVD box set of "The Prisoner", for a special audio cast I want to do on the series and on his role as Dr. Syn (a real person) in "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh".

It's incredible how McGoohan was able to not only challenge the legitimacy of gubment and war, but of gubment schooling, gubmet-run roads, gubment-run courts, and even the societies themselves that push for their ideals to be promulgated and enforced by gubment. He was remarkable.

And if you get a chance, buy a copy of "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh", because it's a TRUE anti-government film. Dr. Syn smuggles and steals back tax money taken from mhis neighbors to pay the king. His mask in it is very frightening, and his cackle is astounding.

Awesome stuff.

Can't wait to do the pod tomorrow!

tell me more about this DVD box set?

Invisible Man - Blind Justice 1958

www.archive.org/details/InvisibleMan-BlindJustice1958

Patrick McGoohan as John Drake

Great podcast Gard dude

I have to second what Ziggy says.  This is a great cast.  I would love to see more analysis of this kind, perhaps on movies such classic movies such as Dune, or the internationalist.

I wonder what the 2009 miniseries will be like.  It would be nice to think they would maintain the anti-statist message, but it seems these days TV shows or movies are limited to criticizing one party or the other (if that).  The larger, structural issues are never questioned.

http://www.amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner/

If you read the article I wrote which Gard published I said that I fear there will be an abscence of criticism which the original had about government & society.

I doubt the original would of if McGoohan hadn't had the weight & will which he did.

Ziggy,

Sorry I missed that (http://libertyconspiracy.com/prisoner_dead_amazing_patrick_mcgoohan_pass...).  I didn't mean to be repetitive of a point you had already made.  I agree with you, though.  I can' t imagine the miniseries will pack the same punch, but I'll check it out anyway (hope springs eternal).  I have to get caught up on the original series first, though.

Finally got a chance to watch it. What an awesome show. Too bad the Lotus 7 didn't make it into "Your Town."

This is absolutely awesome.  Great find!

Hey, Cats!

I'm really glad so many other people loved the show! Also, you have NO IDEA how psyched it made me to know that you liked the productions I put together. It was actually the kind of thing I would have loved to have done on video, and I wanted to make sure it was a pretty high-level production, so knowing that listeners thought it was valuable and holds up well really means a lot!

Be Seeing You!

Watching the series through the AMC website. Enjoying it quite a bit so far... well, aside from the understandibly hokey white balloon... gimmicky, but I can see how some people might like that. It's interesting how the show attracts people for different reasons, but it seems to be enjoyed most fully by people with an appreciation for liberty.

Awesome podcasts, too!

So is Number 2 on this forum a different person every time I log on?

Good question! A guest celebrity perhaps!?

Incidentally, with news of the remake, this recent post reveals some good comments and news:

Ian McKellen as Ron Paul as Number 2. XD

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/tv-hdtv-programming/273909-ian-mckel...

I think that #2 on this forum is site administrator.

About 15 years ago I worked at my first "real" job, in south-central Indiana.

A work acquaintence had me & my girlfriend at the time over to his house to watch "this really cool TV series" he knew we'd like. It was, of course, The Prisoner. On lasterdisc, of all things. We watched a marathon of about 10 episodes. I'd never seen it before. It was way cool.

I'm really glad you guys introduced me to this. I've been watching 1 episode per night since this post went up, and I just heard the podcast today. Awesome job Gard!!!

Thanks, Andrew!

It's a great series, isn't it? Wait 'till you get to the last two eps!

I've always wanted to visit Portmerion when I've been in the UK, but never got over. A lot of friends of mine live in Bath, so sometime... some time... I will be there at the Village and then I'll ESCAPE!

Make sure you cruise around in London in that little Lotus, then bring it back for me!

Bath is where that guy that played rumpole, and the best #2, died.

When I was in high school, I was a member of a chamber orchestra that played a room on the site of the Roman baths.  It was a really cool room, but the acoustics were very active, so the sound was echoing like crazy.

I've cruised around in London in a lotus not that model but it was open top

I have my folks watching it now. 'I need information' and 'who is number 2, you are number 6' they often quote to me. It's amusing.

This is inspired from a dream I had about the prisoner last night. I had to write it down before I forgot!

Number 2 invites the prisoner to leave on a 'vacation' because he looks tired and stressed out. Number 2 offers to him that he can go anywhere he wants in the world, and naturally he chooses London. During the helicoper ride, he is badgered by the pilot to give up details about his life, mostly asking about where he'd like to go and what he'd like to do, what kind of recreation he'd be into (since they're following up on the idea that maybe he wanted a vacation after all). They reach a landing pad, and the prisoner takes a taxi home and hopes to meet friends and family, who aren't around at first (by the doing of #2). Agents are conveniently placed along his seemingly free path of movement who try to coax information out of him, innocuously at first from the taxi driver and people on the street. After he tries meeting with friends but finds no one is around, he gets home and gets access to his car, and tries to meet with people of political influence that are not in his spy agency but familiar to him. One politician agrees to see him behind closed doors of his office, who demands harder proof of his story as he tries to expose the village. This is daunting to the prisoner, and he agrees to meet again at a later time. The helicopter pilot is now a limousine chauffeur, and surprises the prisoner by his appearance, and the prisoner looks for his car which is gone. He demands to know what happened to his car and the chauffeur says it was towed, but not to worry as 'your vacation is insured and we'll take care of it'. The prisoner is again assured that he is free to go where ever he wants and reluctantly plays along and accepts the limo ride. Since it's getting to be the afternoon, he tries his fiance's home and breaks in. Theres a party invitation and he reads that it's occuring that day. He decides to get dressed up for the occassion, and asks the chauffeur to take him to his home and to a store, and the chauffeur offers to pay for everything, which the prisoner refuses. The prisoner finishes shoppng at the tailor, escapes out a back service door in the store, and finds public transit. There's a brief check in with #2 by the chauffeur when they find he is missing, and #2 reassures him that everything is fine. He finally reaches the party, only to be told it's by invite. He pleads to know if his fiance is there, and to have her come to the lobby where he's waiting. She appears shocked and happy and he asks if there's a quiet place to talk. He speaks with her for a few minutes particularly about the village in a side room, and says he has a plan to prove its existence. Just then #2's agent appears from behind the door, nods while tipping his hat, and waits smiling. So the prisoner walks casually to him and says 'how was traffic, didn't take too long to find me I hope?'. Not too long the chauffeur replies and then says 'relax, this is your vacation, and I'm here to see that you get where you need to go', as a very chilling revelation to the prisoner and his fiance. The prisoner surprises the chauffeur with a punch to the gut and then quickly knocks him out cold, smashing up an end table and a vase in the process. He tells her to help him get the guy out of there, when the doormen see what's going on, the prisoner replies 'can't hold his liquor very well, sorry about the mess', and gives them a few notes. He dashes out to see the automobile waiting, and asks his fiance to drive to her place. Once there, the prisoner ties up the village agent and tries to extort information from him to prove what has happened to his fiancee. With a little pressure the agent gives in and explains everything. The fiance says 'I already believe you', much to the relief of the prisoner, and asks 'what do we do about it now? Why did you resign in the first place??' The prisoner says he cannot answer that now, then calls the political figure he spoke to earlier in the day, and they agree to meet the next day at his office. The prisoner then decides he needs to ditch the chauffeur, and his vehicle so he drives it to a ferry bound for France, and leaves a 'bon voyage' note, then gives the village salute, 'be seeing you... no more' with half a smile. His fiance follows them to the ferry, and they drive off together to a hotel in a small town. The next day he goes with her to the politician, but waiting for him there is #2, the chauffeur in a semi ragged state, a disgruntled looking politician, and the prisoner freezes as his fiance draws a gun and holds him up from behind, pushing him into the room, then she walks over to stand by #2. There's a look of shock on his face, and then #2 laughs and asks, 'would you like to tell me about your resignation?' Then his fiance shoots him and he blanks out. It's a tranquilizer shot. The next scene shows the fiance going back to her place while being monitored. #2 discusses with his agent as they watch a feed from her house. 'Transmission fed by coded broadcast' says #2. 'Yes', replies the agent, 'we can install cameras anywhere we need them now'... 'Do you think she suspects?' the agent asks, and #2 says, 'the hypnotic suggestion was a complete success, and even if she suspects, the point was to break his morale. Now that there is nothing for him to return to in his life, he may confide in us the reason of his resignation. We will get exactly what previous number two's could not!'.

And that's about how it ends. My dream mostly emphasized the theme that they were trying to reinforce very strongly that he couldn't escape the village wherever he went, even though he was 'free to go anywhere' on the entire planet. He chose to go home and find his fiance, and this was how they chose to manipulate him.

Anyhow, if you enjoyed this, then I guess it wasn't a waste of time to post it! I'm not much of a writer, and it was just a sketch of a dream, but critique is welcome. :P

I just finished listening to the 2nd podcast on The Prisoner during my run on Monday. Great couple of podcasts, Gard. And, thank you to Number 2 for posting the links for the shows available online. I think I know what is going on the playbill for the next rainy weekend TV marathon.

I'll have to see if watching the series reinforces the the question I have about Six on BSG. Is her model number & being one of the first cylons in the show to develop as an individual a coincidence?

Just watched the movie Silver Streak with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2582971161/

Patrick McGoohan plays a great villian.

I'm sad to report that the AMCtv.com website no longer has the original prisoner series available for streaming.