McGoohan once said that "With Fall Out you get an allegorical ending to an enigmatic series," the only trouble is, Fall Out doesn't fit in with it's 16 predecessors! I think McGoohan was hiding behind his use of the word 'allegorical,' because to use that word means Fall Out could mean anything at all, no wonder McGoohan was so pissed off at the end! Oh, didn't you realise that? Sir, as he had become to be addressed, gave a speech which commenced with "I believe that dispite the decimilisation of the pound, nevertheless.......... Of course much of McGoohan's rantings in that speech is completely inaudible. But it is possible to lip read three words at the end of that speech "I'm pissed off!" And do you know, even though it's so obvious that McGoohan shouts these three words, they have been ignored. As though it's not possible for McGooohan to utter such words. I bet some fans believe all that gunk that McGoohan spouted about him and his family being threatened by angry fans at the end of the 1967-68 screening of the Prisoner, that he was attacked in the street. That people would have killed him, and that is why he had to run away first to North Wales, no, not to Portmeirion. Then on to Switzerland, to finally settle in California in the United States of America. He did that to evade the British taxman. The film company set up by Paytrick McGoohan and film director David Tomblin Everyman Films which produced the Prisoner went bankrupt, and owed the British taxman some £40 -£60,000, that's the real reason McGoohan did a runner in 1968.
Some fans put Patrick McGoohan on a pedestal, even looked up to him. But he was just a man, with man's frailties, just like anyone else.
I'm Piet Hein
Everyman didn't go bankrupt until 1974. McGoohan is known to have been financing Kenneth Griffith after the prisoner and Griffith admits to financial disagreements in his autobiography.
ReplyDeleteSo far as McGoohan being vulgar is concerned, you seem rather innocent about him. When he was earning another fat fee in Hollywood in 1970, making "The Moonshine War", he is quoted as remarking to Elmore Leonard (the original writer of the book/movie) "What's it like to hear all your words being fucked up?"
Your lip-reading quote suggests he was being restrained for TV - for all those kids and grannies who might be watching I guess.
In response to this comment, I've been doing a little research. 'Everyman Films' was acutally wound up by the Inland Revenue in 1975. It's only production was 'the Prisoner.'
ReplyDeleteSoon after producing 'the Prisoner,' in 1968 I believe, Patrick McGoohan had a couple of film productions he wanted to finance, one being a documentary which kenneth Griffith was keen to make. At that time McGoohan approached Lew Grade and asked for £1,000,000, but Lew Grade said he could only have £900,000. At this McGoohan threw a right wobbly because he did not get the £1,000,000, but apparently took the offered £900,000. But it appears that is was some of this money that financed Kenneth Griffiths film project. So although 'Everyman Films' did finance Griffith's film documentary, it was actually Lew Grades money,or that of ITC which financed the film.
'Everyman Films, an independent production Company, produced 'the Prisoner,' but it was Lew Grade of ITC who provided the funding for 'the Prisoner,' and it was Lew Grade who pulled the plug on more finance, as the money obtained originally for the production of 'the Prisoner' had been all used up, before the last five episodes of the series. You will recall how Patrick McGoohan left the production of 'the Prisoner' at the point of filming 'Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling," and was absent from filming some of 'The Girl Who Was Death,' because went off to work on the film 'Ice station Zebra,' that was to earn money for the completion of 'the Prisoner.' It is documented in Ian Rakoff's book 'Inside The Prisoner,' that money became so short for the production of 'the Prisoner,' as McGoohan was going to work on 'Ice Station Zebra,' that members of the production crew were putting their own wages in order to keep the production of 'the Prisoner' going.
I assure you I am not niaive, regarding McGoohan's character. I am under no illusions believe me.