"The Prisoner" Living in Harmony (1968)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

David Tomblin

Writers:

Ian Rakoff (story)
David Tomblin (story)

TV Series:

"The Prisoner" (1967)

Original Air Date:

14 January 1968 (Season 1, Episode 13)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Number 6 finds himself in the middle of a wild west version of his imprisonment. |

Plot Keywords:

Sheriff | Brother Sister Relationship | Gunfight | Virtual Reality | Mute

Cast

Patrick McGoohan	...	Number Six
Alexis Kanner	...	The Kid
David Bauer	...	The Judge / Number Two
Valerie French	...	Kathy
Gordon Tanner	...	Town Elder
Gordon Sterne	...	Bystander
Michael Balfour	...	Will
Larry Taylor	...	Mexican Sam
Monti DeLyle	...	Town Dignitary (as Monti De Lyle)
Douglas Jones	...	Horse Dealer
Bill Nick	...	First Gunman
Leslie Crawford	...	Second Gunman (as Les Crawford)
Frank Maher	...	Third Gunman
Max Faulkner	...	First Horseman
Bill Cummings	...	Second Horseman

Trivia:

After hearing that Patrick McGoohan was practicing his quick-draw while filming Ice Station Zebra (1968), Alexis Kanner immediately started practicing himself, eventually becoming so proficient that he beat McGoohan to the draw in the take used in the episode. The two stars reportedly watched the scene frame-by-frame to settle the debate of who was faster once and for all. Owners of the DVD can confirm Kanner's greater speed independently.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The revolver Number Six slaps down on the marshal's desk as he resigns is a Ruger Blackhawk, which was not manufactured until the 1950's. The pistol that is drawn on him when he is first waylaid and taken to Harmony is also a Blackhawk, likely the same one, identifiable by its characteristic flat-top frame, adjustable rear sight, and tall, ramp-shaped front sight. (Note that this episode is full of western movie clichés which indicates that the episode's creators were not aiming for realism. The revolver, then, forms another link between the imaginary past and the real present.)

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mexican Sam: Welcome to Harmony, stranger.