THE UNMUTUAL PRISONER ARTICLE ARCHIVE
THE PROJECTION ROOM (The Prisoner Compared...)
"PAINT YOUR WAGON
By Andrew Hunt
Lee Marvin as Leo McKern (LM & LM both almost as charismatic) and Clint Eastwood as Patrick McGoohan. Lots of Irish-American content, too.
From the Once Upon A Time reprise filler LM vows "til' death do us part". In Paint Your Wagon, Ben Rumson and Pardner were partners, then part of a poligamous marriage, gone bad. "I now pronounce you claimed and filed" "stamped, indexed, briefed, debreifed and numbered." Ben and Pardner almost kill each other for Elizabeth and Number Six kills Number Two (Number Six). While Ben and Pardner are discussing bars of gold, Number Six and Number Two are discussing bars of steel. Ben is often seen nearly dead drunk while Number Two drinks himself to death. Both pairs are reunited.
The sign goes up that says Welcome to "No Name" City while the light flickers on "Well Come". Much of the Fall Out episode is held underground as is Paint Your Wagon due to the mines. While the preacher comes to No Name City it sounds like the President giving his speech.
Before the
wedding scene in Paint Your Wagon Ben needs to be resucitated and so does former
Number Two. Number Forty Eight is a bit like Horton Fenty because of his youth
and the easy embrace rebellious
lifestyle Number Forty-Eight is born all over while Horton feels he has become
a man. Religious and moral undertones in both cases. "Dem Bones" routine
is a bit like "I Was Born Under A Wandrin' Star" performed by Ben,
which everyone joins in on in both songs. The Gospel of No Name City also comparable
here.
Ben gets
wheeled around in a wheelbarrow, falls down a mine shaft and gets mud on his
hat. Like Number Two getting wheeled around on a gurney gets sent back down
into the sub-basement and spits on Number
One. One of the most
interesting parallels is how they have a bull and bear fight in Paint Your Wagon.
The bull and bear appear encased just like Number Two and Number Forty Eight
were encased. Once the bull was let out he fell into the ground to the mine
shaft network that Ben and Pardner et al were building. Ben and the Preacher
end up running for their lives through the network while No Name City collapses.
This is like how the rocket destroys The Village. The soundtrack breaks out
with "All You Need Is Love" while Elizabeth crosses into town to try
to find pardner during the No Name City evacuation, love is all you need,
when you've got nothing left. "Open
up the can of beans" song as long as it's Village Foods (TM).
When Pardner decides to leave Elizabeth he is going along against the flow of traffic. He meets up with Ben and he says to him, "you won't get anywhere going that way." This is kind of like when Number Forty-Eight is hitchiking one way and then decides to go the other direction on The A20. Pardner decides to return to Elizabeth to stay (is Pardner really a 'free man'?). He tells Ben his real name. Being called Pardner is just like being given a number. You see the convoy at the end going away from No Name City. The song "I'm On My Way" sounds like Number Six's swan song.
Both Paint
Your Wagon and Fall Out deal with living arrangements. The moving cell in Fall
Out complete with kitchen priveleges and supplies to last months and even a
dance floor...yes it moves. Mobile off the grid appliances that work. I wonder:
AK, AM, LM and PMG would be the most refined "trailer park trash"
you would have ever met. Hm...a comparison of Fall Out and Trailer Park Boys.
Then Number Six returns
to home bittersweet home. Wouldn't you at least move or paint the walls a different
colour, since your own home
would remind you of all the terrible memories of being in the Village?
In Paint Your Wagon, Elizabeth needs to be looked after for the winter months. They build a cabin for her. Ben is kicked out of his of his own home and ends up subletting at the ho' house.
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