Fans of this nearly lost & forgotten series never really expected to see a legitimate DVD release of its 13 episodes (2 of them never even aired). But here it is at last! This review is currently just for the series itself, which I remember from my youth; once the set is officially released, I'll add comments on the quality of the image & any extras.
A man is thrown overboard from a docked ship & presumed dead. When he somehow drags himself to safety, he remembers nothing -- not his name, not his past -- only one cryptic phrase: "Coronet Blue." Taking his new name of Michael Alden from the hospital where he was treated & the doctor who treated him, he sets out to discover his lost identity. Along the way, he'll find friends to aid him, enemies who want to kill him, and those who simply want to use him.
Just as the premise for an ongoing series, this is familiar but good stuff. Frank Converse is a strong lead, projecting both his character's confusion & his strength of will & determination. As the series progresses, he discovers unsuspected talents -- a facility with languages, an ability to fight -- that offer tantalizing hints to his past. And he continually pursues any reference to that mysterious phrase: "Coronet Blue."
So far, all solid mystery & suspense ... but what makes the series even more interesting is the undercurrent of questions that ran through the 1960s: "Who am I? What's my purpose in the world? Where do I belong?" This is obvious from the first episode, when Max (the always wonderful Joe Silver) takes Michael in, giving him a job & a home base of sorts in his coffee house, The Searching i. And then there's his second friend, Brother Anthony (Brian Bedford), a monk who leaves his monastery to find himself, while aiding Michael to search for his own "I" in the world.
Like many "road" series of the time, this is in part an anthology show with recurring characters, like "Route 66" or "The Fugitive" or "Then Came Bronson" -- the leads encounter a wide range of people & lives over time, dealing with personal dramas & existential questions -- but never at the expense of basic entertainment. It's a series that can be enjoyed on more than one level.
A little online searching will reveal the planned secret of Michael Alden's identity, as envisioned by series creator Larry Cohen. I won't give it away here, but it fits with the clues offered along the way & is quite satisfying for those who want a definite answer. But while the series ended without revealing that secret, it changed under the hand of producer Herbert Brodkin, emphasizing the search for identity on that deeper level as well. For those like myself, who found that even more compelling than the mystery aspect of the series, there's another answer that's equally satisfying: Whoever he might have been, he IS Michael Alden -- he IS himself. Take it either way you like.
Again, I'll add technical details to this review when the set is officially released. For now, I just want to call attention to a fine show that deserved better than it got when it was sadly cut short. There's a slew of future stars in their youth in these episodes, which is great fun to see; and the theme song is pure, glorious 1960s pop in the vein of the "Secret Agent" theme. But the real draw for me is the question of identity & personal meaning, which remains relevant today -- most highly recommended!
June 16, 2018 - Having rewatched the series on disc, I have to say that it looks quite good for being from that era of television, with bold color & a clear image. Yes, there is a snippet of poetry missing from "A Dozen Demons" which is a pity, as it's the sort of little detail that adds so much to a story. But that's the only missing piece that I can spot.
Far more interesting to me is just how strong the theme if identity, authenticity, and finding one's place the world is in every episode -- not just for lead Michael Alden, but for many of the people he encounters along the way. The sometimes frenetic, whipsaw dialogue & quick cuts to new scenes may well frustrate younger viewers, who expect lengthier exposition & build-up over the length of an entire season, perhaps many seasons. This is definitely 1960s storytelling, which expected its audience to read between the lines & to be comfortable with a more allegorical, symbolic style of narrative, one that owes much to then-current theater (particularly of the avant-garde & the absurd, as well as the overall explosion of creativity of the times, with its immediacy, immersion in experience, rather than the style of spoon-feeding geek minutia to the viewers that's popular now.
Personally, I find that older, far more energetic & wild style invigorating & exciting -- in many ways, it's similar to that of a series like "The Prisoner" -- a series that also dealt with identity & personal authenticity-- but it won't be for everyone, many of whom have mistakenly called it "dated." Well, the style may be out of fashion nowadays, but the questions posed aren't. In fact, in an increasingly faster paced, data-drenched world that requires people to run at top speed in order to simply stay in one place (a la the Red Queen), questions of one's true place & purpose in such a world are all the more pressing … and all the less encouraged or supported.
So, while there was indeed a literal solution to the series planned, to me it's obvious that whoever Michael Alden may have been once upon a time, the series is about his finding himself in the here & now: not who he was, but who he becomes. Who is he, really? Michael Alden & no other! And who are any of us … really? The world won't tell us, although it tries to -- we must tell ourselves.
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