Ricardo Montalban and Patrick McGoohan R.I.P

Although both McGoohan and Montalban had successful film careers, both in cult films that have stood the test of time and box office smashes, it is their television roles that many people remember them the most for. Patrick McGoohan starred in the worldwide TV smash hit Danger Man, billed outside of the UK and other countries as Secret Agent, a forerunner to the Bond movies, which was brought back from a lengthy hiatus to capitalize on Bond’s popularity.

McGoohan had been approached for the role, but turned it down because he didn’t like the character, but after the end of the series he immediately launched into his next series, the short lived series The Prisoner. The Prisoner, which ran for only 17 episodes, about a man, a former British secret agent that is being held captive on a small island, who is perpetually trying to escape from his prison called “the village”, like a lot of people try to escape from overdraft fees through payday loans. The show became a cult phenomenon, which many remember him for.

McGoohan also starred in some serious Hollywood hits, such as Ice Station Zebra, A Time to Kill, and also as the treacherous English king in the Mel Gibson film Braveheart, as well as portraying the prison warden in Escape From Alcatraz, alongside Clint Eastwood. He had numerous other roles which he is remembered for, such as in the underground classic Scanners.

From Fantasy Island to space villain

Ricardo Montalban, perhaps the best known Mexican American actor of all time, started off in the late 40s and early fifties, playing character roles in film and television, including one appearance in a hit science fiction TV series that would later boost his career into overdrive. He made his big break in the late 1970s, as the star of the TV show Fantasy Island, which ran for six years.

His most well known film role came when a largely unknown writer decided to bring back a character he played for one episode in the late 60s for the smash hit sci-fi film Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn. Montalban had been Kahn for one episode during the original series’ run, and the writers wanted a profound villain, resurrecting the character, and also the franchise, as it is the most successful film of all Star Treks. He would also go on to star in the Naked Gun series, and also in the Spy Kids franchise. His TV ads for the Chrysler Cordoba also made his legendary screen presence endeared to the public.

Long and illustrious careers

Both men will surely be missed. Along with long bodies of work, a lot of which was very good and well known, both were known as men of principle and rigorous ethics. Though they weren’t perhaps the best known names on the A List, they were certainly amongst its elite. So if you need to sort out a villainous expense that is about to put your finances out to sea, payday loans can get you the freedom you need.

Many of the SAG’s A-list members are saying NO

So far, some of the more high profile members of the SAG (the actors) haven’t been very receptive to the idea of striking.  The impact of a strike would send SAG members who work as extras running for payday loans.  Over the winter of 2007 and into the spring of 2008, Hollywood and the major networks were crippled by a writers’ strike that lasted for months, which caused the demise of several TV shows. It also held up production on established powerhouses, such as Entourage and House, for months.  That strike was over royalties due to the writers on DVD and digital sales as well.  This current strike has been brewing for months, and the issue has finally come down to a vote on whether or not to strike in the midst of a recession.
Such powerhouse actors as Tom Hanks and George Clooney are voting against the strike. They say an SAG strike during the current economic climate would be irresponsible.  Actors delivered a letter to that effect to the SAG leadership, with dozens of signatures declaring their dissent. The letter urged SAG leadership to continue negotiations and said that a strike would not be beneficial in any way. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Oscar season is in full swing right now, and entries and voting are due to begin within the next month.

This is not the time for rich people to get greedy

This is not the time, many SAG members say, for any group to go on strike, and it is commendable that they recognize it.  Not every actor-member of the SAG can afford to take a month or two off, even to protest an injustice.  The majority of Americans couldn’t even take more than a week off for political protest without being fired. And they definitely couldn’t qualify for any kind of short term financial assistance– such as payday loans – for sudden expenses.