Danger Man (TV Series) The Blue Veil (1960) User Reviews

McGoohan's Acting Carries the Show

[jayraskin · 7/10 · 26 July 2012]

This is the first episode where Drake really spends practically the whole episode disguised as somebody else. He plays a 'desert rat" trying to get evidence against a slave traitor in an anonymous middle Eastern Country.

McGoohan's performance is excellent. His character is a drunk and you can practically smell the whiskey on his breath. The fun comes from the irony of knowing that he's the heroic good guy while the other characters see him as a low-life, reptilian adventurer.

A now unintentional laugh comes when Drake (McGoohan) unveils the camera that he is going to use to take pictures of the slaves. It is a camera about the size of the average digital camera today. obviously, having a spy camera, half the size of a regular 35mm. Nikon, was considered quite cool in 1960 and the latest in high tech.

The Desert Rat

[bensonmum2 · 7/10 · 19 September 2014]

John Drake's Mission: Undercover as a drunken desert rat, Drake is asked to find proof that slavery is alive and well in a Middle Eastern country.

Another solid episode in the series, The Blue Veil has a lot going for it. First, McGoohan gets the chance to do some real acting. His disguise lets him play someone other than John Drake. Second, I really enjoyed some of the sets in this episode. I was especially impressed with what I'll describe as the flea-ridden hotel where Drake gets a room. Third, a couple of the supporting performances were really impressive in The Blue Veil. Laurence Naismith plays Spooner to perfection. This is one case where I wish the episodes were longer just to see him get his in the end. Also, I was impressed with Lisa Gastoni as Clare Nichols - the woman looking for help. I'm not sure what it was about her, but she's awfully good.

Overall, I'll give this episode a 7/10.

Pretty good aside from the painted kid...

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 26 October 2013]

This episode of "Danger Man" ("The Blue Veil") is very good, although it surprised me to see one of the main characters painted! Yes, to make a boy appear to be from the Middle East or North Africa (the exact country isn't sure), they took a British kid and slathered on the dark paint or some dye. It's a bit silly, though otherwise the show is quite good.

Drake (Patrick McGoohan) has been called to sneak into a country and determine who is behind the slave industry. To hide who he really is, he pretends to be a dirty, sleazy bum--a guy interested in doing anything for a buck. To heighten this image, he acts like a drunk and is pretty convincing. Not surprisingly, he's able to get the goods BUT also picks up a woman along the way who is in need of his help.

Overall, this is a very good episode--worth seeing and worth your time.

Our first look at the drunk Drake character

[NellsFlickers · 7/10 · 8 November 2019]

This is one of the better early episodes, with McGoohan playing his drunken rouge character. While the plot is so-so, it is fun to watch him stumble around knowing he's really watching every little thing the other characters are doing. And ladies, lots of shots of those baby-blues!

Slaving away

[lor_ · 8 February 2024]

This quite dated episode is single-handedly saved by Pat, having fun styled as a scruffy, drunken guy who manages to outwith the Arab locals in his undercover mission for the UN fighting the international slave trade.

Along for the ride is Euro star Lisa Gastoni, not glamorous but feisty instead as an entertainer stuck in the middle of nowhere in Arabia. She's been duped by Laurence Naismith, an Engklishman who's sort of gone native. Ferdy Mayne plays a stereotyped Mukhtar and the script even throws in a cute kid as Pat's resourceful sidekick.

The highlight has Pat's derring-do including his pole vaulting technique to enter and exit over an electrified fence guarding where the slaves are being housed.