The Prisoner #010: Possible identity of the Butler
Date: Saturday, 25 January 1986 10:06 mst
From: packard!psuvax1!burdvax!sjuvax!iannucci at SEISMO.CSS.GOV (Dave Iannucci @ St. Joseph's University)
Subject: Prisoner #010
Reply-To: sjuvax!iannucci at SEISMO.CSS.GOV
To: sjuvax!prisoner at SEISMO.CSS.GOV
The Prisoner #010 01/24/1986 Moderator: Dave Iannucci (iannucci@sjuvax.UUCP)
Topics
- Possible identity of the Butler
- a review of the first Prisoner novel by T. Disch
- "All you need is love" and politics in the Prisoner
- The Prisoner in modern music
- Reading materials on the Prisoner?
- the elusive Milkman
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From: princeton!allegra!ihnp4!lanl!dspo!tallman (Charles David Tallman)
Someone asked if the Butler is ever in the room when #2 is talking on the red phone. I found an example in "The General". Number 2 is reporting on the "education" plan when the Butler comes in and pours him a glass of milk. He could still outrank #2 even though he is not the one that gives him direct orders.
[mod.: True. Also note that the beginning of "Once Upon a Time" contains such a scene, in which No.2 is displeased with his breakfast.]
"Our aim - one hundred percent entry, one hundred percent pass."
C. David Tallman - dspo!tallman@LANL.GOV or ihnp4!lanl!dspo!tallman
Los Alamos National Laboratory - E-10/Data Systems
Los Alamos, New Mexico - (505) 667-8495
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From: giorgi (John Giorgi)
Dave,
Here is my review of "The Prisoner" by Thomas Disch.
Hope you enjoy it!
A review of "The Prisoner" by Thomas M. Disch....
I was extremely disappointed by this book. I found that Mr. Disch spent too much time trying to give his own explanations for the series that the plot got lost in a pile of gibberish.
Even if you have seen the series, the book is very difficult to understand. Disch changes many things to allow his explanations to have some meaning. This detracts from the understanding and the enjoyment of the book.
I would not recommend this book if you expect it to be a novelization of the series because that is exactly what it isn't. But if you are interested in reading another person's idea of what the series represents you will enjoy this book very much. The only reason I enjoyed the book at all was due to the fact that Disch's ideas are very good and the some of the conversations helped him explain himself very nicely.
In a nutshell, the book is terrible as a description of the series but is very nice as an explanation of the series. Do not read unless you have seen the series. It is difficult to understand if you have seen the series, but it is impossible to understand if you have not.
John A. Giorgi
I have been studying how I may compare
This prison where I live unto the world.
Shakespeare, RICHARD II
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From: <YALE-RING!allegra!decvax!yale!young>
Re: Why the song "All You Need Is Love"?
I've always found the lyrics to "All You Need Is Love" appropriate to the last episode, and ironic, too. From the "Love, Love, Love" (666) at the beginning of the song to the "Nothing you can know that isn't known/Nothing you can see that isn't shown." (#1's identity, perhaps?) at the end, everything seems to fit. On the most basic level, when they start playing "All You Need Is Love" again, after #6 has grabbed the machine gun, they are mocking #6, because he finally resorted to violence ("No one you can save who can't be saved...").
[mod.: Could you explain the 666 business? It sounds fascinating, and I have no idea what you mean. ANOTHER Beatles mystery??]
Re: The political bent of _The_Prisoner_:
First, having the world controlled by some James Bond SPECTRE-like organization(s?) which also runs the village is not your typical enlightened liberal perspective. In the last episode, the "failed rebels" are the grass-roots radical who "rebels without knowing what he rebels against", alias #48, and Leo McKern's #2, the liberal humanist who "bites the hand that feeds him", going against the Village hierarchy that had put him in power in the first place. If the writers of the series aren't exactly happy with The World as The Village, they seem, at least, to think it inevitable. At least there seems to be no possibility of reform within the system - #6 must accept the village, or destroy it.
Lenore, c/o Jonathan
(...decvax!yale!young@UUCP or young@YALE.ARPA)
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From: "James J. Lippard" <allegra!seismo!HIS-PHOENIX-MULTICS.ARPA!Lippard>
There is a fairly recent song by Colourbox which is full of excerpts from TV shows and movies including Westworld and The Prisoner. "I am not a number, I am a free man" occurs several times.
There is an album by the band Mr. Feelgood called "Be Seeing You" which has cover graphics from The Prisoner (according to The New Trouser Press Record Guide).
Jim Lippard (Lippard at MIT-MULTICS.ARPA)
[mod.: Isn't that *Dr.* Feelgood? ]
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From: ihnp4!hpfcla!hpspkla!hedge
re: the question of the location of the village and 'Many Happy Returns'
I don't subscribe to the show having a complete grand design, so I think it very appropriate that the pilot's "side" was left somewhat ambiguous. This was also convenient from a series plot point of view because it allowed the writers to avoid the kind of problem Greg Earle talks about with the location of the village. I like the presence of the milkman to sow just the seed of doubt in the viewer's mind (I don't remember seeing him either.)
Alan Hedge
Hewlett Packard, Spokane Division
Spokane, Washington
ihnp4!hpfcla!hpspkla!hedge
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From: burdvax!psuvax1!akgua!pegasus!lzla!tek
I was at a Doctor Who convention in Valley Forge, PA many months ago. They had vendors for all sort of Sci-Fi stuff. To my surprise there was a person selling comic books and some Sci-Fi magazines. Well when I was looking through some things I came across a bunch of Prisoner stuff. The vendor had these booklets that appeared to be the transcription of an episode. Not all the episodes were there but a far amount. The one that interest me most was one labeled "Synopsis". They had a white cardboard type cover with the famous bicycle (in black) on the front along with the title. On the back cover or somewhere within it appeared the something like "The Galleria" in New York City was the publisher. Well the first thing I did was reach in my pocket for cash and unfortunately I only had enough to get home (I hoped), and of course the vendor did not take plastic. It's been a few months and I never looked into it, but does anybody own one of these out there? Have you seen them? Any help would be appreciated. I'll let you know if I uncover this mystery. B Cing U, Tom Kenny.
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From: Ross Alford <princeton!seismo!mcnc!ecsvax!alford>
re Dave Harkins' question about the bicycle in #008: It is called the ordinary for historical reasons--bicycles of this type were the first in wide use, and became known as 'ordinaries' when later types (more closely resembling the modern bicycle, and then called 'safeties') were introduced.
re Dave Iannucci's comments in #009: The pilot of the plane in Many Happy Returns is definitely the milkman. We videotaped this episode and reran that section of the tape several times just to be sure. The pilot that #6 meets when he first gets to the airport looks nothing like the one who turns around just before ejecting him, and the milkman is seen entering the building after #6 has left but while the pilot is still inside.
Ross Alford
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"I feel like a number/I'm not a number Dammit I'm a man/I said I'm a man"
-- Bob Seger
Just wanted to let you know that a few months ago I ran into the chance to get a hold of a magazine called "The Prisoner Files". My friend who got it for me says that this "Files" magazine is something that is put out for many different shows, movies, and the like. There are supposed to be several editions of "The Prisoner Files" coming out, so you may want to keep your eyes open at your local comic book or gaming store. I have only the first edition, but do not plan to get any more of them. Needless to say, I was not impressed overall by the quality of it. It cost me 5 bucks. At some point in the future, when there is room in the digest, I will begin to post the one somewhat interesting article from the magazine. It purports to explain all the meaning behind the Prisoner, but doesn't do a very good job (obviously or I would have posted it earlier!). Anyway, I've said enough for now.....BCing U.
Dave Iannucci @ St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia [40 00' N 75 15' W]
{{ihnp4 | ucbvax}!allegra | {psuvax1}!burdvax | astrovax}!sjuvax!iannucci
END OF Prisoner #010
