The Complete File

With the film "adaptation" of the 1980's series The Equalizer released in September 2014 (starring Denzel Washington), I've had fun revisiting the series I remember fondly from my teens and learning more about the other work of its star, Edward Woodward.

 

Contact: mccallagain at gmail.com.

News

January 12, 2021

 

More news on the reboot of The Equalizer TV show. A trailer has now been released as well as a premiere date (February 7th, after the Super Bowl). See trailer below and links for the latest. I'm curious about why Latifah was so interested in this show, and if she has any familiarity with the original. The film versions have suffered for the lack of fidelity to the themes of the original. I hope the TV reboot doesn't make that mistake.

 

https://tvline.com/2021/01/09/the-equalizer-trailer-teaser-queen-latifah-cbs-video/

 

https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2021/01/queen-latifah-equalizer-trailer-cbs

 

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-equalizer-2021-reboot-trailer-queen-latifah-cbs-super-bowl/

 

August 24, 2020

 

There's interesting news for fans of the original TV show The Equalizer! Queen Latifah has signed on to portray McCall in a reboot reported to stick close to the original concept (unlike the Denzel Washington films which didn't reflect the true character of McCall from the original TV series). It has been ordered to pilot so there are several hurdles to overcome before it would actually hit the air. Latifiah seems quite excited about the project.

 

Below are a couple of videos and a news article about the pilot.

 

https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/equalizer-queen-latifah-reboot-cbs-pilot-1203483108/

 

January 31, 2020

 

I am happy to have regular visitors to this website which I have too little time to update and is a labor of love. I thank you, especially those who have pointed out typos and the like, including the report that there are  some episodes missing from the Episode Guide. I will get to all these corrections at long last!

 

May 22, 2016

 

The Original London Cast Recording of Two Cities will be released on June 24th, 2016. Edward Woodward portrayed Sydney Carton in the 1969 musical.  Until now, the recording was only available on vinyl and a rare find.

 

The CD features previously unreleased original 1966 demo recordings for the show, including several songs that would be later cut from the production.

April 18, 2016

 

GetTV has announced a new lineup that includes The Equalizer TV series. For those who get GetTV, you will find The Equalizer airing 5PM ET Monday through Friday, starting May 2. It's good to see the show on the air once again.

 

March 30, 2016

 

Turns out the French versions of The Equalizer DVDs have some cool cover art (Season 4 was just released this year). The first season, Volume 1, has the same cover art as the U.S. edition, but all others are different. These sets are available at Amazon's French website.

 

Seasons 1, 2, and 3 are in two-volume sets.

 

The artwork for Season 2, Vol. 2 is interesting in that McCall is pictured holding a revolver which I don't recall him ever using. That was Kostmayer's weapon of choice.

 

 

December 28, 2015

 

Sad news this month of the passing of Anthony Valentine, who played Meres in the Callan TV series. He was so talented and quite fun to watch. 

 

Below is a video of Valentine's remarks upon Woodward's passing.

 

 

October 11, 2015

 

Two collections of James Mitchell's Callan stories are now available. The books are called Callan Uncovered and Callan Uncovered 2.

 


September 18, 2015

 

It was thirty years ago on this day that The Equalizer premiered on CBS in the USA!

 

June 5, 2015

 

Network has released a new book called Callan: Under The Red File by author Andrew Pixley. So far, it appears to be available only on Network's website and claims to be an extensive history of the making of the television program Callan.

 


June 1, 2015

 

Edward Woodward was born this day in 1930. A happy birthday to him wherever he may be equalizing now.

 

May 8, 2015

 

"Common as Muck box set review – where there’s muck there’s warmhearted fun and drama" -- A review of the second series DVD set of Common As Muck.

 

February 2, 2015

 

Fabulous Films is releasing the third season two-hour premiere as a DVD film called The Equalizer: The Movie: Blood And Wine. According to Amazon UK, the Region 2 DVD will be released February 9, 2015.



December 30, 2014

 

Both series 1 and series 2 of the British show Common As Muck, in which Edward Woodward joined an ensemble cast in the excellent William Ivory dramedy about a group of binmen, are now available in Region 2 DVD. This is a very good role in the mid-to-late 90's that showed a lot more of Woodward's abilities and was certainly a great departure from the Equalizer/hard man roles he is so well-known for.



December 15, 2014

 

There are now a few options for fans in the U.S. who have waited several years for the full Equalizer series to be released on DVD. The Complete Series (all four seasons with a very good short feature about the series), the Limited Edition Complete Collection (the Complete Series plus extras such as Woodward's last film, A Congregation of Ghosts, and the complete series of The New Professionals), and each season separately. Hopefully you're not a completion-ist like myself.

 

The box art for Season 4 features a photo not from The Equalizer but from a very good spy drama that Woodward starred in called Codename Kyril, shot during the hiatus between the second and third seasons of The Equalizer. In that television film, he wore bow ties and carried a different kind of weapon than McCall uses.

November 16, 2014


A fond and prayerful remembrance of Mr. Woodward, who passed away five years ago today.

July 16, 2014

 

Michael Sloan, one of the creators of The Equalizer, is releasing a novel in August 2014. The novel is only loosely based on the TV show. For example, in the novel, the character of Robert McCall is from New York City. The book is available on amazon.com.

July 12, 2014

 

Edward Woodward's last film, A Congregation of Ghosts, is now available on DVD (I've seen it for sale on Amazon.com and ebay.com). The film was shot in Cornwall.

Edward Woodward as Reverend Frederick Densham in A Congregation Of Ghosts
Edward Woodward as Reverend Frederick Densham in A Congregation Of Ghosts
June 20, 2014
 

Michele Dotrice will appear on June 21st with her father Roy Dotrice at a fundraising event for Chichester Cathedral. 

May 6, 2014
 

DVD update - there is now box art for the Season 2 set.

 

 

May 5, 2014
 

Finally, U.S. fans will be able to get the second season on (Region 1) DVD. It is scheduled to be released August 26, 2014, and is available on Amazon

 
The same company appears to be releasing a Best Of set as well in June 2014.