User Reviews

As already noted, there are several guest stars appearing in this episode that show up in other Danger Man / Secret Agent shows.

This is one of Actor Howard Marion-Crawford's (Archer) three appearances in the 1 hour Danger Man Series. Worth noting is that every show he's in is an exceptional one. He's a bad guy in each installment, and always convincing. You can see which Danger Man's he appeared here in the IMDb database, but especially noteworthy is 'No Marks for Servility', arguable the best show of the entire run of both the 1960 and 1964 series. If you ever want to turn someone on to Danger Man that's the episode to give them.

The irascible Aubrey Morris did three 1 hour Danger Man's, with this episode being his most understated appearance (he plays Jo Dutton's supervisor at the embassy). To really see this versatile actor shine you must watch him as Tomasio in 'The Paper Chase' and as Fortunato Santos in 'The Affair at Castelevara'. The actor also did one appearance on The Prisoner. Aubrey is one of the few actors who might have stood a chance in the Tuco role in 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly' (of course it's nearly impossible to imagine anyone other than Eli Wallach at this point in time).

Also worth noting is the lovely Patricia Driscoll, who also appeared in an earlier ½ hour Danger Man episode titled 'The Conspirators'. Patricia's native beauty really shines in that one.

Finally, homage must be paid to the series creator, the little mentioned Ralph Smart. Danger Man was Ralph's brainchild, and he and McGoohan seemed to have the greatest influence on the production of each show. In this kickoff episode of the 1 hour series Ralph is credited as Executive Producer. I noticed over the course of the series that at some point Ralph's name appears in fewer and fewer episodes, until finally in the late episodes his name is vanquished entirely. That must have been a factor in why the latter shows were so weak.

Patrick McGoohan as James Bond? It could have happened. Launched in 1960, the half-hour version of the British spy thriller "Danger Man" made the Anglo-American actor an international star and effectively kicked off the 1960s spy craze that culminated in the James Bond movie franchise, which has persevered two decades into the 21st century.

McGoohan had been offered the lead role in "Dr. No"; of course, he turned it down, and it went to Sean Connery, who at the time lacked McGoohan's star power. (Coincidentally, both actors appeared in the gritty 1957 British crime drama "Hell Drivers.") The story goes that McGoohan, married and a devout Catholic, refused to kiss another woman on-screen, so of course there goes half the rationale for the Bond franchise that made Connery a legend.

Perhaps, though, McGoohan saw through Bond creator Ian Fleming's patronizing, bum-patting sexism--Fleming's most memorable female character name remains the notorious "Pussy Galore" in "Goldfinger"--and wanted to pursue the realistic depictions of "tradecraft" in the world of espionage and covert operations, the proxy field of battle during the Cold War, that distinguish "Danger Man," both in its original incarnation and its 1964 rebirth in a one-hour format (retitled "Secret Agent" for the US market), with each far more John le Carré than Ian Fleming--and so much the better for it.

"Yesterday's Enemies," the premiere of the one-hour series incarnation, sees McGoohan's intelligence operative John Drake now British and working for "M9," loosely based on MI6, Britain's actual foreign intelligence service, instead of for NATO, while the expanded running time enabled the series' writers to develop the intricacies, particularly among the various characters, that could only be suggested or summarized in the half-hour version. Drake himself still retained his cool intelligence, steel nerves, easy charm, and unassuming toughness, although there were hints of tension and dissention, particularly with his superiors including the Admiral (Peter Madden) who sends Drake to Beirut on his inaugural mission in "Yesterday's Enemies."

In Beirut, expatriate British oil executive Brett (Peter Copley) has been funneling sensitive information to "the other side," but as Drake tries to investigate he clashes with harried, understaffed station chief Jo Dutton (Maureen Connell), who steers him toward local police chief Attala (Anton Rodgers), who lends surreptitious support. Surveillance on Brett reveals that he is actually working for Archer (Howard Marion Crawford), an alcoholic journalist drummed out of M9 during World War Two who has established his own rogue spy network partly as a bargaining chip to return to M9. However, machinations unknown to Drake undermine his attempts to bring Archer in from the cold.

One reviewer has deemed the script "pretty routine," but strip away the flash and glitter depicted in the James Bond movies, or the intricate, clever contrivances in the American television spy drama "Mission: Impossible," and you're left with the reality of espionage: as with police work, routine is the norm, far more unglamorous legwork and endless paperwork than deadly shootouts and high-speed car chases.

The trick is to make that reality believable, and Donald Jonson's sturdy script highlights the dynamics of covert operations being executed in plain diplomatic sight--Dutton especially must manage two tracks in an intimate expatriate community--while Charles Crichton's direction doesn't let the pacing flag. Strong performances, including by Patricia Driscoll as Archer's wife Catherine, enhance the credible, intriguing depiction of spycraft not with James Bond-like derring-do but with resolute determination punctuated by moments of legitimate danger as McGoohan portrays a realistic, three-dimensional spy with quiet conviction.

That makes "Danger Man" in its one-hour configuration the premier 1960s spy series without question. Am I overlooking "The Prisoner," Patrick McGoohan's subsequent project? Not at all. But although spy-versus-spy intrigue underpins "The Prisoner," that revolutionary, almost revelatory miniseries transcends genre pigeonholing to become sui generis. It is unique. Apropos of that, I reject the facile assertion that Number Six is simply the continuation of John Drake. Be seeing you.

REVIEWER'S NOTE: What makes a review "helpful"? Every reader of course decides that for themselves. For me, a review is helpful if it explains why the reviewer liked or disliked the work or why they thought it was good or not good. Whether I agree with the reviewer's conclusion is irrelevant. "Helpful" reviews tell me how and why the reviewer came to their conclusion, not what that conclusion may be. Differences of opinion are inevitable. I don't need "confirmation bias" for my own conclusions. Do you?

Drake is sent to Beirut to investigate a British businessman who is leaking industrial secrets to the opposition. However, it may be more complicated than Drale first realized.

When Danger Man returned in 1964 after a three year hiatus, it was a totally different show. It was now fifty minutes, and had John Drake working for M9 instead of NATO.

The reborn Danger Man is one of my favorite TV series, and one that I take delight in revisiting every year.

Yesterday's Enemies is a perfect opening episode. The supporting cast is full of recognizable faces, including Miss Marple herself! Maureen Connell gives the best guest performance as the overworked head of the M9 branch in Beirut. The script is pretty routine, but it has some nice twists.

While "Yesterday's Enemies" is the first episode of the reboot of "Danger Man", it's on the SECOND disc released by A&E Video. This is no surprise, as I've seen other series released by this company in which the episodes are all mixed up. Frankly, it shows these folks just don't care--and considering how expensive the shows are, this is annoying.

John Brett works for an oil company in the Middle East. However, he also works for British Intelligence and has been passing them information. However, the British learn that SOME of the secrets sent to Brett have been leaked and John Drake has been sent to find out why as well as to whom Brett is leaking information. To learn this, he sets up surveillance equipment and watches and listens to Brett--and learns that Brett has, apparently, been ordered by British Intelligence to pass on these secrets to the enemy! What gives?!

I've explained the first half of the show--the uninteresting portion by comparison. What comes next is odd, as Drake wraps everything up and Britain sends in a 'fixer' to clean up the mess. This 'solution' to the problem is VERY chilling and exciting--and elevates this episode well above the norm. See the show--you'll see what I mean.

By the way, was that some sort of Vulcan neck pinch that Drake uses on the airplane?! I was just wondering....