I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

From my favorite movies..

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

George Sanders returns to his native turf in director John Paddy Carstairs "The Saint in London" with nobody reprising their roles from the two previous RKO entries in the Leslie Charteris franchise. In his subsequent outing as the halo-clad crime fighter, dashing Simon Templar (George Sanders) not only finds himself caught up in a foreign currency scam, but also a prying society girl Penny Parker (Sally Gray) who is attracted to our hero from the get-go. Lynn Root and Frank Fenton based their screenplay on the Charteris short story "The Million Pound Day," and the dialogue ripples with witty repartee. Carstairs keeps the action moving at a snappy pace with complimentary shares of both action and intrigue. Although the heroine is a desperate amateur, Sally Gray makes an ideal damsel-in-distress, and she conjures up charismatic chemistry with George Sanders. In one scene, she complains about being cold, and Simon urges her to sit closely to him for warmth. The difference between the third "Saint" escapade is the absence of mystery. "The Saint in London" qualifies as an out and out thriller. No sooner has a jaded Simon Templar gone out to dine in London than he discovers life can be exciting again. Simon's British friend Sir Richard Blake (Ballard Berkeley of "Battle Hell") meets him at the Restaurant Maxy. Blake wants Templar to meet Bruno Lang (Henry Oscar of "Murder Ahoy") at a dinner party. When Blake catches up with Simon at his table in the Maxy, our hero is dining with an tough-talking American, formerly of San Quentin, Dugan (David Burns of "Larceny Street"), who moments before had tried to lift Simon's watch. Indeed, an efficient London policeman catches Dugan in the act. Simon picks Dugan's pocket, however, stealing the latter's watch, and then assures the patrolman that nothing is amiss. The policeman apologizes to Dugan, and Simon enters the restaurant. Dugan follows him in uninvited to his table. The watch that Simon lifted has Dugan's wife in it, so they exchange watches. Interestingly, they become fast friends, with Simon hiring him to serve as a valet of sorts. Later, at the Morgan's house party, Simon meets Lang, but he also meets Penny. They dance and Simon cannot rid himself of the lady. Eventually, Simon departs from the party and cruises out to Lang's house in the countryside. Simon breaks into Lang's house, rifles his safe, enjoys a glass of liquor, and then leaves. He trips up one of Lang's bodyguards before he escapes. Simon finds Penny waiting for him after he clears the wall surrounding Lang's estate. Penny recognized the tattoo on Simon's wrist as they were seeing Lang off. Just as our hero and heroine have driven away from the front gates, they hear a strange noise. A bedraggled man running in his bare feet scrambles up to Simon. Simon puts him in the backseat of his car. A thug approaches moments later, and a fight ensues with Penny knocking the brute unconscious. They careen off to London, but a bicycle riding constable watches them leave and scrawls the vehicle license tag down as they are driving away. The ailing man on foot, Count Stephen Duni (John Abbott of "Gambit"), is clearly exhausted. Simon swaps blows with the thug sent to catch Duni. Resourceful Penny intervenes in the scuffle and clubs him unconscious with a car tool. Simon stashes the Count where the guy cannot be found and has his doctor attend to the fellow. After he recovers, Duni tells Simon that he is visiting England on behalf of his country to have large sums of money printed in their currency. Somebody kidnapped, tortured, and forced him to order more money printed which they planned to put into circulation. Meantime, Scotland Yard learns about the incident at Lang's estate, and Inspector Claud Teal (Gordon McLeod of "Spitfire") goes off to question Simon because the policeman jotted down Templar's license tag number. Teal states that Penny was seen with him, but he cannot find her when he searches Simon's apartment. Simon learns that Penny has shadowed a sinister looking man, Kussella (Ralph Truman of "El Cid"), to a chemist. Kussella gets the drop on the daffy dame and invites Templar to join them. Dugan surprises Kussella, clubs him unconscious, and Simon escapes with Penny. Unfortunately, Teal finds Duni dead, apparently stabbed to death, and Simon learns about Duni's death. Simon admits that he stashed Duni in a rooming house. Teal arrests Simon but he doesn't believe that the Saint stabbed Duni. Teal lays his reputation on the line and allows Templar to escape and clear up the matter. Once again, Penny helps Simon's escape. "I'm too young and you're too beautiful to be killed," Templar tells Penny. Later, when Simon goes to an apartment, he spots Penny trying to get inside and decks her with a single blow. Bruno gets the drop on Simon. "In this business you think of everything or you don't think at all," Lang states. Simon hurls a knife at Lang and heads off to rescue Penny and Dugan. Simon attributes his coincidental luck to his success. The Saint gets the drop on the villains, and Teal arrests them. As it turns out, Blade works for intelligence. "The Saint in London" is a nifty-little thriller.

For its historical value alone this film is worth watching. The Saint always manages to outwit his criminal nemeses. What must have appealed to the generation of cinema goers at the time was The Saint's roguish way of making his villains look extremely foolish.I have only read one of the Leslie Charteris Saint novels and found the literary version to be even more intriguing than Sanders portrayal. Sanders however gave Saint afficionados enough to enjoy as their hero once again completely destroys the sinister agenda of the sophisticated crooks.I'm sure many of the older generations pine for the days of heroes such as Sanders where violence was much more left to the imagination than seen.Seventy years have passed since this gem and it is fascinating to observe the lifespans and careers of the actors.

Of all the B-movie detective series made in the 30s and 40s, The Saint ranks around the middle for quality. While not nearly as fun as the Charlie Chan or Sherlock Holmes films of the time, they still are well-polished and fun--mostly thanks to the excellent screen presence of George Sanders as the title character. He's just so witty, debonair and cool that it's a pleasure to watch him gracefully walk though this pedestrian film. The actual plot involving an attempt on the life of a foreign national in order to facilitate a counterfeiting scheme is only okay--not bad, but not all that interesting. And the supporting characters aren't all that compelling, either. However, considering the modest pretensions of this RKO serial, I think overall it did a good job of delivering the goods.

Or my favorite, at least. I like the other Sanders entries, Hugh Sinclair's two shots at the role, and Louis Hayward's SAINT IN NEW YORK, but this one just seems to completely capture the lighthearted and eccentric but adventurous feel of the classic British "thriller" to a tee. The slightly giddy but very beautiful Sally Gray is a wonderful leading lady, and David Burns (a versatile and talented Broadway performer) is easily the Saint's best sidekick; he's tough and smart and not a buffoon in the least. Henry Oscar is also a classic villainous "Mr. Big." The dialog is sharp and witty throughout. Highly recommended.