Memoirs of a middle aged Sir Roger Moore fan
By Claire Steed aged 43 and 3/4

I have been a fan of Sir Roger Moore since I was little, and I have been invited by Ffolkes, to share my memories of my lifelong [well, up to present day anyway] admiration of Sir Roger for your deliberation on this very impressive and may I say, very informative website. Are you sitting comfortably? have you a cup of whatever beverage you fancy close by? all tucked in nice and warm? OK then - here goes:-

I remember back to the mid-sixties I think it was, when "The Saint" burst onto our TV screens here in England. I must have been around five or six years old back then [it's so long ago now I really can't remember] and after the first episode arrived I was a fan, although at that tender age I had no idea I was a 'fan' or indeed what the word 'fan' meant. Anyway I just knew Sir Roger was lovely then [as he is now] and I've been a fan ever since. I'm now in my mid forties and happy to still be able to follow his career and his works for UNICEF and other charities [does this man ever rest?]
Although I have never met, nor am I ever likely to meet Sir Roger I, like many of his fans enjoy his work and hearing what he is up to these days. In fact, thinking back to those early days I may have even seen re-runs of "Ivanhoe" but as I didn't make my appearance into this world until late 1959 this is by no means certain! My mum was [and still is] heavily into swashbuckling, and as a child I was wheeled out in front of the telly to see Errol Flynn et al swashing and buckling all over the place - so it's entirely possible that I saw Sir Roger before I was even old enough to know who he was if you see what I mean.
I have to digress a little here [well I don't have to but I'd like to] - one of the episodes of "The Saint" which I do remember very well was "The Helpful Pirate" in which the ever brilliant Vladek Sheybal played the 'baddie of the week' - Nikita Roskin. Vladek was one of those very under-rated actors who gave so much in the roles he played, remember those incredible eyes and that hauntingly beautiful voice - delicious! He was one of Poland's [and the rest of the world's] finest character actors, and one who is very sorely missed.
Ah well, back to the story - of course, once "The Saint" ended that was it for me for a few years until the arrival of a film in the very early seventies called "The Man Who Haunted Himself" - I think it was shown in 1971 here on English TV. Because of the content it was shown here at a time when really I should have been in bed as I had now reached the heady heights of the age of 11.

I remember being very upset to say the very least when my parents refused to let me stay up and watch it. I mean how could they? They knew I liked Sir Roger - this was just torture.
"But mum, its got Roger Moore in it" I said in my best whiny teenager voice, hoping the mere mention of Sir Roger's name would make any difference, sadly at this particular moment it didn't.
"No!"
"But mum!"
"No I said, now got to bed."
"Bu..." I said looking at my dad for help. No joy there as he sided with mum.
"No!"
"Why?"
"It's a school day tomorrow."
"Pleeeeaaasse?"
Pleading and whining got me no-where, I even tried sulking but to no avail, I think I may even have cried - and then something wonderful happened.
"Will you promise not to be tired in the morning?"
"Yes, oh yes mum" I said nodding my head furiously.
"No tantrums because you're tired?"
"Oh no mum, honest."
And that was how I got to see this very impressive film.
You know sometimes I wonder if my parents were going to let me see it all the time because Sir Roger was in it [and yes they knew how much I liked him], but just decided to have a bit of fun at my expense bless 'em - but it suddenly didn't matter because there I was, up late, and the film was on - bliss!
Needless to say, the following morning I was up bright and early and school was a breeze. I was happy just replaying the picture in my head from the previous night - well, I had promised not to be grumpy, and how could I have been grumpy thinking of Sir Roger?
Ever since I saw the film back in 1971, it has remained a favourite of mine. Whether it was because I literally had to jump through a few hoops to get to see it - or whether it was because I saw it just before I went to bed, I don't know. I can remember Sir Roger in it and even at that young age felt the emotion he put into that role. It was a blisteringly good performance though - playing a man going from a self assured and rather cocky businessman who seems to have everything, to a neurotic and insecure wreck of a man on the verge of losing everything... even his sanity.

It is a staggering performance and it's a great, great film and I loved the way the ending was done [and I won't spoil it here for anyone who hasn't seen it yet].
The music in this film was haunting too and I have now managed to track it down [after a lot of hunting]. It was composed and directed by Michael J. Lewis - who incidentally also scored the films: "North Sea Hijack" aka "Ffolkes" and "The Naked Face" - both really great films starring Sir Roger [my apologies for if you already know this - you see I have a talent for stating the obvious].
If you have the chance to get this film, don't hang around. You will be in for a real treat, especially if you are able to get it on DVD as Sir Roger and Bryan Forbes [who has directed Sir Roger in other films, one of which is "The Naked Face" as well as being a great friend] provide an audio commentary over another showing of the film and it is fascinating to listen to. As I said earlier, this is a film which has stayed in my mind [as classic films do] ever since I first saw it in 1971 - a great, great film which has never lost it's impact or appeal [for me anyway] in the 33 years since I first saw it and there's not many films you can say that about.
Hot on the heels of this film came the TV series "The Persuaders" and the deliciously handsome Lord Brett Sinclair. You know I was just enthralled by this character and the way Sir Roger played him, a little like The Saint but with longer hair. Everything about this show screamed classic - the writing was great, and those hilarious one liners. Ad-libs were provided by both Sir Roger [and the just as great] actor Tony Curtis. If it has been said before that no-one can imagine anyone but Sir Roger playing Brett then no-one else could have played Danny but Tony Curtis!
The show was amazingly good with two exceptionally fine actors and very handsome men to boot, tight storylines, great locations and sensational writing. Sadly, they don't make series anywhere near as good as this today. I remember reading somewhere that if the series had gone into a second run then Sir Roger either wasn't available or didn't want to do another run and so another actor was lined up to take over as Brett. I was horrified, as to me Sir Roger was Brett [as he is every other character he has ever played] in my opinion, he makes every character his own.
I'm now in 1973 and I'm officially a teenager [shock... horror] - it is my thirteenth birthday and my dad surprised me, and the rest of the family, by bringing home tickets to see "Live and Let Die" at the Odeon in Liverpool, to say I was beside myself was an understatement. We were all going to the pictures and we were going to see Sir Roger on the big screen - yay!

For once in my life [or so I am told] I was quiet all through the film. We had great seats in the front row of the upper circle and so had an uninterrupted view of the screen. Imagine if you will, seeing Sir Roger on the big screen when you are a smallish teenager of 13 and you'll get the picture [pardon the pun].
I remember the theme song too, performed by Wings and Paul McCartney and I was quite happily singing it all the way home on the bus to choruses of: "Will you be quiet" [from the family] - but it was a great night. It was sad when it was over and but I immediately wanted to go and see it again, but couldn't because I wasn't old enough to go in again on my own. For the rest of the family it was just a night out at the pictures but for me it was the best night of my young life back then.
Sadly my dad is no longer with us but thanks again dad for a great surprise.
Thinking about it now, that was the only Sir Roger film I ever saw on the big screen, and for the next few years had to content myself with TV re-runs of "The Saint" and "The Persuaders".
Sometimes the TV stations would show "Gold" and some of the James Bond films. They used to have the rights to show them a couple of years after they'd been on at the cinema. Wasn't Sir Roger the best ever Bond? [I only ever watched one of the other Bonds, starring that other guy [with apologies to Sean Connery] because it had Vladek Sheybal in it, again as the villain, this time as Kronsteen and the film of course was "From Russia With Love"].
I loved Sir Roger as Bond [no surprises there then] he played him wonderfully well. Tongue always firmly in his cheek as it were. No doubt about it for me anyway, those seven films featuring Sir Roger were, in my opinion, the best Bond!
Anyway, going back in time to the 'dim and distant past' to those 'good old' days when we didn't have videos [sigh] - we were always at the mercy of the TV stations and what they chose to show [which was always and without fail what you didn't want to see]. I made up for the lack of anything with Sir Roger in it by having photographs of him up on my bedroom wall [those were the days] and getting annuals and paperback books from the shows of "The Saint" and "The Persuaders" every year for Christmas until I had them all.
This lacklustre state of affairs carried on until I left home at 21 to get married - not as you may imagine to a "Saint" or a "Persuader." Now though, being considered by some to be 'grown up' didn't have any pictures of Sir Roger anywhere in the new home but I still adored him and watched his films whenever I could. All the annuals, books and pictures, so lovingly collected over the years stayed at the family home in Liverpool for some reason. They were finally thrown out I suppose by someone who shall remain nameless, who simply assumed I didn't need my collection anymore.

To this day I am still collecting the things I foolishly left behind and I'm now spending an absolute fortune in the process [as many people of my generation are also doing] of buying them all back again. I am of course, thankful for the advent of VHS and now DVD and can watch his films whenever I wish.
I'm now on my second marriage and hubby number 2 is happy to watch 'Saintly' episodes and I can 'Persuade' him to watch Sir Roger with hardly any trouble at all as he absolutely loves "The Saint" [he says it's real boys own stuff] - I must explain that hubby number 2 is ten years younger than I am and whilst I'd like to say he's a toy boy - he isn't.
I can't afford to keep one but I digress. As hubby number 2 is younger he says he has never seen "The Saint" [I know, it's beyond belief really- but there you are].
Of course, I'm not complaining as I get to watch all of Sir Roger's appearances over and over in "The Saint" and as James Bond and as Lord Brett Sinclair in "The Persuaders."
I'm also slipping in a few other films when hubby number 2 doesn't notice and so far we've seen "Bed and Breakfast" [delicious, and why can't I be on that beach when Sir Roger washes up on it? - yes I know it isn't in the script, it was a rhetorical question]. Then there is "Bullseye" [with Sir Michael Caine and Sir Roger's daughter Deborah], and I loved the end where Deborah's character finds out... well so as not to spoil it for those of you who haven't seen the film yet I will just say Sir Roger turns to camera [almost at the end of the film] and delivers a great line. Anyway, this film is a riot - imagine Sir Roger and Sir Michael riding around Scotland on a motorcycle wearing kilts and you'll get the idea - you must see it.
I watched "Cannonball Run" for the umpteenth time today. That was such a funny film, notably for me for Sir Roger sending up the character of Bond by playing a 'spy' obsessed with being Roger Moore. I always remember this film for the out-takes at the end. Sir Roger forgets his line, goes cross eyed and is bleeped - surprisingly. It's a very funny film and just great to watch if you need a pick me up. If the sight of Dom DeLuise getting the giggles [which is often] doesn't reduce to you to helpless fits of the giggles yourself then you really are in a bad way, it is so funny. Sir Roger is also seen at the crowd scene at the end laughing like a drain when the camera is still running over a few more out-takes between Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise and it is a scream, it really is.
I watched my best ever film at the weekend, of course "Live and Let Die" and regaled hubby number 2 with the story of my dad and the tickets again. He listened patiently until I'd finished and said: "Yes dear you've already told me."
I loved the film again and it always takes me back to 1973 and I'm a teenager again.

Throughout the nineties I was still trying to add to my collection as and when it was possible. I watched the films when the TV stations showed them and you could always rely on them to wheel out a Bond film for every Bank Holiday, Easter or Christmas and this would only ever be a good thing for me if they were the Bond films starring Sir Roger!
I've seen just about every film of Sir Roger's [with the exception of "The Man Who Wouldn't Die"] and I enjoy every film not just because Sir Roger is in it but because he chooses great films to be in. A little while ago I even got to purchase the DVD of "The Last Time I Saw Paris" - did Sir Roger ever look more handsome than he did in "The Saint"? - see this film and you'll know the answer - a swoonfest if ever there was one.
And so to the present day and Sir Roger was knighted, here in England at Buckingham Palace yesterday [Thursday 9th October 2003] and how lovely to see him receiving this acknowledgement of his tireless work for charity.
I became aware of Sir Roger's involvement in charitable organisations in the mid nineties and I am so grateful to him for raising the awareness of the needs of children and others who are desperate for help and for making a difference. He is a wonderful campaigner and I have more and more respect for him because of the sheer amount of time and energy he gives constantly. Sir Roger is, in my opinion, the best person for the job and by using his name and status to great effect for UNICEF and all the other charities he is involved with he gets results and that is what is needed today - a truly great ambassador for everything that is good and decent - exactly like the man himself.
At 75 years young, Sir Roger shows little sign of slowing down but after his recent heart scare in America, I am happy to know [like many thousands of his fans, nay millions] that he is going strong again and is fit and healthy.
A well deserved honour Sir Roger Moore, the best Bond, the best everything and one of nature's true gentlemen if ever there was one. I'd just like to wish Sir Roger continued success, health and happiness in all that he does and I'm thankful he has someone wonderful to share his life and family with - God bless.

I'm closing this little memoir now and I'm just off to have beans on toast for my lunch or Skinheads on Rafts as we call them in Liverpool.

© Claire Steed 2003

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