On to 'The Informer'
Michael J Bird's Contribution to
Danger Man
The story that gave Bird his break into television Bird's first on screen credit ATV / 26x30m-e / 45x60m-e / 1960-61/64-67 black and white
Creator/Executive Producer: Ralph Smart
Producers: Sidney Cole, Aida Young
Action adventure series. Cases of suave loner intelligence agent John Drake.
The final two episodes were made in colour.

CAST
John Drake - PATRICK McGOOHAN

For more about the series take a look at Matthew Courtman's the excellent
Danger Man web site
11th November 1965

JUDGEMENT DAY
Episode: 69. Order: 68.

Writer: Donald Jonson. From a story by Michael Bird.
Director: Don Chaffey

Cast:
Drake: Patrick McGoohan. Jessica: Alexandra Stewart. Shimon: John Woodvine. Pilot: Maurice Kaufmann.
Garriga: Guy Deghy. Ygal: David Saire. James: Peter Halliday. David: Ben Ari. Airport Official: Neville Becker.

A superbly constructed and compelling drama that places Drake in a situation that he no real chance of winning. From its opening with a bomb disguised as a book being delivered to a doctor the action moves at a frenetic pace. Drake must go to an Arab town,pick up a Dr.Garriga and fly him to London. A simple job, but Drake doesn't know who the man is or the secret that has turned him into a nervous wreck that threatens to use a gun any minute ...

As events unfold we learn that Garriga is a Nazi War Criminal responsible for the deaths of untold Jews. Told against a desert backdrop after a faked emergency landing , Drake is powerless to stop mob justice from enacting its revenge. Performances are all excellent and McGoohan excels himself with a speech that merely digs Garriga's grave. Drake admits that he doesn't have the answer, "maybe no one does ..." Soon after the doctor lies dead in the sand, Drake shrugs his shoulders and walks away ...

This is "Danger Man" at its best, a serious drama that rejects tv justice and opts instead for realism. Although not devoid of humour (an early scene sees McGoohan struggling to eat Arab food), the story is tense and director Don Chaffey brilliantly builds a feeling of despair with expertise.

JUDGEMENT DAY

Stills Gallery from the

Danger Man Collection

released by Network DVD.
POINT OF INTEREST

Judgement Day was Michael Bird's first TV credit. It is amusing to see that the script states explicitly that the credit "From a story by Michael Bird" should be in "much smaller letters".


Michael J Bird Tribute Website

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