 The first, "The Saint in New York" in 1938, based on the 1935 novel of the same name, starred Louis Hayward as Templar and Jonathan Hale as Inspector Henry Fernack, the American counterpart of Mr Teal.The film was a success and RKO began a Saint series.Some of the films were based on Charteris's original novels or novellas; others were original stories based upon outlines by Charteris.