The Avengers Dossier, Page Twenty-five

The end of 2021 is less than two weeks away, and with it comes the end of The Year of the Avengers here at Shades of Gray. We have one final profile to share with you, however...

RON MOODY

In "Honey for the Prince", Ron Moody played Hopkirk, the eccentric operator of an unusual business that becomes drawn into an assassination plot.

Born in 1924, Ron Moody drifted into the acting profession while studying economics after returning from military service in WW2. He had begun performing with an amateur theatre group that suddenly found itself with a hit play on their hands, and Moody found himself rising to be one of Britain's most popular comedians.

By 1953, he had made acting and stand-up comedy his chosen profession, and as the 1950s came to a close, he was a star of stage and television, and well on his way to conquering the big screen as well.

In 1960, Moody appeared on stage as Fagin in the hit musical adaptation of "Oliver Twist", simply titled "Oliver!". He later reprised the role in the 1968 film version, in the 1985 revival of the musical on Broadway, and in the made-for-television sequel "Oliver 2: Let's Twist Again" in 1995. Fagin is the character with whom most associate Moody, although he played many other characters and was, reportedly, a bit annoyed that he had been so closely affiliated with a single role.

Over his career, Moody appeared in 95 different films and television series. Some of these were animated or puppet shows where he voiced numerous characters. He generally played many quirky and roguish characters, with his guest-starring turn on two different characters on episodes of "The Avengers" (in 1966 and 1967); memorable supporting roles in great films such as "Murder Most Foul" (1964), "The Twelve Chairs" (1970), "Legends of the Werewolf" (1975), "Unidentified Flying Oddball" (1979); and starring turns on television series both in England and the United States, such as "Nobody's Perfect" (1980), "Into the Labyrinth" (1981), and "Hideway" (1986).

Ron Moody passed away in June of 2015.

The Avengers: Honey for the Prince

Honey for the Prince (1966)
Starring: Diana Rigg, Patrick Macnee, Ron Moody, Zia Mohyeddin, George Pastall, Bruno Barnabe, Roland Curry, and Peter Diamond

Director: James Hill

Rating: Ten of Ten Stars

The Avengers (Macnee and Rigg) are called into action to find out who murdered two British and agents and to stop the assassination of the crown prince of an oil rich nation who is visiting England with his 320 wives.

This episode deals with the intersection of modernity, Western culture, and conservative Middle Eastern culture, as well as class struggle and the right and wrong ways to work toward social change. These are all topics that I suspect would be near and dear to many potential viewers of this episode... if they could get past the obvious sexist bits, very-much-intentional racist bits ("intentional" because they are there to shed negative light on those holding the attitudes, despite the comedic presentation), and the cartoonish portrayal of the Saudi Arabian prince. And for those who don't care about social commentary, the episode has Emma Peel dancing around dressed as a harem girl, lots of funny lines, some of the best action/fight scenes of any episode so far in the series, and a great performance by Ron Moody. In fact, I think Ron Moody's presence and character puts this among the best episodes of "The Avengers", and the action scenes pushes it into Very Best territory.

The aspect of this episode I found the most enjoyable was the eccentric owner of a very strange business--and how the episode's villains made use of it. Ron Moody portrays Hopkirk, a writer and organizer of live-action roleplaying game scenarios that lets people live out action and adventure in the safety of his "danger rooms." Since roleplaying games and writing has been a vocation and avocation of mine for the majority of my life, I loved this angle to the show. Given how popular RPGs have become in recent years, I think it's an aspect that might appeal to a whole host of viewers.

"Honey for the Prince" was the final episode of "The Avengers" that was made in black-and-white, so this is where we part ways with the very entertaining team of Mr. John Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel. They remained partnered for one more patch of episodes... and maybe we'll have to revive the Watching the Detectives blog for a second Year of the Avengers in 2022. Time will tell. (Stick around here for the time being... there are a couple more posts to come for the 2021 Year of the Avengers here at Shades of Gray!)

The Avengers Dossier, Page Twenty-Four

It's time for another look at a guest star from the fourth season of "The Avengers"!

JACQUELINE PEARCE
In "A Sense of History", Jacqueline Pearce was a co-ed keeping a dark secret.

Born in 1946, Jacqueline Pearce was just starting her career as an actress when director John Gilling declared that she had a "wonderful face for film" and cast her in key roles in some of the most gothic of gothic horrors from Hammer Films--"Plague of Zombies" and "The Reptile", both released in 1966.

Although Pearce made a number of film appearances over the years, her career was focused mostly on the small screen, with her distinctive face and attractive figure being seen regularly on British television from the mid-1960s through the late 1990s. As anticipated by her debut roles, she appeared primarily in horror and sci-fi programs, but also appeared in thrillers, dramas, and spy shows (such her appearance on "The Avengers". 

Pearce primarily played shady characters or outright villains, but no matter how evil the person she was portraying, she still managed bring humanity and humor to the role. Well... and a strong air of danger or spookiness, depending on the role. She is best known for her role as the villainous Servalan on the grim space opera series "Blake's Seven", but she also appeared in numerous anthology horror series, such as "Shadows", "Leap in the Dark", and "Dead of Night".

Pearce retired from acting in 2007 and moved to South Africa to take care of orphaned vervet monkeys. She returned to England shortly before her death from lung cancer in 2018.

The Avengers: How to Succeed... at Murder

How to Succeed... at Murder (1966)
Starring: Diana Rigg, Patrick Macnee, Christopher Benjamin, and Sarah Lawson

Director: Don Leaver

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A secret society of personal assistants are making themselves indispensable to the company the work for, then murdering top executives they assist and being promoted to their positions. John Steed (Macnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg), the goverment's top trouble-shooters are assigned to find evidence of the society's existence, determine who's behind it, and bring them to justice.

"How to Succeed... at Murder" is the third or fourth time that the Avengers have had to unravel a plot targeting Britain's corporate leaders and captains of industry, but the "women's lib" angel to this one made it feel fresh. There is also a very well executed twist--one that is subtly set up early in the episode--that was ahead of its time and gives the episode a more modern feel that many of the episodes.

This is another episode where the Avengers run their investigation on two tracks that are separate but which intersect and criss-cross as they unfold: While Steed sets himself up as a target for the secret society by hiring someone believed to be connected to it as his personal assistant, Mrs. Peel infiltrates the group to discover their secrets from the inside. Naturally, things don't go as smoothly as they might have hoped for, but we the viewers get to see Emma Peel taking on a mob of female assassins who, like her, are trained in hand-to-hand combat.

Despite the slightly repetitious nature of the threat, this episode is mostly a fun one. It's full of eccentric and interesting characters and the banter and witticisms exchanged between Steed and Peel, and between Steed & Peel and their friends and foes are all cute or clever. 

Unfortunately, the show falls apart a bit toward the end. Despite the clever twist/Big Reveal referred to above, the episode is dragged down a bit by the villains suddenly seeming very, very stupid, despite having been presented as very intelligent up until the finale. I also have a minor quibble with Emma Peel even being able to infiltrate the group, given that she should actually be quite famous in business circles (established canonically in "The House That Jack Built"). That same disconnect also makes Steed's comments to Peel about how women shouldn't be left in charge of important business seem either insulting or inexplicably sarcastic, since she was once in charge, and still the owner of, a multinational corporation.

"How to Succeed... at Murder" has its flaws, but the good outweighs  the bad, making it an above average entry in the series.

On a side note related to another topic of this blog, I found myself wondering whether this episode of "The Avengers" was a primary source of inspiration for one of the quirky villains in Richard Sala's magnum opus "Mad Night"--not to mention partly informing the many leotard-clad female assassins that pop up all throughout his work. (Which reminds me... I really have to get around to making that blog post about the Brigitte Bardot/Richard Sala/"The Chuckling Whatsit" connection. And, for that matter, reviewing both "Mad Night" and "The Chuckling Whatsit"!) 

The Avengers Dossier, Page Twenty-three

Throughout the year, we've been providing mini-bios of actors who have appeared on episodes of "The Avengers" that've been reviewed in this space. Today, we're breaking the pattern, and, instead present mini-bios of the series' stars--Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg.

PATRICK MACNEE

Born in 1922, Patrick Macnee was raised by his mother and her lesbian lover after his father gambled away the family fortune and ran off. He began acting as a teenager, making his film debut at the age of 16 as an extra in "Pygmalion" (1938). His career was interrupted by WW2--during which he served in the Royal Navy--but as the 1940s came to a close, Macnee was unhappy with the acting roles he was landing in Great Britain, so he relocated to the Americas.

During the 1950s, Macnee took a smattering of theatre roles (including a stint on Broadway), but focused mostly on television. He appeared in both American and Canadian television series and made-for-TV movies, and even dabbled in producing. When he returned to England in 1959, he was cast as John Steed in "The Avengers", the character with whom he is most closely associated. Originally, Steed was just a supporting character, but during the show's Second Season, and the original lead dropped out of the show, Steed became the new focal point and he had a rotating set of sidekicks that came and went until Emma Peel (embodied by Diana Rigg) entered the picture at the beginning of the Fourth Season.

Macnee has the additional distinction of being the only actor who was with "The Avengers" through all six seasons of the original series, as well as "The New Avengers" in the mid-1970s. He even voiced the character of Invisible Jones in the Avengers Big Screen outing in 1998 (where Steed was portrayed by Ralph Fiennes and Peel by Uma Thurman).

During the 1970s and into the 1990s, Macnee was a familiar face and voice on American television and the played supporting and guest-starring roles in numerous television series and movies, primary among them being "NightMan" (1997-1998); the "Thunder in Paradise" series and made for television films (1993-1994); and "Super Force" (1990-1992); and "Battlestar Galactica" (1978-1979).

Macnee was also a regular in B-movies, mostly horror and sci-fi films. Whether he was playing a hero, villain, or victim, he was always a bright spot, no matter how wretched the film around him might be. 

Starting in the late 1990s and continuing into the 2010s, Macnee worked primarily as a voice actor, including making recordings of numerous audio books. His final on-screen role was as the mad scientist in the sci-fi spoof "The Low Budget Time Machine" (2003), which made for a total 170 different characters played on-screen. He passed away on June 25, 2015. 

DIANA RIGG
Born in 1938, Diana Rigg began her professional acting career in earnest upon joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1959. While busy with theatre roles, she still sought out television roles. In 1964, she auditioned for the role of Emma Peel on a whim. She had never seen an episode of "The Avengers", and, although her casting was a hurried, last-minute replacement for the actress who had originally been cast in the role, Rigg went on to become the actress most closely associated with the classic television series. She also has the distinction of appearing opposite Patrick Macnee in more episodes than any other regular on the series. 

Rigg played Emma Peel for two seasons of "The Avengers", standing as an equal next to John Steed from the very beginning. Emma Peel was also the only Steed sidekick who got a proper send-off episode instead of just dropping of the story to never be heard from again.

Rigg left "The Avengers" in 1967 to play the female lead in a James Bond film (as, coincidentally, the other most-famous female Avenger, Honor Blackman, had also done), and from that point on, her star kept climbing: Whether Rigg was appearing on stage, on the big screen, or television series or made-for-television movies, she always the lead, or at least a character that was pivotal to the action and plot.

While television remained a cornerstone in Rigg's career, she also remained devoted to appearing in live theatrical performances (sometimes crossing the two), and she was recognized by the British Crown for her contributions to the theatrical arts by being awarded the title of Dame. Meanwhile, film-goers and television viewers got to enjoy her hosting the PBS anthology series "Masterpiece Theatre" (1989-2003); see her as the hilarious human center of "The Great Muppet Caper" (1981), and dozens of other performances in historical dramas, comedies, spy thrillers, and even a few horror movies. The roles she is perhaps be best remembered for, aside from Emma Peel, are Tracy Bond, wife of James Bond ("On Her Majesty's Secret Service", 1968); amateur detective Adela Bradley (in five made-for-television movies, "The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries", 1999-2000); and as noble matriarch Orlenna Tyrell (in the television series "Game of Thrones", 2013-2017).

Rigg had been a smoker since she was 18 years old, and for years she'd regularly smoke a pack of cigarettes in a day. The habit eventually caught up with her, first causing her heart problems which necessitated surgery in 2017, and then lung cancer struck and eventually claimed her life in 2020. She never retired, working straight up until shortly before her death, and the film in which she made her final appearance ("Last Night in Soho" (2021)) was dedicated to her by the director and producers.

--

As a bonus, here are a few pictures from one of the stranger promotional photo-shoots that Macnee and Rigg did to promote "The Avengers."

The Avengers: A Sense of History

A Sense of History (1966)

Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Patrick Mower, Nigel Stock, John Ringham, and Jacqueline Pearce

Director: Peter Graham Scott

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

John Steed (Macnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) go undercover at an elite university to find who murdered a leading economist by shooting him in the back with an arrow. They discover a plot to shape the economic future of a united Europe by murdering key politicians and researchers. But which scholars are involved, and who is the mastermind?

I am torn when it comes to this episode. There are things I really like and there are things I can't stand.

On the one hand, I love the set-up and the nature of villains, from how they're characterized, to what motivates them, and through to the plot twists and turns of who the mastermind behind the plot truly is. I also loved the way one cliffhanger resolved into another cliffhanger as the episode reached its climax during a masquerade ball.

On the other hand, the mix of the sinister and the goofy stereotypical Sixties Youth Culture that embodies the student group at the heart of the episode gets tiresome quickly. It becomes downright annoying once it's clear how wrong-headed they are in their destructive beliefs--I just wanted Mrs. Peel to punch each of them in the mouth as soon as it they opened them--but maybe it's a combination of the passage of time and my own worldview that's causing that reaction, or maybe those characters were just supremely annoying. (They're in the same mold as the villains in "A Touch of Brimstone", but far more irritating, partly because their evil here is flavored with wholly undeserved self-righteousness.)

I also felt like the writers wasted too much time on the hipster evil of the young set. This is an episode with a really convoluted plot and a story that is slightly over-stuffed with characters, and some of it doesn't reach its full potential because of the writers belaboring certain social points. 

 

The student group was so annoying to me that I almost rated this episode at the low-end of average (which is a Five of Ten Stars here at Shades of Gray), but as I thought about it, the witty banter between Steed and Peel, plus the Robin Hood puns and sly references scattered throughout, turned my attitude toward "A Sense of History" (even if one of them was a bit forced and nonsensical plot-wise). Emma Peel crossdressing as Robin Hood in short-shorts also went a long way to improving my outlook... 

All things considered, this isn't a terrible episode, but it's far from one of the best. (The end-of-episode gag with Steed and Peel driving off on a motorcycle--with Peel driving and Steed in the sidecar--is, however, among the best of those.)

The Avengers Dossier, Page Twenty-Two

Many of Britain's top film and television actors of the 1950s and 1960s can be seen guest-starring in episodes of "The Avengers." Here's another brief look at one such guest-star.

THORLEY WALTERS

In "What the Butler Saw", character actor Thorley Walters was an bulter with a ruthless streak, one of the 150 characters he portrayed in film and on television.

Thorley Walters was born in 1913, the son of a clergyman. With his parents' blessing, he pursued a career in acting. After brief experience in the theatre (where he mostly appeared in supporting roles in Shakespearean plays, but also had a few starring turns as romantic leads), he turned to films in 1935 and never looked back.

Walters' early film career was spent in low-budget comedies where he almost immediately found a niche playing comic parts, and he was more often than not a featured player. Filmgoers may not have immediately known his name, but they relied on him to make them laugh during the war years and throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

As he aged, Walters became a familiar face in horror films, historical dramas, and literary adaptations. He had supporting roles in some of the best films from Hammer--among them being "Frankenstein Created Women" (1967) and "Vampire Circus" (1972)--and he made an excellent Dr. Watson in four different, completely unrelated Sherlock Holmes adaptations--including the awful "Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace" (1962)--and he appeared in several different adaptations of John Le Carre novels, both on television and on the big screen.

During the 1980s, Walters almost exclusively played incompetent law enforcement officers and bumbling government officials on television, with recurring roles on series such as "Strangers" (1980 - 1982) and "Bulman" (1985 - 1987) (where he played the character off Bill Dugdale on both series) and "Crown Court" (1975 - 1984). He continued working right up until shortly before his death in 1991 at the age of 78.

The Avengers: The House That Jack Built

The House That Jack Built (1966)
Starring: Diana Rigg, Michael Goodliffe, Patrick Macnee, Griffith Davies, and Michael Wynne
Director: Don Leaver
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

The past returns to haunt and torment Mrs. Emma Peel (Rigg) when she becomes trapped in the nightmarish hallways and rooms of a mansion left to her by her recently deceased Uncle Jack.

The set-up of this episode seems a bit far-fetched to me. If faced with the same situation that Emma Peel is presented with, I never would have exposed myself to the situation she ends up in... and I find it far-fetched that little old me, who whose life hasn't been steeped in international and industrial intrigue and danger since my teenaged years is more cautious about unexpected news than someone like Mrs. Peel that led Emma Peel. I similarly understand completely why John Steed took the steps he is revealed to have taken as the show unfolds, even if they were completely ineffectual, because he seems to have a more cynical outlook about the unexpected than Emma Peel does.

Aside from the weak set-up, however, this is one of the most intense episodes in the entire fourth season. Other episodes have flirted with trapping characters with horror and/or trapping characters in a surreal, mind-twisting environment (with "Too Many Christmas Trees" being foremost among them), but this one nails it perfectly and it keeps the tension building and mystery deepening throughout the episode. Even after the full extent of the villain's scheme and depraved, revenge-driven creativity has been revealed, there still seems very likely that Peel is going to meet her end, trapped in a nightmare maze.

And speaking of Peel, this episode is focused pretty much entirely on her. Diana Rigg is really the only actor in the episode who has any significant amount of screen time, and we get to see her full range of talent on display. Fans of Rigg should love every minute of this episode.

This episode is even more interesting, because it tells us of Emma Peel's life before she went to work for the British government as Steed's partner. It also bridges the gap between her nomadic childhood as the daughter of a hands-on international captain of industry and her modern life as a multi-discipline subject matter expert who sometimes has to kill people. One question that wasn't answered, however, is whether Peel stepped away from actively running her business because she got married, or if she had already chosen to pursue the more varied life that her wealth allowed.

"The House That Jack Built" is one of the must-see episodes of "The Avengers". I can nitpick the set-up, but what follows is brilliant in every way. It's low on the humor content, but it's more chilling than many straight-up horror movies. 

The Avengers Dossier, Page Twenty-One

Here's another brief look at one of the great guest-stars who appeared in an episode of the classic television series "The Avengers".

PETER WYNGARDE

In "A Touch of Brimstone", Peter Wyngarde is the leader of a revived Hellfire Club that Steed and Mrs. Peel must infiltrate.

Peter Wyngarde was born in 1927, in France, to a French mother, and a father who was a career diplomat for Great Britain. His childhood was a nomadic one, moving from country to country, until in 1941 when he was swept up in the Japanese invasion and capture of Shanghai and put into a prison camp while his parents were away in India on business. It was in these harsh circumstances, under the constant threat of brutal death at the hands of Japanese soldiers that young Wyngarde first developed an interesting in acting, as he performed in plays put on by the prisoners to keep each others' spirits up. He even created a few plays himself.

After the camp was liberated in 1945, Wyngarde spent two years in Switzerland recovering from malnutrition and illnesses developed during his imprisonment. By the time he was in his early 20s, Wyngarde was back in England and studying law at university, according to his parents' wishes. He soon dropped out, however, and instead pursued a career in acting.

Wyngarde spent the late 1940s and early 1950s performing on stage with various Shakespearean repertory companies throughout England, including the famous Old Vic Theatre in Bristol where he also directed. In 1956, he had his first encounter with the filmmaking world when he was cast in the big-budget epic "Alexander the Great", but he was soured on the industry when a year's worth of work on his part ended up mostly on the cutting-room floor.

For the rest of the 1950s, Wyngarde returned to the stage, where he received much praise from critics and theatre-goers alike in both the United States and Britain. During this time, he was also honored with several several awards. 

In 1960, Wyngarde began starring in made-for-television plays for the popular ITV anthology series "Armchair Theatre" and "Play of the Week". Her starred in 30 such productions, and they led him to reconsider film work, and in 1962 he starred in the criminally under-appreciated horror film "Burn, Witch, Burn" (aka "Night of the Eagle).

During the 1960s, Wyngarde starred in 30 televised plays. In between those roles, he made guest-appearances on numerous top-rated television action series, such as "The Prisoner", "The Saint", "The Avengers", and "Department S". His character on the latter, author-turned-investigator Jason King, was such a hit with the public that he played the character in its own spin-off series for two seasons in 1971 and 1972.

Following the cancellation of "Jason King", Wyngarde's professional efforts became focused almost entirely on the stage and live theatre, both as an actor and a director. With the exception of  turns as villains in "Flash Gordon" (1980) and in the four-part storyline "Planet of Fire" (1984) for the "Doctor Who" series, and small roles in a handful of made-for-television movies and series, Wyngarde trod the boards for the rest of career.

Peter Wyngarde passed away in 2018 at the age of 90.

The Avengers: What the Butler Saw

What the Butler Saw (1966)
Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Thorley Walters, Denis Quilley, Ewan Hooper, and Kynaston Reeves
Director: Bill Bain
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

In an effort to find and eliminate the person responsible for leaking government secrets, John Steed (Macnee) enrolls in a school for butlers while Emma Peel (Rigg) sets out to get close to (literally and figuratively) one of the prime suspects--a playboy R.A.F. pilot (Quilley).

The central mystery and threat in this episode is so simple that it's hardly worth of the talents of England's greatest spybreakers--some of the particulars are tricky, but the overall effort would have been very easy to trace to its source once detected--but all the stunts John Steed pulls while trying to ferret out the villains, excellent supporting characters, and a grisly murder and body disposal make this episode a lot of fun.

"What the Butler Saw" is also elevated by a fantastic supporting cast. Thorley Walters (as the stern master of an academy geared toward educating gentlemen's gentlemen; Denis Quilley as the dashing pilot ladies can't get enough of; and Kyanston as the old general who may have crossed the line from eccentric to crazy all play their parts brilliantly. Of course, it helps that they were working with a script that was full of banter and humor. It all added up to  mixture that excused the fact the assignment was almost two simple for our two heavy hitters. (Steed's showing off his disguise skills and his butlering antics are contribute in major ways to this.)

Although, that said, the writers of the episode did make the effort to establish the politically sensitive nature of the investigation, as well as taking a very clever approach to giving Steed a little bit of a personal stake in the case. The writers also did an excellent job with the character of the playboy pilot, making him both a excellent sense of merriment as Emma Peel first pursues him so she can get close to him for the investigation, and then later has to take steps to avoid ending up in bed with him. The ultimate twist to the subplot involving him and Peel catapulted him to the status of my favorite supporting character in all the episodes I've seen of "The Avengers".

The Avengers Dossier, Page Twenty

Some of the greatest British dramatic and comedic actors of the 1960s showed up on "The Avengers" television series. Here's a brief look at one of them.

DOUGLAS WILMER
In "The Danger Makers", Douglas Wilmer is Dr. Long, a government psychiatrist that joins the Avengers in their investigation of the mysterious and reckless behaviors that are claiming the lives of decorated British military officers.

Born in 1920 in London, Douglas Wilmer was a classically trained actor who spent his early career in the theatre and Shakespearean roles, with his appearances in "MacBeth", "Romeo and Juliet" and "Merry Wives of Windsor" being reportedly among the most noteworthy. During the early 1950s, he transitioned to television where, over the next 30 years, he made his mark with portrayals of numerous historical figures and famous literary characters, with reprisals of his portrayal of MacBeth and, one of his favorite rules of his career, Sherlock Holmes. In fact, throughout his career, Wilmer returned to roles relating to Conan Doyle's famous detective, sometimes playing Holmes himself, sometimes playing villains. His final role before he passed away was a small part in an episode of "Sherlock", a series that transposed Holmes into the modern day.

Beginning in the early 1960s and continuing into the 1980s, Wilmer balanced his television work with roles in celebrated big screen genre pictures such as "El Cid" (1961), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), "Fearless Vampire Killers" (1971), "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother" (1975... which SHOULD be a celebrated picture in my opinion), and the James Bond film "Octopussy" (1983). He also played Sir Nayland Smith in the Christopher Lee-starring "Fu Manchu" movies during the 1960s--although those are not necessarily anything one would want to celebrate.

As the 1980s drew to a close, Wilmer retired from acting. Within short order, however, he turned what had been a hobby into a late-life second career and found great success creating and selling paintings.

Douglas Wilmer passed away in 2016 at the age of 96. 

The Avengers: A Touch of Brimstone

A Touch of Brimstone (1966)
Starring: Diana Rigg, Patrick Macnee, Peter Wyngarde, Carol Cleveland, Michael Latimer, and Colin Jeavons
Director: James Hill
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

The charismatic leader of a modern-day Hellfire Club (Wyngarde) intends to topple the British government through a mass-assassination plot, and only secret agents John Steed (Macnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) can infiltrate his group and stop them.

This is an episode of "The Avengers" that people who were reading "X-Men" comics in the early 1980s is familiar with in a round-about way, even if they didn't even know there was such a thing as a television series called "The Avengers. In the early 1980s, Writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne based the look and nature of a group of evil mutants on the Hellfire Club in this episode--in particular a the Black Queen. That character's look and outfit was inspired by one sported by Emma Peel in this episode... even if the Black Queen was even more skimpily clad than Peel was. 

Although Peel was only dressed in the costume for a few minutes--including the climactic battle where she fights for her life against the villainous leader of the Hellfire Club--it caused quite a stir back in 1965. The episode was edited by censors for its original broadcast in Great Britain, broadcasters in continental Europe and in Australia fielded complaints from viewers, and the whole thing was deemed to risque to even air in the United States. One interesting tidbit about the outfit is that actress Diana Rigg had issues with some of costumes she had to wear as Emma Peel, but this is one she designed herself.

As for the bulk of the episode, instead of just the costume that launched a thousand trips to the fainting couch and jump-started a thousand puberites via comics or the airwaves, it also ranks as one of the stronger in the series due to its very well-paced action, well-developed supporting characters (with the leader of group, John Cartney played by Peter Wynngarde, being one of the most palatably evil characters to even appear on the series), and great banter between John Steed, Emma Peel, and just about anyone they encounter during their investigation. This is also another episode where Diana Rigg gets to shine as an actress, due to the variety of situations that her character Emma Peel must navigate as the story unfolds. The final fight scenes between the bad guys and our heroes is also among the best of the series.

Whether you just want to see one of the better episodes in the series; whether you want to watch Diana Rigg parade around in not a lot of clothes (while carrying a snake); or whether you are the modern-day pearl-clutching type who wants to be outraged and feel like your spiritual ancestors in the 1960s felt, this is the episode to check out.

Here are a few more images and publicity stills from "A Touch of Brimstone", just because.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Nineteen

Many British actors and actresses familiar to lovers of classic spy- and action-movies appeared on "The Avengers". Here's a brief look at one of them.

EUNICE GAYSON

In "Quick Quick, Slow Death", Eunice Gayson is one of several eccentric individuals operating a dance school that doubles as a matchmaking service... and possibly more sinister activities.

Eunice Gayson was born in Surrey in 1928 where she also grew up. She initially trained as an opera singer, but by the late 1940s, she mostly left music and the stage behind for an acting career in movies and British television.

Throughout the 1950s, Gayson was busy with roles in dramas, thrillers, and comedies, including being a recurring cast member in anthology series "Rheingold Theatre" and "BBC Sunday Night Theatre".  On the big screen, she even made a foray into horror with a key role in the very excellent "The Revenge of Frankenstein" (1957).

As the 1960s dawned, Gayson settled into a successful groove as a character actress, but not before appearing in the role she is perhaps best remembered for: She played Sylvia Trent in the first two big screen Bond adventures, "Dr. No" (1962) and "From Russia With Love" (1963). The character had been originally conceived as a recurring "lady friend" for 007, but the idea was abandoned after those two films.

Among Gayson's credits during the 1960s include several appearances on espionage adventure series "The Saint", "Secret Agent, and, of course, "The Avengers." She also had small parts in a handful of comedy series, including a recurring part in the period comedy "Albert and Victoria" (1970). 

"Albert and Victoria" was one of Gayson's last appearances on screen. She essentially retired from acting  to focus on raising her daughter, Kate, who was born in 1971. Gayson did perform on stage every so often from from the late 1980s and into the1990s. 

Eunice Gayson passed away at the age of 90 in 2018.

The Avengers: The Danger Makers

The Danger Makers (1966)
Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Nigel Davenport, Douglas Wilmer, Adrian Ropes, Moray Watson, Fabia Drake, and John Gatrell
Director: Charles Crichton
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

A retired highly respected general is killed while apparently recklessly joyriding on a motorcycle. Two of the British government's top investigators, John Steed and Emma Peel (Macnee and Rigg) are charged with determining if its connected to other strange accidental deaths and mishaps that have been befalling retired British army officers and soldiers.

This is one of the more serious-minded episodes, from the subject matter, how it's treated, and how the story involving it and surrounding it unfolds. What comedy we find here is generated by interactions between John Steed and John Steed involving friendly ribbing or assumptions of danger where there isn't any.

One of the most interesting aspects of the episode is that most of its villains are also victims. I don't want to give away some of the key plot-twists, but this episode and the threats that Steed and Peel face are ultimately borne from a group of soldiers that are unable to adjust to life off the battlefield, because they are suffering from various degrees of PTSD. In this way, society, with its expectations of what a soldier and a warrior is and must be, has failed them, but they are also subject to nefarious manipulation the the story's worst villain. It's something that's treated with a level of somberness and seriousness that's rarely seen in this series, and the final minutes of this episode feel weighty and intense as a result.

Although Patrick Macnee gets more screen-time, this is Diana Rigg's episode in many ways. Steed and Peel conduct parallel investigations, each with their own cover story and each of them uncovering important parts of the mystery as the trails they are following converge, but almost every scene that Rigg appears in during this show is full of great writing and acting, weighty symbolism, and thrilling action. (Although you know as a viewer that there's no way a main character is going to die during just another episode of a series like "The Avengers", I am certain that you will find yourself on the edge of seat as Emma Peel undertakes the potentially lethal initiation to join the ranks of the Danger Makers.

And speaking of Emma Peel... she's once again wearing some of the character's signature outfits that make her seem more real than many television females: That leather catsuit and those weird white boots with the stripe on the middle. You can see her wearing them in the picture used to illustrate this post. (I don't know if these recurring wardrobe items were a sign of budget limitations, intentional on part of the costumers, or because Diana Rigg liked wearing them, but I appreciate the repetition. Of course... it could be that this goes on in many shows and I just noticed it here.. because those boots are just so dumb-looking and yet she keeps wearing them!)

"The Danger Makers" is one of the great episodes in a great series. It is definitely worth your time to check out.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Eighteen

Here's another mini-profile of a supporting player from "The Avengers".


PATRICK ALLEN

In "The Thirteenth Hole", Patrick Allen is a golf pro who is keeping a dark secret.

Patrick Allen was born in 1927 to tobacco farmers in what is now Malawi, but spent his teenaged years and early 20s in Canada, having been evacuated to there because of World War 2. After briefly studying medicine, he turned to acting. His earliest professional roles were in radio plays and doing voice overs for the Canadian Broadcasting Company, but in 1952, he moved to Hollywood and subsequently appeared in bit parts in movies and television series of various genres, including Alfred Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder".

Allen moved to England in the late 1950s where he joined the Shakespear Memorial Company in Stradford-on-Avon while also steadily working as a voice actor on radio, doing voice-overs for television series, and appearing on-screen as policemen, military officers, and other authority figures or villains of every stripe.

Over the course of his busy career, Allen acted in some 150 television series or made-for-television movies, including playing two different characters on "The Avengers", one in Season One and one in Season Four. He also appeared in dozens of stage productions and countless radio plays. No matter how big or small the role, Allen could always be relied upon to give the part everything he could. His distinguished voice  led him to serve as the Master of Ceremonies for 14 years at the annual West London Christmas concert, Advent in Knightbridge. During the 1970s, he was also the narrator heard in a series of disaster- and nuclear war-preparedness films produced by the British government, and his voice was later sampled from these by Frankie Goes to Hollywood on a mix of their hit song "Two Tribes".

Allen worked up until shortly before his death at the age of 79 in 2006.

The Avengers: Quick-Quick Slow Death

Qiuck-Quick Slow Death (1966)
Starring: Diana Rigg, Patrick Macnee, Eunice Gayson, Maurice Kaufman, James Belchamber, David Kernen, and Larry Cross
Director: James Hill
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A bizarre accident puts government agents John Steed (Mcnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) onto a dance school that's serving as a conduit for infiltrating enemy spies into Great Britain. The pair set out to unravel the operation with some infiltrating (and dancing) of their own.

"Quick-Quick, Slow Death" is one of the funniest and overall comedy-oriented episodes of "The Avengers" that I've watched yet. It's crammed full of bizarre characters and even more bizarre situations and it gets goofier and goofier as it unfolds

In fact, it's so goofy that this episode is best enjoyed if one doesn't think too much about the hows and whys of the plot and the complicated scheme being executed by the bad guys, nor the clues that Steed and Peel uncover or how they're delivered (although that tattooed garlic sausage has got to be a highwater mark for comedic absurdity). For all those reasons, I'm keeping this review short, as I think this episode is one that's best experienced cold. 

I will say that Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg are at the top of their comedic game, with their deadpan or droll reactions to the various bizarre characters and situations that Steed and Peel are confronted with as the episode unfolds. Although Macnee gets to be the comedic center in a couple of scenes, it's the way he and Rigg serve as "straight men" to other performers that make this episode that much more fun. I think that's also one of the reasons that the climactic ballroom scene with dancers and partners being switched around works when it really shouldn't have: Macnee and Rigg are pitch-perfect in every scene throughout.

Speaking of dancing, the little comedy tag at the end of this episode is possibly also one of the best so far, with the fictional characters of John Steed and Emma Peel twirling across the dance floor and fading away as the end credits begin.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Seventeen

Here's a look at one of the many talented guest-stars who appeared in episodes of "The Avengers".

LIZ FRASER

In "The Girl From Auntie", Liz Fraser is Georgie Price-Jones, an actress hired by a shadowy organization to pretend to be Mrs. Peel. 

Born in 1930, Liz Fraser began her acting career as part of a touring theatre company in the early 1950s. In 1955, she was part of history when she appeared in commercial television's first live play, "The Geranium" on ITV. From that point forward, most of her work-life was split between the television screen and the big screen.

Fraser's early career was spent mostly playing blondes busty blondes with low IQs. She is best remembered for her roles in the entries in the "Carry On...", "Adventures of..." and "Confessions of..." comedy film series during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1970, she was also regularly spotted as one of the sexy ladies who would either chase, or be chased by, the star of "The Benny Hill Show."

As the 1970s drew to a close, Fraser made a hard push to leave the ditzy blonde she had been typecast as behind, and, her skills as a dramatic actress finally came to be appreciated. Throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, she balanced dramatic character roles with comedic parts, primarily on television but also increasingly on stage.

By the early 1990s, investments in stocks and rental properties had led to Fraser being financially comfortable to the point where she became very selective in the roles she accepted, and by 2000, she had all but retired from acting and public life. She continued to act, however, with her final role being in an episode of the long-running police procedural television series "Midsomer Murders".

Fraser passed away in 2018 at the age of 88.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Sixteen

It's time for another look at a guest-star from an episode of "The Avengers".

BILL FRASER
In "Small Game for Big Hunters", Bill Fraser plays a reclusive retired Army officer whose charitable research foundation may be the center of something truly evil.

Scottish-born William "Bill" Fraser was born in Perth in 1908. He trained to be a bank clerk, but by his late teens he had grown so miserable and bored that he headed off to London in pursuit of a dream of becoming an actor. His early years there were lean--so lean, in fact, that he often would have to sleep out-of-doors on Embankment by the Thames. By sticking  to it, however, he eventually found success as a comedic actor on stage and just before World War II began appearing in movies as either bumbling or sinister police detectives and other authority figures.

Fraser's acting career spanned from the 1920s through the 1980s, and, although he did most of it on stage, he still had more than 130 roles in both film and television, including lead roles in the television series "The Army Game" (1959-1960), "Foreign Affairs" (1950), and "Bootsie and Snudge" (1960 - 1974). He also had a recurring role as an obnoxious judge on "Rumpole of the Old Bailey" (1978 - 1987).

Fraser also ran his own repertory theater company, and he gave Peter Cushing his first acting job while  working as a stage manager at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. This, in turn, led to Cushing getting a scholarship to attend the school... and the rest is horror and sci-fi movie history.

Fraser's final role was in as Mr. Casby in the 1987 screen adaptation of the classic novel "Little Dorit". He passed away later that year.

The Avengers: The Girl from Auntie

The Girl from Auntie (1966)
Starring: Patrick Macnee, Liz Fraser, Diana Rigg, Mary Merrall, Alfred Burke, Yolande Turner, Ray Martine, and Bernard Cribbens
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

Government "trouble-shooter" John Steed (Macnee) returns from vacation to find a strange woman (Fraser) has assumed the identity of his partner, Mrs. Peel (Rigg). When assassins start popping up, intent on getting rid of the imposter, Steed finds himself working just as hard at keeping her from harm, as he is at finding out what has happened to his partner and friend.

"The Girl From Auntie" is a really fun episode that strikes a balance between suspense and silliness with such skill that it's difficult to be sure who is and isn't involved with the villains until late in the episode. Even Steed has a more difficult time than average unraveling what's going on, due in no small part to the fact that an assassin who racks up an impressive body count during the episode appears to be a harmless little old lady.

The main mystery of the episode revolves around Gregorie Auntie, the owner of a brokerage house that promises it can secure any object the client wants--be it antiquities, modern art, rare collectables... or even people (although that last one is only known to a very select clientele). It's established early on that this organization that has abducted Emma Peel, and the action revolves around Steed trying to find and rescue her before she's sold off to a foreign power for the state secrets she knows, so I'm not breaking my "no spoilers" rule by mentioning it. Alfred Burke, as Auntie, and Yolonde Turner as his femme fatale sidekick are perfect as the operators of this mysterious business, being equally adept at playing silly or sinister as the moment of the story calls for--almost like personifications of what makes this episode work so well. (If fact, these characters are so much fun that they are added to the list of ones I wish could have come back for additional appearances.)

Speaking of things are the equal parts serious and silly, Diana Rigg's Emma Peel character spends most of this episode in a giant birdcage, dressed in a skin-tight, feather-festooned outfit, awaiting the auction that will decide her future. Watching this episode in 2021, I suspect there's less of a sense of danger surrounding Emma Peel's situation--there are many more episodes featuring her to come--but in 1965, it might have seemed to viewers that Peel was on her way out: Steed had never had the same partner for a sequential stretch of episodes as long the ones so far in Season Four. (I don't know if they were testing the waters with Liz Fraser or not.. her character certainly feels like she could be a replacement for Rigg's Emma Peel, especially with her strangely calm reactions to the dead bodies that keep dropping around her, but ultimately she's just one of the many quirky characters that come and go through the series. The actual reason for Rigg's light involvement in this episode and script is probably tied to scheduling realties; there's an episode coming up where she's at the center of the action for the vast majority of it.)

This is another excellent episode that's swiftly paced, features a strong script, and is a lot of fun. Even minor supporting characters--one of which even have names, like the cab driver who ferries Steed around for a good part of the episode--gets some very funny bits.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Fifteen

Some of the British Commonwealth's most talented actors and actresses made appearances in episodes of "The Avengers". Here's a look at one of them.

PHILIP LATHAM

In "Room Without a View", Philip Latham is a hotel manager keeping a dark secret.

Born in 1929, Philip Latham was a familiar face to British television viewers during the 1960s and 1970s. In addition to is lead role on the long-running BBC drama "The Troubleshooters" (1965-1972), he popped up in supporting roles and bit-parts in dozens of other series and made-for-television movies, ranging from "Emergency Ward 10" and "The Treasure Seekers" through "Danger Man" and "UFO" and even "Doctor Who". He appeared on two different episodes during the original run of "The Avengers", playing a different character each time.

Latham spent to bulk of his career on television. The most noteworthy of his Big Screen appearances were in Hammer Films productions, such as his co-starring turn in "Dracula, Prince of Darkness" (1966) and in pirate movies "The Devil-Ship Pirates" and "The Secret of Blood Island" (both in 1964). Latham also appeared in an episode of the Hammer-produced anthology series "Hammer House of Horror".

Latham retired from acting and withdrew completely from the public eye in 1990, after a busy 35 years in showbusiness. He passed away in 2020 at the age of 91.