Seven Things to Know About Patrick McGoohan

1. Although considered a British actor, Patrick McGoohan was actually born in Astoria, New York, in 1928. His parents moved back to Ireland when he was six months old. The family relocated to Sheffield, England, when he was seven.

2. Patrick McGoohan won two Emmys for guest appearances on Columbo. In 1975, he played a murderous commandant of a military academy in the episode "By Dawn's Early Light." Then, in 1990, he portrayed a vice presidential candidate who makes a murder look like suicide in "Agenda for Murder"; McGoohan also directed this episode. (Note: He appeared two other Columbo episodes for a total of four.)

Behind the mask in Scarecrow.

3. In the 1963, McGoohan signed a contract with Walt Disney. He first appeared on Disney's Wonderful World of Color in the fondly-remembered three-part tale The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. He played the quiet vicar of an English village in the late 1770s--who was actually a smuggler who used his plunder to put food on the over-taxed parishioners' tables. It was edited and released as the film Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow in Great Britain. McGoohan's second Disney effort was the theatrical release The Three Lives of Thomasina, in which he portrayed a veterinarian faced with the decision of saving his daughter's cat or a a blind man's seeing eye dog.

As Dr. Sid Rafferty.

4. McGoohan TV's series Secret Agent (aka Danger Man) and The Prisoner are well documented. However, he also starred in the mostly forgotten 1977 TV series Rafferty, which lasted for just 13 episodes on CBS. He played a cantankerous, retired Army doctor who had trouble adjusting to civilian life. He also directed one episode ("The Wild Child").

5. In addition to his highly-regarded television performances, Patrick McGoohan earned acclaim on the stage in both Great Britain and the U.S. In 1959, he won the London Drama Critics Award for his performance in the title role of Henrik Ibsen's Brand. Twenty six years later, he earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actor for Pack of Lies. He played a government agent who convinces to a family to allow him to conduct surveillance on their neighbors, who may be spies. It was McGoohan's Broadway debut (when the play was adapted for television in 1987, Alan Bates played McGoohan's role).

He even brought an edge to The Three
Lives of Thomasina.

6. McGoohan chose a variety of eclectic roles over his career. His filmography includes: All Night Long (1962), a contemporary version of Othello set in the world of jazz; the submarine espionage film Ice Station Zebra (1968), which was allegedly one of Howard Hughes' favorite films; and The Moonshine War (1970), in which he played a crooked IRS agent in Prohibition-era Kentucky.

7. In an NPR obituary in 2009, film critic David Thomson said: "This was a man who very easily, I think, could have been up there with Olivier and Gielgud in terms of being that famous an actor. He was handsome. He had a great voice. He was a tremendous actor. But as he admitted himself, he was difficult. He wanted to do things his way and he had his own vision. And that meant he did much less."

Ice Station Zebra: The (Seasonal) Comfort Movie

Most film buffs have one or more "comfort movies" that they enjoy revisiting on a frequent basis. For Howard Hughes, that movie was apparently Ice Station Zebra, the 1968 adaptation of Alistair MacLean's 1963 adventure novel. Back in the days prior to VCRs, Hughes would call up a TV station that he owned in Las Vegas and request that Ice Station Zebra be broadcast. The film's frequent airings must have baffled local Vegas TV watchers!

Rock Hudson as Capt. Ferraday.

Rock Hudson stars as stoic hero Captain James Ferraday, who commands the atomic-powered submarine USS Tigerfish. High-ranking officials send Ferraday and crew to the Arctic Circle in response to a distress signal sent out by the inhabitants of a meteorologic research station. Ferraday knows there is more to his mission--he's just not privy to the details. His civilian passenger, who calls himself Jones (Patrick McGoohan), refuses to satistfy the submarine commander's curiosity: "You'll know all you need to know as the need arises." Later, Jones does reveal the nature of his occupation: "I know how to lie, steal, kidnap, counterfeit, suborn, and kill. That's my job. I do it with great pride."

Brown and Borgnine.

By the time the Tigerfish reaches Ice Station Zebra, it has picked up two more passengers: a Russian defector (Ernest Borgnine) and a Marine captain (Jim Brown) with experience in special operations. The Tigerfish has also dealt with attempted sabotage that killed one crew member and injured others. Who is the saboteur? What is Jones trying to recover at Ice Station Zebra? And why are Russian paratroopers making their way to the research station?

Ice Station Zebra lacks the exciting exploits of the best Alastair MacLean adapatations, specifically The Guns of Navarone (1961) and Where Eagles Dare (which was also released in 1968). It's really more of a suspense film despite the sabotage sequence and a shoot-out between the Americans and Russians. I suspect the intent was to keep viewers guessing about the identity of the saboteur, with Jones, his Russian friend, and the Marine captain being the suspects. However, it's rather obvious who's to blame--you can probably guess it from this review alone.

Patrick McGoohan.

The movie works best when it focuses on the natural conflict between Ferraday and Jones, two "type A personalities" that clash from the beginning. For the film's first half, they trade barbs and eye each other suspiciously, which makes them a rather engaging odd couple for viewers. Hudson and McGoohan are well cast, though Rock does seem a bit grim at times and Patrick gets the script's best dialogue ("The Russians put our camera made by our German scientists and your film made by your German scientists into their satellite made by their German scientists").

Ice Station Zebra received Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Special Effects. Those accomplishments are all the more impressive when one considers that the film was shot inside a studio. (Note that you can't see the characters' breath. Not to go off on a tangent, but I always liked that Orson Welles shot a snowy sequence for The Magnificent Ambersons inside an icehouse so it would look more realistic.)

While it's not one of my comfort movies, I enjoy Ice Station Zebra and often pop it into the VCR (yes, I still have one) on snowy days--when I'm nice and cozy inside. Heck, maybe it is one of my comfort movies if one factors in seasonal preferences.

The Three Lives of Thomasina

"I made them what they are today--though I had to be murdered first."

Thomasina--complete with bib.

This opening line to The Three Lives of Thomasina is spoken by the title character, an orange tabby cat who begins her life with the MacDhui family in Scotland circa 1912. Thomasina belongs to seven-year-old Mary, whose father Andrew is the village veterinarian. Andrew still mourns his deceased wife and struggles to communicate with his daughter. As a result, Mary transfers much of her love to her cat, who eats at the dinner table and rides in the young girl's doll carriage.

Mary relies on her father for very little. However, when Thomasina is critically injured in an accident, she pleads with her father to save her cat. Unfortunately, Andrews is conducting surgery on a injured seeing-eye dog. He can only save one animal and chooses the blind man's dog. When Andrew euthanizes Thomasina--who "dies"--Mary declares: "My daddy's dead...I killed him."

Karen Dotrice as Mary; she also
starred in Mary Poppins.

Walt Disney made one of the best dog movies with Old Yeller and it's apparent that The Three Lives of Thomasina was intended as Disney's "serious" cat movie. However, there is a crucial difference between the two films. Old Yeller focuses on the unique bond between humans and canines. The Three Lives of Thomasina focuses on the relationships among its human characters. Thomasina provides her unique perspective as narrator (though I wish she had more to say) and serves as a facilitator. Ultimately, she is responsible for bringing father and daughter together and for introducing a loving person who can heal their wounds.

Patrick McGoohan as Dr. McDhui.

Patrick McGoohan is perfectly cast as Andrew, who masks his emotional scars with an icy exterior. Considering this is a family film, he's a surprisingly unlikable character for most of the movie. He is perceived as an outsider by the local Highlanders, but makes little effort to socialize with anyone but the local pastor and his housekeeper. He doesn't seem to enjoy his profession, confessing at one point that his dream was to be a physician. As for his relationship with Mary, one wonders if it deteriorated following his wife's death or was always tentative. He has no clue how deeply his daughter loved her cat, offering to get her a "wee dog" after the local children bury Thomasina.

The luminous Susan Hampshire
as Lori.

As for Mary, she disappears from the middle portion of the film, which picks up with Thomasina's "second life" with Lori, a reclusive young woman who "has a rare way with beasts and birds." The villagers dub her a witch, but seek her aid with ill or injured animals due to their mistrust of Andrew.  The film's second half explores the relationship that forms between Andrew and Lori, who has learned how to cope with her parents' tragic death.

Based on Paul Gallico's 1957 novel Thomasina, the Cat Who Thought She Was God, The Three Lives of Thomasina is a Disney oddity. The plot is more about the adults than the child or the feline title character. The "cat heaven" sequence, while intriguing due to its Powell & Pressberger similarities, seems out of place. The climax featuring animal cruelty in a circus also feels like it was lifted from another movie.

And yet, it's those very differences that make The Three Lives of Thomasina more interesting than routine Disney efforts like Big Red and Savage Sam. The cast is also first-rate and, like the superior Greyfriars Bobby, it captures the quaint charm of a small Scottish village and its residents. Keep your expectations modest and you'll be pleased you spent 97 minutes with this different Disney drama.

15 Greatest TV Characters of the 1960s: Number Six

Name: Unknown (he was not John Drake)

Portrayed by: Patrick McGoohan

TV series: The Prisoner (1967-68)

Occupation: Former espionage agent whose reasons for his resignation remained unknown.

Lifestyle: Held captive in The Village, site of a quaint Orwellian society where all residents were assigned numbers and kept under constant surveillance. The Village was ruled by Number Two, although the individuals with that title were replaced frequently due to Number Six's escape attempts and refusal to divulge his secrets. Wore a black suit with white trim on the lapels and a dark shirt.

Family and Friends: None. Actually, old acquaintances popped up in a couple of episodes like "Arrival" and "Dance of the Dead." But it would be a stretch to say that Number Six had any trusted confidants.

Nemesis:  The various Number Two's. There was also a giant white balloon known as Rover that prevented Village residents from departing.

Trademarks:  Trying to escape; defying authority.

Classic Quotes:  "I am not a number. I am a free man!" and "Be seeing you" (a farewell phrase).

Classic episodes: "The Chimes of Big Ben" (Number Six appears to have escaped); "A. B. and C" (Number Six's dreams are manipulated); and "Living in Harmony" (Number Six in the Old West; CBS refused to show this controversial episode when the series was originally broadcast in the U.S.).