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TV
Week, 16 January, pages 2&3, A New Avenger: She's Blonde, 28, and Different,
Jo Harvey, Australia.
Daily Mail, 12 February, page 3, T. V. Reviews, Review of the
episode 'The Grandeur That Was Rome', Monica Furlong, England
Being of
too nervous a disposition to play bingo myself, I have been doing some revision on The
Avengers, second time around, and studying its technique. At least, I mean to notice the
technique, but keep getting distracted by those ghastly hats and fascinating snobbery.
Steed, for instance, insists that his dog gets raw liver, seaweed powder and a walk
exactly three miles a day. On what porridge was James Bond's dog reared? The violence is
casual and relished far less than it is in the Fleming novels. The dramatic settings are
crude, but deliciously inventive. There was a very good one last night about a small
fascist thug who thought he was a kind of Caesar and based his life on the nastier habits
of Imperial Rome. Disturbingly probable, and one can only hope no one was fired to go and
do likewise.
Daily Mail, 24 February, page 9, Private Eye, English
Style, New adventure series
'Undermined' (Should be Undermind). Cathy Gale image has become an archetype., Douglas
Marlborough, England
A typical English Rose is moving in on the TV World
of the tough, Cathy Gale-type private eye. She is Rosemary Nicols, 24. There won't be a
trace of leather, kinky boots or judo when she opens in the new ITV thriller series
Undermined, in May...
Manchester Evening News, 26 February, page 3, Max North's TV Review, re
Undermind
NEW SERIES WON'T COPY THE AVENGERS. Blah blah... Anyone imagining that such an
original idea will be treated with an off-beat "Avenger" like approach may be
forgiven - especially when they learn that Mr. Wilkin is a judo expert and may display his
knowledge in fight scenes. In fact, the opposite is true, Producer Michael Chapman told
me: "I am deliberately making this series in complete contrast to "The
Avengers". It will be a realistic documentary-type thriller in which there will be no
kinkiness.
Daily Mail, 24 March, page 1, The Avenger To Wed Girl Who
'Died', Patrick Macnee's
engagement to Catherine Woodville, England.
Daily Mirror, 24 March, page 1, Catherine will be Avenger's
bride, Patrick Macnee's
wedding, Jack Bell, England
ITV's 'Avengers' star Patrick Macnee, 43, is
to marry the first Avengers girl. On Monday, he will marry actress Catherine Woodville,
26, who starred in the No. 1 'Avengers' episode back in 1961. They are pictured together
(above) with Catherine wearing her engagement ring. It was Catherine who played the
fiancée of Macnee's first co-'Avenger', Ian Hendry - and was shot down in Soho as they
were choosing a ring. 'She died in his arms and that turned us both into Avengers,' said
Mr. Macnee last night. 'Kate and I fell in love at a rehearsal for another 'Avengers' show
the following year.' The couple plan to marry at Hampton Register Office.
Daily Express, 24 March, page 1, Avenger Steed's Bride... Her Name Is
Cathy,
Patrick Macnee's wedding, England.
Manchester Evening News, 29 March, page 1 ...And Sun
For TV Bride, no author, England.
Patrick Macnee, the 43-year old actor, who plays special agent John Steed in ITV's
"The Avengers", and his bride, 27-year old actress Catherine Woodville, step
into the sunshine from Hampstead Register Office, London, after their wedding today. Miss
Woodville appeared in the first episode of "The Avengers" four years ago.
Daily Mail, 30 March, page 3, Avengermanship!, Patrick Macnee's
wedding, England.
Daily Mirror, 30 March, page 5, 'Avenger' weds his
Cathy, Patrick Macnee's wedding,
England.
Confidential,
March 1965, page 1, ?, title unknown, author unknown, USA. Honor
Blackman piece.
Daily
Mail, 5 April, page 3, The New Avenger, Pre-publicity of Season
Four; picture from 'The Gravediggers', England.
OR HOW THE BEAUTIFUL MISS DIANA RIGG
WAS TIED TO A RAILWAY LINE BY VILLAINS OF THE FOULEST KIND, AND OUR HANDSOME
HERO STEED GALLOPED TO THE RESCUE IN THE NICK OF TIME.
NAME: Emma Peel. Description: Red hair,
tall. Characteristics: Judo expert, fondness for leather clothes and company
of John Steed. Meet the new Avenger.
(Pause for kinky music.)
SCENE: ABC-TV story conference. Mr. Big: Well,
what about The Avengers? They're back in the autumn with that new girl Emma
Peel - gee, what a GREAT name - in place of Cathy. Minion: Sir, what
about getting Emma trapped in a submarine under the North Pole dressed as a
penguin? New clothes cult. Better than boots.
Mr. Big: Right, we'll stick to boots. Get
a really good story line for the first show. What about Emma tied to a railway
track - a MINIATURE railway track - with the engine - a MINIATURE
engine - thundering down to decapitate her. Like those old-time movies. Get
the writers on to it.
(Pause for kinky music).
SCENE: Story conference some time later.
Mr. Big: Okay then, it's agreed. No sexy dog-collars this time. Just a man -
let's give him a title - who likes miniature railways, only his is being used
by secret agents sabotating British early-warning system. Sounds GREAT.
Tell you what, let's get Steed to have a fight on one of the carriage roofs.
GREAT.
(Pause for kinky music).
SCENE: Lord Gretton's estate at Stapleford, near
Melton Mowbray, yesterday. It has a miniature railway. Steed (in other words
Patrick Macnee) duly fights on carriage roof. Emma (new girl Diana Rigg) is
duly tied to the track. The first Avengers of the new series is in the can.
Melodrama. Corn. Sex. Boots and all. But never a mention of Pauline. Or Mack
Sennett.
(Fade to kinky music).
Daily
Mirror, 5 April, page 13, Trouble for Steed's new girl, Introduction
of Emma Peel, England.
You can almost hear that drumming music they used to pound out during silent
films as the villain tied the helpless heroine to the railway track. But stop!
There the similarity ends. This heroine is not helpless. Her name: Emma Peel.
Age: 26. Specialities: Karate killer blows, judo throws, and a deadly aim with
a small snub-nosed automatic. Now enter the hero. His name, Steed. And he needs
no introduction to aficionados of the The Avengers ITV series. Emma Peel (real
name Diana Rigg) is replacing Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) - wooed away by 007
James Bond. How do Steed (Patrick Macnee) and Emma beat the villains? Come autumn,
we'll all know.
TV Times issue 507, 15 July, pages 2 and 3,
Marriage Mellows The Avenger, Patrick
Macnee's marriage, John Gough, England, One paragraph in a gossip column.
Marriage
has not affected the man-about-town image of Patrick Macnee, star of The Avengers. Let's
just say that it is bringing out some of his mellower man-about-suburbia tendencies. His
wife of three months, lovely Catherine Woodville, tells me she prefers to live in a
country atmosphere rather than in town - and Patrick has agreed to a move. On the face of
it, quite a reversal. It's not quite so long ago that Patrick gave up his home in
Kingston-upon-Thames to move in to a flat at Swiss Cottage in London. Now he and Catherine
are moving out to Richmond - just a few miles downstream from Patrick's old home. But
perhaps that debonair, sophisticated tag never quite fitted Patrick. "In the house he
wears his beloved, baggy old sweaters," said Catherine. "Nobody would recognise
him as the fashionable John Steed." Catherine appears in No Hiding Place this week.
Patrick returns to the screen to star in a new series of The Avengers around
October.
Daily Mail, 15 July, page 3, Kinkier Than
Cathy. I'm Glad It's Her Says Steed, Emma Peel / Diana Rigg introduced, England.
Daily Mirror, 15 July, page 3, The new Cathy sends them flying, More
introduction for Emma Peel, England.
Daily Mail, 4 August, page 6, Pre-BOND, pre-SOLO, back comes the daddy of them
all, Patrick Macnee / Steed, Barry Norman, England.
Daily
Mirror, 25 August, page unknown, Dynamite - The 'Avenger' Look, author
unknown, England. Introducing Emma Peel.
Daily Mail, 27 August, page 3, TV column, Review of 'The Man From
U.N.C.L.E.',
Julian Holland, England
But the strength of The Avengers lay in its
characterisation. Kathy (sic) Gale is immortal, and Patrick McNee's (sic) Steed makes
Robert Vaughan's Mr. Solo look like a piece of uninteresting pasteboard.
Vogue (UK), September, pages 122 and 123, First Facts On Lethal Fashion,
The Avengers range of fashion, England.
The Times, 3 September, page 14, Autumn ATV
Schedules, England.
Observer Magazine, 12 September, page ?, Switch over from Honor to
Diana, England
Honor Blackman graduated from 'The Avengers' to playing James Bond's girlfriend
in 'Goldfinger', Laurence Harvey's in 'Life At The Top'. But it's doubtful if she'll ever
shed her black-leather image as Cathy Gale in the male British mind - what did Cathy ever
shed for the ever-hopeful Steed? As in teenage fashion, a major ingredient in the show's
classless appeal was sex - sometimes indeterminate, never consummated, but always strong.
Another Cathie, another kind of overnight, arbitrary smartness invented to blanket the
country before it could acquire class connotations. ABC's 'The Avengers' returns this
autumn with Diana Rigg, ex-Stratford and Aldwych, in Honor Blackman's role of playfellow
to Patrick Macnee, but still aimed at a slightly maturer market of account-executive
fantasy. There's no evidence that either Emma Peel's leather judo suits or Steed's curly
bowlers have created a run on tanneries or hatters, but the element of way-out fashion is
important in the series' non-class image. This year, as in previous years, the clothes to
be worn by the two protagonists are a closely guarded secret.
TV World,
23 September, page 45, trailer ad for next issue: Don't Miss "The Return
Of The Avengers", no author, England.
Manchester Evening News, 24 September, page 3, 'Pictured with his new leading lady,
is Patrick Macnee of The Avengers', ?, England.
Sunday Times Magazine, 26 September, pages 36 and 37, Design for Avenging:
Sisters Under The Skin: for Cathy read Emma for leather read snake, Meriel
McCooey,
England. Details of The 65 Avengers Fashions, with pictures of Diana Rigg
modelling them.
Daily Mail, 27 September, page 6, From Now On
Girls You Can Be Your Own Avenger, Avengers fashion, Judy Innes, England
Daily Mirror, 27 September, page 14 and 15, Enter Emma, John Bates' Avengers
fashions, Felicity Green, England
Daily Mirror, 28 September, page 16, Advertisement on TV Page, England, "ABC
TV: The Avengers are back on ITV".
Daily Mirror, 29 September, page 16, She'll Grow On You,
Review of 'The Town Of No Return', Kenneth Eastaugh, England.
Daily Mail, 29 September, page 3, TV Column, Review of 'The Town Of No
Return',
Peter Black, England
The sent-up secret agent theme now has many
exhibitors, but ABC's new The Avengers (London and Scotland) retains its uniquely
attractive dottiness. I warmed at once to Emma Peel, Steed's new tomboy assistant, wearing
a fighting suit of black stretch material. With its overtones of aristocratic devilment
Emma Peel is an inspired name and the touch of fun in Diana Rigg's engaging performance is
going to enslave millions.
Manchester Evening News, 29 September, page 3, Blame Him For The 'Avenger'
Revolution, ?, England. John Bates interview.
TV Times issue 518, 30 September, pages 1 and
12, Emma, The New Avenger, Introducing Emma Peel, Dave Lanning, England.
TV Times issue 518, 30 September, page
11, John Gough gossip column: Actor turns engine driver, England
THE UNIT sent to do location shots for 'The Gravediggers' episode of The
Avengers had a job to drag actor Ronald Fraser away when their work was
finished. They went to the miniature railway at Stapleford Park, near
Melton Mowbray Notts., and Ronald became so engrossed with it he didn't want to
leave. He was given instruction in driving the perfectly-scaled engine by
the Hon. John Gretton, son of Lord Gretton, who created this child's
dream-come-true. But long after shooting was over he was taking the engine
for spins up and down the line.
TV Times issue 518, 30 September, page 54, Advertisement for TV Comic, England
A new action-packed serial based on ABC Television's great series, THE AVENGERS
appears every week in TV COMIC.
TV World,
30 September, pages 1 and 5, Top Autumn Shows: The Avengers, Preview of new Autumn shows includes
third of a page on The Avengers, no author, England.
TV
World, 30 September, pages 40,41,42, Steed was always a swashbuckler and is
even more so now. That suits me - it runs in the family, author
unknown, England. Patrick Macnee interview.
Daily Mail, 1 October, page 3, TV Column, Peter Black, England.
Daily Mail, 8 October, page 3, TV Column, Review, Monica Furlong, England.
Manchester Evening News, 9 October, page 3, photo-caption
Lord Gretton, whose Stapleford Park Estate near Melton Mowbray, in Leicestershire, has a
miniature railway, lent his grounds for tonight's episode of "The Avengers" with
Patrick Macnee (above) which appears on ITV tonight at 8.25pm.
Look Westward, 10
October, pages unknown, title unknown, author unknown, England.
Preview of the new series of The Avengers, featuring Diana Rigg and her John
Bates-designed fashion.
Daily Mail, 15 October, page 3, TV Column, Review, Monica Furlong, England.
TV World, 16
October, page 3, People Gossip Column: Piece on Michael Gough,
author unknown, England. TV
World, 16 October, page 18, John O'Gaunt Is Dead Chuffed, author unknown,
England. Piece on Stapleford Park miniature railway from 'The
Gravediggers'.
Daily Mail, 18 October, page 4, Liz Takes Over From Diana For A Week, Liz
Frazer taking over for a week blah blah, Daily Mail Reporter, England.
TV Times issue 521, 21 October, pages 8 and 9, Win £31,000 Avenger Fashion
Trail, Competition featuring Diana Rigg in Avengers fashions, England.
Daily Mail, 22 October, page 12, Catty But Pretty,
The fashionability of
the catsuit, Joy Tagney, England.
TV World, 23
October, page 3, People Gossip Column: Piece on Andre Morell,
author unknown, England.
TV World,
23
October, pages 4 and 5, The Daring Man Who Does His Dying On Cue,
author unknown, England. Ray Austin interview. If anybody has
page two of this piece, please get in touch.
TV World, 23
October, page 22, Letters Column: Letter re The Avengers, author unknown,
England
Daily Mail, 26 October, page 26, People, Gossip, England
...Cilla
Black has bought 120 guineas-worth of The Avengers-type clothes from the TV serial
designer John Bates...
Daily Mail, 29 October, page 3, TV, Review,
Monica Furlong, England
If I may be allowed not to be serious now, I wish it were possible to persuade
Steed and Emma Peel to undertake the international situation. Beneath the bludgeonings
of chance their heads are rarely bloody, and certainly never unbowed. They give
me new confidence. If I ever find myself tied to a railway track with the train
thundering towards me, or chained to a dungeon wall, or confronted by a murderous
robot cybernetically controlled, I shall know exactly what to do. May I look
half as nice doing it as the ravishing Miss Rigg.
TV World, 30 October, page 20, Now Mr McSteed
Shows His McKnees, no author, England. Preview of Castle De'Ath
that concentrates on Avengers fashions.
Daily Mail, 3 November,
page 3, Mr Adam Of The BBC Takes ITV Down A Peg
Kenneth Adam, Director of the BBC TV to Sir Harold Evans from the ITA, re
programme clashes...", England, "Perhaps Sir Harold would like to
turn his attention to the programme company which after one week of the Autumn
schedules reshuffled them so as, for instance, to bring The Avengers slap up
against The Man From U.N.C.L.E.."
TV Times issue 523, 4 November, page 22, Star Pools: Steed's Choice For A Rainy
Day, Patrick Macnee picks the perms for that week's pools, England.
Beginner's
luck. It's paid off a million times in the past. So why not this week on the pools? For
there's no greater novice in pools selections than Patrick Macnee, the polished
unflappable John Steed of The Avengers. He freely admitted: "Never done 'em in my
life before. Don't understand about all these permutations. If you want ME to pick eight
draws, I will simply shut my eyes and stab the sharp end of my umbrella into the
coupon." After eight scientific stabs the coupon looked rather tattered, but we
emerged with Macnee's Brolly Bets for Saturday, November 13th...
Manchester Evening News, 6 November, page 3, "That's Why The Lady Is A 'Tramp'
Fan", ?, England. Diana Rigg stunts piece.
TV World, 6
November, page 21, Women : Piece on Patricia Haines, author
unknown, England.
TV Times issue 524, 11 November, page 54,
Jim Clark, Motoring column talking about Diana Rigg and the Lotus Élan, Jim Clark,
England.
Daily Mail, 12 November, page 3, TV, Review, Monica Furlong, England
re U.N.C.L.E.: "...it never makes me participate as the dear, silly, adorable
Avengers do.".
TV World,
13
November, page 16, Avengers' Marriage Bureau Gets The Bird, no
author, England.
TV World, 13
November, page 3, People Gossip Column: Piece on Patrick Cargill,
author unknown, England.
TV World, 13
November, page 24, Letters Column: Letter re The Avengers, author
unknown, England.
Daily Mail, 12 November, page 3, TV, Review, Monica Furlong, England
re U.N.C.L.E.: "...it never makes me participate as the dear, silly, adorable
Avengers do.".
TV Times issue 525, 18 November, page 54, Jim Clark, Motoring
column about Patrick
Macnee and the vintage Bentley, Jim Clark, England.
TV World,
20 November, page 19, Robin Hood Isn't A Patch on Macnee, author
unknown, England.
TV World, 20
November, page 1,16, Women feature on Sue Lloyd plus front cover, author
unknown, England.
Daily Mirror, 20 November, Page 1, Schoolgirl Judo Expert Attacks 'Avenger'
Diana, author unknown, England
A 16-year old school girl yesterday
hit at TV's top judo girl, actress Diana Rigg of 'The Avengers'. Young Christie
Wildman, who has just become Britain's youngest holder of the coveted Black Belt judo
grade, said: "If anyone tried the sort of throw Diana uses in the role of Emma Peel,
she would end up flat out". Christine of Colwich Road, Nottingham, added,
"The throws in "The Avengers" aren't realistic. They are
faked." In case Diana should accept Christie's challenge, a spokesman for the
British Judo Association warned last night: "Christie is a judo natural. It
often takes big men five years to win the black belt."
Manchester Evening News, 20 November, page 3, "Now It's Steed's Turn To Fall
For Sue", Sue Lloyd interview, Max North, England.
TV Times issue 526, 25 November, page 5, Nights Of Wine With Patrick
Macnee,
Patrick Macnee talks about wine, Dave Hanington, England.
Daily Mail, 25 November, page 3, Collecting A Million Dollars: The
Avengers, The
sale of the show to the USA, Douglas Marlborough, England.
Daily Mail, 25 November, page 3, Collecting A Load Of Money Soon: Miss
Rigg, Barry
Norman, England.
The Times, 25 November, page 12, 'Avengers' sold to U.S. for
£350,000, Unknown,
England.
The ABC television series The Avengers has been sold to the
American Broadcasting company for their network. A sum of over $1m.(over £350,000) is
involved. Mr. Howard Thomas, managing director of A.B.C. Television Ltd., said last night.
The American company, which has no connection with the British company, will launch the
series next May. The sale is the outcome of a recent visit to New York by Mr. Thomas and
Mr. Robert Norris, newly appointed director in charge of A.B.C.'s television film
interests. "I have no doubt it is only the beginning", Mr. Thomas said.
The Programme was made as a tape series in 1961 and is now being sold to more than 14
countries.
Daily Mirror, 25 November, page 5, Avengers Go To
America, The sale of The Avengers
to the USA, England
The Avengers - ABC Television's adventure series -
has been sold to the American Broadcasting Company for screening in the US next Summer.
The price was more than £350,000. Mr. Howard Thomas, ABC TV's managing director, said
last night: "We have not made any concessions for the American market. The Americans
like it because it is different and sophisticated. Each Avengers episode - starring
Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Diana Rigg as Emma Peel - costs around £330,000 to
produce."
Daily Mail, 26 November, page 4 When 007 Came To
Naught, Charles
Greville, England
One of the four main scriptwriters for The Avengers - which has just been sold
to America - is a 34-year old Scot called Robert Banks Stewart. The million dollar Avenger
deal is some consolation for him. For long before the 007 advent of Sean Connery he was
commissioned to turn Ian Fleming's Casino Royale into a film. He worked on it for three
months. Then the producer died. For months I went around London, trying to persuade
someone to make a Bond film, but they all laughed."
TV World, 27
November, page 20, title unknown: Eric Paice piece briefly mentions
The Avengers, author unknown, England.
Manchester Evening News, 3 December, page 5,
Battle Of The Boots, Nina
Hargreaves,
England, photo-caption
One pair of fashion boots you won't be able to buy
because they were specially made for actress, Diana Rigg to wear in the Avengers series.
They are white calf with an inset of shiny black PVC, but copies and similarly op boots
are available at most big shoe shops.
Daily Mail, 4 December, page 3, A Touch Of The Avengers: The New Girl Linking Up
With Doctor Who Tonight, Brian Dean, England.
TV World, 4
December, page 3, People Gossip Column piece on Anthony Newlands, author
unknown, England.
TV Times issue
528, 9 December, page 18, Viewerpoint: Letters Page, England.
Caught! As a countryman I was tickled pink to see the so-called
poacher putting down his snares in The Avengers story "A Surfeit of
H2O." All he would catch with them if he were lucky would be a
cold! H.J. LAST, Cranmore Lane, West Horsley, Surrey. ...I was
surprised to see a regular village poacher set rabbit snares with the bottom
loop of the snare on the ground. The usual height for this should have
been a fist and thumb from the ground. JOHN W. WAIND. A programme
company spokesman says: We completely disagree that he would not catch
anything. He certainly caught us out!
TV Times issue
528, 9 December, pages 4 and 5, Marriage and Maria, author unknown,
England.
TV World, 11
December, page 19, Women feature on Gillian Lewis, author
unknown, England.
TV World, 11
December, page 2, Letters Column: Letter re The Avengers, author
unknown, England.
TV Times, 16
December, page 6, Nightmare For Steed, no author, England.
TV Times, 16
December, page ?, Have A Happy Christmas With TV Times, no author, England.
Diana Rigg in festive garb.
Pix,
25 December, pages unknown (3), When A Bar Cuddler Grabs You, Honor Blackman,
Australia. Second of three-part serialisation of The Honor Blackman
Book of Self Defence
TV World, 25 December, pages
1,44,45,46, Top Star Talking: Diana Rigg interview, author unknown, England.
Manchester Evening News, 29 December, page 3, DIANA'S
STYLE, Max North,
England.
Diana Rigg will wear this braided black and white trouser
suit in the Avengers series in the New Year. Aptly enough it's named Karate. You can buy
the parti-coloured black and white gloves that go with the outfit for 49s 6d.
The Stage and Television Today, 30
December, page unknown, Nightmare Santa From The Avengers, Kari Anderson. Review of Too
Many Christmas Trees.
The New Zealand Listener, 31 December, page
24, photocaption, author unknown, New Zealand.
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