MRS. PEEL...WE'RE NEEDED

[umpire2]

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HONOR BLACKMAN's CATHY GALE character was meant to be STEED'S main partner, and audience reaction confirmed the choice, as she was by far the most popular in the 1962 Season...


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[Cockateer]

That's hardly surprising, we're talking about Miss Pussy Galore after all... I remember the very first time I watched "Goldfinger": I was a boy, 10 years old, and Honor Blackman gave me an instant hard-on.

Thank you, Umpire, for this great thread. I'll try to contribute something.

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by Cockateer

That's hardly surprising, we're talking about Miss Pussy Galore after all... I remember the very first time I watched "Goldfinger": I was a boy, 10 years old, and Honor Blackman gave me an instant hard-on.

Thank you, Umpire, for this great thread. I'll try to contribute something.

Good to see you, Cockateer!

[umpire2]

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[umpire2]

HONOR BLACKMAN DID INDEED LEAVE THE AVENGERS AFTER THE 1963 SEASON to take the role of PUSSY GALORE in GOLDFINGER, seeking major motion picture stardom. That major stardom eluded her, as she was not generally a big-box-office success, but she remains an icon for her two roles, CATHY GALE & PUSSY

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[ELaken-Palmer]

James Bond took away two of Steed's partners but, to Americans, Kathy Gale was inconsequential in comparison to our dear Emma.

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by ELaken-Palmer

James Bond took away two of Steed's partners but, to Americans, Kathy Gale was inconsequential in comparison to our dear Emma.

You are correct, ELP, as far as popularity here is concerned, since Americans didn't get to see Cathy Gale originally. All of the aspects of her character (widow, sassily intelligent, leather-clad martial arts expert) that were taken directly from Gale's character were attributed to Emma Peel as the "originator" by Americans, with Cathy coming off as a pale imitation once earlier episodes became available.

I like Emma better myself, but unlike many, I don't shrug off Cathy as a poor substitute. She is edged out by a nose (if it was a tit-race, however, Cathy would win by two cup sizes and a nipple)

[Yikes_Run!!]

what about this one??




not as glam as the origional... Uma is actually not all that, or a bag of chips...

Still....

[umpire2]

...and here I thought this was a fairly popular thread and it has been rated twice.......and one of them was one star (BAD).

I appreciate it.

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[Yikes_Run!!]

I like this thread. I'm looking for a box set of the avengers for my kids. lol

I wonder why that pic I put up didnt work.... it was The Uma thurman movie poster from 1999. I went to see it on my wedding day. HAHA

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by Yikes_Run!!

I like this thread. I'm looking for a box set of the avengers for my kids. lol

I wonder why that pic I put up didnt work.... it was The Uma thurman movie poster from 1999. I went to see it on my wedding day. HAHA

How did you try to post it?

[noboat]

[Yikes_Run!!]

[Yikes_Run!!]

[Yikes_Run!!]

Uma thurman and Ralph fiennes

[ELaken-Palmer]

Uma and Roy REALLY sucked ass as Peel and Steed... REALLY... SUCKED... ASS! An idiot must have produced that awful movie. They should have used Elizabeth Hurley as Mrs. Peel. She would have been a hundred times better.

[zvogel]

My preferences were formed by Mrs Peel and the original and best Morticia

[Yikes_Run!!]

Woooow. ELP... tell us how you really feel... lol im thats I never said she was good. As mrs peel. Or even very good at anything but dieing in Pulp Fiction. . .

I was just offering a different facet to the ensamble'


And you arnt wrong saying she did a poor job there

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by Yikes_Run!!

Woooow. ELP... tell us how you really feel... lol im thats I never said she was good. As mrs peel. Or even very good at anything but dieing in Pulp Fiction. . .

I was just offering a different facet to the ensamble'


And you arnt wrong saying she did a poor job there

I disagree, Yikes (not about Uma doing a bad job as Mrs. Peel, but rather that she's not really good in anything).

I haven't seen all of her movies, but Kill Bill slays me and she did a very good job (I think) in The Truth About Cats & Dogs

[ELaken-Palmer]

Originally Posted by umpire2

I disagree, Yikes (not about Uma doing a bad job as Mrs. Peel, but rather that she's not really good in anything).

I haven't seen all of her movies, but Kill Bill slays me and she did a very good job (I think) in The Truth About Cats & Dogs

Uma is a wonderful actress and one of my favorites. The movie "The Avengers" just stunk on ice and that was a shame because it was a movie that I (obviously) was really excited to see. Uma was miscast (as Mrs. Peel) as was Ralph (as Steed). Mike Myers, on the other hand, knew exactly the appeal of Emma and that is why he cast Elizabeth Hurley (as a Mrs. Peel type character) in "Austin Powers". She had what Diana had and the producers of "The Avengers" should have seen that. I don't know if she was ever even asked.

Also PLEASE don't show pictures of Diana as she is today... PLEASE! Time was not kind to her OR to Honor Blackman for that matter.

[umpire2]

Noboat, age is something that catches all of us unaware (in the main).

To equate Mrs. Peel with a 72 year old Diana Rigg is akin to denying the achievement of a 1956 Triple Crown to Mickey Mantle because by 1995 he could barely lift a beer.

It is all about the moment.

I hope that if you ever achieve anything that people are equally unkind to you 45 years later.

[ELaken-Palmer]

Originally Posted by umpire2

Noboat, age is something that catches all of us unaware (in the main).

To equate Mrs. Peel with a 72 year old Diana Rigg is akin to denying the achievement of a 1956 Triple Crown to Mickey Mantle because by 1995 he could barely lift a beer.

It is all about the moment.

I hope that if you ever achieve anything that people are equally unkind to you 45 years later.

Yes, you are correct, umpire 2. If Ty Cobb were alive today, we could not expect him to hit over .400 any longer. Cobb would now be one-hundred-and-twenty-six and would probably bat only .325 at the most!

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by ELaken-Palmer

Yes, you are correct, umpire 2. If Ty Cobb were alive today, we could not expect him to hit over .400 any longer. Cobb would now be one-hundred-and-twenty-six and would probably bat only .325 at the most!

I'd like to see him trying to go from first to third.

[ELaken-Palmer]

Originally Posted by umpire2

I'd like to see him trying to go from first to third.

I understand that it was SOMETHING to behold. We should start a thread for him... "Mr. Cobb, you're needed!"

[umpire2]

Nah, I'd rather see the Doncaster, (West Riding), Plaistow & Toronto "Peaches" than the "Georgia Peach"!

[ejls]

Emma Peel
Department: Unofficial operative
Active duty: 1965-67
Height: 5'-8½"
Assigned to: Steed, John

Born on a spring day in the late thirties, Emma Knight proved to the world, at the relatively tender age of 21, that she was as competent and capable as any man by becoming Chairman of her father's corporation, Knight Industries, where she ruffled more than a few feathers. But it wasn't enough for this brilliant, restless young woman...

Not to mention attractive young woman. So acute was her unselfconsciousness, though, that she was virtually oblivious to the fact that she could inflict whiplash on any male having a pulse. And her daring, sometimes experimental fashion sense only served to heighten this effect.

She married Peter Peel, a test pilot who fell victim to a plane crash and was presumed dead. This was, perhaps, a blessing in disguise, for she seemed far too independent to spend the rest of her life quietly tending the home fires.

It was John Steed who provided her with exactly what she sought in life: action, adventure, intrigue, danger, and excitement. As a bonus, she got a fencing partner, a loyal friend, and a lifetime supply of fine wines.
And it was John Steed who afforded her an opportunity to exercise her prowess in Karate and Kung Fu, as well as her considerable mental faculties, to defeat of all manner of diabolical mastermind. Equally at ease sewing or writing papers on thermodynamics, Emma was also adept with sword or gun, and could shoot the cork off a champagne bottle at twenty paces—or was it thirty?

Although she was considered an amateur, she often out-sleuthed and out-fought trained agents, and so was held in the highest esteem and trust by her peers and by the Ministry. However, the discovery of her husband alive in the Amazonian jungle led to her early retirement from active service—a significant loss to the Ministry and most especially to Steed, for indeed she occupied a very special place in his heart.

[ejls]

Tara King
Department: MI5½
Agent Number: 69
Active duty: ca. 1968-69
Assigned to: Steed, John

Immediately upon completing her Ministry training, Tara King was assigned to John Steed—in whom she fell madly in love, despite his being old enough to have fathered her. Perhaps that's why he seemed to care for her in a fatherly manner, taking the time to complete her training himself. And what better training could she have—in the field, under the tutelage of the best of the best?

As Ms. King was a bona fide Ministry agent, her past, like his, is obscure. About all that is known is that she was born in the late forties and attended a finishing school. Her tenure with Steed began in 1968, at the tail end of the "decade of the diabolical mastermind," and so she saw progressively less action as they moved into the seventies. The "high point" of her career, very likely, was a rumored space flight that put her and Steed briefly in orbit.

[ejls]

After a successful first season of The Avengers, an Equity strike in 1961 shut down production at episode 26 out of a planned 39, and did not resume for nearly a year. By the time the dust had settled, Ian Hendry (who played Dr. David Keel, original partner for John Steed) left the show to pursue a film career—which would become a recurring theme for Avengers costars. The producers asked Patrick Macnee to stay on, and he agreed.

What audiences didn't know was that episode 27 of the first season was set to introduce a new partner for Steed: a jazz singer named Venus Smith, a total innocent used by Steed to assist with some aspects of his investigations. She was to alternate with Keel, which would have made Steed the main character by default, despite his having originally been second fiddle to the doctor. Angela Douglas was to have played Venus but was unavailable, so out of 51 applicants, second-pick Julie Stevens got the part. However, her debut would have to wait until an entirely different female partner made the scene...

With Hendry gone, Jon Rollason was called in as his replacement, Dr. Martin King, but he lasted for only three episodes, which were leftover first season Dr. Keel scripts. Meanwhile, Sydney Newman, the show's creator, decided to cast a woman as Steed's new primary partner. His inspiration was drawn from a news report from Kenya featuring a woman whose family was being ravaged by terrorists. Cathy Gale was to become the first truly liberated, self-sufficient, fighting female character ever created for television, and way, way ahead of her time. Nyree Dawn Porter (who appeared in the first season episode, "Death on the Slipway") would have been signed for the part of Cathy Gale had she been available at the time, so Honor Blackman was hired.

Newman was not especially keen on the choice of Honor Blackman, as he was familiar with her film career playing "English rose" types and was convinced she could not play the role as he'd envisioned it. This explains the marked shift in Cathy's character between her first episode, "Death Dispatch," and her second, "Warlock." In the former she was generally pleasant and smiled frequently. Newman warned that her tenure would be short-lived if she ever smiled like that again, thus she became noticeably "harder."

The black leather craze that Honor is credited for starting came about as a matter of practicality, not fashion sense. Tired of Cathy producing a gun from her purse week after week, the producers began a shift away from firearms and, after a brief attempt at hiding knives and the like on her person, settled on hand-to-hand combat. Honor was enrolled in a crash-course in Judo, and within weeks became adept at throwing extras across the studio—for real. Dresses, however, proved quite impractical when being flung about in a fight, and after she split the seam of a pair of slacks on camera, Patrick Macnee suggested suede, but because of lighting problems, leather became the choice. Fashion designer Michael Whittaker was called in to create a wardrobe of snug-fitting leather fighting gear for Honor, and a new fashion trend was born. Any hints at "kinkiness," according to Macnee, were deliberate.

[umpire2]

I was just about to say "Wow, e! Did you write those mini-bios of Emma and Tara yourself???! Brilliant!!!"......when I saw the last pop up.

Good info, though!

[ejls]

As The Avengers entered its third season (and Cathy Gale her second), the producers took a pause to examine the books. Rarely was the show on-budget, and balking at the raise requested for Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman, the producers pondered letting one of them go. Studio execs, however, were much more in tune with the show's popularity, and they handed down a healthy budget increase to cover the actors' raises.

While our duo prevailed, gone were Venus Smith and Dr. Martin King. Jon Rollason was just a stop-gap between Ian Hendry and Honor Blackman, and Julie Stevens was pregnant. Just as well, since Cathy Gale was by far the most popular of them and the show was becoming quite successful thanks principally to her.

Gone, too, were One-Ten, One-Six and One-Twelve, Steed's superiors since the series began. Two new chiefs were introduced, Charles and Quilpie, the latter played by Ronald Radd, who had appeared in the previous season and who would return at the end of the Emma Peel era.

Other changes included expanded wardrobes and lavish, permanent living quarters for both characters, as well as scriptwriting of the highest caliber. Popular response to the wit and fantasy of the previous season was taken as a cue for more. Stories were shaped cooperatively by writers, directors and, most especially, the actors, who went to great lengths to ensure their characters remained true.

Ironically, it was thought that John Steed was becoming too affable during the course of the previous season, so a conscious effort was made to toughen him back up, make him more callous and ruthless—whereas Steed's popularity reached its peak when he became the much more affable "gentleman spy" in later years.

With respect to the careers of Avengers co-stars, history was about to repeat itself, even as plans for the fourth season began to coalesce...

In December of 1963, three months prior to the completion of the second Cathy Gale series, an American film producer made ABC (Associated British Corporation, not to be confused with the American Broadcasting Corporation) a tempting offer: turn The Avengers into a major motion picture. Around the same time, yet another American film producer suggested making The Avengers a Broadway musical!

But before ABC could respond to any of these offers, they had to deal with a much more urgent issue: Honor Blackman had decided to leave. Stories vary as to her reasons, but the outcome was the same. She had accepted a role offered her in the James Bond film, Goldfinger. READ MORE

With no female lead to offer any prospective investors, ABC pulled the plug on The Avengers altogether in order to regroup. After spending six months in limbo, the studio decided to turn the property over to Telemen Limited, headed by Julian Wintle, who recruited Albert Fennell and Brian Clemens to continue the series for television on film.

Their first challenge was not simply replacing Honor Blackman, but replacing Cathy Gale; since Honor had made the character what she was, there was no point in trying to find another actress to assume the same role. From their drawing board emerged Emma Peel (the name derived from the term "man appeal," shortened to "m-appeal," a brainstorm by the producers' press officer—READ MORE). While different from Cathy Gale, Mrs. Peel's similarity to Cathy was mission-critical: she was to be every bit as emancipated as her predecessor.

After months of searching, Elizabeth Shepherd was signed on for the role. However, after completing "The Town of No Return" and half of "The Murder Market," the producers concluded that, while talented, she was not right for the part.

Further casting searches led to an actress who had recently appeared in an Armchair Theatre play, "The Hothouse." Convinced she wasn't right for the part, Diana Rigg, then (a very mature) 26, nevertheless agreed to audition "for a giggle," unaware that she was about to make television history.

It couldn't have been a better choice, particularly in the minds of male fans. As one chap put it, "Give a man a pudding and Diana Rigg during the lunch hour and experience shows he will be a thing of slobbering contentment from start to finish." (New York Newsday, 3 April 1994)

In addition to a new female lead, The Avengers received a complete stylistic overhaul. The new producers realized the tremendous value in attracting an international audience, so they essentially turned the show into a tourist promotion. The move from videotape to film allowed them to move from studio to countryside, providing everyone with the best views England had to offer. John Steed was also re-tooled: He became excruciatingly Anglicized, playing to the hilt every upper-class British mannerism known, which was appreciated by fans both at home and abroad.

Clemens laid down a few ground rules that were to shape the new series: No extras on the streets, no policemen, no killing women, no blood and others (READ MORE), although each of these directives was broken at one time or another. Clemens' stated purpose was to create a "fantasy land" setting for the stories, so that any story, no matter how bizarre, could be told—although the roots of this style were based in "real-world" budgetary restrictions.

Indeed, the stories shifted from slightly fanciful espionage yarns to wildly fantastic, quasi-science fiction tales about mad scientists, man-eating plants and killer robots. The fighting became an intelligent caricature, as exemplified by Patrick Macnee's own ground rule of refusing to carry a firearm. "I'm not going to carry a gun," he asserts, "I'm going to carry my brain."

ABC also turned the fashion aspect of the program into a franchise, hiring top-drawer designers and filling the boutiques of Europe with Avengers clothing and accessories.

The world would never be the same.

[ejls]

Originally Posted by umpire2

I was just about to say "Wow, e! Did you write those mini-bios of Emma and Tara yourself???! Brilliant!!!"......when I saw the last pop up.

Good info, though!

I'll stop now. I really liked this site.

[umpire2]

E!


I'm not sure if you are reading this, but WHERE ARE YOU GETTING ALL THIS STUFF FROM???

It is all great, but none of the links work, so I am assuming that somehow you are cutting and pasting it from inaccessible secondary sources.....

[ELaken-Palmer]

Here is my tale of "The Avengers" told from memory and what I have learned on several websites since.

"The Avengers" had a very unusual run on American television which was going through some changes in the mid-1960's.

ABC network execs had seen "The Avengers" in its Mrs. Gale form and liked the concept. They thought that the show would be a success on American television because of the spy craze and how well anything British was doing in the United States.

The first problem was that "The Avengers" was video taped (somewhat like an American daytime soap opera) but in a format incompitable with American video standards. The second roadblock was that Honor Blackman had just left the program.

ABC the network told ABC the production company that they would pick up "The Avengers" if the program were filmed (like a movie) and a suitable replacement for Mrs. Gale was found.

Associated British liked the idea (and the added money from America) and they found their replacement (Mrs. Peel) and filmed some episodes for British telly.

Skittish about their commitment, ABC held off and did not introduce "The Avengers" until March of 1966 when it was added to the schedule as a mid-season replacement for a show that had flopped.

I didn't discover "The Avengers" until (as an impressionable and horny thirteen-year-old) I was flipping the channels (on the little TV in my room) and saw Mrs. Peel wandering around in a castle in a see-through nightie. I stopped flipping and (the horny little bastard that I was) I whipped it out and started wanking to the vision on the TV. Emma Peel was stunning, elegant, the prettiest thing I had ever seen and she had a darling British accent. As I remember, I came almost immediately (a new record - even for me). The name of the episode was CASTLE DE-ATH and it took place in a haunted, Scottish castle. Seeing the lovely Mrs. Peel kick ass was almost the kicker for me but what was even better was the closing theme, the Laurie Johnson music. Oh, WOW! I had found my new most favorite TV show and watched it each and every week, drooling over Diana Rigg like a leg-humping puppy.

The tragedy came when the new fall season arrived and ABC dropped "The Avengers" in favor of some American program. I remember being livid and calling the local ABC station (WXYZ-TV) and telling them I demanded the show be brought back (like some little pipsqueak had any say in the matter). But, I guess, a whole lot of people called and wrote their local stations and ABC and, in an almost unheard of move, ABC brought "The Avengers" back... again as a mid-season replacement in January of 1967. I was back in Steed and Peel heaven! A heaven that lasted until the new September season when "The Avengers" was dropped again! What the hell was the matter with these network idiots?

I (and plenty of others) wrote to ABC again and no less than TV Guide wrote an article about the show how disappointed people were and ABC brought "The Avengers" back for a THIRD TIME in January of 1968 but, this time... IN COLOR and with the new, cork-shooting open! Praise the Lord and pass the Kleenex!

I waited for the new season to roll around and was astonished when "The Avengers" was actually renewed staying for the fall season and was heavily promoted and announced as here to stay. Fantastic! Patrick McNee and Diana Rigg even came to the United States to present an award on the Emmy broadcast and got a huge laugh when they walked to the podium where all could see that Diana was almost a head taller than her dapper, little co-star!

I was in adolescent TV heaven until January when (unannounced and totally unexpected) wonderful Mrs. Peel... my darling Diana... excuisite Emma walked right off the show (with some remark about anti-clockwise coffee) and was replaced by an average-looking piece of useless fluff named Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay or something. What? What happened? How could they?

But it was true. Emma was gone and nobody in America gave a rat's ass for Tara King and "The Avengers" was yanked off the air in September of 1969.

It was, to me, a most amazing run.

[umpire2]

Great story, ELP!

[umpire2]

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[ELaken-Palmer]

Steed's hand is a bit high on the lovely thigh, don'tcha think? Lucky fucker!

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by ELaken-Palmer

Steed's hand is a bit high on the lovely thigh, don'tcha think? Lucky fucker!

ELP, what you can't see (hidden by the dress) is his raging boner.....he's trying to push her down onto his lap.....

[ELaken-Palmer]

Originally Posted by umpire2

ELP, what you can't see (hidden by the dress) is his raging boner.....he's trying to push her down onto his lap.....

Ha! A quick look at Wikipedia shows Daniel Partick Macnee was an interesting fellow in himself: Macnee was an avid nudist, sometimes to the dismay of his friends and co-stars: He once invited Honor Blackman to watch him play tennis in the nude, an invitation she declined. Mcnee had a bit of a harrowing time in World War II and, for that reason, never carried a gun on The Avengers. He starred in an episode of The Twilight Zone in 1959 and played a visitor from Britain who thought he was Sherlock Holmes on Magnum PI. He appeared as Solo's boss on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., he appeared in the Bond film A View To A Kill but he did not appear in the movie The Avengers as the character he played was invisible. Patrick Mcnee became an American citizen in 1959, two years before he won his defining role as British agent John Steed.

[umpire2]

Once more, valuable insight, ELP!!! Much appreciated.

I never saw 1983's Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. with Patrick Macnee. I was in college then and not watching TV at all. I've heard of it, but have never seen any notice of re-runs. It WOULD be cool to see at some point, though.