he Prisoner is virtually unique in the history of television. In a genre that copies itself constantly, the show has resisted any attempt to duplicate it. Short-lived, with only 17 hard-hitting episodes, it challenged viewers and told a powerful story about individualism versus conformity. Its hero, the nameless Number Six, attempted to escape from the mysterious Village where he was imprisoned, while the mysterious people who kept him there tried to break his spirit and learn his motives for resigning from his job as a government spy.
Now RetroWeb Classic Television and webmaster Kipp Teague offer a glossy fan page about the 1967 British SF series, with episode summaries, photographs, links to other resources and lots of information on the Portmeirion Hotel in Wales where the series was filmed. Quotes from the series creator and star, Patrick McGoohan, offer insights into the show's many ambiguities. An essay called "What's It All About?" sifts through the extensive speculation and research that have surrounded The Prisoner since its first airing, bringing the theories together in one cohesive summary of the program's dominant symbols and themes.
The data on this page is very nearly exhaustive, with screenplay excerpts of lost scenes and photographs of a prototype of the deadly and mysterious Rover device which prevented Number Six's escape. It covers everything (except perhaps the The Prisoner graphic novels): guest stars, DVD releases, trivia ... even versions of episodes that were edited differently in North America than in the U.K. With so much information on offer, visitors can feel assured that they might succeed in knowing all of The Prisoner's secrets ... even if Number Two never could pry them loose.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—November 26, 2001
hy not admit the truth? You don't walk around whistling classical music all day, snatches of operas or symphonies. Chances are, you're more likely to be caught recreating the catchy, hypnotic themes to many a television show of your nostalgic youth: Batman, perhaps, or Bewitched. After all, these programs represent our shared heritage of good times spent at the mass-culture fount, just as the works of Wagner or Strauss once did. One record label, TVT, made its fortune catering to the appetite for old theme songs. Now, however, if you wish to hear these pop soundbites you need not even queue up one of TVT's CDs, for digital files of many famous or forgotten television musical scores are available on the web at Themesonline.
Here you can zero in through a handy alphabetical index on such dear-to-your-heart shows as I Dream of Jeannie and The Invaders, The Powers of Matthew Star and The Prisoner, just to canvass two letters of the alphabet. And although I was disappointed not to see The Man from U.N.C.L.E. available, you can use the "suggest a theme" link to make your desires known.
But even better, you can hear material more ephemeral, such as the 1975 promotional spot for David McCallum's show, The Invisible Man: "Invisibility: it can be fun, and it can be frightening!" Or Max Headroom's 1987 "New Coke" commercial: "If you're drinking Coke, who's drinking Pepsi?" inquires the schizy A.I.
The RealAudio files load swiftly and offer good quality sound. Better quality, in fact, than might have issued from your old cloth-covered Magnavox speakers!
— Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week—November 19, 2001
efore Enterprise and his tenure as Capt. Jonathan Archer, Scott Bakula had another mission: to put right what once went wrong. For four seasons of Quantum Leap he did just that, time-travelling through the lifetime of Sam Beckett and helping ordinary people put their ruined lives back on track.
Quantum Leap—The Accelerator Chamber is a well-organized fan site for the 1989 series which offers all the information a dedicated Leaper—or someone newly interested in the oft-syndicated show—could wish. An episode guide and two FAQ lists (one with spoilers, one without) are only the beginning. There are photographs, actor biographies, information about the Quantum Leap comic book, sound clips and the inevitable drinking game. There are also links to fanzines and fan fiction sources dedicated to the show.
With the program's cancellation now about a decade in the past, it should come as no surprise that The Accelerator Chamber is updated fairly infrequently. Its links page is a particular disappointment in this regard, pointing fans to a handful of tempting pages that no longer exist. Even
so, this site provides an exhaustive list of ways to get in touch with other Leapers, and most of those resources are still extant. As such, The Accelerator Chamber is an excellent gateway into the Quantum Leap universe, a definite first stop for those interested in Bakula's career and earlier series.
— A.M. Dellamonica
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