You know, these early B&W episodes of The Saint are just as sexists as the later color ones weren’t.
Example from today’s episode. A young man is driving on a wiggly cliff side road with a young woman. She asks him to go slower because she is scared. Naturally, he drives faster. The more fear she shows the more wild an reckless he drives, barreling along at 80mph on this narrow road of blind cars, thundering through bicyclers and forcing people to leap out of the way. He has not only deliberately ignored her fear but endangered the lives dozens of innocent people. And she’s angry. When the boy mopes to our Simon about it, what does our hero rather seriously suggest? “Have you tried spanking her? Girls like to be dominated!”
GAHHHHHH! I’d break his jaw and kick in his teeth while he was down if her tried that crap with me!
Boys out there: Do NOT try this at home. Yes, some girls like spanking and being dominated, but they do not want YOU deciding that they do! Talk about what SHE likes, and do not assume all girls like the same thing. Especially when it involves bullying or treating them like a child!! And someone tormenting you when you are begging them to stop is not sexy. You do not have a right to the girl!
Ah the 1960′s, where sexism, racisim, and heroes being generally all smug was the norm. (Smug gets me the worst I think, then make it a womanizing smug jerk and UGH! I loathe Captain Kirk, for instance.)
Sometimes the show is light fun with Roger Moore putting in a nice performance. And sometimes I just get so fed up with him!
But Inspector Teal, the so called Saint’s best frenemy I simply adore. Claude Teal is MY hero!
**sigh**
If only he could get that full of himself Templar in jail for a few months at least...
I keep watching it for Mom, but I’m way past ready for a break from this guy!