OBSERVATION: High Tide at Noon - The Simon Breck Character - Book vs. Movie

In April 2020 I posted a review of the 1957 Rank film "High Tide at Noon".  I admitted that it wasn't totally my type of movie, and only watched it for Patrick McGoohan, who played the character of Simon Breck.

Now, many female McGoohan fans absolutely LOVE him in this film, if not for his bad-boy character, then for his youthful looks.  

It is also one of the very few times he kissed a woman on-screen (though I still argue we don't see any lip contact... but I digress...).  In fact, there is speculation that Simon actually rapes the main character, Joanna MacKenzie, played by Betta St. John.  In the interviews released on the DVD "In My Mind", McGoohan even states he "practically rapes" the girl in the film.

The first scene it could have happened during is when Joanna meets Simon in the old abandoned house.  At first she lets him kiss her, then things get more "serious" and she suddenly changes her mind.  Joanna runs away and Simon watches her go.

The other time it could have happened is when Simon visits the same house, now fixed up and Joanna's home, after her husband Alec has died.  Simon thinks he again has a chance to "win" Joanna, who hates him and tries to get him to go away.  Things start to get heated, when the scene just plain ends.

Next, we see Joanna run to her parent's house and Nils heads to the Breck household to settle things.  Simon implies he isn't looking for trouble with Nils, who goes for him anyway.  They make for the docks, get into their fishing boats, and Simon disappears into the night.  Nils shouts out to him that he'll kill him if he ever returns to the island.

So, what happened at Joanna's house after we, the audience, left?  Did Simon indeed rape her, like so many viewers think?

I decided to find out once and for all.  How?  Easy.  Look at the original book.

"High Tide at Noon" was written in 1944 by Elisabeth Ogilvie and actually based on the island of Criehaven/Ragged Island, Maine, where her family vacationed.

I readily admit I can't STAND reading non-fiction, so reading the entire story would be a chore.  Instead, I logged onto Archive.org and borrowed the book.  I did a search for "Simon" to narrow the pages down a bit.  What I discovered was a bit surprising!

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Firstly, in the film, Joanna's family name is MacKenzie .  In the book, it is Bennett.  Simon Breck's family name isn't Breck in the book, it is Bird.  His physical description is very similar to that of McGoohan himself at the time, other than the "smoky gray eyes":

"He had a thin, tanned face and flat cheeks slanting to a lean chin... his red hair was like copper with the sun on it, and he was slight and narrow hipped in his snug dungarees". 

The scene where Simon and Joanna speak for the first time by his boat is almost exactly like the book.  More time has passed since they last spoke in the book than in the film, though.  Simon also implies that he prefers girls who haven’t been around the block a few times.

The scene where Joanna meets Simon at the abandoned house is also mostly the same, BUT with some important exceptions, one being Simon's touching her breast to see if her heart is also racing.  That would be a no-no on 1957 movie screens. In the film, he instead says "so's yours... I bet...".

But one big difference is how Simon reacts to Joanna suddenly wanting him to stop making love to her.  He had been rather nice to her up to that point, just like in the film.  Simon says "you gotta learn some time", and she runs away.  But in the book, he starts to get mad.  He gives her 5 minutes to think about it and basically implies she better give in to him.  She doesn't, and runs away.  In the movie, he almost seems to find it all humorous.  In the book, he's mad as Hell.  She lead him on by being coy by his boat, agreed to meet him that night, allowed him to hold and kiss her, and then suddenly "pulls the salt water business" on him:

"I'll give you five minutes to get the hell over it, and then you'll listen to reason. I don't let anybody fool with me, lady. Sooner or later, they pay up".

In the film, we get the impression Joanna hates Simon just for the passes he has made to her.  Anything he or his family may have done to the MacKenzies seems secondary.  Simon is a sort of pest, not much else.

But in the book, it is far more complicated and intense.  Joanna's family basically owns the island, and the Birds are looked down upon as "trash".  It is part of the reason Simon takes her physical rejection of him to the point of utter hatred.  She has become "uppity", as he says in the film.  Did she lead him on then reject him because she thinks she is better than anyone from the Breck (Bird) family?

Simon gets his hands (and lips) on her way more in the book, even after she spurns him.  And she hates it more as well.  He is nastier, dirtier, meaner. 

The scene at the dance, which ends in a melee, is almost exactly like the book.

But the next one, in the now fixed up house, after Alec's death, is far more "meaty" in the book.  The fact he has Alec's IOU for her house is more important.  Also more important is the Breck family's tampering of other fishermen's gear, and Simon's interactions with Nils.  

In the film, Simon is run off the island for good by Nils just after the scene with Joanna at the house.  He hasn't even had a chance to find out about Alec's IOU.  In the book, time passes before Simon leaves the island, and he isn't exactly chased by Nils, though Nils is indeed waiting at the Bird house to "settle" things with him.  In time, the family does indeed pay Alec's debt to Simon (via a lawyer).

There are other differences between the book and film, such as Joanna having a baby after Alec dies.  I didn't look much at sections not dealing with the Simon character.  So curious viewers of the film will have to read those themselves.  

But now we know... Simon did NOT rape Joanna in either the film or book "High Tide at Noon".  

... UNLESS that is exactly WHY the last scene in Joanna's house ends the way it does, and WHY Nils runs Simon off the island right away.  

Sticking to the book would have made the film even longer, and given McGoohan, a young newcomer to the Big Screen, a far meatier and more important role.  In hindsight, a real missed opportunity.  We all know he could play mean, nasty, and angry.  All the kissing and pawing may have been an issue but he managed to get through it all during those Rank years.  And the fact the character Joanna had the same name as his real life wife, Joan... well... every little bit helps!

In the end, it all comes down to the old argument:  THE BOOK or THE MOVIE!

OBSERVATION: Number Six & Captain Kangaroo Sporting PRISONER Jackets

While not exactly the same, discovering that Cpt. Kangaroo had a red jacket similar to Number Six's was a bit of a shock!  I mean... they don't exactly look "separated at birth", do they?

The Simpsons: The Computer Wore Menace Shoes EXPLAINED

The Simpsons: The Computer Wore Menace Shoes

"The Island" vs. "The Village"
The Prisoner References Explained
Getting all O.C.D. so that YOU don't have to!
by J.DeFelice

In episode #254 (S12/E6 2000), Homer Simpson buys his first computer (which Lisa has to set up for him after his own failed attempts), and builds a website.  No one looks at it, so in order to get "hits", he starts to post local gossip.  But when he runs out of gossip, he starts to make up his own "facts" (aka: "bull plop").  This results in his being kidnapped from the Kwik-E-Mart via truck and brought to a place called "The Island".  Some strange, anonymous group thinks he knows all about their nefarious use of flu shots on the public (which results in people shopping during Christmas time). 

While on The Island, Homer is given a number, Five, and meets a man named Number Six.  Everyone there has a number-badge on them.  And they are also there because they "know too much".  

Meanwhile, a fake Homer (with a German accent and growing hair) is sent to this home to try and make it seem like he hasn't been kidnapped.

After being gassed (drugged?) over and over, Homer finally talks to the head man on the island, then tries to figure out just how he can escape.  Eventually, Number Six appears and shows Homer his homemade raft.  While a proud Six rambles on about the raft, Homer pushes him into the water and steals it.  As he sails off, an evil white orb emerges from the water and pursues him.  Homer pops it with a plastic fork, then continues homeward, supposedly after four months.

In the end, the whole Simpson family ends up on The Island.

To many, the second half of this episode makes NO sense.  So I'd like to help folks out a little with this visual explanation.

To Begin With...

"The Island" is a reference to "The Village" of the 1967-68 British television show The Prisoner, starring, produced by, sometimes written & directed by Patrick McGoohan.  Number Six is, in fact, voiced by the man himself, and it is the only time he reprised the role that gained him cult status worldwide.  Much has been written about The Prisoner, but this post is for those Simpsons fans out there who are not interested in doing research into that show.

NOTE:  I have never watched the show "Fantasy Island" (1977-1984), so it is possible some references, like the koala and penguin, are from there.  The penguin is supposed to Willie the Kool Cigarette mascot, and the peacock the NBC mascot.

#1:  The Truck (aka: Fake Kwik-E-Mart)

This is the truck that Homer is kidnapped with.  Inside, it is made to look like the real Kwik-E-Mart, complete with a cardboard Apu.

In the final Prisoner episode, "Fall Out", Number Six and his "friends" finally escape The Village... in what looks like a jail cell (first used in the episode "Once Upon a Time") that is actually the trailer of a truck.

Another view from "Fall Out"... the truck carrying the "prisoners" makes it's way through London.

#2:  The Gas

Homer is constantly being gassed while on The Island.

In the opening credits of The Prisoner, we see an un-named spy, the man who becomes, simply, Number Six, resign in his bosses office.  He drives back to his London flat, and as he packs his bags for a trip, he is gassed and passes out.

... when he awakens, he is in "The Village", which may or may not be on an unknown island, as at times it seems to be connected to land, though no one seems to try to escape it via land... until the last episode!  Here we see Number Six passed out from "the gas".

#3:  The Island

This is "The Island" that Homer is sent to...

... and this is the location where The Prisoner was based, called Portmeirion. It is a tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales, designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village. (from "Many Happy Returns")

#4:  The Woman in the Cape

Number Six tells Homer (as Number 5) that people on The Island are there because they "know too much".  Here we see Number 27, who knows how to turn water into gasoline.

Number 27 seems to be based on Number 9 from "Arrival".

Two more examples of "the cape".

#5:  The Bald Guy in the Round Chair

Homer talks to a bald guy in a strange round chair, who appears to be in charge...

... referring to the character of Number 2, played by different actors each week (with one repeat by Leo McKern).  Number 2 runs The Village, and reports only to the mysterious and rarely mentioned Number One.

#6:  The Lava Lamp (w/frog)

There is a frog swimming in Bald Guy's lava lamp... Notice Number 6 also has a lava lamp!

#6.5: The Lava Wall

The lava-lamp wall behind Homer...

... just like in the first episode of The Prisoner, on the wall of Number 2's "office".

Homer getting mad with the lava-wall behind him... and bowl of drugged ice cream...

... Number 6 getting mad at Number 2 with lava-wall in the background (same episode).

#7: The Croquet Game

Homer tries to fit in by playing a game of croquet with other "islanders".

Number 6 playing human-chess with other Villagers. Notice the accuracy of the background.

Side view of the chess "board".

#8:  The Raft

Number 6 tells Homer that he has been working on something for 33 years... a raft made out of "toilet paper rolls, toothpicks, and plastic forks... and the sail is made of scabs (??) and dynamite... it's small and it's smelly, but it should carry both of us to..." ... before he can finish, Homer knocks Six into the water and steals the raft!

Here is Number 6's first "raft" from the episode "Chimes of Big Ben"... more of a mini sail boat, really. As you can see, it didn't completely work out, though they did get a distance away from the Village... for a while...

Raft #2 from "Checkmate", at first used to transmit radio signals, then used by Number 6 to get out onto a boat he thinks will help him escape.

Raft #3 from "Many Happy Returns". Number 6 actually escaped with this one! (Or DID he?) He is on this raft for 25 days, before ending up on a boat with some gun-running bad guys. Of course, Six overpowers them and takes their boat close to land before having to abandon ship and swim. Here we see him testing his sail...

... checking his his supplies before casting off...

... and having a shave early in the cruise. Alas, though Six thinks he finally gets back to London, it's all a ploy, and he finds himself once again a Prisoner in the Village.

#9:  The Anti-Escape Orb

Almost immediately after leaving the island, Homer is pursued by an "anti-escape orb". This is a reference to the "Rover" used as a sort of spy/security-guard in The Prisoner. As silly as it looks, it was deadly to anyone trying to escape the Village. Or simply be their own person...

The orb emerges from the sea...

... Rover emerges from the sea... ("Checkmate")

Anti-escape orb pursues Homer and "his" raft.

Rover directing Number 6 back to the Village after almost escaping via boat ("Checkmate")

The bad guys watch Homer sail away after he effortlessly "kills" the orb with a plastic fork.

Number Two watches Rover directing Number 6 back to the Village.

Poor Number Six had almost as bad a time with Rover as Patrick McGoohan and his crew did!

#10:  MISCELLANEOUS

Angry Number Six...

After being pushed into the water by Homer, Number 6 emerges, sees his raft sailing away, and angrily comments that this is the third time that had happened to him.  

Number Six's Accent

While in the water, notice the way he pronounces the word "third"... more like "t'urd".  This is supposedly what Patrick McGoohan's "natural" voice sounded like.

On screen, McGoohan had a rather unique speech pattern and tone to his voice.  He usually sounded rather classy and eloquent.  Though when the first season of "Danger Man/Secret Agent" aired on television, he played an American NATO security agent, and never did seem to settle on one accent.  You could pick up bits of Irish and British along with the put-on Yank accent, depending on the episode.  

Though he was born in New York, his Irish parents moved the family back to their native Ireland when he was less than a year old, so there was no New York influence in play.  He spent the beginning of his childhood on the family farm before they made the move to England.  He did not go to any formal acting school, so probably did not have had any one speech style drilled into him for use on the stage.  After The Prisoner ended, McGoohan and his family moved to Switzerland, then finally to America where he stayed until his death in 2009.  So trying to pin-point his accent in any particular role can be exasperating!

33 years...

This episode aired in the year 2000.  So 33 years prior would be 1967, which is indeed the year The Prisoner premiered.  

The third time...

That doesn't really make sense, as he said that particular raft took him 33 years to make.  Did he make others along with it? 

Number badges...

Though Number Six wears his number badge all through the Simpsons episode, during The Prisoner he only wore it three times:  very briefly after it is issued to him in "The Arrival" (he promptly removes it and throws it away), in "Free For All" (a campaign ribbon while running for the position of Number 2), and in "Schizoid Man", where things get complicated due to Six having a double.

Which Six is which?

Not a number...

Homer gets angry a lot and says things like he is "not a number".  This is, of course, the line heard in the opening credits of The Prisoner, and basically sums up the whole show: "I am not a number, I am a free man!".  The anger and throwing of things at Bald Guy are no doubt references to when McGoohan allowed Number Six's temper to flare... maybe even to his own temper during production.  

Obviously, Number Six never had a line like "I want answers now or I want them eventually!"

Fighting your duplicate...

Back at his house, Homer strangles fake-Homer... or is that the other way around?

Fake Number Six fights the real Number Six... wait, no, that's the REAL Number Six trying to get information out of the FAKE Number Six... I think... (from Schizoid Man)

(J.DeFelice 2020)