Late 1997's Saint and Charteris News

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December 31, 1997: The Year 1997 in Review

There was lots of Saint news in 1997, what with the Paramount movie coming out and all... Here are some of the highlights, but for the completely scoop, be sure to read the full reports from late 1997, early 1997, 1996, and 1995.

As always, be sure to check The Saint's News and Rumors Blog on a regular basis in 1998. Watch for the sign of The Saint, he will be back.

• January 6, Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue work on reshooting the ending to THE SAINT. Test audiences hated the ending, so Paramount spent $3.2 million fixing it.
• January 12, Burl Barer's novelization of THE SAINT film is approved and sent to press.
• February 2, Test-screenings of the new Saint ending went well, with audience ratings up about 10 points from the original.
• February 7, Paramount's Saint site at http://www.thesaint.com/ goes live.
• February 8, The Saint's mailing list, The Epistle, is started up.
• February 11, Paramount pushes THE SAINT release back from March 14th to Friday, April 4th.
• February 25, PolyGram Video releases the first eight color episodes of THE SAINT, starring Roger Moore.
• March 11, The Saint FAQ is posted.
• March 11, THE SAINT novelization by Burl Barer is released in the United States.
• March 18, Turner Home Entertainment releases eight of the RKO Saint movies from the 1940's.
• March 24, Thanks to Volvo, Dan Bodenheimer and Burl Barer attend special preview of THE SAINT at Paramount.
• March 28, The soundtrack to THE SAINT is released.
• April 1, The world premiere of THE SAINT is held in Washington D.C.
• April 4, THE SAINT opens in theatres across the United States.
• April 14, Burl Barer's novelization is released in Great Britain.
• April 18, THE SAINT opens in Great Britain.
• April 24, The San Jose Mercury News does an article on Dan Bodenheimer.
• May 6, THE SAINT passes the $50 million mark in box office receipts.
• May 8, Paul Simper's "The Saint: From Big Screen To Small Screen And Back Again" is published.
• May 12, Would have been Leslie Charteris' 90th Birthday.
• May 20, Graeme Revell's orchestral score to THE SAINT is released.
• June 13, The German novelization of THE SAINT is published.
• June 18, THE SAINT passes the $60 million mark in the United States.
• June 18, THE SAINT opens in France.
• June 27, Noted Saint expert, W.O.G. Lofts, passes away.
• August 30, Music from the TV series, The Saint, is released on CD.
• September 15, THE SAINT is released on video tape for rental stores.
• October 24, Burl Barer's new Saint book, CAPTURE THE SAINT, is printed.
• November 2, Bouchercon Saint panel with Burl Barer, Ian Dickerson, and Dan Bodenheimer.
• November 12, Paramount's THE SAINT is released on laser disc.

December 23, 1997: Simper's Saint Book Available at Amazon.com

Paul Simper's book, The Saint: From Big Screen to Small Screen and Back Again, is the latest must-have reference about The Saint. Simper's work includes many quotes from the people involved in the television show, including Roger Moore. If are interested in purchasing a copy, you can order it from Amazon.com today.

On a related note, Amazon.com also now has Kurt Peer's TV Tie-Ins: A Bibliography of American TV Tie-In Paperbacks available for ordering in paperback and hardback.

December 22, 1997: AltaVista Translation Assistant

Yes, this has nothing to do with the Saint, but AltaVista has a really cool new translation service that does automatic language translations of web pages. This is a free service, and helps to reduce the language barriers as the Web brings us all closer together.

Web page to translate?
Translate from: English to French English to German English to Italian English to Portuguese English to Spanish

Please note that this is a computerized translator, and therefore will not provide perfect grammatically-correct text. It is good enough for general comprehension, and you can help improve it by submitting feedback to AltaVista.

December 21, 1997: The Saint on British Television

"The Saint" with Roger Moore, is currently being shown on Saturday afternoons in Great Britain on the BBC2 channel. Exact times vary each week, but the shows usually start around 4:10pm and finish at 5:00pm. One important note is that each episode is only 50 minutes because the BBC carries no advertising. It is quite common for TV shows that run for a full hour on a commercial station only to last 50 minutes on the BBC... it just goes to show how much time is taken up by commercials!

December 9, 1997: Early Christmas Present

File this in the dubious news catagory, but I just bought this empty box. Isn't that newsworthy? I have been collecting Saint items for over ten years, and I had never seen the box from The Saint bubblegum cards before. I just thought that there might be others out there who haven't seen the box either, so here it is for your viewing pleasure.

December 2, 1997: Question of the Day: The Swinging Saint?

Paul Zanettos is writing a piece on Roger Moore as the Saint for an up-and-coming online magazine titled 'Swingers.' This magazine -- created by students -- focuses on the resurgence of lounge culture, exemplified in the 60s TV series. Paul believes that Roger Moore's portrayal of the Saint makes him a candidate as history's ultimate swinger. What is your opinion? E-mail your thoughts to Paul at steve.zanettos@sympatico.ca

November 28, 1997: A&E Saint Feedback

Terry Knaul is working on an effort to do what can be done to see The Saint revived on television. He is trying to convince A&E to begin broadcasting The Saint. A&E's website has a feedback page where viewers can submit their recommendations to that effect. Perhaps, if we can show enough interest, they will consider it. As you probably know, A&E devotes a lot of programming to mystery and suspense programming, though most of it coming during the day. They broadcast such shows as Banacek, Columbo, MacMillan and Wife, Mike Hammer, Equalizer, etc. Obviously, The Saint would fit in nicely with that group, and with enough interest A&E should agree too!

Please visit A&E's feedback page and show your support for The Saint! You can also call A&E Viewer Relations at (212) 210-1340 between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM EST, Monday to Friday.

November 28, 1997: Latest Saint FAQ

The latest version of The Saint FAQ is now available.

November 26, 1997: The Saint Goes to Court

From Broadcast, 21st November 1997:

ITC Group Challenged to Explain Distribution Fees
A row over distribution fees for cult TV series THE SAINT and THE PERSUADERS has ended in a High Court writ being taken out against the distribution arm of the ITC Entertainment Group. The owner of the series, Television Reporters International, claims it was overcharged by the ITC Entertainment Group for distribution fees. ITC has been asked to account for a 45 per cent fee it deducted from profits for overseas distribution of the programmes.

November 20, 1997: Praise for 'Capture The Saint'

Both critics and fans are lavishing praise on the new Saint novel, 'Capture The Saint'. The Los Angeles Times' Dick Lochte, a famed novelist in his own right, describes this latest addition to the Saint Saga as "A fast, funny, blissfully faithful adventure of the 'Brightest Buccaneer' we've all come to love."

Lee Goldberg, Executive Producer of 'Diagnosis: Murder' (one of America's top rated television programs) is equally unstinting in his praise: "Sparkling wit, grand adventure, high style -- Burl Barer's Capture the Saint brings back Simon Templar in all his glory."

'Capture The Saint' has been published in a Special Collector's Edition by The Saint Club. The print run was only 500 signed and numbered copies, and all proceeds will go to charity. Order yours today!

To order please send your name, full shipping address, number of books you want to order, and a check or money order for the full payment amount to: The Saint Club/Books, 7555 22nd NW, Seattle, WA 98117, U.S.A. Each copy of 'Capture the Saint' is priced at $15.00 (US), and there is a $3.00 (US) charge for shipping and handling ($18.00 total per book). On orders of five or more, the shipping and handling charge will be waived.

European orders should be sent to: The Saint Club, 8 Coldean Lane, Brighton, Sussex, England BN1 9GD.

November 19, 1997: Bill Lofts: 1923 - 1997

I'm sorry to say that the news of Bill Lofts' passing, on June 27, 1997, has just reached me. Bill was a great resource for Saint information, and one of England's most tenacious researchers. I corresponded with him for a number of years, but lost contact with him about three years ago. I never got a chance to meet him, or talk with him: he didn't have a phone. I do, however, consider myself lucky as I read through my marvelous folder of letters from him. He was a Saint.
-- Dan Bodenheimer

Collecting Books and Magazines has a nice tribute page for Bill Lofts on their web site.

Here The Daily Telegraph's obituary from July 12th, 1997:

W O G Lofts

Expert on Sexton Blake and The Saint

BILL LOFTS, who has died aged 73, admired popular writers such as Edgar Wallace, Leslie Charteris and Frank Richards and compiled bibliographies of their stories.

His interest in this kind of fiction was first aroused while he was a prisoner in Burma during the Second World War. The only relief from his Japanese captors was a battered volume he had found from the Sexton Blake Library.

The experience left Lofts with a lifelong love of the character - a more physical rival to Sherlock Holmes - who had made his debut in The Halfpenny Marvel in 1893.

Most of Sexton Blake's numerous subsequent adventures were written under pseudonyms. After the war, Lofts tracked down the identity of each contributor. One of his biggest surprises came when Brian O'Nolan (who wrote novels as Flann O'Brien and a column in the Irish Times as Myles na Gopaleen) once admitted to him that he had written "one or two" Sexton Blake stories in the 1950s, but could not remember which ones.

William Oliver Guillemont Lofts was born at Marylebone, London, on Sept 2 1923. On leaving school he joined the Zenith Carburettor Company as an engineer, where, apart from his war service, he remained until 1968, when he became the official researcher for Fleetway House. This was the successor to Amalgamated Press, one of the principal publishers of boys' comics.

After completing his work on Sexton Blake, Lofts turned his attention to British boys' papers, among them The Gem, Detective Weekly, The Hotspur and The Thriller. In the 1950s and 1960s Lofts wrote many articles for The Collector's Digest, the journal of the London Old Boys' Book Club.

These brought him into contact with a fellow enthusiast, Derek Adley, and the two collaborated until Adley's death in 1991. It was Adley who collated their research, being the more organised of the pair, while Lofts worked doggedly through the stacks in publishers' archives and the British Library newspaper collection.

One of Lofts's coups was the discovery of Man Overboard, a long-forgotten story written by Winston Churchill in 1899.

Lofts's and Adley's output included the standard British Bibliography of Edgar Wallace (1969) and The World of Frank Richards (1975), a study of the inventor of Billy Bunter.

They compiled an encyclopedic guide to 2,000 writers of juvenile entertainment, The Men Behind Boys' Fiction (1970) and wrote a combined biography and bibliography, The Saint and Leslie Charteris (1971). The book that gave Lofts most pleasure to research was a list of all Rupert Bear stories, The New Rupert Index (1979).

Lofts lived in a small flat in north London, crammed from floor to ceiling with what was thought to be the world's largest private collection of juvenile fiction.

He was unfailingly generous with his time and expertise, although he tested patience with his unswerving allegiance to a decrepit manual typewriter and his steadfast refusal to install a telephone.

Lofts left unfinished a bibliography of Enid Blyton.

He never married.

November 13, 1997: Saint Joke (sorry)

From DogByte:

Saint Peter was manning the Pearly Gates when forty people from New York City showed up.

Never having seen anyone from the Big Apple at heaven's door, Saint Peter said he would have to check with God.

After hearing the news, God instructed him to admit the ten most virtuous from the group.

A few minutes later, Saint Peter returned to God breathless and said, "They're gone!"

"What? All of the New Yorkers are gone?" asked God.

"No!" replied Saint Peter. "The Pearly Gates!"

November 12, 1997: Saint Laser Disc

The Saint is out on laser disc, finally. It has an audio track by director Phillip Noyce, but none of the additional scenes that Noyce (at one point) suggested might be included on this version.

It can be ordered on-line from Video Express at http://www.videoexpress.com/.

November 5, 1997: Updated Statistics for www.saint.org

The Saint's web site at http://www.saint.org/ has been up and running for over two years, and the log file contains over 2.4 million entries. The earliest log file for this web site was October 17, 1995. The site had been up a few weeks before that, but just for building and testing. We are now past that two year anniversary, and things have really been going well.

Using Analog 2.1.1d for Macintosh, I have compiled and posted a complete statistical usage report for www.saint.org through October 31st, 1997. Traffic is booming!

October 30, 1997: Bouchercon Starts Today

This year's Bouchercon--the 28th World Mystery Convention--will be held in Monterey, California, October 30 thru November 2, 1997. The Bouchercon '97 web site is located at http://users.aol.com/bchrcon97/index.htm with full information about the event.

The big Saint news at Bouchercon is The Bouchercon Saint panel. Lead by noted Saint experts Burl Barer, Ian Dickerson, and Dan Bodenheimer, this Saintly discussion will be held in the Coltan room on Sunday, November 2nd, 1997 at 9:00am. Also participating will be Bill Macdonald, formerly of Robert Evans Productions, and perhaps even some mystery guests to be announced at the event.

October 24, 1997: Capture The Saint

The Saint Club is proud to present Leslie Charteris' 'Capture The Saint' by Burl Barer. This all-new full-length Saint novel was approved by the Estate of Leslie Charteris, and advance ordering is now available for the October 1997 publication. Written by the Edgar Award winning author, Burl Barer, 'Capture The Saint' is a wonderful tribute to Leslie Charteris' roaring adventurer, The Saint.

This Special Collector's Edition, published by The Saint Club, will consist of only 500 signed and numbered copies. As this is a limited run, and all proceeds will go to charity, it is suggested that you get your order in today!

US Ordering Information:
To order please send your name, full shipping address, number of books you want to order, and a check or money order for the full payment amount to:

The Saint Club/Books
730 Oakmount Ave #308
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Each copy of 'Capture the Saint' is priced at $15.00 (US), and there is a $3.00 (US) charge for shipping and handling ($18.00 total per book). On orders of five or more, the shipping and handling charge will be waived.

European Ordering Information:
European orders should be sent to:

The Saint Club
8 Coldean Lane
Brighton
Sussex
England BN1 9GD

The price is £9.99 plus postage and packaging (£2.00 per book in the UK, £2.50 per book for the rest of Europe).

Cheques must be in UK pounds sterling and made payable to 'The Saint Club'.

October 23, 1997: The Pay-Per-View Saint

'THE SAINT' is coming to a pay-per-view cable system near you. Depending what cable company you have, things might be different, but it looks like November is the kick-off month. Bill stuffers, included with some cable bills, herald THE SAINT on Pay-per-view for the month of November with a replica of the second poster of the SAINT theatrical--Val with a halo. For the low, low price for the ALL DAY TICKET at $3.95 (your price may vary) you can watch THE SAINT over and over and over and...

On many cable systems, they are expecting such high demand for THE SAINT that second channels are being set up for viewing during the first week.

October 23, 1997: Burl Barer on AOL's Mystery Chat

Burl Barer is being interviewed on America Online's Mystery Chat on Monday Night the 27th of October. If you are on AOL, here are directions to the chat: First, the time... The meeting is on Monday, October 27th, at 9-10 p.m ET (that's a 6:00pm start time for those of you in the Western United States). Second, the Mystery group meets in the "Writer's Den." Click Go To, and choose the Writer's Club keyword, then click on the Denicon. It is advisable to sign on early because of cybertraffic and AOL's 'not tonight dear' moods. Enter the Den, and leave the screen open so you can wander around until showtime.

October 22, 1997: Burl Barer at Northwest BookFest

Saintly author Burl Barer is signing his novelization of 'THE SAINT' at the Seattle Mystery Bookshop booth of the Northwest BookFest Saturday at 3:00pm. Burl will also appear on the panel, "Murder at the Office," from 4:15pm to 5:30pm. The Northwest BookFest attracts over 25,000 attendees over two days, and all proceeds from the event go to literacy efforts in the Northwest.

October 17, 1997: The Saint vs. Snakes and Liars

Here is a listing of the Top Ten Renting Videos as ranked by The Video Software Dealers Association:

 
                            Top Ten Renting Videos
                     for the Week Ended October 12, 1997

     This Last                                     Weeks     Weekly      Total
     Wk's Wk's                                     in      Earnings   Earnings
     Rank Rank  Title              Video Label     Release  (mill.)    (mill.)

     1   1      Liar Liar (1997)   Universal         2       $9.44      $19.47
     2  New     Anaconda           Columbia TriStar  1       $2.57       $2.58
     3   2      The Saint (1997)   Paramount         4       $2.51      $11.69
     4   3      Volcano (1997)     20th Century Fox  2       $2.41       $4.95
     5   4      The Devil's Own    Columbia TriStar  9       $1.49      $20.83
     6   5      Fathers' Day       Warner            5       $1.30       $8.44
     7   8      Murder at 1600     Warner           10       $1.18      $18.51
     8   6      Dante's Peak       Universal         8       $1.10      $16.86
     9  New     That Old Feeling   Universal         1       $1.05       $1.05
     10  7      English Patient    BV/Miramax        3       $1.05       $4.10

October 9, 1997: The Saint vs. Liar, Liar

'THE SAINT', starring Val Kilmer dropped to second place this week in the rental market due to an extremely strong showing by Jim Carrey's 'LIAR, LIAR'. This was not much of a surprise, as 'LIAR, LIAR' also gave 'THE SAINT' a lot of competition at the box office. 'THE SAINT' did manage to hold off the debut of 'VOLCANO', which landed in the third spot. Here is a listing of the Top Ten Renting Videos as ranked by The Video Software Dealers Association:

  
          Top Ten Renting Videos for the Week Ended October 5, 1997

     This Last                                     Weeks     Weekly      Total
     Wk's Wk's                                     in      Earnings   Earnings
     Rank Rank  Title              Video Label     Release  (mill.)    (mill.)

     1  New     Liar Liar (1997)   Universal         1       $9.97      $10.03
     2   1      The Saint (1997)   Paramount         3       $2.64       $9.17
     3  New     Volcano (1997)     20th Century Fox  1       $2.53       $2.53
     4   3      The Devil's Own    Columbia TriStar  8       $1.45      $19.34
     5   4      Father's Day       Warner            4       $1.42       $7.14
     6   5      Dante's Peak       Universal         7       $1.30      $15.76
     7   2      English Patient    BV/Miramax        2       $1.24       $3.06               
     8   6      Murder At 1600     Warner            9       $1.16      $17.33
     9   7      Selena             Warner            2       $0.96       $2.05
     10  13     Sling Blade        BV/Miramax       11       $0.77      $14.00

This week's (Oct 9th) Billboard chart of video rentals lists 'THE SAINT' as the number one video.

October 4, 1997: "In Search of The Saint" Sweepstakes!

Do you have what it takes to beat a master thief at his own game? Do you have the skills, the cunning, a pencil, and a 3" by 5" card? If so, it is time for you to enter the "In Seach of The Saint" sweepstakes.

To enter, just mail in a 3" by 5" card with your name, address, age, daytime phone number, and evening phone number, to:

Paramount Home Video
"In Search of The Saint" sweepstakes
P.O. Box 8455
Calabasas, CA 91372-8455

All entries must be received by January 16, 1998.

Prizes to be awarded are:

• 10 Grand Prizes of a trip for two to London
  • Round trip coach airfare for two from the major U.S. gateway closest to winner's home
  • Seven days and six nights first-class accomodations (double occupancy)
  • A visit to the Sherlock Holmes museum
  • Lunch at the Sherlock Holmes restaurant
  • Tickets to the "Bus Trip to Murder"
  • Admission to the London Dungeon
  • A five-day London transport pass
  • $500 in spending money (for the winner only, not guest)
  • Average retail value of prize: $4,696.00
  
  
• 500 First Prizes of a Saint watch
  • Exclusive Power-Glo Saint Watch
  • Average retail value of prize: $50.00
  
  
• 2000 Second Prizes of a Saint cap
  • Deluxe 100% cotton Saint baseball hat
  • Average retail value of prize: $8.00

October 3, 1997: Saint Video Remains Number One!

'THE SAINT', starring Val Kilmer remained as the top video rental this week with a strong $3.2 million in earnings. Watch out some strong competition with Jim Carrey's 'LIAR, LIAR' in next week's list--it was released on September 30th. Here is a listing of the Top Ten Renting Videos as ranked by The Video Software Dealers Association:

     
                           Top Ten Renting Videos
                    for the Week Ended September 28, 1997

     This Last                                     Weeks     Weekly      Total
     Wk's Wk's                                     in      Earnings   Earnings
     Rank Rank  Title              Video Label     Release  (mill.)    (mill.)

     1   1      The Saint (1997)    Paramount        2       $3.20       $6.53
     2  New     The English Patient BV/Miramax       1       $1.82       $1.82
     3   2      The Devil's Own    Columbia TriStar  7       $1.79      $17.89
     4   3      Father's Day       Warner            3       $1.69       $5.72
     5   5      Dante's Peak       Universal         6       $1.44      $14.45
     6   4      Murder at 1600     Warner            8       $1.42      $16.17
     7  New     Selena             Warner            1       $1.09       $1.09
     8   7      Absolute Power     Warner           12       $0.97      $25.87
     9   6      Casper             20th Century Fox  3       $0.87       $3.27
     10  12     Metro              BV/Touchstone    11       $0.82      $17.93
     

October 2, 1997: Laser Disc Delay

On the laser disc front, the news is that 'THE SAINT' has been delayed a few weeks. Watch for the disc to show up at retailers on October 14th. With a suggested retail price of $39.98, the laser disc will feature DD, Letterbox, and THX.

September 30, 1997: More French Reprints

LeFrancq en Poche have recently released their latest Charteris title. "Le Saint contre Mr.Z..." is a reprint of the 1946 Fayard title of the same name and is, perhaps, better by it's English title of "The Ace of Knaves".

It contains three stories; Le Saint contre Mr.Z... (The Beauty Specialist), L'Aventure Espagnole (The Spanish War) and La Jeune Fille Blonde (The Unlicensed Victuallers).

September 29, 1997: Saint Rental in Britain

This just in: 'The Saint' from Paramount should be available to British video renters on October 24th.

September 29, 1997: Saint TV Soundtrack

MUSIC FROM THE TV SERIES THE SAINT, by Edwin Astley and his Orchestra has just been released on the Razor & Tie/BMG label, catalog number RE 2156-2 (in smaller letters it is listed as BMG's DRC1-1751). The liner notes are dated August 1997, so it appears to be brand new. It is a re-release of the Saint music from the soundtrack LP "Secret Agent Meets the Saint," plus it includes some pieces not on the original LP (the original LP album was released in October 1965 by RCA as LSP-3631).

The new CD also includes the original LP liner notes, a couple of photos of Roger Moore (one looks like The Persuaders vintage with a halo drawn in, one is him sitting on the Volvo), and a picture of the original LP cover. Total running time is about 38 minutes.

Another fan described the two pictures "of an impossibly young Roger Moore" as "in one he is perched on the white Volvo, and the other he's wearing a ludicrous velvet bowtie the size of a soup plate." They went on to say, "plus a quick listen suggest that the music is indeed original to the Moore series: it's all very lounge-y and P1800 type music."

The track list is as follows:

1. Main Theme From The Saint
2. Chaise-Lounge
3. Recumbent Love
4. Ying-Tong-Piddle-Ay-Kilt
5. Staten Island Ferry
6. Mulligatawney
7. Olaf's Dance
8. Cantina
9. Slinky
10. Halo
11. Swinging Simon
12. The Saint Takes A Ride

You can order this CD on the web from Amazon.com. Their price is $14.95, and music samples are available.

September 26, 1997: Get Well Cards for a Saint

Paul M. James is recovering from a heart attack and a triple bypass, and it would really make him feel better if he heard from Saint fans around the world. Paul is one of the world's leading experts on The Saint, with Leslie Charteris once saying, "There is a chap in Maryland who knows more about me than I know myself!"

Paul has been a huge help to The Saintly Bible, and our best wishes and hopes are with him. If you'd like to send your own Saintly thoughts, wishes, or cards, his address is:

Mr. Paul M. James
2005 Darnell Court
Waldorf, MD 20602
USA

September 25, 1997: The Saint is Number One!

By Scott Hettrick, The Hollywood Reporter:
Kilmer's patron 'Saint' for vid rental business The release last week of Paramount Home Video's Val Kilmer starrer "The Saint" helped push weekly video industry rental revenues ahead of last year for the first time in nine weeks. "The Saint," the only new title to rank among the top 10 renters for the week ending Sept. 21, drew $3.32 million in rental fees, according to VSDA VidTrac. It is the first title to knock Columbia TriStar Home Video's "The Devil's Own" out of the top spot since last month. "The Devil's Own" picked up another $2.18 million in its sixth week last week to bring total rental revenue to more than $16 million, representing nearly 40% of the movie's boxoffice grosses. After seven weeks in video stores, Warner's "Murder at 1600" has generated 60% of its boxoffice gross with $14.75 million.

Top Ten Renting Videos from The Video Software Dealers Association:

                            Top Ten Renting Videos
                    for the Week Ended September 21, 1997

     This Last                                     Weeks     Weekly      Total
     Wk's Wk's                                     in      Earnings   Earnings
     Rank Rank  Title              Video Label     Release  (mill.)    (mill.)

     1  New     The Saint (1997)   Paramount         1       $3.32       $3.33
     2   1      The Devil's Own    Columbia TriStar  6       $2.18      $16.10
     3   2      Father's Day       Warner            2       $2.10       $4.03
     4   3      Murder at 1600     Warner            7       $1.72      $14.75
     5   4      Dante's Peak       Universal         5       $1.53      $13.01
     6   6      Casper             20th Century Fox  2       $1.26       $2.40
     7   5      Absolute Power     Warner           11       $1.23      $24.90
     8   7      Jungle 2 Jungle    BV/Disney         8       $1.11      $21.10
     9   8      Donnie Brasco      Columbia TriStar  9       $1.07      $14.59
     10  11     The Relic          Paramount        10       $0.97      $14.67

September 24, 1997: Saint Sequel News

One of the writers working on a possible Saint sequel wrote in with a few more details. THE RETURN OF THE SAINT (or whatever it will be called) will take place three years after the first Saint adventure. Dr. Emma Russell has died about half a year before this new adventure takes place. She died from a heart problem (the film and script doesn't go deeper into her death other than that she died of heart problems). That's not to say that she won't be in the film. In the script she appears in a dream sequence that the Saint has. Also, Trini Alvarado (The Frighteners) has had some interest in the film as The Saint's new love interest. The script is now finished in rough, but now begins the job of fine-tuning with a second draft. Like the last film, it took a few years to finally get the project going. Whatever happens we always know the Saint is there somewhere.

Now just to keep you guessing, our agent in Hollywood managed to bug the Robert Evans office the other day. Through the course of a careful interogation (as if flies on the wall can ask questions), our agent found that there are no concrete plans at this time for a Saint sequel, despite rumours to the contrary. Evans, of course, would love to do a sequel eventually, but it is, in the final analysis, up to Paramount. The first film's 'life' is no where near over, nor has all the loot been tabulated. The first Saint film fell short in terms of domestic sales (they like $100 million domestic to warrant a sequel) but they will take a look at the bottom line once they have an accurate picture (no pun intended). Meanwhile Evans is putting together a remake of The Out of Towners to star Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin -- the original starred Jack Lemon and ...uh....well, it was on TV the other day...

September 23, 1997: The Saint II: Enemy Mine

An interesting treatment of a possible Saint sequel was sent in by Gabriel Francis Eichberger from a small Internet cafe in Vienna, Austria. Grabriel does not have his own e-mail, so if you want to contact him after reading The Saint II: Enemy Mine, please use the following contact information:

Gabriel Francis Eichberger
Gabi Eichberger Lindenbauergasse 72/2/6 A-1110
Vienna, AUSTRIA
PHONE: +43 1 769 55 22
FAX: +43 1 768 88 26

September 23, 1997: Sotheby Saint Doodles Update

There are a number of Saintly doodles in Paul Simper's new book about The Saint: "The Saint: From Big Screen To Small Screen And Back Again." These doodles were drawn by all the notable Saint interviewees. These 15 doodles, including ones by Roger Moore and Lord Grade, have been collated together and will be auctioned off in aid of UNICEF.

There is now an official date for the auction of the Saint artwork at Sotheby's: March 25th, 1998. At the end of February the Sotheby's catalogue will be out, so expect some publicity from UNICEF to coincide around that time. Phone bids will be accepted, and further information will be posted here as it comes in.

September 22, 1997: The Saint on Icelandic TV

The Saint is currently being shown on channel Syn in Iceland.

The Syn schedule is for 114 episodes, so they are probably not showing the two 2-part episodes. As of August 28th, 1997, the first four episodes have been shown. They're on weekly and thus on well into the year 1999.

September 21, 1997: The Saint on Canadian TV

THE SAINT, starring Roger Moore, is being shown on the TV station "Bravo" in Canada at the following times: Weekdays (Monday through Friday) at 5:00 pm and 5:00 am, Eastern Time; with an additional showing on Thursday nights at 11:30 pm, Eastern Time.

September 19, 1997: Catch 'The Saint' If You Can

Today's San Francisco Chronicle has a nice review of 'The Saint' on video entitled, Catch 'The Saint' If You Can (Kilmer proves a master of disguises).

'The Saint' is renting well at Blockbuster Video. They have a large supply of the tapes, and nice advertising displays as well. Even with the entire section of Saint tapes, it is difficult to find an available copy (apparently a lot of people were waiting for it on video). Also check out Blockbuster's Saint Sweepstakes.

September 18, 1997: Saint Press Kit

Plant Kilmer (one of the web's finest Val Kilmer sites) now has the complete Saint Press Kit on-line in HTML format. The press kit has a lot of information about the film, the history of The Saint, the filmmakers, and the cast. It also contains some nice photos from the film.

September 17, 1997: History of the Mystery

Thanks to Burl Barer, there is now a Saint section in Newfront Production's The History of the Mystery web site. I also started a "Saint and Leslie Charteris" thread in their discussion forum.

September 11, 1997: Saint Video From Paramount

THE SAINT, starring Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue, will be released by Paramount Home Video on Monday, September 15, 1997. The initial release of the video will apparently be going to video rental stores, with a lower-priced "consumer version" coming some time before Christmas. THE SAINT runs 118 minutes long, and is rated PG-13. The video is listed as number 325363, in stereo, and features closed-captioning.

The September issue of Blockbuster Video's "Blockbuster Previews" magazine (a freebie given away at any Blockbuster store) lists rental availability on September 16th. Val Kilmer is also profiled in their Celebrity Spotlight column on the inside back cover of that periodical.

Also check out Paramount's Saint site at http://www.thesaint.com/

September 9, 1997: More Second Saint Rumors

A British fan called up the Robert Evans Company this week to give them the results of a survey he was conducting. He spoke to a different assistant than usual and when asked for the fax number regarding The Saint the assistant asked if he was one of the writers submitting script outlines...

It sounds like our source stumbled into something interesting, and it does look like a Saint sequel is at least being investigated fully.

September 8, 1997: Nokia Saint

The cell phone used in THE SAINT, was the Nokia 9000i Communicator. Although it has been out in Europe for about 2 years now, it is not currently available in the US. In a recent discussion with Nokia, and several Nokia ditributors, a fan was informed that, though it was slated for US avilability by mid-year, release has been pushed back to "sometime near the end of the year, though likely early next year." I don't know the reason for the 2 year difference, let alone for the present delay, but I suspect it has something to do with US communications standards for GSM (or that GSM is just not available in the US).

Also check out Nokia's press release about their involement with THE SAINT, or take a saintly test drive of the 9000.

September 4, 1997: More Fame, Where's the Fortune?

This week's PC Week magazine has a listing of The Saintly Bible web site on page 174. Apparently while snooping for rumors, Spenser F. Katt managed to get past the security at the front gate and bookmark my site as one of his favorites. Many thanks to Mr. Katt for the ink.

September 3, 1997: Saintly Grosses

A couple people have questioned whether $111.6 million is the correct Worldwide gross for THE SAINT. My source for the $50.2 million International figure was an article in Variety about worldwide box office reports. I then added the last known Domestic gross of $61.4 million to get a total.

Unfortunately, The Internet Movie Database lists the International total at $108.06 million, and $169.5 million Worldwide. My guess is that the $111.6 million figure is correct, and that the confusion comes from adding the Domestic gross on top of a slightly earlier Worldwide gross.

September 2, 1997: Saint on Video

Paramount will release "The Saint" on video in the United States on September 16th. "The Saint" reached $50.2 million in the International box office this week. The last domestic gross that was reported was $61.4 million, which brings the grand total somewhere above $111.6 million worldwide.

September 2, 1997: TV Tie-Ins

Neptune Publishing has just released the new pop reference book TV Tie-Ins: A Bibliography of American TV Tie-In Paperbacks, by Kurt Peer. Limited run first printings are currently available from the publisher through mail order.

This is one book all TV fans can enjoy. Both scholarly and pop, its take is on classic TV shows from the point of view of the TV tie-ins the shows inspired. Sprinkled with excerpts from dozens of interviews with the TV tie-in authors themselves, its book indexes are interwoven around annotated asides about many shows, including passages on The Avengers, Bewitched, The Brady Bunch, Mission: Impossible, I Spy, Leave it to Beaver, Welcome Back Kotter, Dark Shadows, The Saint, and many more. The asides offer an unusual assortment of TV facts and complement the introduction, which chronicles the development of television, the paperback book industry, and TV tie-ins. And its 8-page glossy insert depicts individual book covers in a gallery of TV shows.

Filled with odd facts, in the book you'll learn Samantha Stephen's maiden name, find out that the creator of The Flying Nun actually saw a nun fly, and that Cindy Brady speaks with a lisp in the first two Brady Bunch books ... that the Maverick book was issued with six different back covers, and the Partridge Family and Dark Shadows books were so successful they kept their respective publishers alive ... You'll find out whether the Prisoner escapes at the end of the Prisoner books, whether the castaways escape from Gilligan's Island ... and how TV tie-ins got started in the first place!

Visit the TV Tie-Ins web site at http://www.mindspring.com/~tvtieins, or order the paperback or hardback from Amazon.com's website.

August 25, 1997: Pop Quiz

Burl Barer (adoraburl@yahoo.com) asks your help in finding where this quote about The Saint came from:

a roaring adventurer who loves a fight, a dashing, dare-devil, imperturbable, debonair, preposterously handsome, a pirate or a philanthropist as the occasion demands. He lives for the pursuit of excitement, the one triumphant moment that is his alone.

It was attributed to Leslie Charteris, but Burl doesn't know if it was actually in any of the Saint books. It could just be advertising copy that Charteris wrote, but I think it is from one of the books.

August 19, 1997: Saint Novelizations

Here are some of the various Saint novelizations that I have been able to find. See if you can pick out the American, British, French, Israeli, Japanese, and German editions.

August 8, 1997: Happy Birthday Burl!

Saintly birthday wishes go out today to noted Saint author Burl Barer. Burl is one of the world's leading authorities on The Saint, and is the author of excellent book, The Saint--A Complete History in Print, Radio, Film and Television.

On a related note, due to the overwhelming demand for Burl's saintly history, McFarland is currently out of stock. They will be doing another print run (the third), which is projected to be available on October 15th. There have been reports that people have been getting told it is "out of print", so this should clarify that it is only "out of stock" until the next print run arrives. People can put in their backorders directly with McFarland, toll free, at 1-800-253-2187 or order on the web through Amazon.com.

If you haven't already read Burl Barer's novelization of the Saint movie, you can order "The Saint" from Amazon.com for only $4.79.

August 7, 1997: Volvo Sports Amercia West Coast Meet

The 1997 National West Coast Convention and Concours will be held September 12 - 14th in Burlingame, California. All Volvo owners are welcome, especially those of you with Volvo 1800's!

Events include a reception and a Volvo tech session on Friday; Concours car show, swap meet, awards banquet with Volvo speaker, and another tech session on Saturday; and on Sunday there will be a photo shoot for the Concours winners, a raffle, as wells as a final swap meet. If you would like to enter your car in the Concours, you must register by August 30th. Registration fees are $75 for all three days, $60 for the first two days, or $55 for the last two days. Contact copprfst@pacbell.com for more details.

The meet will be held at the DoubleTree hotel at the San Francisco Airport, 835 Airport Boulevard in Burlingame, California. If you would like to make reservations at the DoubleTree, call 1-800-222-8733 and ask for the special $89 Volvo convention rate (the cut-off date for this deal is August 22nd).

August 6, 1997: Press Kit for Sale

The Nostalgia Factory is offering the US Press Kit for Paramount's Saint movie in their latest catalog. The kit includes ten 8x10 black and white still photographs, and sells for $22.50. The Nostalgia Factory can be reached at 617-236-8754 or 800-479-8754.

August 5, 1997: Saint Wants

I am still despertely looking for a copy of Leslie Charteris' "Spanish For Fun". It has been on my want list for years, and I still only have a bad photocopy to show for my efforts. If anyone has a copy of this 1964 Hodder & Stoughton paperback, please e-mail a quote to me.

On a somewhat related note, I have many Saint books for sale. We are in a bit of a lull as the movie leaves the theatres, but hasn't arrived on video yet. Therefore, now is the time to make me an offer. I am willing to deal.

August 4, 1997: Donald James' New Book

Occasional Saint scripter Donald James (blame him for "The Organisation Man", "The People Importers" and "The World Beater" as well as episodes of The Adventurer, The Avengers, The Champions and The Persuaders) has a new book out called, "Monstrum".

AOL's feature, "The Book Report", carries an exclusive interview with Donald James and gives you the opportunity to download the first chapter of "Monstrum", which TBR describes as "a tale about a mad killer stalking 21st century Russia"

You can read more about, and order "Monstrum" from Amazon.com for only $17.47.

August 2, 1997: ipd and the Saint

The Volvo specialists at ipd in Portland, Oregon, have a nice article about the Saint and his connection with Volvo in their latest newsletter.

ipd is a catalog mail order company specializing in performance parts and accessories for all Volvo automobiles including the 850 and new C70, S70 and V70 models. ipd offers the worlds largest selection of Volvo performance parts and accessories including safety, convenience, maintenance and just about anything else you could want for your 1962 to 1998 Volvo.

August 2, 1997: Updated Statistics for www.saint.org

The Saint's web site at http://www.saint.org/ has been up and running for over 650 days, and the log file contains almost 2 million entries! Using Analog 2.11 for Macintosh, I have compiled and posted a complete statistical usage report for www.saint.org through July 31st, 1997.

August 1, 1997: "The Saint: Miracle 2"

An unsubstantiated e-mailed report informs us that Derek Hallberg and Jonathan Henslegh are currently working with Paramount on a Saint film sequel starring Val Kilmer (if terms with Val are worked out). The film, currently called "The Saint: Miracle 2", is supposedly to be released in theaters in 2000.

The story as written so far, reportedly takes place in Hawaii where Simon Templar is on a mission to steal a device that will cause a chemical reaction with lava that will stop a volcano from erupting. Simon discovers that a volcano is about to wipe out an entire village, so he takes it upon himself to plant this device deep within the volcano without anyone finding out. With the inventor of the device, Kyle Engberg, hard on his tail with the authorities, Simon must avoid the law to save the village. When Kyle finds out Simon's true motives, he joins the Saint and helps to plant the device.

NOTE: This rumor is strictly to be taken with a grain of salt. It has not been confirmed in any way, shape, or form.

July 31, 1997: Volvo C70 at the Tour de Peninsula

The San Francisco Chronicle's Tour de Peninsula bike ride, the largest one-day cycling event in Northern California, will have some Volvos from Carlsen Volvo of Palo Alto on display. One of the cars scheduled to be on display is a new Volvo C70 coupe. As seen in the Saint movie, the C70 is Volvo's thrilling return to the GT Coupe market. The C70 will not be available in quanity until late October, so this is a great chance to see one up close and personal!

The event starts at 8 a.m. Sunday, August 3rd, at Sequoia High School in Redwood City. If you are a bike rider there are three courses on the tour: 33 miles, 21 miles and 17 miles. These courses include rare access to Sawyer Camp Trail along Crystal Springs watershed. The event includes food, gifts, Volvo 'lifesaver' candies, fun, and live music, and costs $25 to enter. All procedes benefit the Greenbelt Alliance. Call (415) 759-2690 for more information. I do not know if you need to pay $25 to gain access to the stage area (where the C70 will be on display).

July 31, 1997: Saint Sells at Amazon

Amazon.com, Earth's biggest bookstore, has a list of "The books that are in demand -- from number 1 to 50." The interesting thing is that in the category of Mystery and Thrillers (British Detectives) the number 11 seller is the 1989 reprint of Knight Templar!

July 30, 1997: Saint Doodles at Sotheby's

Plans for an auction of Saintly doodles from Paul Simper's book have taken a little longer than anticipated. When Paul was researching his recent book he asked everyone he interviewed to doodle the Saint Stick figure. He has 15 in total including doodles by Roger Moore and Lord Grade. These doodles have been collated together and they will be auctioned off in aid of UNICEF.

It appears that Sotheby's regularly holds film memorabilia auctions -- the next one is planned for December -- and are very interested in including the doodles. Watch for more details before December.

July 30, 1997: Dutton on Satellite

Satellite channel Granada Plus are rerunning all but one of the Simon Dutton Saints next month.

Monday August 11th at 19:00 (BST): The Saint and the Blue Dulac
Tuesday August 12th at 19:00 (BST): The Saint
Wednesday August 13th at 19:00 (BST): The Saint
Thursday August 14th at 19:00 (BST): The Saint
Friday August 15th at 19:00 (BST): The Saint

July 29, 1997: Box Office News

"The Saint" is very soon to be out of the top 60 at the box office. Dropping 8 places this week, "The Saint" fell from 52nd to land at number 60. This is due to the fact that it is only playing on 50 screens around the country, and most of those are bargain theatres. With the video release due in about a month, it is expected that there is not much left to reap from the US box office. The weekend gross was down another 42% to $13,303 on only 50 screens (down from 91) around the country. "The Saint" average did, however, climb to $266 per screen (up from $253), which brought the total domestic gross to $61,355,436 after 115 days in release.
(Source: Daily Variety Box Office Chart - July 15-27)

July 28, 1997: Bouchercon '97 Saint Panel

The Bouchercon Saint panel, lead by noted Saint experts Burl Barer, Ian Dickerson, and Dan Bodenheimer, will be held in the Coltan room on Sunday, November 2nd, 1997 at 9:00am. Also participating will be Bill Macdonald, formerly of Robert Evans Productions, and perhaps some mystery guests to be named later.

This year's Bouchercon--the 28th World Mystery Convention--will be held in Monterey, California, October 30 thru November 2, 1997. The Bouchercon '97 web site is located at http://users.aol.com/bchrcon97/index.htm for more information about the event.

July 28, 1997: MotorWeek on the C70

This week's MotorWeek program on public television features a glowing review of Volvo's new C70 coupe (as seen in the latest Saint movie).

MotorWeek's web site features a list of TV stations that show MotorWeek, or you can order a videocassette of the program by calling 1-800-422-0064 or sending $19.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling to:

MotorWeek Home Video
P.O. Box 55742
Indianapolis, IN 46205

ASK FOR SHOW #1627.

July 22, 1997: The Saint on Laser Disc

The Saint is scheduled for a September 16, 1997 release on laser disc (the same day it is scheduled to be released for rental in the video stores) for a suggested retail price of $39.98. The laser disc will feature DD, Letterbox, and THX. No definite dates for when it begins its run on Pay Per View.

The VHS video release will also be on September 16th.

July 22, 1997: Box Office Update

"The Saint" dropped 13 spots, from 39th place down to 52nd, this past weekend. The weekend gross was down 53% to $23,014 on 91 screens (down from 128) around the country. "The Saint" averaged $253 per screen, which brought the total domestic gross to $61,326,827 after 108 days in release.
(Source: Daily Variety Box Office Chart - July 18-20)

July 21, 1997: The Saint in Paris

With LE SAINT still playing along the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, Librio have published another in their series of Charteris reprints. En petites coupures (The Million Pound Day) is the third in a forseen series of 12 individually published stories, retailing for only FF10 (around $2) per title.

On a note of curiosity French Saint fans have a choice when they buy the music from the motion picture soundtrack. It has been repackaged, and the cover redesigned (so that you're buying music from 'Le Saint') or you can buy the original English language version. Graeme revell's soundtrack is available on import (for the same silly price it is in the UK... buy it from Music Boulevard folks!).

July 15, 1997: Box Office Update

"The Saint" dropped nine spots, from 30th place down to 39th, this past weekend. The weekend gross was down 39% to $49,294 on 128 screens (down from 281) around the country. "The Saint" averaged $385 per screen, which brought the total domestic gross to $61,279,886 after 101 days in release.
(Source: Daily Variety Box Office Chart - July 11-13)

On the International front, THE SAINT actually had a 24% gain in grosses during its second week in Japan. Worldwide grosses are now up to $108,060,970.

July 15, 1997: Simper's Saint Book Available

Paul Simper's new book about The Saint was published in May 1997. It is called, "The Saint: From Big Screen To Small Screen And Back Again", and is a large coffee-table hardback with dustjacket. This book is the latest must-have reference about The Saint. Simper's work includes many quotes from the people involved in the television show, including Roger Moore. Other notable interviews include Robert S. Baker, Burl Barer, John Kruse, Sylvia Syms, Lord Lew Grade, Roy Ward Baker, Malcolm Christopher, and many more. The most notable, of course, is our own Mr. Dickerson--look for the picture of a young Ian Dickerson sitting next to none other than Leslie Charteris himself.

I just got a note from Trafalgar Square, Inc., and they have the book in stock. US fans should call their toll free number at (800) 423-4525 to order this fine book for only $24.95.

Fans in the United Kingdom should contact:
Chameleon Books, an imprint of Andre Deutsch Ltd.
106 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3LJ.
Telephone: 0171 580 2746, or FAX: 0171 631 3253.

July 10, 1997: The Saint Meets the Mystery Writers

Burl Barer is currently completing a 6,000 word essay on Leslie Charteris and The Saint for MYSTERY WRITERS, a forthcoming reference book to be published by Charles Scribner's Sons. Robin W. Winks of Yale University is Editor in Chief of the project, and Maureen Corrigan of Georgetown University is Associate Editor.

July 10, 1997: The Saint In The Sky

American Airlines is now offering a showing of THE SAINT on Westbound New York to Los Angeles flights -- it certainly made the trip go by faster!

July 8, 1997: Box Office Update

"The Saint" dropped only four spots, from 26th place down to 30th, this past weekend. The weekend gross was down 43% to $80,811 on 281 screens (down from 407) around the country. "The Saint" averaged $288 per screen, which brought the total domestic gross to $61,191,959 after 94 days in release.
(Source: Daily Variety Box Office Chart - July 4-6)

July 3, 1997: Box Office Update

"The Saint" dropped from 17th place down to 26th this past weekend. The weekend gross was down 65% to $141,361 on 407 screens around the country. "The Saint" averaged $347 per screen, which brought the total domestic gross to $61,041,533 after 87 days in release.
(Source: Daily Variety Box Office Chart - June 27-29)

June 27, 1997: Home Video for The Saint

Paramount's "The Saint," starring Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue will reportedly be released on home video on Tuesday, September 16th. The tape will probably be priced for rental, and the laser disc release should come out around the same time.

"The Saint" will begin a pay-per-view run approximately 5 weeks before the video release. Look for Simon to appear on your local cable TV about the first week in August.

No news on whether Paramount will bundle Burl Barer's brilliant novelization with the movie, but recent Warner Bros bundle did very well. Warner conducted a test whereby they had the novelization of one of their films shrinkwrapped with the video of the same film. The first 25,000 sold out immediately, thereby proving the power of bundling. If not, it sure would be nice to see the novelization available as a point of purchase impulse buy at your local Blockbuster.

Don't forget there are tons of good rumors in the 1995, 1996, and 1997 archives. Also, I have plenty of original Saint books for sale on my shelves.

June 26, 1997: Ian Ogilvy in the City

This hasn't been mentioned here before, but Ian Ogilvy, star of Return of The Saint was in two episodes of Caroline in the City last season. Ian Ogilvy was in two of the last four episodes playing Annie's (Caroline's wild next door neighbor) agent, Mr. Spencer. He represents Annie as she trys to get her a role in a pilot with Shadoe Stevens. Mr. Spencer may be a recurring role next year, so watch for Ian next season as well. In the meantime, watch for Ogilvy in re-runs this summer. Caroline in the City stars Lea Thompson as the cartoonist, Caroline Duffy.

June 25, 1997: The Saint's Mailing List

For those of you who don't already know, there is a Saint mailing list called "The Epistle", which is sent in digest form at irregular intervals. To subscribe to The Epistle, send an e-mail to listserver@ogham.org with the following in the body of the text:

subscribe TheEpistle your name
end

For those of you who have joined, don't forget to send Saintly updates and trivia questions to TheEpistle@ogham.org once in a while!

June 24, 1997: The Latest Box Office News

Last week's astonishing reversal seems to have carried over a bit, as "The Saint" dropped only 5 places down to 17th place (which is still higher than 24th two weeks ago). The weekend gross was down 22% to $403,821 on the same number of screens as last week: 675. "The Saint" averaged $598 per screen, which brought the total domestic gross to $60,734,766 after 80 days in release.
(Source: Daily Variety Box Office Chart - June 20-22)

In France, "Le Saint" (distributed by United International Pictures) gathered $287,000 on the first day, and a sound weekend total of $1.4 million on 325 screens. It also nabbed another first day $22,041 in Belgium, where the opening weekend was a lively $374,000 on 25 screens. In Louis Hayward's home of South Africa, "The Saint" brought in $403,584 opening day from 55 screens (beating out "The Fifth Element" for the top spot). This raises the foreign gross to $38.7 million, and the grand total to the brink of $100 million at $99.4 million! Do I hear sequel yet?
(Source: Variety: Dino Pic Stomps On Overseas Records and Variety: Actioners, Hercules Make For Busy Overseas Box Office)

Upcoming release dates are as follows (please send updated information to me):

June 18, 1997: France, Belgium, South Africa
June 20, 1997: Norway, Switzerland (French)
June 25, 1997: Philippines
June 26, 1997: Czech/Slovakia
June 28, 1997: Peru
June (no date), 1997: Croatia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Japan
September (no date), 1997: Romania
October 10, 1997: Greece
(no date), 1997: Bulgaria

June 20, 1997: The Saint in Paris

Our Saint at large, on the streets of Paris, reports that Burl Barer's novelization of LE SAINT is in wide distribution (you can't twirl a Tintin sweater without hitting one). The French have always loved The Saint, and to prove it our man on the street claims "Le Saint" is playing in every cinema in Paris. J'aime Paris!

Just across the English Channel, the CD of Graeme Revell's movie score is only available as an import in the UK. The price is over 20 pounds, which means it's probably cheaper to order it on-line.

June 19, 1997: The History of The Saint

The Saint--A Complete History in Print, Radio, Film and Television
By Burl Barer

For those of you who don't already own a copy of this book, I strongly recommend buying one. This history of The Saint by Burl Barer is a fantastic source of information about the Saint. It won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writer's of America in 1993, and has been highly praised by even the harshest critics. The author's love of The Saint really shows through, and his exhaustive research is plain to see. Burl made numerous trips to Boston University's Mugar Library to dig through their volumious Charteris collection, and was granted a fairly free hand on what he could use. As this is really the only history of The Saint, it is a must-read for all fans of Simon Templar.

The Saint--A Complete History... is published by McFarland & Company, Inc., and you can order Burl's book from Amazon.com for only $55.00. Considering that specialty bookstores often charge from $75 to $85 for it, the list price of $55 from Amazon.com is a bargain.

Burl Barer also wrote the novelization of the recent Paramount movie, "The Saint", for Pocket Books. You can also order "The Saint" from Amazon.com today.

June 18, 1997: Box Office News - The Saint's Comeback!

Refusing to fall from grace, "The Saint" flew up the charts 12 places this week to regain the number 12 spot. The weekend gross was $518,562, which is up 116% from last weekend ($768 per screen). The reason for the big jump is that "The Saint" is now playing in 675 screens, up from 333 the previous week. So, after 73 days in release, "The Saint" has passed the $60 million mark with a gross domestic total of $60,000,925! (Source: Daily Variety Box Office Chart - June 13-15)

"The Saint" captured a healthy $241,422 in Argentina, bringing the foreign total up to $34.6 million. The grand total for worldwide distribution is now edging up to the $100 million mark, with a hefty $94.7 million to date. (Source: Variety: Volcano, Con Air Blast Off Overseas)

June 18, 1997: Roger Moore Spices it Up

Army Archerd reports in today's Daily Variety that Roger Moore will be playing a big record mogul in the Spice Girls upcoming movie, "Five" that will be filmed in London. Roger will, however, take some time off to attend Lew Grades' 55th wedding anniversary party at the House of Lords. Lew Grades, as some of you may recall, was the head of ITC when Roger was filming The Saint television show for them. Mr. Moore is then reportedly flying off to Toronto for a UNICEF speaking engagement.

June 17, 1997: Columbia House Tapes

I watched a couple of the Columbia House tapes last night, and they are very nicely selected. The strategy of choosing one black and white, and one color episode per tape works very well. They have picked some great episodes, and I had not seen "The Frightened Inkeeper", and was quite shocked at what they did to the Saint's Volvo 1800!

You can order the tapes directly from Columbia House's web site, and the episodes available include:

• The Talented Husband/The Death Game
• The King Of The Beggars/The Reluctant Revolution
• The Happy Suicide/Escape Route
• The Scorpion/Simon and Delilah
• The Fiction Makers
• Sibao/Where The Money Is
• The Crooked Ring/The Counterfeit Countess
• The Set Up/Locate and Destroy
• The Frightened Innkeeper/Double In Diamonds
• Vendetta For The Saint

June 13, 1997: German Novelization

The German paperback of THE SAINT novelization by Burl Barer has just been printed. It is trade paperback size rather than mass-market size of the US and British editions. The German version also features Burl Barer's name above Kilmer's head.

The Hebrew version of Burl's novelization has also just been published in Israel.

June 13, 1997: Video Release Dates?

It is Friday the 13th today, and it appears that everyone is staying inside to avoid trouble. I haven't received very many new Saint rumors or news blurbs this week. If you hear of any, please e-mail me with anything worthy of this page. I am especially interested in hearing when the video and laserdisc releases for THE SAINT are scheduled to come out. I have heard December, but perhaps it is still a little too soon to tell. A recent rumor suggests that the laserdisc release may be as early as August 24th, priced at reasonable $40.

June 12, 1997: As the Actress said to the Bishop

"As the Actress Said to the Bishop" (a clever fanzine dealing with both mystery and sci-fi genres -- published by Hank Davis) features an extensive review of both Kilmer's SAINT movie and Burl Barer's SAINT novel in issue #19. A hint as to Davis' attitude is given in the book review's title: "THE SAINT by Burl Barer, based on a befuddled screenplay..."

Although Davis' fanzine is entitled "As the Actress said to the Bishop," he did not notice the actress/bishop joke at the very beginning of the novel. He was moritfied when Burl pointed it out to him!

The fanzine is great fun, and is obviously read by all manner of mystery and sci-fi writers judging from the mail. Hank works for Baen Books (sci-fi) and may be e-mailed at baenette@webspan.net

June 10, 1997: Latest Box Office News

THE SAINT fell seven spots this week, down from number 17 to 24. The weekend gross was $240,567 ($722 per screen), down 54% from last week. The number of screens showing THE SAINT dropped to 333, down from 811 last week. The domestic total is still inching up to that $60 million mark, and after 66 days in release, it has made $59,377,089. (Source: Daily Variety Box Office Chart - June 6-8)

June 6, 1997: Saint Notes with a French Slant

Serie Club is repeating LE SAINT, LA SAGA on Sunday afternoon at 15:45.

Also, Serie Club Publications have just put out the third edition of "Le Rendez-Vous des Series Cultes" which is dedicated to the adventures of "Le Saint". The full color magazine carries a lengthy article by Francois Julien on the history of the Saint as well as plenty of color pictures, mainly of dear 'ole Rog, many of which I haven't seen before. There's also a 20 question quiz on the show, as well as the opportunity to win CDs of the Duran Duran single, and copies of the movie novelisation (by some unknown writer allegedly named Burl Barer).

Curiously it appears that the Duran Duran CD carries not only a good stick-man logo, but the text "Darling," Patricia said "you won" as well as "Watch for the sign of the Saint"...unfortunately both sentences are limited by the hole in the middle of the CD (and I guess there's a use for that!) and the edge of the CD itself!!

Burl will be happy, as his name is prominently displayed on the paperback of Le Saint (published by J'ai Lu, incidentally).

The magazine also carries an article by Jean-Michel Dupont on the Kilmer movie as well as the opportunity to buy two sets of Saint videos (from the Roger Moore series), 24 episodes in all (and yes, they're in French).

Attached to the magazine is a video of "Un mari plein de talent" (The Talented Husband) and "Des femmes si douces" (The Gentle Ladies).

June 5, 1997: 6 Underground Saint Clips

The latest video for the Sneaker Pimps--for the song "6 Underground"--unsurprisingly features lots of clips of THE SAINT and indeed, sees Kilmer getting his halo, a la the ITC shows.

The video was also directed by Saint scribe, Wesley Strick.

June 3, 1997: History of the Saint Saga

Getting in well ahead of the competition, the French cult TV channel 'Serie Club' is showing LE SAINT, LA SAGA this Saturday at 20:45 - 23:30 (CET). It will be a grand retrospective of the history of The Saint, lead by Stephane Evanno. Here is the release, for those of you who speak French:

"Une soiree a ne plus savoir a quel Saint se vouer sur Serie Club! Stephane Evanno presente une grande retrospective de l'histoire d'un des heros les plus celebres du petit ecran, immortalise par Roger Moore, et dont une nouvelle adaptation sort au cinema, avec Val Kilmer."

June 3, 1997: Latest Box Office News

This past weekend has fairly poor attendance overall, as most studios decided not to release films for fear they would be trampled by THE LOST WORLD's huge pull. THE SAINT fell another three spots this week, down from number 14 to 17, but is still hanging in the top twenty (so no word yet on any video release dates). The weekend gross was $523,122 ($645 per screen), down 43% from last week. The number of screens showing THE SAINT dropped to 811, down from 1,061 last week. The domestic total is still inching up to that $60 million mark, and after 59 days in release, it has made $58,954,332. (Source: Daily Variety Box Office Chart - May 30-June 1)

In Malaysian, THE SAINT opened with $342,720--beating out THE EMPIRE STRIKE BACK by a wide margin. The foreign total is now up to $29.4 million, leading to a grand total of $88.4 million for the entire world. (Source: Variety - 'Lost World' Takes First Bite Of Overseas Box Office)

June 3, 1997: Impacting The Saint

The June issue of the British magazine, IMPACT: The Action Movie Magazine, devotes its cover story to THE SAINT. A 3-page article by John Mosby includes plenty of pictures, as well as plenty of quotes from Messrs Noyce and Kilmer.

There's little new material, although Noyce waxes slightly more lyrical on other candidates for the halo and goes through the usual disucssion of whether Kilmer is the devil incarnate or--gasp!--a Saint. The usual quotes are trotted out from Joel Schumacher and John Frankenheimer, with Noyce being the sole witness for the defense. To be honest, Kilmer comes off as a hard-working actor who's concerned about his work and wants to be involved wherever possible.

June 2, 1997: Momma Shue

From CyberSleaze 06-02-97:
Sexy SAINT star ELISABETH SHUE's rocky marriage is on solid ground again because she's becoming a mother. The 33-year-old beauty's two-year marriage to director DAVIS GUGGENHEIM has been in trouble since she played a hooker in LEAVING LAS VEGAS. And the couple had to seek counseling when Shue was spotted on camera in the arms of Saint co-star VAL KILMER. But a pal told American tabloid THE GLOBE, "The pregnancy plan is working. Elisabeth plans to take a year off work and be a normal married mum."

May 30, 1997: Volvo's 'Road To Scandinavia' Sweepstakes

While not completely Saint related, Volvo and Yahoo! are teaming up to sponser the 'Road to Scandinavia' sweepstakes. The prize is a trip for two to enjoy the spectacular sights of Scandinavia for 4 nights and 5 days. The winner will recieve roundtrip airfare for two, airport transfers, and double occupancy in deluxe hotel accommodations. They will also be given a tour of the birthplace of the Saint's car: the Volvo plant in Gothenburg, Sweden.

May 29, 1997: Bouchercon '97

This year's Bouchercon--the 28th World Mystery Convention--will be held in Monterey, California, October 30 thru November 2, 1997. An event of interest to Saint fans will be the special Saint panel lead by noted Saint experts, Ian Dickerson, Burl Barer, and Dan Bodenheimer. Also participating will be Bill Macdonald, formerly of Robert Evans Productions. Macdonald was the driving force behind Paramount's aquisition of THE SAINT, and helmed the earliest efforts to create the new Saint movie.

Bouchercon is the oldest and largest annual Convention of mystery fans, authors, publishers, mystery book dealers, agents, and like-minded travelers. The convention is named for the late Anthony Boucher (author and New York Times Book Review critic) in honor of his contributions to the field of Mystery and Detective Fiction. Convention attendees vote for a variety of awards called The Anthony Awards. The convention is held in a different city each year (usually in October). The 1997 convention will be held in conjunction with a Writer's Workshop and will sponsor a Mystery Writing Contest for Monterey High School Students. The Diogenes Club (Sherlock Holmes Society) will be participating in the programming and will also hold a reception during Bouchercon '97.

The Bouchercon '97 web site is located at http://users.aol.com/bchrcon97/index.htm for more information about the event.

May 29, 1997: Box Office Update

THE SAINT dropped from number 12 to number 14 this week. With a Memorial Day weekend gross of $1.12 million on 1,057 screens, THE SAINT slid 36% at the box office. After 53 days in release, the cumulative domestic gross is $58,252,721. Perhaps this gives a point of reference to the enormity of THE LOST WORLD's four day total of $90.16 million! (Source: Daily Variety Box Office Chart - May 23-26)

In International news, THE SAINT was launched in Brazil with a bright $354,000, while in Mexico it did a fair $302,000. The foreign tally is $26.5 million, for a grand total of over $84.7 million worldwide. (Source: Variety - 'Absolute' Lacks Overseas Power)

May 23, 1997: Saint Posters For Sale

DBA Cinematic Invitations (WBEYOND@aol.com) has Saint posters for sale at the lowest price I have seen. They have three different posters, including the black advanced "teaser" one-sheet with gold lightning bolt. They also have the "Who Is The Saint?" teaser with Val Kilmer on a black background, as well as the final "release" poster featuring a lighter blue tint and Russian background. All the posters are US$10.00 each, plus US$3.00 for shipping and handling.

A exciting new item is a set of British lobby cards, priced at US$40.00 plus US$5.00 for shipping. Note that some items may take a little longer to acquire, so please bear with DBA Cinematic. I have ordered from them several times, and have always received my shipment in due course. Their mailing address is

DBA Cinematic Invitations
P.O. BOX 1842
Manchester, CT
06045-1842
USA

May 22, 1997: Saint Books for Sale

Many people have seen the new movie, and now they want to read the further adventures of The Saint. Unfortunately, most of the books by Leslie Charteris are out of print, and there still isn't any news about US reprints. On the bright side, I have many duplicates, and I have plenty of stock on my books for sale shelves.

May 22, 1997: Saint Names FAQ

One of the frequently asked questions sent to me is, "What are the names of all the Saints that Simon Templar uses as aliases in the new movie." Paramount's site has such a list that may be helpful.

May 22, 1997: The Saint's Macintosh

The Saint uses an Apple Macintosh PowerBook 5300ce in the new Saint movie starring Val Kilmer. Working very closely with Paramount, Apple Computer arranged to have The Saint use the very latest in Macintosh OS technology. Apple had an interesting article on their web site about the portrayals of computers in film (including The Saint), but I think it has been archived.

May 20, 1997: Saint Box Office News

THE SAINT dropped off the American top 10 this week, falling from number 9 to number 12. This weekend's gross was $1.42 million, down 9% from last weekend, with an average of $872 on 1,625 screens (down from 1,730). The 45-day total is now $56,692,043 for the domestic market.

Meanwhile in the rest of the world, THE SAINT advanced to $21.6 million in 15 foreign markets. In Italy, THE SAINT has made $1.2 million in 10 days (although dropping 39% this weekend compared to the opening). In Korea, the total is $2 million in 13 days. The grand total for both foreign and domestic is more than $77 million so far! And that's not all; THE SAINT is scheduled to be released in at least 25 more countries over the next few months.

May 19, 1997: Saint Score Released

Graeme Revell's excellent orchestral score to "The Saint" was scheduled to be released on May 20th on the Angel label. Some fans report already seeing it in stores this weekend. The recording label is Emd/Angel, catalog number 56446.

You can order the original score from Music Boulevard for the sale price of $11.69!

May 19, 1997: Rock with Sneaker Pimps

THE SAINT soundtrack's own Sneaker Pimps will be the featured guest on Ticketmaster Online's All Access cyber-chat on Thursday, May 22 at 9:00 PM (EDT). Fans will be albe to chat with Sneaker Pimps' Liam Howe (keyboardist), Kelli Dayton (vocalist), and Chris Corner (guitarist) about " Becoming X," the group's American debut release on Virgin Records. Their debut single, "6 Underground", has been rapidly climbing the rotation lists at radio stations nationwide, and is also featured in THE SAINT.

May 15, 1997: Check out these Sites!

Here are a couple really good sites devoted to Val Kilmer:

• The Val Kilmer Newsletter
• Planet Kilmer

May 13, 1997: Great Article

Emily Barton has written a very nice article for Entertainment Drive, entitled, "Heating up the Cold War." It covers the making of the latest Saint movie, with a distinctly Russian slant. The article also contains links to information about Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue, and the Saint's history. Also look for video clips, and links to other related web sites.

May 12, 1997: Happy Birthday LC

Today, May 12th, would have been Leslie Charteris' 90th birthday. Born Leslie Charles Bowyer Yin in Singapore (then a British colony) on May 12, 1907, Leslie legally changed his name by deed-poll to Leslie Charteris in 1926. He died in Windsor, England on April 15, 1993 at age 85. For more information, check out the biography section of this web site.

May 12, 1997: THE SAINT Still in Top 10

THE SAINT remains alive on the Top 10 list this week, dropping one position to number 9 in its sixth week on the chart. THE SAINT pulled in $1.64 million, bringing the grand total up to $54.9 million.

In International news, EL SANTO not only placed in the number one spot in Spain, but was also up 29% versus its premiere there with $2,225,491 gross. In other countries, THE SAINT is also scoring strong in Australia, where it is number 2 after three weeks. It only did so-so in its German premiere, where it was number 4 with $1.8 million; and a very soft number 5 in Austria. In Italy, it netted $622,000 in three days. South Korea was strong with a healthy $1.5 million, Thailand brought in $1 million, and $684,000 was the total for Singapore. The grand total for 14 foreign countries is $18.5 million.

May 9, 1997: www.saint.org in the News

For those of you who missed it, my picture was on the front page of the "Silicon Valley Life" section of April 24th's San Jose Mercury News. Mike Cassidy wrote a very nice article about this web site (www.saint.org), and my "focus" on The Saint.

May 9, 1997: International News

"El Santo", starring Val Kilmer, is number 2 at the box office in Spain having taken in 14.967.887 pesatas during its first week (first place is El paciente ingles). The release date for the movie in France (yes, it's "Le Saint") has just been confirmed as Tuesday (?!), June 17th.

May 8, 1997: New book about The Saint

Paul Simper's new book about The Saint has just been published. It is called, "The Saint: From Big Screen To Small Screen And Back Again", and is a large coffee-table hardback with dustjacket. This book is the latest must-have reference about The Saint. Simper's work includes many quotes from the people involved in the television show, including Roger Moore. Other notable interviews include Robert S. Baker, Burl Barer, John Kruse, Sylvia Syms, Lord Lew Grade, Roy Ward Baker, Malcolm Christopher, and many more. The most notable, of course, is our own Mr. Dickerson--look for the picture of a young Ian Dickerson sitting next to none other than Leslie Charteris himself.

Paul Simper talks about his new book:

"Growing up with television in the 1960s was an all-consuming experience for many children both here in Britain and in America (and no doubt other parts of the globe where parents stomped their feet with frustration at the apparent sudden inactivity of their young ones). There was nothing like the choice we now enjoy in the 1990s but what series there were, were perhaps all the more priceless for it. And as the TV experience grew, so we grew with it.

For me a good credit sequence and signature tune were the key. Captain Scarlett had both. So, in their own way, did the Banana Splits. But it was only when my roving radar locked in on the ATV/ABC stable of action series that I really hit paydirt. The Champions with their lustrous theme and fountain. The Avengers - Diana Rigg of course - with their surreal mix of Old England and sexy judo moves. The Persuaders rolled two irresistibly glamorous success stories past your eyes while your heart quickened at that John Barry bass line. Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) told a more macabre tale with an appropriately haunting tune. And The Saint? Well, The Saint's beginning was just perfect...

Each week we would be primed - as we were in the Bond series - with a taste of his forthcoming adventure. Each week some probing soul would question or reveal his identity. And each week we would wait for Roger Moore to nonchalantly roll his eyes to the heavens, as that trademark halo appeared above his immaculately coiffed bonce and Edwin Astley's sprightly theme tune kicked in...

Thirty five years on, and it seems the power of that formula has barely diminished. Simon Templar is once again on British TV screens in the reassuring shape of Roger Moore, despatching merry quips and lethal right hooks with equal aplomb. So what is the purpose of this volume? Simply, dear reader, to take a fresh look at a favourite series. Hopefully the collection of new interviews with a number of the key contributors to the show (from producer Robert S Baker, production supervisors Johnny Goodman and Malcolm Christopher, directors Roy Ward Baker and Freddie Francis, scriptwriter John Kruse, clapper boy Terry Cole and casting director Tony Arnell through to Saint girls Shirley Eaton, Sylvia Syms and Annette Andre - and an exclusive interview with Roger Moore himself), will throw some new perspective on a particularly bountiful period of British television. Personally I like the old press clippings where the showbiz journos still respectfully refer to Rog as 'Mr Moore'."

- Paul Simper, May 7, 1997

Fans in the United States can order the book directly from:
Trafalgar Square Inc.
Howe Hill Road, North Pomfret, Vermont 05053
Telephone: (802) 457-1911, (800) 423-4525, or FAX: (802) 457-1913
Retail price is $24.95

Fans in the United Kingdom should contact:
Chameleon Books, an imprint of Andre Deutsch Ltd.
106 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3LJ.
Telephone: 0171 580 2746, or FAX: 0171 631 3253.

May 8, 1997: The Saint on Radio

Adventures in Cassettes has three volumes of The Saint radio show, starring Vincent Price, available. As many of you know, Vincent Price brought Simon Templar to life as radio's The Saint. Based on author Leslie Charteris' books, this witty, high-class sleuth was popularly billed as "the Robin Hood of modern crime." Although his adventures rarely involved "robbing from the rich," The Saint frequently found himself foiling the plans of felons and murderers.

• The "Killer" collection, AB113 (6 cassettes, 6 hours, $25.98), includes 12 episodes from 1949 and 1950: Connelly Silver Mine, Old Man's Car, Color Blind Killer, Prove I Did It, Fake Amnesia Killer, Prize Fighter, Music Murder, Search For A Killer, Contract On The Saint, Death Of The Saint, Fighter's Contract, and Author of Murder.
• The "Detective" collection, AB286 (6 cassettes, 6 hours, $25.98), includes 12 episodes from 1950 and 1951: Harry Morgan's Revenge, Murder Plot, Terrible Tin-Type, Young Detective, Monkey Business, The Champ's Kid, Christmas Jewels, Alive Dead Husband, The Aging Actor, The Tuba Player, Under The Carnival, and Missing Bridegroom.
• The "Big Swindle" collection, AB191 (6 cassettes, 6 hours, $25.98), includes 12 episodes from 1951: Next of Kin, The Big Swindle, The What-Not What Got Hot, Button Button, The Bird and Bees of East Orange, Formula For Death, Simon Carries The Ivy, The Ghosts Who Came To Dinner, The Lady Who Leaned, Fishes Gotta Eat, The Girl With The Lower Berth, and Death Of A Cowboy.

May 6, 1997: Saint Soundtrack on the Rise

Music from the motion picture soundtrack, "The Saint", is quickly rising up The Billboard 200 album chart. "The Saint" soundtrack debuted on April 12th at number 159, jumped to position 68 the next week--making it that week's "Greatest Gainer." On April 26th it moved up to 36, and May 3rd it climbed to 24th place. The May 10th chart was just published, and after five weeks on the chart it appears that its rise has stalled: "The Saint" remains at 24 for the second week in a row.

Paramount's web site has lots of information about The Saint Soundtrack from Virgin Records. The site also features sound clips from Duran Duran, Orbital, David Bowie, Daft Punk, Sneaker Pimps, and many others. You can order the soundtrack from Amazon.com on CD for $14.95 (their page also features five sound clips from the album).

On a related note, Graeme Revell's excellent orchestral score to "The Saint" will be released on May 20th on the Angel label.

May 6, 1997: Hanging in there

"The Saint" opened a month ago, and in its fifth weekend at the theatres it dropped to eighth place at the boxoffice. This weekend brought in an additional $3 million in receipts, boosting the grand total over the $50 million mark to $52,496,506!

May 6, 1997: Saint Pepper

Dr Pepper is doing a Saint tie-in promotion in the United Kingdom called, "Pull It Off With The Saint." Each special Dr Pepper can has a nice Saintly halo behind the promotional title, and they even include traditional stick figure. The prizes include grey T-shirts with "The Saint" printed on the chest in black with a large Saint figure at the bottom left corner, record bags, a Saint badge, and a holiday trip.

Here is the text from a promotional postcard that Dr Pepper is sending out:

It's unexpectedly easy to win an unexpected prize when you try the unexpected taste of Dr Pepper. Unexpectedly there are £250,000 worth of unexpected prizes, with Dr Pepper and The Saint, including 5 totally unexpected action holidays to the USA or Russia. Or, unexpectedly, you could win a Dr Pepper and The Saint T-Shirt or record bag. But most unexpectedly, all you have to do is pull this.

May 1, 1997: Volvo Club Meet

The Volvo 1800 Car Club of Northern California is hosting at swap meet and pizza feast at Antonio's Pizza in Palo Alto, California.

The event will take place on Sunday, May 4th 1997 from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Antonio's Pizza is located at 720 San Antonio Road in Palo Alto, and their phone number is (415) 857-0690.

DIRECTIONS:

Take the San Antonio off ramp off of Highway 101 in Palo Alto. Take San Antonio to Middlefield Road and make a U-TURN. ANTONIO's PIZZA is in an obvious Black and White building. Parking is ample but we need to park at the far edge of the parking lot away from the building to allow other customers to park conveniently.

We ask that you patronize Antonio's Pizza during the event. The food is good, and besides pizza they also have hamburgers and sandwiches. Antonio's hosts The Mercedes Club meets too, so let's show them that Volvo owners are the ones with true class.

May 1, 1997: Between The Covers

BETWEEN THE COVERS: The UK edition of THE SAINT by Burl Barer has a different cover than the USA version, and Burl likes it much better. "First of all, my name is easier to read and it is above everyone else's name," cheered Barer, currently between contracts, "it is also brighter, bolder, and has a Saint stick man logo on it -- although his left arm is abnormally long."

The text of the novel itself remains unchanged, and readers world-wide are encouraged to post rave reviews of Barer's efforts to Simon & Schuster's web site.

News and Rumors Archives

If you want more Saint news, there was lots of news in 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, late 1997, early 1997, 1996, and 1995. As always, be sure to check The Saint's News and Rumors Blog on a regular basis.