Customer Reviews

The Saint in Palm Springs / The Saint Meets the Tiger [VHS]

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE SAINT IN PALM SPRINGS is a 1941 movie about the attempted theft of three rare postage stamps. George Sanders returns in the role of Simon Templar. The cast includes Wendy Barrie, Paul Guifoyle and Jonathan Hale.

In THE SAINT MEETS THE TIGER Simon Templar chased after some violent gold smugglers. The film was bought by Republic Pictures from RKO RADIO PICTURES and released in 1943. Hugh Sinclair had the role of Simon Templar. Also included in the cast were Jean Gillie and Gordon McLeod.

"The Saint in Palm Springs" was the last Saint movie with George Saunders in the role. He made an excellent job of the Saint, and in this movie was at his witty and urbane best. Three valuable postage stamps and a series of mysteries are at the heart of this story, which reunites the Saint with his old henchman "Pearly" Gates. A series of clever tactics keeps the Saint leap frogging the bad guys, sometimes a step behind them, sometimes a step ahead, and as always with a beautiful woman or two involved.

"The Saint Meets the Tiger" was the first of the Saint books, but appeared rather late in the series of movies. The Saint is following the trail of a million pounds sterling of gold stolen from a Bristol bank by a gang headed by "the Tiger", a criminal mastermind. Hugh Sinclair, who doesn't much look the part initially, grows on you as the Saint with his witty and confident performance. His sidekick, Horace, has been transformed from a rough retired seaman to a dapper butler. The story isn't, or course, exactly the plot of the book, but it is close enough to give you fond reminiscences of the book. The cast is very similar in most respects to the main characters in the book. One of the main differences is that the identity of the Tiger is revealed quite early in the movie, and that revelation is virtually the last event in the book.

Some of the action scenes are a bit simplistic, to the point of virtually being bungled. Yet the charm of the dialog and the heroes overcomes those deficiencies. If you like these classic old mysteries, you can do a lot worse than "The Saint Meets the Tiger".