That's what imdb reviewer "geffers from Bletchley" said in his "review". In the series Journey to the Unknown, there was an American in the lead role in each series but the cast was all British. So which would have been the "token" in this series, the American or the Brits? Either way, us annoying token Americans want to apologize for our actors appearing in your British tv shows. It must have been very traumatic for you.
shareActually it was worse when British actors were cast as Americans and put on phony accents .. e.g. Judy Geeson, the hippies in "Won't Write Home ..." and Susan Hampshire.
As ABC-US bankrolled the series I think we can be grateful one of the few things they insisted upon were actors familiar to the US - mostly Americans naturally.
It usually worked fine .. only when the role was "artificially shoehorned into the story" as an American for no real good reason. This happened a few times later on and I suspect was the reason for the original comment in "Geffers" review.
There were token Americans, because like anything else worth a darn, it was American money producing it.
sharethe makers knew that by sticking a single american in each episode, the american tv stations would purchase it - it's really that simple.
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"The U.S. doesn't "expect" the world to follow its lead. It just happens."
To quote the Godfather:
"Now who's being naive, Kaye?"
Nothing 'just happens'
"Britcoms are very popular in the States."
Like what?
Sorry DB Dante; I've decided you are just stupid!American Culture is big here in Oz. Personally I love your cartoon satires such as "The Simpsons", "Family Guy" and "American Dad"; as well as Canadian stuff(more!) such as South Park and "Team America". Love American Movies also. But if you think that's all that's going on , you're seriously mislead. I love British Comedy( esp Mr Bean; Dawn French; Absolutely Fabulous; Little Britain etc.. ) plus Aussie comedy such as "Kath and Kim" and "Thank God You're Here". If you think Borat was funny; it is well realised in Oz that he was a direct ripoff of a comedian here called "Norman Gunston"(See Garry McDonald) who took the piss out of people such as Ray Charles, Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney in the 1970'S. I've decided you are ignorant and not worth the effort.(Like most insular Americans!). No more effort. Sorry!
shareHi Nick, you're quite nuts you know that?:-D It's a fact that US viewers prefer Americans on the tube, fact my friend. "Thriller" was made with US money, hence the US actors. No big mystery. You have a severe obsession with something you despises, I wonder why, but you seem like on some sort of personal vendetta. I wonder what Freud would make of it...
shareFreud said it had something to do with Dom's mother. But then he was in a great hurry to go do a line.
share"Sorry DB Dante; I've decided you are just stupid!"
Dad??
"But if you think that's all that's going on , you're seriously mislead."
I do? I am?
"I've decided you are ignorant and not worth the effort.(Like most insular Americans!)."
Ah man, my big secret is out then. Thats a shame.
In all seriousness though, I really have no point of reference to even begin to decrypt your post. What is your thesis? What are you arguing against? I'm not sure you know what I am arguing. Or what my post pertained to. But its ok, I don't know enough Australian people to lump them into as effective a stereotype as 'ignorant.' So, rather than say Australians are reactionary, I'll just say that YOU are reactionary.
South Park is Canadian? hahaha. Ummmmmmmm....no.
shareThe series was financed by ATV in the UK. Lew Grade, founder of ATV and its subsidiary ITC) was very aware of the necessity of casting names known in the US in order to sell a series to US networks.
If there are token US names in a British (or any other country's) film or TV series then it is entirely because of the unwillingness of US networks and distributors to handle productions without those names.
I loved your comment about Brian Clemens and your missing 70 minutes of life.I take it that now you have the boxed set he owes you a lot more than that by now..
I bought the series for christmas and i now find it's working.With each episode my expectations for the next one drop,so each one is getting better while getting worse...I have also taken to watching episodes randomly it improves the suspense...
The only real difference is "Who killed lamb" the only episode on the dvd's to be made by yorkshire television..Apart from the different opening titles,it just feels more real than the atv episodes..
So why is thriller so bad..Is it the fake exteriors so clearly seen from the interiors..The wobbling sets and crew coughing during takes.Continuity, red sutcases turning brown and then back to red ..or the token americans..
My theory is based on two points..That Lew grade was spending too much money on cigars and dating lady penelope and not enough on his programming and Brian clemens needed quick cash for the restoration of the east wing of his surrey mansion whilst saving himself for the new avengers and the professionals..
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He's clearly lost his mind, he only accepts critism when the poster agrees with him, so don't expect a serious answer from this 'Dom' fellow. It's also clear that he has something against Clemens personally (don't deny it!), or he wouldn't invest this much time with the wonders of "Thriller", the best 70s TV series ever. Period. Did Brian refuse to sign an autograph, or did he send your rejected script back covered in spit, with a big LOL in bold letters?
And hey Bubba, 70s TV is the best there is, TV before and TV since, have sucked. That's another fact most archive anoraks seem to agree on. So how can two people view this series so differently? I'm guessing you're a first time viewer, that alone explains a lot, and your age is probably too young to know any better. Can I ask you age? You have our utmost sympathy. :(
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Would all these great actors take part in a turd? Nope, hence it's not a turd, just another job perhaps but no turd. "In The Steps..." is great actually, wonderful ending, but somehow you seem to miss the essence of 70s TV. I certainly hope Clemens doesn't read your embarrassing drivel. Clemens entertains, you do not. It doesn't matter how many times you repeat yourself in 'clever' assessments, it doesn't make it any more right. It only demonstrates your failure, at understanding the nature of 70s British television.
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Here you go again dom, having a grudge against Clemens, did you once work for him and you didn't get along? It's clearly become obsessive behaviour on your part, can't you just let people enjoy this series? Most people love it, you hate it, so who's right eh?!.
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If you're so damn 'angry' (or whatever you want to call it) over Brian Clemens and 'Thriller' then why are you wasting your time watching it and screaming about it here. Don't you have anything better to do?
Hey, some people actually enjoy watching the series. Some don't. Obviously, you're in the latter camp. We figured that out from your first post. Now go fly a kite or something, PLEASE.
"You give me back my ball... I'll give you yours" - Viggo Mortensen in Renny Harlin's 'Prison'
In a nutshell - straight to the point!
If a person doesn't like a particular series then that's fine and totally acceptable, but it's the continuous BLEETING and MOANING about it, by that person, which does my head in!
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Domin it really is about time you washed out your filthy sewage mouth with soap
or even better something more caustic or acidic.
Your clearly malicious, vicious, nonsensical HATRED filled 100% inaccurate "postings" against the masterful work of BRIAN CLEMENS and the GREATEST EVER
TV SERIES THRILLER (73 to 76) expose you as someone who has a nasty mind, a
hidden vendetta or grudge and whose viewing is poisoned by watching RECENT
RUBBISH Usa dramas and comedies made AFTER 1979, the sort of cheap trash like
Friends, seinfeld, cheers, hill street blues , cagney and lacey.
For your ignorant rantings against the supreme mystery writer Brian Clemens and
the magnificent quality ITC 60s and 70s series only reveal your insane , bitter
and twisted jealousy and lack of any good viewing taste.
Please disappear from these boards if your basic input is so foul, negative and
totally WRONG, INCORRECT and REPULSIVE. LOSER........
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Minder and Sweeney are 2 of the worst , cockney accented, worthless, abysmal , dire Uk trash "series" ever made. Both pre date the abominable Eastenders.
I cannot understand 1 single word that the arrogant, common as muck Thaw and
Waterman mumble and the "writing" "acting" "directing" is wooden cardboard level.
Brian Clemens work in THRILLER 73 to 76, The AVENGERS is masterful, suspenful
the zenith of Tv greatness and you have to be extremely retarded, sad, neglected
if you allow personal bias, grudges, petty hatreds etc to even dare suggest that
THRILLER or Brian Clemens are anything but the best of British and in THRILLER
73 to 76 you have the ABSOLUTE BEST Mystery thrilling films ever made.
But it does require a minimum of intelligence and good taste to appreciate THRILLER and CLEMENS, both qualities totally lacking in "fans" of Minder, Sweeney.
If you are cheap, common, cockney, arrogant, dull, boring you should NOT be on Tv.
Here's another angle on 'controversy' starting here.
I'm a fan of 'Thriller' - got the boxed set...but I LOVE 'The Sweeney' - got all 4 boxed sets, the pilot and the 2 films.
I'm not a cockney but I think I can help translate the...er...mumblings(?) of the 'common as muck' Thaw and Waterman.
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THE ONLY PATHOLOGICAL PSYCHOTIC NEUROTIC RETARDED inbred poster on these boards
goes by such nancy names as "dominique" "dom" "dim" "demented" and tries to
compensate its lack of good taste, intelligence, humour by maliciously and
erroneously attacking the UK's BEST ever writer BRIAN CLEMENS and the UK's all
time BEST EVER TV SERIES THRILLER 73-76.
Dom who maybe a he, a she, a he/she or worse calls people "dear" in a lazy, campy,
patronizing Danny laRue , Larry Grayson manner which embaresses Dom even more as he gives himself away and reveals his hideous hidden self, which he has tried to
repress for at least 40 years !!!!
I am the Santa Fe Sheriff and a TRUE EUROPEAN and have every right to describe
cheap common "cockney" or "slang" or vulgar talking series like Minder and Sweeney
as ultra repellent and thrashy because they do not take the viewer into any
quality, or fantasy , or entertainment but are so downright "realistic" of what
you can see everyday on the mugger robber infested streets of South London or
Brixton, Peckham etc we DO NOT need that sort of C R A P on Tv we get enough of it
in real life !!!
"deranged ranting" yes that sums up Dom and his abysmal tasteless "views".
I loathe SWEENEY, trashy so-called 'realistic' telly, and it's shot on ugly film to boot.
sharePersonally I always thought the Americans added a touch of sophistication & glamour. The contrast of Brit 'village yokel'or 'Lord of the manor' types & cosmopolitan U.S. citizens always worked a treat.
Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion
I agree. I liked the American actors.
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