Interesting Books
Werner Schmitz: Die Profis. Auf den Spuren des CI5 - das große Buch zur Serie
Interesting book for the fans who are fluent in German:The extensive film book about the British cult TV-series: every week agents Doyle and Bodie fought spies, assassins and criminals of all kind.
Die Profis – that’s fast-paced action with cult status. Behind the title of the successful British TV-series is the fictitious British special organisation CI5, consisting of different specialists for the effective fight against terrorism and crime. The series was produced in the late 70s and stood out because of its action-packed suspension from the first to the last minute. The CI5 fights anything or anyone posing a threat to England, be it terrorists, fanatical single culprits or the drug mafia. The concept was created by Brian Clemens (Mit Schirm, Charme und Melone – German title for The Avengers), one of the best known writers for television. When George Cowley, head of the organisation, and his top agents Ray Doyle and William Bodie go hunting, the end often justifies the means.
Today no one would take offence at their raving approach, but that that time the guardians of the media morale often got in a flap about some episodes. In Germany, 18 of the 57 episodes were considered to be too brutal or "too English" and were not shown during the first broadcast. At the beginning there was some commotion in the press about the leading character Gordon Jackson. How could the popular "butler from Eaton Place" (in Germany the series Upstairs, Downstairs was called Das Haus am Eaton Place) have turned into this ruthless and despotic head of an elite unit?
Among the non-American TV-shows on German screens, The Professionals was one of the most successful. It turned two young budding actors, who were more or less only known in their own country at that time, into two international stars: Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins.
The series was and is still exciting, partly because of its plain handcraft – most of the stunts were mastered by the leading actors themselves, without any computer tricks.
The first German book about The Professionals is a real treat for the numerous fans: it has everything that the reader expects from a solid, but entertaining film book. The author deals in detail with the beginnings of the series, but also with the events behind the scenes. Furthermore, the stories are analysed and the censoring measures are explained. Detailed portraits of every single episode are the core of this richly illustrated publication. The author also takes heed of The New Professionals, a remake of the 90s. Therefore, Die Profis is a comprehensive publication about the series, written by a connoisseur and fan for like-minded people.
The book is finally out now!
Price: 29,90 €
ISBN Number: ISBN 3-89602-704-2
The book can be ordered here:
www.schwarzkopf-schwarzkopf.de
or here:
www.amazon.de
More about Werner Schmitz on his website:
www.mediagems.de
Dan Matovina: Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger
The story of the British rock group Badfinger
is told in this book, using information from interviews with family and friends of the group.
The group were responsible for such hits as "Without You", but the two principle songwriters
committed suicide before seeing the rewards of their success.This book is interesting because the group was managed by Lew's father Bill Collins and therefore Lew is mentioned quite a few times. Dan was also kind enough to give me the permission to post the picture of Lew with his father and sister on this site.
If you want to know more about the book, please visit Dan's website at:
www.mindspring.com/~crimson3
Tony Walker: Snides
Synopsis from Amazon:
For ex-SAS John Pilgrim, WWII never ended. On the run, he struggles to keep a valuable Third Reich document from neo-Nazi gangsters. Then feisty Sally Brandon joins him and bullets fly. A hard-boiled action thriller with all the right elements.
Tony Walker describes his hero John Pilgrim as follows:
John Pilgrim, a veteran of the British Special Air Service Regiment, owns a shop next door to an antiques market in Soho, London's "Sin Center", where high-class gourmet restaurants rub shoulders with "adult" bookstores and striptease joints. His shop specializes in the sale of militaria, which includes ex-army surplus items, swords, daggers, uniforms, helmets, medals, badges and insignia, from armies all over the world, including Nazi Germany. Pilgrim is like a slightly-used James Bond (minus the Vodka Martini) and Indiana Jones (minus the Fedora and stubble). Imagine a grittier Lovejoy with a gun, and you have John Pilgrim.
Rings a bell? According to Tony Walker, one of the inspirations for the hero of the novel was indeed Lewis Collins!
If you want to know more about the book, please visit Tony Walker's website at:
www.johnpilgrimbooks.com
Do you have pictures or other Lewis Collins material you'd like to share with me? Please send me an e-mail.
Thank you!