I've just watched an episode of The Avengers, Split from 1968. It was introduced by ITV4 as the New Avengers but it was the Linda Thorsen series, along with Patrick McNee of course.
I must say I really enjoyed the episode. I'd forgotten how attractive the whole thing was and Canadian Linda does a sterling job in filling the rather big and handsome shoes left by one Diana Rigg. The cameraman found himself focusing on Linda's legs rather a lot just to be sure!
The other focus in this episode and the whole series in general was setting the stories in sinister Government units and departments, which I always found wonderful and I'm unsure there's anything like it now. It reminded me of the military thread running through Sixties Doctor Who. In this episode of the Avengers the department was called The Ministry of Top Secret Information!
There's a compulsion for radio-electronics as well, which is something that featured in many TV plays and series like the Stone Tape, Quatermass Conclusion and of course Dr. Who.
There's a really smart car in the episode too, an Aston Martin DBS Vantage pictured below. It so sleek and would have not gone amiss in UFO! Here's a nice webpage about the car in that very episode.
http://www.dbsvantage.com/en/pages/films-and-tv/theavengers.html
I'd forgotten that Steed's bowler was a lethal weapon like Odd Jobs in Dr. No. I have an inkling that the Bowler might have been released as a toy or maybe Steed's umbrella. Is that right?
Do you like the Linda Thorsen/ Tara King era?
I can't really bring myself to like the Linda Thorsen era, despite its many good qualities because it simply isn't the Diana Rigg era.
ReplyDeleteThat's love that Kev!
DeleteI originally disliked the Linda Thorsen/Tara King episodes, but when I saw them years later they were not too bad. The problem was that Linda Thorsen was simply not Diana Rigg.
ReplyDeleteThere is a book on The Avengers that might be useful. The Avengers and New Avengers Collectibles, bu John Buss, Amberley Publishing, 2020. This is a 96 page paperback. Amberley publish a number of other books on various film and TV collectables. I do not have this one yet, but do plan on getting it.
That book does sound good Paul,
DeleteThe quality of the shows went down when the budget went to a colour production.
ReplyDeleteAs Ian Hendry was the original 'Avenger'it didn't make a lot of sense when Mrs Gale, Honor Blackman replaced him. From then on there was no avenging just adventure which switched heavily to comedy with Mrs Peel.
Interestingly any doll or model figure of any of the cast hasn't been too realistic.
But then that's the opinion of someone who watched all the early shows when they were first broadcast and before they were produced for export.
I have never seen any Ian Hendry or Honor Blackman episodes. I am completely uneducated obviousy!
DeleteFor me, the classic era is from Cathy Gale, through Emma Peel to Tara King.
ReplyDeleteSure, Emma's colour era is the peak, but they're all great TV.
The earlier stuff, with Ian Hendry, is too crude and not thought through enough.
The New Avengers, though still good TV, lacks the style, 'sexiness' and zeitgiest of it's 60s forerunner. Even though it starts with the same glorious rising intro, the theme music plummets into a clipped, almost monotone, militaristic drone, rather than the wonderful, smooth, stylish orchestral jazz piece of Laurie Johnson's original Avengers theme.
Yes Mish, I agree that the original Avengers theme tune was easily one of the most memorable TV themes from my childhood. It always scared me a bit, those deep deep notes and that added to its appeal. The show was sort of creepy but I was only a titch after all.
DeleteI have not seen any of the Ian Hendry or Honor Blackman episodes either. I only knew the show from the Diana Rigg episodes onwards, then Linda Thorsen, and The New Avengers with Joanna Lumley. These were the episodes that screened in New Zealand at the time. I would have watched all of them in black and white first time around, as colour TV did not arrive in NZ until 1973, and it was several years after that that we finally got a colour TV set.
ReplyDelete