Farewell to "The Saint" - Kandy Shepherd

Vale, Roger Moore. British actor Sir Roger Moore, died aged 89 yesterday, May 23. I felt sad at the news. Roger Moore played James Bond, Simon Templar “The Saint” and, earlier, medieval hero on horseback, Ivanhoe as well as starring in Maverick. 

Roger Moore was a favourite of mine, not just because of his acting skills or the roles he played, but because I found him incredibly handsome. I really like tall blond men. I fell in love with him on screen as Simon Templar, the suave, crime-solving adventurer who meted out his own idea of justice, hero of the 1960s English television series The Saint. The series was based on the best-selling novels of the same name by Lesley Charteris. The Saint was described as “romantic adventure”—no wonder I loved it!

Roger Moore

I first saw The Saint when I was a teenager. No videos in those days just black and white repeats on Australian day-time TV. The series already had a retro vibe by that stage but I stillI loved it. (The dancing scenes at cocktail parties are particularly cheesy!

Simon Templar was gorgeous, witty, laid back in the extreme, definitely a lady’s man and a bit of a rogue. Oh, and did I mention tall and blond. My ideal man, I thought! I liked Roger Moore as James Bond, but to me he was Simon Templar. (Daniel Craig is my favourite Bond.

First appearance as "The Saint" in the first episode The Talented Husband

 Fast forward twenty years to when I met my (tall, blond, handsome) husband. We soon established he was also a fan of The Saint. Yes, he liked Simon Templar and the overall retro coolness of the series. But most of all he liked Simon Templar’s sports car, the iconic Volvo P1800. While I was ogling Roger Moore as Simon Templar, hubby was ogling his car!

The other star of The Saint - the Volvo P1800

 Several years into our marriage, my husband managed to acquire an original, white P1800 for himself. It’s his pride and joy. My daughter and I tease him that he loves that car more than he loves us. He has to think about his reply!

My hubby's pride and joy

Husband has the boxed sets on DVD of all the series of The Saint. When we watch it together, he is looking for glimpses of the car. My eyes are still firmly trained on Roger Moore.

There are five series and we have them all

Were you a Roger Moore fan? Any favourite retro TV shows or movies? Have you ever fallen in love with a car? Are you a dark haired hero fan or like a blond hero—or even a redhead? I’d love to see your comments!