Writing recently about ‘The Prisoner’ recently I forgot to mention that Patrick Mcgoohan’s previous incarnation as John Drake, ‘Danger Man’, was known, for reasons I never quite worked out, as ‘Secret Agent’ in the USA. Probably broadcast elsewhere by this name as well – maybe.
I thought it would be jolly to have a listen to the opening credits, because ‘Danger Man’ had one of the best themes ever! All praise to the late Edwin Astley, who also wrote the theme for ‘The Saint’. No way could ‘Secret Agent’ beat that! It couldn’t, of course, but I did recognise the theme as the song ‘Secret Agent Man’ sung by Johnny Rivers and written by P. F. Sloanand Steve Barri (of ‘Eve of Destruction’ fame).
When it got to the chorus I sort of stopped and my heart skipped a beat (didn’t really).
Here it is:
“Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your name.”
So, the question must be: was the whole of ‘The Prisoner’ inspired by the lyrics of ‘Secret Agent’, the American name for ‘Danger Man’?
To is there something else we don’t know about going on here?
Conspiracy theorist queue here please.
Nicely Strongoak 