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Series One (26 stories): 1.10 FIND A BODY |
Series Two (39 stories):
2.18 THE WRONG FACE 2.22 SIGNATURE FOR MURDER |
Series Three (39 stories):
3.14 FAST CARS AND GIRLS 3.17 SABER AT SEA |
Series Four (39 stories):
4.13 HOUR OF RECKONING 4.14 DOUBLE TAKE |
Series Five
(13 stories): 5.1 FLORENTINE MADONNA |
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BIOGRAPHIES (Additional information would be appreciated)
DONALD GRAY (1914 -1978) - Born in South Africa, he was overall winner of a Paramount talent competition but after appearing in some minor roles as El(d)red Tidbury he moved to England. He lost an arm in the war. In the 50's he became a BBC announcer for a while before starring as Mark Saber. He found it difficult to obtain further starring roles though he does do a voiceover for the Captain Scarlet puppet TV series. Trevor Jordan has written his biography "Colonel White meets Mark Saber" which can be purchased on ebay. A reviewer in 1957 wrote, "I like the characters of Mark and Stevie who are good foils for one another... it's such a pleasure to hear the rich, manly voice of Donald Gray speaking the Queen's English, as it should be spoken." COLIN TAPLEY (1909-1995) - He was the police inspector at Scotland Yard. It's likely he obtained the part as a result of his friendship with Donald Gray. In series one he appears irregularly, sharing the part with others but by the concluding stories of series two he is the "usual" inspector. Born in Dunedin, New Zealand, he, like Gray, was a winner in the Paramount competition. He made some films in Hollywood, before coming to England. Unlike Gray, Tapley continued working for the Danzigers, appearing, uncredited more often than not, in their later series Man from Interpol and The Cheaters. He made films until 1969. He married a titled lady and retired to Gloucestershire. Series 1: MICHAEL BALFOUR (1918-1997) 'Barney'- Born in America, he became one of the most commonly seen bit-players in British cinema. He moved to England before the war and served with the RAF Eagle Squadron.
In one Danziger programme, the character he plays is described like this: "with a face like yours, you'd scare 'em to death." But in real life he was a gent with quite sophisticated tastes.
Series 3: NEIL McCALLUM (1929-1976) 'Pete'- born in Canada. After his role in Saber of London he starred in one film for the Danzigers 'On the Run' which also features Gordon Tanner. On the strength of his performances,
ABC signed him as a contract artist, enabling him to appear in Armchair Theatre, as well as stock series like "International Detective" (he's in "The Prescott Case"). He also appeared on the London stage. In 1965 he hosted A-R's "A Swinging Scene".
By the 70's he was a producer, notably for BBC Scotland's "Sutherland's Law". He died tragically of a brain haemorrhage.
. . . . ROBERT ARDEN - co-star in Saber of London series 4.Very many thanks to the late Robert Arden who wrote this affectionate tribute for my site in 2002 aged 80. Well, it's all a long time ago now, but what I remember most about it was
the low pay, the hard work, and what sheer fun it all was!
The Danzigers, God Bless 'Em
were always happy to corner cut. They did pay very badly, but all you had
to do was call Eddie, tell him you were free and you were cast - no matter
whether you were right or not for the particular role.
Hardly anybody took the series seriously - not the Danziger Brothers,
(of whom I have fond memories). Their attitude was -get the work
done, but enjoy it. In Saber of London there were two constant directors -
Ernie Morris (who had originally been a prop man) and Max Varnel
(Max, the son of pre-war director Marcel Varnel) were more
concerned with getting through as quickly as possible - quality
was secondary to speed. The occasional director, Godfrey Grayson
did try to infuse a little more thought and quality into his efforts,
but even he was forced to compromise in order to complete
the show in two and a half days! We worked Monday to Friday
and occasionally on a Saturday if we needed to. Location work
was also taken within the time allotted. We often shot location
shots that the directors weren't sure they'd ever need - but made them
visual (no dialogue - unless specifically needed) so they could be
cut in to any episode - and in fact some of the shots turned up
in variously different episodes. The lighting cameraman, Jimmy
Wilson, was one of the best and had a facility that the Danzigers
loved. He could work fast - and still be good.
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