[net.movies] strange old movie w/ \"PINK BUBBLE\"

carnellp@usrcv1.DEC (02/14/86)

	This was not a movie but a short lived TV series called "The Prisoner".
It stared Patrick MacGougan as a British Secret Service agent that tries to 
resign only to be kidnapped and taken to the "Village". He is given the number
6 and told only that he may not leave. There was a different No. 1 each week,
each trying some complex scheme to get No. 6 to tell them why he wanted to quit
the service. The show never explained who was running the place or why No. 6
had been brought there. In the last show of the series, No. 6 was promoted to
No. 1 and that was the end.

	The show ran for two seasons and was generally thought to be the sequel
to "Secret Agent" (which also stared MacGougan and featured most of the same 
writers and directors). Since it ran for less than 3 years it is seldom seen
in syndication, although I did hear of a resent run on PBS in the Boston area.
I have also heard, but not yet seen, that some of the episodes have been 
released on video tape.

	BTW - the big Pink Bubble of which you speak had a name, but for the
life of me I can not remember it. I do remember that it was always refered to
as if it were a person and not a machine.

Paul Carnell
Digital Equipment Corp.
Syracuse, NY

"In the end, my opinions 
 are the only thing I may 
 truly call my own. 
 Let's keep it that way!"

imd@ihlpl.UUCP (Ira M. Dworkin ) (02/15/86)

In article carnellp@usrcv1.DEC <1133@decwrl.DEC.COM> writes:

>
>	This was not a movie but a short lived TV series called "The Prisoner".
>It stared Patrick MacGougan as a British Secret Service agent that tries to 
>resign only to be kidnapped and taken to the "Village". He is given the number
>6 and told only that he may not leave. There was a different No. 1 each week,
>each trying some complex scheme to get No. 6 to tell them why he wanted to quit
>the service. The show never explained who was running the place or why No. 6
>had been brought there. In the last show of the series, No. 6 was promoted to

You weren't watching closely enough.  The show *DOES* explain why No. 6 was
brought there.  In the beginning of each show, as a matter of fact, they
replay the sequence of events that brought him there:
1)  McGoohan, one of their top agents, resigns
2)  They can't figure out why he resigned (naah, he couldn't have 
resigned, he must be working for the other side)
3)  Since he is obviously (they think) working for the other side, they have to
find out what he knows.  
4)  They take him to the island to force the real reason for resigning 
out of him.

>
>	The show ran for two seasons and was generally thought to be the sequel
>to "Secret Agent" (which also stared MacGougan and featured most of the same 
>writers and directors). Since it ran for less than 3 years it is seldom seen
>in syndication, although I did hear of a resent run on PBS in the Boston area.

Actually, it is shown relatively often on various PBS stations, and 
is available on video.

By the way, if you get a chance *watch this show*!  It really is good, once
you get the jist of what's going on -- you gotta think a little.

Ira Dworkin
AT&T Bell Labs
Naperville, IL
ihnp4!ihlpl!imd

MW9@PSUVM.BITNET (02/18/86)

In article <1133@decwrl.DEC.COM>, carnellp@dec-usrcv1.UUCP says:
>
>       This was not a movie but a short lived TV series called "The Prisoner".
>It stared Patrick MacGougan as a British Secret Service agent that tries to
>resign only to be kidnapped and taken to the "Village". He is given the number
>6 and told only that he may not leave. There was a different No. 1 each week,
>each trying some complex scheme to get No. 6 to tell them why he wanted to quit
Sorry, but No. 1 was never known for the length of the series (19 episodes, not
14 as someone earlier said), but it was the no. 2's who kept changing.
     
> . . . In the last show of the series, No. 6 was promoted to
>No. 1 and that was the end.
     
Oh, brother, not only do you spoil the entire series for anyone who hasn't
seen it, but you get it wrong!!!!    Get some courtesy.
     
>       The show ran for two seasons and was generally thought to be the sequel
>to "Secret Agent" (which also stared MacGougan and featured most of the same
>writers and directors).
>in syndication, although I did hear of a resent run on PBS in the Boston area.
Not thought to be, was.  Definately.
     
>        BTW - the big Pink Bubble of which you speak had a name, but for the
>life of me I can not remember it. I do remember that it was always refered to
>as if it were a person and not a machine.
     
It was a thing, really.  I always thought of him as living.  And his name
was...   Rover!   (Yes, really.)
This is one of my favorite series and hope it comes to Philly
PBS again soon.  Has anyone seen Secret Agent Man?  Philly was
supposed to air it, but it never got around to it.
     
Be seeing you...
     
-------
     
Michael S. Weiss
The Pennsylvania State University
MW9@PSUVM.BITNET
     
<* The opinions expressed by me do not reflect those held  *>
<* by my school nor those of my employer.  (If I had one.) *>