Honor Blackman
Manchester Evening News, 6 October 1962, page 5, Max North's Telereview, ?, England.
Ms. Tempo considers the lilies. HONOR BLACKMAN currently playing the part of a glamorous, gun-toting anthropologist, had to learn some highly specialist unarmed combat for her appearance on TV to-night. She went to see a London hotel proprietor who was once in the French Resistance. And, says Honor, "He taught me how to throw an assailant and one or two other little tricks used in France during the war. Some of them were much too tough to be used on TV." Miss Blackman's bit of research was for the latter-day, cloak-and-dagger series "The Avengers," and it brought her in line with the present fashion for memories of occupied France 20 years ago."TV Times issue 363, 12 October 1962, pages 14,15, Design For Danger, Patricia Johnson, England. A look at Cathy Gale, with particular regard to her clothes
Manchester Evening News, 10 November 1962, page 7, Max North's Telereview, ?, England, Photocaption.
HONOR BLACKMAN went shopping at a fashionable London establishment and came out with this suit, which she wears in the ITV "The Avengers" story to-night. For the fashion-minded, it's a scarlet wool and worn with a scarlet trilby, a black turtle-neck sweater, and, of course, her famous black boots.TV Times issue 379, 1 February 1963, pages 8 and 9, Gale Force!, Tom Butler, England. Interview with Honor Blackman with particular regard to her judo skills
Reveille, 26 September 1963, page unknown, Word of Honor: She Likes Punch Ups, author unknown, England.
Daily Sketch, 2 October 1963, page 6, Behind The TV Image: The Girl In Black, Kenneth Passingham, England. Honor Blackman and Patrick Macnee interviews.
TV Times issue .., 4 October 1963, page 26, John Gough Column: Sensational, John Gough, England.
"Honor Blackman manages to cause a sensation even at show business parties. I saw it happen recently. She had come straight from the studios wearing one of her Mrs. Cathy Gale outfits from The Avengers, black leather waistcoat over a black sweater, tight black leather trousers and high black leather boots. Aware of the heads turning in her direction, but neither embarrassed by them nor encouraging them she said: "I'm told leather drives men up the wall. I like wearing it because it because it feels nice. Off screen? No, of course I wouldn't go shopping in an outfit like this. Apart from anything else, I find boots are too hot except in wintry weather. At home I usually wear a sweater, shirt and slacks." Somebody asked her husband's view of the leather gear. (Honor has been married 2 years to actor Maurice Kaufman). "He thinks its fun", she said. "He is very well balanced". The crush around Honor Blackman grew. I backed out, nodded to elegantly Edwardian-suited Patrick Macnee..."TV Times issue 417, 25 October 1963, page 27, John Gough gossip column, John Gough, England.
In Common. The cast list for next Saturday's The Avengers carries these three names: Honor Blackman, David Davies, Iris Russell. What do they have in common? They all played probation officers at one time or another in the series Probation Officer.TV Times issue 419, 8 November 1963, pages 13,14, and 15, Life With Honor, Interview with Honor Blackman's husband Maurice Kaufmann, Shelley Weaver, England.
Star Special #15: Meet The Avengers, exact date in 1963 unknown, no title, no author, England. Entire magazine is about the show.
Cine Revue issue 5, January, page 8, Ces Femmes Vetues De Cuir Sont Elles Signe D'Une Baisse De Virilite Chez Les Hommes, author unknown, France. Honor Blackman piece.
TV Times, 3 January 1964, page 13, Viewerpoint, Letters Page, England. Honor Bright.
HONOR BLACKMAN'S performance in The Avengers episode, "Don't Look Behind You," was electrifying and one I will remember for a long time. Miss Blackman deserves a Television Oscar for it. (MISS) L. HARRISON, Hanstead, Birmingham, 22A.Daily Mirror, 6 January 1964, page 3, "At last! Avenger Cathy Gets A Kiss", Don Short, England. It's the moment when a real tough girl becomes flesh and blood... And 14,000,000 viewers get their wish. For the girl getting a kiss from the man in the clerical collar in the picture above is TV's un-kissed sex symbol - leather-suited pistol packin' Cathy Gale. And the man is secret agent John Steed. Viewers will see it happen in this Saturday's episode of "The Avengers". Actress Honor Blackman who plays Cathy, and actor Patrick Macnee who interprets the imperturbable John Steed, spent hours rehearsing the kiss over the weekend at the ABC studios in Teddington, Middlesex. For this was the kiss that has take thirty-three episodes to be born. Producer John Bryce had ruled that the two secret agents should never kiss. He feared it would ruin Cathy's steel-blue image. Often Steed flirted with her... But their lips never touched. Why the kiss now? "Well, Patrick insisted on it," Bryce said yesterday. "You see Steed is disguised as a clergyman in this episode and in the plot Cathy has to save him from danger." Then he added: "The kiss may look romantic... But they aren't going to fall in love. At least I hope not." In real life, 37-year-old Honor is happily married. She told me in between the rehearsal kisses: "Viewers will be tickled by this kiss. They'll realise that it's not serious." Patrick Macnee, who is forty-one, had the last word: "I never thought I would persuade the producer to agree to it. I've been just as impatient for this as the viewer."
Daily Mail, 9 January 1964, page 1, Honor is Bond's new girl, Barry Norman, England.
Daily Mirror, 9 January 1964, page 1, Cathy Signs Up As James Bond’s Girl, Don Short, England
Honor Blackman has landed a £10,000 film contract - to become James Bond's new girl friend. Last night, as she pulled on her kinky boots over her black leather tights in a rehearsal for the television "Avengers" series, she said, "This is tremendous." Then she said that Gale, which she plays on ITV had given her the tough-girl image vital for her new part. Honor is to star opposite Sean Connery in Ian Fleming's thriller "Goldfinger". She plays the part of Pussy Galore, lieutenant to an international gold smuggler, and pilots his plane. "She's bad, of course, and she's tough," said Honor. "In fact, I'll be taking a lot of Cathy Gale with me. I expect that was why I was chosen for the part." Finally, of course, Pussy gets seduced by the flamboyant James Bond. In the book Ian Fleming writes about Pussy: "She had the only violet eyes Bond had ever seen... and they looked candidly out on the world from beneath straight black brows. Her hair was worn in an untidy urchin cut. The mouth was a decisive slash of deep vermilion. Bond thought she was superb..." Said Honor: "Doesn't she sound gorgeous!"
TV Times issue 428, 10 January 1964, page 18, John Gough Column, John Gough, England.
Actress Honor Blackman will have a real wrestler as an opponent in next Saturday's The Avengers. He is Jackie "Mr TV" Pallo - but he doesn't appear as a wrestler, he plays a sexton. And Honor (as Cathy Gale) tangles with him in a cemetery. The outcome? That I am sworn to keep secret. But since the result is dictated by the plot I suggested to Jackie that this was one fight I could say was fixed. "Don't use that word to me," he said with a shudder. Attraction of the part to Jackie is that it gives him some straight acting to do as well. It goes on a bit more but no more Avengers mentions...Daily Mail, 15 January 1964, page 6, The Honor Blackman Story: Part One, Honor Blackman, England.
Daily Mail, 16 January 1964, page 1, Ko'd by Honor!, Daily Mail Reporter, England.
Daily Mail, 16 January 1964, page 6, The Honor Blackman Story: Part Two, Honor Blackman, England.
Daily Mail, 17 January 1964, page 6, The Honor Blackman Story: Part Three, Honor Blackman, England.
Daily Mirror, 17 January 1964, page 11, The Rex North Column, Rex North, England.
JACKIE PALLO, TV wrestler and stunt man, accidentally knocked out by Honor Blackman, returns to work today. "I’m used to knocks, but this one hurt my pride a little," said Jackie. "It’s not the first time, mind you. I had my nose broken by a girl cousin when I was twelve. She kicked me in the face and won the bout.TV Times issue 429, 17 January 1964, page 6, Just Off To Judo - Like Honor, The popularity of Judo, post-Cathy Gale, Alison Frazer, England.
Daily Mail, 20 January 1964, page 8, The Honor Blackman Story: Part Four, Honor Blackman, England.
Daily Mail, 21 January 1964, page 6, The Honor Blackman Story: Part Five, Honor Blackman, England.
Daily Mail, 22 January 1964, page 6, The Honor Blackman Story: Part Six, Honor Blackman, England.
Photoplay, Vol. 15, #2., February 1964, pages 8 and 9, Honor Blackman Chooses The Black Leather Look, Cathy Gale's leather clothing. Frederick Starke, designer, Great Britain.
TV Times issue 432, 7 February 1964, page 18, Two-wheel Gale, Honor Blackman and motorbikes, John Gough, England, One paragraph and a photo in a gossip column.
Manchester Evening News, 15 February 1964, page 3, Max North's Telereview, ?, England.
HONOR TOOK LESSONS ON MOTOR-BIKE. ATHENE SEYLER as a witch and Honor Blackman as a ton-up kid are two of the choice offerings in to-night's "Avengers" story. Miss Blackman mounts a 500cc to do her share in an investigation into the goings-on of two elderly women at an old mill - in a home-made laboratory they are producing strange scents and explosions and somehow immobilising everything mechanical that gets near the mill - including the machines of a local motorcycle gang. Miss Blackman had refresher lessons in motor-cycling - she was once a courier for a blood donor service - to help in the hunt. Patrick Macnee as agent Steed does the inside work, posing as an official of the National Distrust.Daily Mirror, 21 February 1964, page 11, The Rex North Column, Rex North, England.
HONOR BLACKMAN, the hard-hitting heroine of ITV’s "The Avengers" turned up at the Butlin reunion at London’s Albert Hall in a blue chiffon gown. It flattered her a great deal less than all that black leather.Manchester Evening News, 21 March 1964, page 3, Max North's Telereview: Exit Honor with honour, ?, England.
TV Times issue 452, 26 June, pages 26 and 40, Honor Bright It's Cathy Again, Overview of the Cathy Gale years for The 'Best Of The Avengers' repeat season, W.O. Court, England.
Daily Mail, 8 October 1964, page 3, T. V. By Julian Holland, Honor Blackman's election broadcast for the Liberal Party on October 9th 1964, Julian Holland, England
Relevant section of text reads:
'I love co-ownership in industry', began Honor Blackman - and we all fell about on the floor, hooting and roaring at such an ingenuous statement from the original of those crypto-Fascist dolls, Cathy Gale and Pussy GaloreDaily Mail, 8 October 1964, page 15, Like It Or Not Wrestling Is Here To Stay, Honor Blackman's penchant for wrestling (small aside in larger piece), England, Piece does not mention Avengers, but is accompanied by a photo: "On the set of The Avengers - wrestler Jackie Pallo, Judo enthusiast Honor Blackman"
The Viewer, 17 October 1964, page ?, Honor's Not So Tough, Who wears the trousers in the Blackman/Kaufmann household, England.
HONOR BLACKMAN, who becomes James Bond's latest conquest, as Pussy Galore, in Goldfinger, was talking to me about her TV role as Cathy Gale in The Avengers. "It was tremendous fun while it lasted," she said, "but I didn't want to get into a rut, and I think there was the danger of this, had I continued."... "Actually," says Maurice (Kaufmann), "being married to Honor has not proved anything like as difficult as people may imagine. We both have our careers. And in spite of all this Cathy Gale and Pussy Galore stuff, Honor has always taken care to remember that I wear the pants in our house - and we both want to keep it that way."Daily Mail, 23 October 1964, page 10, T. V. By Barry Norman, Comparison of Honor Blackman and Lucille Ball, Barry Norman, England, He is writing about the previous nights repeat of the episode '?'
And yet I am not being entirely fair. The evening provided an additional bonus, the chance to take a nostalgic look at Honor Blackman, alas to be seen no more in The Avengers, and to compare her with Lucille Ball. For they can be compared. What they have in common is the ability to do totally unfeminine things while remaining unmistakedly feminine. Miss Blackman can be as "Butch" as she likes: Miss Ball can, as she did last night, go to a dance on roller skates, knock waiters over and fall into the fishpond. But while doing these things they never let you forget for a moment that they are attractive and desirable women. I cannot think of any other girls on TV, with the exception of Millicent Martin, of whom one could say the same.Rediffusion and TV Guide, 27 November, pages 1,4 & 5, Cathy's Leather Fashion, author unknown, Malta. This is a partial reprint of a piece from the TV Times 1 November, 1963.
Unknown, Exact date unknown (1964), Gale Force Blows Over, The difference between Mrs Gale and Pussy Galore briefly explained.
ACTRESS Honor Blackman, tells me there's one reminder of her judo expert Cathy Gale Avengers role in the new film Goldfinger, which she's making with Sean Connery. "It happens," she says, "during a scene in which I try to use a judo hold on James Bond, played by Sean. But it's myself who ends up on the mat, with Sean making love to me after applying a few holds of his own. It's certainly a switch. In some fifty Avengers shows I got kissed only once, and then the script called for me to dump the man on his ear for getting fresh with me..."
Observer Magazine, 12 September 1965, 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.Daily Mail, 15 June 1966, page 3, Honor's New Role... A Far Cry From The Avengers, Honor Blackman starring in a new play, England.
Daily Mail, 17 January 1967, page 6, Why Honor Won't Use The Back Door Again..., Honor Blackman interview, Barry Norman, England.
Daily Mail, 30 May 1967, page 1, Honor says 'No More Avengers', Honor Blackman turns down guest appearances, England
Honor Blackman, the first Avengers girl, has rejected offers to make guest appearances in the show. Last night the 38-year old star, who played leather-clad judo expert Cathy Gale in the ITV thriller series, said: "There's nothing new to get out of it - I want to go forward, not backward". The show's present star, Diana Rigg, 28, wants to leave the series later this year.Australasian Post, November 18 1971, page 44, Words of Honor, Alan Veitch, Australia. Honor Blackman interview.
Daily Mail, 10 January 1975, pages 16,17, Pussy Galore takes a job as an unpaid salesgirl, Richard Lay, England.
Sunday Magazine, 10 June 1984, pages unknown, author unknown, title unknown, England. Honor Blackman interview. Free with The News of the World.You Magazine, 17 June 1984, pages unknown, author unknown, title unknown, England. Honor Blackman interview. Free with The Mail On Sunday.
TV Guide, 6 October 1990, page 15, Before Mrs. Peel, there was... An Avenger to remember, Harvey Solomon, USA.
Daily Mirror, 16 November 1990, page 3, Avengers pop back to put the boots in, Tony Purnell, England.
Daily Mirror, 17 November 1990, page 7, Kinky Boots marches on, no author, England.
ODDS against TV Avengers Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman topping Christmas charts with 1964 hit Kinky Boots were cut from 25 to 16-1 by bookies after yesterday's exclusive Mirror tip.Today, 17 November 1990, page 11, Kinky Christmas, no author, England.
LONDON: A 25-year old record could be a surprise No. 1 in the charts this Christmas. Bookie William Hill's odds for Kinky Boots, by former Avengers stars Honor Blackman and Patrick Macnee, have fallen from 25-1 to 16-1 after strong backing. Cliff Richard's Saviour's Day is still favourite at 7-2, with Tina Turner and Rod Stewart challenging at 4-1 with It Takes Two.Today, 27 November 1990, page 7, Kinky boots are back as girls get into their stride, Margaret Morrison, England.
Daily Mirror, 4 December 1990, page 15, Keep it kinky, Leigh Reinhold (ed), England.
New Musical Express, 8 December 1990, page 19, Naughty Sex Single of the Week, author unknown, England.
Surrey & Surrounding Counties Leisure Where'n'When, January 1991, The Boots That Took The Long Walk To The Top!, author unknown, England.
DWB issue 87, March 1991, pages 2,3, Avengers Episodes Struck for Channel Four, author unknown, England. News of Honor Blackman episodes showing on Channel Four.
Page two reproduces what was thought to be the only on-set colour photograph from the Honor Blackman episodes in existence...TV Zone issue 75, February 1996, pages 41,42,43,44, Honor Blackman: Leather and Lace, David Richardson, England. Honor Blackman interview.
The Weekly News, 20 September 1997, page 6, Honor's Book Reveals Why She Looks So Good At 70, author unknown, England.
Starlog issue 254, September 1998, pages 24,25,26,27, Honor Role, Steven Eramo, USA. Honor Blackman interview.