Comments on: Introducing Jason King

by: LEON

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 02:26:50 +0100

I was a young teenager when the Jason King show was aired.
Once the toilet thing had happened - he was finished in the UK. I believe he had just attended a Fair at the time with his wife, and was totally drunk. At that time the local Police would hide in public toilet roofs to catch
loiterers,etc.

by: Princess Amara Hassim

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:48:06 +0000

Jason King was the first UK Show to be made abroad, with on-location filming in countries ranging from France to Hong Kong. This gave the show a undoubted boost at the time when UK television was just blossoming out. The truth was that not only Jason but the whole show of his previous set, “Dept.S” was so popular it really should have been given at least three seasons to go down with. Shows of today from CSI to NCIS and Without A Trace owe it a debt, as before “Dept.S” there had never been a Cop show like it. However, as was often the case with Lew Grade, he made the one semester with no intention of a sequel. Bad news for the show itself, but even more for the UK industry at the time. Still thats’ the past and nothing can change it. Eventually Grade called in Peter Wyngarde for an interview in the big office, (irrespective of the fact he’d just become the big style icon of the time, at a time when style was EVERYTHING, he was simply there cos Lew’s wife found him good!!!) - anyway Peter was called in for the chat and was told flatly there would be no further series of “Dept.S” - but he would pay out for a series of Jason’s
own character. So the team had to be satisfied with the thin end of the wedge. And once again there would be no sequel.
So the spin-off show went into production in late 1970, to debut a year later in October 1971. Realising that they’re own show was now on a sticky wicket, Peter and producer Monty Berman then sat down and decided to pool the brains who they felt most understood Jason from the previous show, such as director Jeremy Summers, creative consultant Cyril Frankel, and writer Phillip Broadley. And between practically these four talents the show got done and became one of the biggest movers of the early 70’s. The location filming really paid off, in light of the fact that one of they’re main American rivals of the time was of course, Hawaii Five-O, and one of its biggest assets was the location filming IN Hawaii. The Spin-off show of Jason King however, was not about mysteries as its predecessor had been. Instead it focused on events which happened around Jason and the lifestyle of this flambouyant author, where things were always in a hurry and never what you expected.
If “Dept.S” was a good twist on the old mystery format, then Jason’s own show was a good twist on your average adventure show. This was a show not to be missed in those far off days. Ever wonder where the “Man’s style” of long moustache and big sideburns came from - look no further,
even the Americans whether they knew it or not were copying Jason King. And yet Peter Wyngarde who played him never took himself or the character too seriously. And he still comes across as human, sweet, sightly chauvenistic, but always fun and very lovable. Watch the fight scenes. Peter would deliberately throw himself into them - as this is what Jason would have done thinking he was his creation, Mark Caine - yet always finish it by letting himself be knocked out instead!
Even Sir John Gielgud once commented that Wyngarde was the most underrated actor in Britain at that time.
So there you are, Jason King in a nutshell. I’m sorry I’m one of those peeps who doesn’t really care whether anyone still digs long hair and large collars. I do, and this is a piece of cultural as well as entertainment history that has long since been neglected. Check it out for yourselves. One viewing can never do any harm. At least then you can say you actually saw it, which is more than most critics can do. Happy Viewing!

by: cinebeats

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:19:00 +0100

Thanks for sharing that interesting bit of info about Wyngarde & Bates! I really like Alan Bates and now you’ve got me eager to read that new bio. It sounds like it’s a very dishy book. ;)

by: Maxim

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 10:42:47 +0100

A new biography of Alan Bates, out in the UK this week, states that Wyngarde was Bates’ lover for many years… an interesting sidelight on a fascinating career.

by: Jesse Hawken

Fri, 11 May 2007 19:29:45 +0100

Too bad Wyngard didn’t get the part of Ming The Merciless in ‘Flash Gordon’.

by: cinebeats

Fri, 11 May 2007 15:51:48 +0100

I hope you enjoy the series when you start watching it Jeremy! I think you’ll get a kick out of it. The show has some great British actesses from the period in it and it’s just a lot of fun. Wyngarde is an interesting guy and he was a really good actor. It’s a shame that something so silly as a bathroom encounter would have ruined his acting career, but that was life in good ol’ England circa 1975. These days, it would probably be considered a publicity stunt and a career move,

by: Jeremy

Fri, 11 May 2007 14:24:30 +0100

This sounds so incredibly cool. I just put the full series in my netflix que and can’t wait to enjoy them. I love Ingrid Pitt (getting to meet her about in the mid 90s at a Chiller convention was surreal) and Yutte also. I must say though that Alexandra Bastedo is one of the great underrated beauties of the seventies. I love “Blood Spattered Bride” and am just entranced by her every time I watch it. I am always eager to see her in other stuff.
Great posting and fascinating stuff on Wyngarde, whom I ddin’t know much about.