The Avengers: Small Game for Big Hunters

Small Game for Big Hunters (1966)
Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Peter Burton, Liam Redmon, James Villiers, and Bill Fraser
Director: Gerry O'Hara
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Men, dressed for jungle safaris and shot with poisoned darts, are turning up near the manor of retired army officer Colonel Rawlings (Fraser). Government problem-solvers John Steed (Macnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) are tasked with getting to the bottom of the mystery and stopping the violence before scandal occurs. 

"Small Game for Big Hunters" features both the best and the worst of what "The Avengers" series has to offer. 

First the good. It's got a supremely goofy plot that everyone treats with the utmost seriousness and straight faces of characters who exist in a comic-book universe where, on the outskirts of London, a delusion military officer can be kept within a recreation of a British military outpost in colonial Africa while his staff execute evil schemes--and no one notices for an extended period of time. It's also got comic relief characters who are, likewise, treated with absolute seriousness by those around them, because, again, everyone exists in a comic book universe where Crazy is Normal. This is the sort stuff, along with witty banter between Steed and Peel, that make most episodes of this series such a joy to watch.

On the downside, it's got an incoherent plot that sometimes seems to lose track of its own story-threads, which is made worse and even more obvious due to the way there are two separate narrative tracks for most of this episode, one of which is not all that interesting... and it's made worse by some comedic antics that aren't all that funny. At least we're not subjected to the all-too-common action/fight scenes that are so badly rehearsed and/or badly choreographed that one has to wonder if people actually got paid for working on the show--it would have dragged the rating down from a Seven to a Six. It might have been a rating of 5 if not for a couple twists that I didn't see coming, and for the clever social commentary on the faded British empire and the insanity (and inanity) of those who were still trying to revive it as late the the 1960s.

All that said, Diana Rigg's performance in this episode is also one of the strongest things about it, because it made me realize something that hadn't quite clicked before: She always seems to dial up the intensity of her performance if her Emma Peel character has been parked in the more boring parts of an episode, like she is here. It adds a greater sense of drama or comedy to sequences that are otherwise borderline drab. (Here, Rigg's dialed-up intensity saves a few scenes from coming across as too frivolous or silly.) .

The Avengers Dossier, Page Fourteen

It's time for another look at one of the many actors and actresses who guest-starred in an episode of "The Avengers".




ISOBEL BLACK
In "Silent Dust", Isobel Black plays the daughter of a scientist who was wronged... and who may or may not be out for revenge.

Isobel Black was born in Scotland in 1942, and she landed her first professional acting roles while still in her teens. She spent most of her career playing supporting roles in historical dramas and police procedurals and action-adventure series on television, with a few excursions into horror and science fiction along the way.

Black's major television credits include starring roles in "Witch Wood" (1964), "The Rise and Fall of César Birotteau" (1965), "This Way for Murder" (1967), "The Rebellious Red Gauntlets" (1970), "Castaway" (1970), "The Capone Investment (1974), "The Brief" (1984), and "Tygo Road" (1990); and key recurring roles in "Emergency-Ward 10" (1962), "Mogul" (1967), and "The Castle of Adventure" (1990). Both her big screen appearances were in Hammer Studios gothic vampire films "The Kiss of the Vampire" (1962) and "Twins of Evil" (1971).

Black married director/producer James Gatward in 1969. From that point forward, her acting career began to slow down. Several of her major roles were in series that were either produced or directed by Gatward. As the 1980s came to a close, Black grew increasingly involved with the administrative side of high educaton. In 1994, she served as a governor of the Southhampton Technical Collection as it was being transformed into Solent University. She has also been heavily involved with the Mayflower Theatre Trust in Southhampton since the mid-970s, and she was awarded the British Empire Medal for that work.

The Avengers: Room Without a View

Room Without a View (1965)
Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Philip Latham, and Paul Whitson-Jones
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

One scientist who vanished returns home, out of his mind. Seven others remain missing. Top government investigators John Steed (Mcnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) discover the common link is that they all stayed at the Chessman Hotel. Can Steed and Peel identify the sinister forces that have taken up residence at the Chessman before they themselves fall victim to them?

"Room With a View" has lots of great things about it. The mystery of how top scientists are vanishing from a London hotel is one that grows more compelling as the show unfolds--and the apparent solution seems outright nightmarish when it first begins to come to light. The twists that are introduced here are also nicely done. Steed  gets to be the center of some really funny bits as he goes undercover as a food critic to curry favor with the equal parts flamboyant, publicity-hungry, and shady owner of the Chessman (Wutson-Jones). Even Wokesters will find things to enjoy about this episode, such the fate of a sexist government bureaucrat, and the Chinese wife of an abducted scientist being scarcastic about cultural and racial stereotypes.

The scenes involving an imprisoned Mrs. Peel as the episode heads toward its climax are also extremely well done... and ones I can't comment upon without ruining the plot. Suffice to say, you're going to find them compelling.

What is less compelling is the episode's villain, the corpulent owner of the Chessman Hotel who has dreams of building a hospitality empire. He's as evil and petty as any Avengers villain we've come across so far in the series, but there's a disconnected stiffness about the actor portraying him--particularly in the scenes he shares with Patrick Macnee--that saps some of the life from what is an otherwise fast-moving, well-mounted episode helmed by the great Roy Ward Baker.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Thirteen

Many actors familiar to fans of action films or spy dramas of the 1960 and 1970s could be found as guest-stars on "The Avengers". Here's another look at one of those.

JULIAN GLOVER

In "Two's a Crowd", Julian Glover is one of several handlers for a Soviet assassin so elusive it's as if he's made of smoke.

Born in 1935, and trained as a classical actress, Julian Glover made his professional debut in 1953. He has spent the past seven decades dividing his work between the stage, film, and television work. His sharp facial features, talent for doing voices and accents, and an ability to project an icy coldness made him ideal to play refined villains, haughty academics, and aristocratic military men and police officers.

Beginning in the early 1960s and continuing on into the 1980s, Glover was a familiar face to British television viewers, making frequent guest appearances and playing recurring or starring roles on a range of television series, such as "Doctor Who" (on which he played three different characters over the years), "Spy Trap" (in which he co-starred during the 1972 season), and "The Avengers" (where he played four different characters, in 1965, 1967, 1968, and 1969 respectively. During the 1980s and 1990s, he became known to American television viewers with appearances on shows like "Remington Steele". During the 2000s, he had a recurring role on the HBO fantasy series "Game of Thrones".

 

Glover has the distinction of being the only actor who's appeared as a villain in a "Star Wars" movie ("The Empire Strikes Back"), a James Bond movie ("For Your Eyes Only") and an Indiana Jones movie ("Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"). He's stated that a great unfulfilled ambition of his career was to play the time time-traveling alien Doctor Who, but there may be time for that yet: Glover is still a working actor who maintains a busy stage and film schedule.

The Avengers: Silent Dust

Silent Dust (1965)
Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, William Franklyn, Jack Watson, Isobel Black, Joanna Wake, Charles Lloyd Pack
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

An investigation into the use of a banned pesticide puts a pair of government agents (Macnee and Rigg) in the crosshairs of a group of land owners intending to blackmail the British government.

The best things I can say about "Silent Dust" is that it never gets boring--one can almost always rely on Roy Ward Baker to keep things moving--and Steed has some funny exchanges with a scientist he consults during the investigation (played by Charles Lloyd Pack, who perhaps Great Britain's hardest working bit-player during the 1950s and 1960s.). Diana Rigg also has some amusing lines when Peel is expressing opinions about the episode's villains to Steed... but they are nowhere near as witty as what can found found in other episodes.

What is also better in many other episodes is the villains. Not only are the ones in "Silent Dust" mostly bland, but their scheme is absolute nonsense and one that had no chance of success (or even resulting in long-term benefit to the villains if anyone had bothered to think things through). And yeah... that's how bad it is--I am complaining about something in an episode of "The Avengers" that doesn't make sense.... 

One interesting aspect of the show is how fox hunting figures in the show, even if it becomes a bit lame toward the end. It's one of the many times when the societal changes that were shaking the long-standing British class system and gender roles in the mid-1960s. It's also one of the reasons that this episode is still worth watching today--it's something of a historical artifact.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Twelve

With the Year of the Avengers at the halfway point, we present another look at a supporting cast member from the fourth season.

ATHENE SEYLER
In "Man-Eater of Surrey Green", Athene Seyler plays a botanist who joins Steed and Peel in a battle to save Earth.

Born 1889, Athene Seyler dreamed of being an actress from a young age, and by 1909, she had already made a name for herself in British theatre. With the coming of film, she pursued the new horizons and once again found success--first in early movies and then in early television as a character actress who could be relied upon to deliver quirky performances that were always as British as British could be. 

Seyler was at her busiest during the mid-1930s, but her less-frequent screen appearances as the years wore on were not because she wanted for work, but because she was very picky about the roles she accepted and also because she turned her attention back toward theatre work.

Throughout her eight decades as a working actress, Seyler appeared in every mainstream genre of film and television show, from screwball comedies to dark horror films. She is perhaps best remembered for her roles in "Night of the Demon" (1957) and "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" (1958), as well as her numerous turns as matronly characters in screen adaptations of Charles Dickens stories. 

Seyler literally worked as an actress her entire adult life. She make her final stage appearance in 1990, at the age of 101, mere weeks before she passed away.

Aside from her role in "Man-Eater of Surrey Green", she played a different character in an episode that aired in 1964, "Build a Better Mouse Trap".

The Avengers: Two's a Crowd

Two's a Crowd (1965)
Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Warren Mitchell, Julian Glover, Wolf Morris, Maria Machado, and Alec Mango
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Super-spies John Steed (Macnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) are on the verge of unmasking a mysterious Russian agent, but his crafty assistants (Glover, Mango, Machado, and Morris) stymie their efforts by replacing Steed with a lookalike (Macnee) in their employ.

"Two's a Crowd" got off to a really fun start for me. I watch so many old films with cheap and pathetic effects that I thought I was in for another "treat" in that department--but then the model turned out to be a model. (The foe of the Avengers loves model airplanes and he uses remote controlled model planes to committ assassinations.)

This bit of trickery/playing on perception sets the theme for the entire episode where many things aren't what they seem and models take the place of the real thing... but can be just as lethal. John Steed's double is literally a model: The man is a male fashion model, and while he may not be a trained combatant, like Steed, his completely lack of morals and regard for other human beings makes him every deadly to those who think he's Steed.

Storywise, this is a fast-paced episode that's as full of twists and turns as one would expect a tale involving a "faceless" assassin whose identity is kept secret by a cadre of ruthless assistants, traitorous dopplegangers, and elaborate assassination schemes. The balance between humor and suspense is expertly maintained throughout, with lots of witty banter, quirky characters, and lots of fun situations. The best scenes involved Steed's evil double--with the fashion show where he is first introduced being absolutely hilarious, and the scene where Emma Peel has to decide if Steed is himself or the double and whether she should kill or not is quite suspenseful.

The best thing about the episode is the performances by Patrick Macnee--and yes, I did say "performances". Not only does he play two characters in the episode, but the fake Steed goes in and out of the character of Steed... so Macnee is playing a character who is playing John Steed. It's lots of fun to watch a talented actor getting show off!

The Avengers Dossier, Page Eleven

It's time for another look at a supporting player from the classic fourth season of "The Avengers"!

JAN HOLDEN
In "Dial a Deadly Number", Jan Holden played a financier's wife who actively maintained a diversified portfolio of male assets (if you know what I mean [wink-wink, nudge-nudge].)

Born in 1931, Jan Holden spent her early childhood in India, but returned to with her family to England as World War II broke out. She developed in interest in acting while at school, and proved to have a talent of comedy. At 18, Holden was offered internships at several renowned theatres and theatrical companies, but her father disapproved of her theatrical ambitions, so he refused to let accept any of the offers. He eventually softened her stance, and she was able to enter the Old Vic's director's course. In 1951, she became the theatre's assistant stage manager.

Holden soon established herself as a popular and respected stage actress in light comedies. By the mid-1950s, she began to add movie and television roles to her workload, including "Stranglers of Bombay" and other films from the famous Hammer Studios. For the next 30 years, Holden would balance theatre and screen work. Her most famous role was, arguably, as Mrs. Newhouse on the sitcom "Casanova '73", as the wife of a husband who spends each episode making sure she doesn't learn of his extra-marital affair.

Aside from her role in "Dial a Deadly Number", Holden also appeared as a different character in "The Avengers" Season Three episode "The Undertakers".

In the mid-1980s, Holden was plagued by a series of health problems, so she eased back on her work schedule and retired in 1990. She passed away in 2005.

The Avengers: Man-Eater of Surrey Green

Man-Eater of Surrey Green (1965)
Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Athene Seyler, Derek Farr, Gillian Lewis, and William Job
Director: Sidney Hayers
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Government agents Steed (Macnee) and Peel (Rigg) investigate strange happenings near a botanical research facility and discover that Earth is about to be overrun by flesh-eating plants from outer space.

From one point of view, I just broke my own rule for not providing spoilers in my teaser summaries, by revealing the bizarre nature of the foe that John Steed and Mrs. Peel must overcome in this episode. However, I think the plant-based alien invader, while absolutely the main plot point in the story, is one of the least interesting things about "Man-Eater of Surrey Green".

There are two major problems with the alien plant story, neither of which are fatal, but both of which prevent this from being a great installment of the series.

First, although it may have looked like a great idea on paper, the special effects crew of "The Avengers" either didn't have the time or the budget to make it look quite right; as a result, some scenes that should be intense instead come across as goofy and the overall presentation of the alien is inconsistent in quality. (And I say this as someone who's sat through hundreds of movies with truly awful effects and who oftentimes doesn't mind them. It's when they feel uneven, like they do here, that their inadequateness to convey the needed results is emphasized.)

Second, a plant from outer space just doesn't feel quite right for "The Avengers". While I recognize that our heroes have battled psychics, killer robots, mad scientists with weather control machines--and more!--space aliens feel wrong to me. It doesn't help that several decades of space exploration has passed between now and when this episode was made, and thus Mrs. Peel's comment that vegetation has been detected on the Moon destroys my ability to suspend my disbelief.

All that said, however, this episode still has some great moments that make it worth watching. The dread builds throughout the episode as characters begin to behave strangely and the sense of danger closing in around Steed and Peel is palatable, even as the alien plant effects get silly. The sense of dread is so strong, and the possibility that our heroes may save the world but not live to tell the tale seems so real, that when Steed takes very necessary, very coldhearted "for the greater good" action, it feels like we're about to say goodbye to one of the show's main characters. For viewers in 1965, this possibility must have seemed even more real; it wasn't until the second season of the series that Steed emerged as the fixed lead character and his partners and sidekicks had always come and gone. For all audiences knew when this show first aired, another major change was coming. Alien invasion silliness aside, this is a very intense and dramatic episode. In fact, aside from some very slight Peel & Steed banter, I don't recall any humorous touches at all--other than Steed declaring, "I'm a herbacidial maniac, which is quite possibly one of the best lines of the entire series.

"The Man-Eater of Surrey Green" is furthered lifted up by the presence of veteran actress Athene Seyler, whose career began in silent movies and whose screen-presence allowed her to turn what seems like it may have been conceived as a Miss Marple-esque comic relief character into a formidable presence that can stand side-by-side with Steed and Peel as they prepare for their final confrontation against the alien menance. Seyler's Doctor Sheldon is another one of those one-shot "The Avengers" characters that I wish could have come back in another episode or two.

In final analysis, this may not be one of the best episodes, but it's still worth the time you'll spend watching it.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Ten

Here's another look at a supporting player from the classic television series, "The Avengers".

DUDLEY FOSTER
In "The Hour That Never Was", Dudley Foster plays an officer in Steed's old R.A.F. unit who is tied to the mysterious happenings at an airfield that is being decommissioned.

Born in 1924, Foster served in the Royal Air Force during World War II, and turned to professional acting during the post-war years, first on stage and then becoming a fixture on British television from the mid-1950s through the mid-1970s. Historical dramas, mysteries, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, or comedy... Foster appeared in shows of just about any genre. He was mostly cast as policemen, military officers, and other authority figures...not all of whom could be trusted.

Foster's main roles were starring turns on the British television series "Bat Out of Hell" (1966), "A Hundred Years of Humphrey Hastings" (1967), "If It Moves, File It" (1970), and "It's Murder, But Is It Art?" (1972). He also starred as Detective Inspector Dunn during the first season of the long-running police drama "Z-Car" (in 1962). He later returned to play a completely different character in two episodes of series final season in 1971.

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Foster also regularly appeared in roles big and small on anthology series, such as the "BBC Sunday-Night Play", "ITV Television Playhouse", and "The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre". In total, he appeared in over 100 different television series and films, often returning as different characters in different seasons. On "The Avengers", he returned in more two episodes, as two other characters--"Something Nasty in the Nursery' (1967) and "Wish You Were Here" (1968), the latter being a spoof of another British spy series, "The Prisoner".

Foster, despairing at the death of his father, committed suicide in 1973.

The Avengers: Dial a Deadly Number

Dial a Deadly Number (1965)
Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Peter Bowles, Clifford Evans, Jan Holden, John Carson, and Anthony Newland
Director: Don Leaver
Rating: Ten of Ten Stars

Sudden heart attacks have claimed several heads of industry who share the same banker (Evans), who has, seemed to have been taking advantage of the stock market turmoil their deaths have brought on. Top government investigators John Steed (Macnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) are dispatched to unravel the mystery and bring any culprits to justice.

"Dial a Deadly Number" is one of the best episodes of the series--the creators of the series were on a roll! It's got a sharp script that features a multi-layered mystery that gets more involved as the show unfolds instead of unraveling and plenty of witty, sharp exchanges between Steed and Peel, as well as the supporting characters. It's especially inpressive that even after the heroes have proven that the executives are being murdered and how it's being done, they don't know the "who" and have to resort to a risky gambit to expose the true villains.

And speaking of risk, this episode does a great job at keeping the tension high, even in scenes where there is minimal action. There's a sequence where Steed and Peel attend a wine tasting where they and their suspect pool are trying to take each others measures (while engaging in a little bit of snobbish one-upsmanship) and the clash is more exciting than the shoot-out/battle that serves as the episode's climax. (That said--even the fight scenes in this episode are better executed and more dramatic than are the norm for this series. More often than not, they haven't weathered the passage of time well--and I suspect even audiences in the 1960s thought some of them were weak--but whether it's the motorcyclists that ambush Steed in a parking lot, or an unarmed Peel trying to stealthily take out a gun-toting bad guy in a wine cellar, this episode give us some of the best action that "The Avengers" series has to offer.

Another great part of this episode is that it makes oblique use of Emma Peel's "deep background" as an independently wealthy daughter of a business tycoon/industrialist while adding also adding some additional details to Steed's background (however small). A good portion of the episode's plot revolves around high finance and investments, and Steed and Peel interact with bankers and brokers and other personalities in that world. Initially, Peel stays at arm's length and out of sight of the financiers, but when she ends up having to interact with them, she immediately fits right in. She even has a ready-made and airtight response to a suspect who is testing her with probing small talk. (It, and a couple upcoming episodes, provided the jumping-off point for "The Growing-Up of Emma Peel" comics series, which you can read by clicking here.)

One final stroke of brilliance in this episode is that the humorous tag at the end ties firmly into the story and action of the episode instead of just being a little bit of nonsense. I wish more of these had been done like this.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Nine

It's time for another quick look at a supporting player from the Fourth Season of the classic television series, "The Avengers".

SUE LLOYD

In "A Surfeit of H2O", Sue Lloyd was Joyce Jason, the owner and operator of a winery that produced its wares with a secret, scientific method.

Sue Lloyd began her show business career as a dancer, but soon transitioned into modeling and then acting. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, she balanced her projects between television and films, with a particular focus on espionage-themed comedies and dramas. She appeared in 60 different films and television series, with some of her noteworthy parts being in "The Ipcress Files" (1965), "The Man in a Looking Glass" (1965), "That's Your Funeral" (1972), and "Bullet to Bejing" (1995), in which she played the same character she had in "The Ipcress Files". Lloyd also had recurring or co-starring roles in such television series as "The Baron" (1966-1967, a series based "The Man in a Looking Glass), "The Two Ronnies" (1972), and "Crossroads" (from 1979 to 1985).

By the early 1980s, Lloyd had shifted her professional interests from acting to painting, and, although she continued to accept acting jobs every now and then, her on-screen appearances became fewer and farther between. In 2001, she retired from acting all-together.

Sue Lloyd passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer in 2011 at the age of 82.

(Sue Lloyd is not to be mistaken for Suzanne Lloyd, even if both are brunettes who appeared in back-to-back episodes of "The Avengers" in 1965. Sue Lloyd was in "A Surfeit of H2O" and Suzanne Lloyd was in "The Murder Market".)

The Avengers: The Hour that Never Was

The Hour that Never Was (1965)
Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Roy Kinnear, and Dudley Foster

Director: Gerry O'Hara

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

A car accident causes Steed and Mrs. Peel (Macnee and Rigg) to arrive late to a reception and party behind held at an air force base that is being decommissioned. They find the facility completely deserted and all clocks stopped at the exact moment of their car crash.

"The Hour That Never Was" is one of the best episodes of the ones from the 1965/66 season. Between the expansion of John Steed's background with details about his WW2 activities (including the fact that he played fast-and-loose with the rules even then); some great interplay between Steed and Peel that both underscores their easy-going friendship, their skills as agents, and their ability to be ruthless when called for; and a mystery that will keep you guessing as to what has happened to the staff of the airbase--because just as you think you may have figured it out, the mid-episode twist will put you right back to Square One. 

"The Hour That Never Was" also benefits from some creative camera-work that emphasizes the creepiness of the deserted airbase during the first half of the episode, and the disorientation felt by Steed when he suddenly finds the base populated again... except now Peel has gone missing.

This is one of the spookiest episodes of the series, because the mystery keeps turning inside out and then turning again. It's clear that there are clearly some mundane threat at play (a sniper with a rifle kills the only other living human being that Steed and Peel lay eyes on after arriving at the base) the supernatural or weird science threat that appears to have first made everyone on the base vanish and then appears to have distorted time is the far greater danger... and it's one that remains mysterious until the episode reaches its conclusion.

The only weak part of "The House Than Never Was" is the fight between our heroes and the villains at the end. It's a little too goofy, even by "The Avengers" standards. But this is more than made up for the excellent execution of the story and the many little touches that make Steed and Peel seem more three-dimensional and human than they have in any previous episodes. (Steed's joy at the prospect of reuniting with old friends is something every adult ca relate to; and the fact that Peel has a favorite pair of boots she keeps in the car just in case she ends up having to walk are among my favorites. In fact, I think this episode may be the first time I ever had the sense that a female character in a show had what felt like a realistic wardrobe... because it dawned on me that Emma Peel often wore the same hat or shoes or jacket with different pants or blouses instead of either the exact same outfit or a completely different outfit every week. I may think those striped boots or that beanie that looks like a target that she is so fond of are goofy-looking, but I also felt they brought a bit of realism to the glamorous, comic-book universe that Peel and Steed live in.)

The Avengers Dossier, Page Eight

Here's another brief look at one of the supporting players from Season Four of "The Avengers".

SUZANNE LLOYD

In "The Murder Market", Suzanne Lloyd plays a "fixer" at a murder-for-hire firm masquerading as a dating service.

Born in 1932, Canadian actress Suzanne Lloyd moved to the U.S. in the mid-1950s to attend college and start her acting career. After gaining parts in a few stage plays, she made the move to television in 1958, with a small part in an episode of the short-lived anthology series "Lux Playhouse".

Lloyd remained busy with supporting roles of varying sizes and importance on television in the United States and Great Britain, with her recurring role as Raquel Toeldano on "Zorro" (in 1958) and her six appearances as six different characters on "The Saint" (between the years of 1964 and 1968).

Along the way, Lloyd landed leading roles in a few feature films--"Who Was Maddox" (1964), "The Return of Mr. Moto" (1965) and "That Rivera Touch" (1966)--but stardom eluded her and steady work became harder to come by as the 1960s wore on. So, in 1968, Lloyd retired from show business to focus on raising her daughter with then-husband Buddy Bregman. (Lloyd's daughter, Tracey Bregman has gone onto a successful career starring on soap operas. She's been acting since she was 11 years old, and she's been portraying a lead character on "The Young and the Restless" since 2001.)

The Avengers: A Surfeit of H2O

A Surfeit of H2O (1965)

Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Noel Purcell, Albert Lieven, Geoffrey Palmer, Talfryn Thomas, John Kidd, and Sue Lloyd

Director: Sidney Hayers

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A doomsday prophet (Purcell) and a winery with secret, highly scientific production methods are at the center of the mystery when agents John Steed (Macnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) are tasked with uncovering how a man drowned in the middle of an empty field.

This is another excellent episode that features a tight script; a brilliant mix of sci-fi and investigative secret agent action; and an assortment of interesting and quirky characters that make it tricky to pinpoint who the bad guys are and what they are actually up to until the Big Reveal. It also features another nice "damsel in distress" riff along the same lines as what we had in "The Gravediggers", but with a stronger sense of danger than comedy. There's also a great bit with Steed's steel-plated trick bowler as an adjunct to that business.

Character-wise, the wisecracking between Steed and Mrs. Peel is topnotch, and some of the incidental characters here are so interesting and well-acted that I sorry to see them meet a violent end, or I wished there could have been a reason for them to make reappearance in a future episode--Noel Purcell's doomsday prophet Jonah Barnard being prime among these. The different approaches that Steed and Peel take to investigating the mysterious deaths also lend a great deal of entertainment value to this episode--Peel remains methodical and cautious in her approach, while Steed starts out that way but quickly starts resorting to antics to see what he can stir up. At the end, though, it's a combination of the two approaches that leads to the good guys ultimately winning the day. Peel's dignified unflappability also leads to one of the most amusing (and possibly one of the most British) witness interviews ever committed to film. Another nice bit in this episode is the way Steed and Peel turn firmly to science to help them figure out what's happening with the weather around the winery--which also gives the writers an opportunity to show that Mrs. Peel is also knowledgeable in the field of meteorology.

As great as this episode is, it's another instance of where the creators don't quite pull off the ending. It's got a dramatic set-up and the location in which it unfolds should make it one of the deadliest fights our heroes have ever been in--since they are exchanges punches with the bad guys at the very heart of a mad science experiment that has claimed three lives that we know of--but it's almost like the actors, director, and writers have forgotten what's happened earlier in the episode.

All in all, though... some 55 years after it first aired, "A Surfeit of H2O" is still highly entertaining and well worth the time you'll spend watching it.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Seven

Here's another look at a supporting player from the Fourth Season of "The Avengers".

PATRICIA HAINES

In "The Master Minds", Patricia Haines played the archery instructor to an exclusive club of super-geniuses.

Born in 1932, Patricia Haines was a familiar face on British television during the 1960s and into the mid-1970s. She had incidental roles in many popular series and was a regular cast member in "The Flower of Evil" (1961), "Six Proud Walkers" (1962), and in early seasons of soap operas "Compact" and "Emmerdale Farm". She also appeared in several films, with her role in the horror film "The Virgin Witch" (1971) being perhaps the most remarkable--as she played a particularly evil villainess.

Haines appeared three times during the six seasons of "The Avengers", playing a different character each time. In addition to her role on "The Master Minds", she was in "The Nutshell" (1963) and "Who's Who???" (1967).

Although a talented actress, Haines is more frequently mentioned as the one-time wife of Michael Cain. (They were married in 1954 and were divorced in 1962.)

Haines, a smoker since she was in her teens, passed away from lung cancer at the age of 45 in 1977. 

The Avengers: The Murder Market

The Murder Market (1965)

Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Patrick Cargill, Suzanne Lloyd, Peter Bayless, and Naomi Chance

Directors: Peter Graham Scott and Wolf Rilla

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

When a string of Britain's most eligible bachelors die through misadventure or outright murder, secret agents John Steed (Macnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) discover that the dating service they all used is a front for a murder-for-hire operation. Steed doesn't just want to break up the operation--he wants to catch whoever's behind it all. But will he have to sacrifice Mrs. Peel to accomplish that goal?

"The Murder Market" is another excellent episode where drama and comedy coexist in perfect compliment of each other. From the garish, frilly offices of the dating service with its fey and VERY British staff members that are the public face and recruiting arm of the assassination business; through Steed's fake-murdering Mrs. Peel to discover the true identity of the mastermind behind the murder business, which almost turns into a real murder when things go sideways; to the gradual unveiling of who the real operators and masterminds are, this episode is constantly swinging back and forth between dark, hilarious humor, an intriguing mystery, and a sense that the heroes may be in real danger. (And, yes... at one point, it seems perfectly plausible that Steed may have to sacrifice Mrs. Peel's life for real in order to fully unravel the conspiracy. (Watching this episode in the 2020s, it's obvious that Mrs. Peel doesn't die--since Diana Rigg played the character for two seasons of the series--but in 1965, viewers had every reason to believe that she might not make it; until Season Four of the "The Avengers", Steed had worked with a rotating series of partners.)

One thing astute viewers (or those who are binging episodes) may notice is that the character of Emma Peel is not quite as she's been in previous episodes. Her banter with Steed seems out of tune, her mastery of hand-to-hand fighting seems to have declined, and she doesn't seem as cunning and focused as a secret operative as she has been. As amusing as the scene with Mrs. Peel tottering about drunk is, it seems very much out of character with how she's been portrayed previously. In fact, the only major bit that seems in keeping with the character from other episodes, is the scene where she's messing around with a tuba while making plans with Steed. 

The explanation for the sudden change is that the Emma Peel we've gotten to know over the six episodes prior to this one airing didn't yet exist. In fact, the reason the gag with the tuba seems in keeping with the character we know is because it was one of the pieces that brought the character into focus both for the writers and for Diana Rigg.

Although it was the seventh episode aired, "The Murder Market" was actually the first one that was filmed with Diana Rigg. Emma Peel was originally played by Elizabeth Shepherd, but after completing all her scenes on "The Town of No Return" and a few on "The Murder Market", she was suddenly let go and Rigg was hastily hired as a replacement and swiftly put to work in an attempt to get the show back on its production schedule. The reasons for why Shepherd was let go differ, but if Rigg's performance in this episode is any indication, perhaps the Mrs. Peel that was emerging was too similar to Steed's former sidekick, Cathy Gale and the producers wanted something different, both from the character and the actress portraying her. However, after this episode was completed and the producers turned their attention back to "The Town of No Return", everyone had a firm grasp on how to portray the multi-talented, brilliant and charming Mrs. Emma Peel.

 Although I make a big deal out of Emma Peel's character forming in this episode, it really isn't anything that those looking for something to pick at will notice (or, as mentioned, if you're watching several episodes back-to-back). The story here is so strong, and the various supporting characters so amusing and/or well-acted, that Emma's "off-day" is pretty much a non-issue. By the time we get to the obligatory "clowning around tag" at the end of the show, we will have sat through one of the best episodes in Season Four.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Six

It's time for another brief look at a supporting player in a Season Four episode of "The Avengers".

GORDON JACKSON

In "Castle De'Ath" Gordon Jackson portrayed Lord Ian, a gruff Scotsman and master of a remote estate that was the center of many mysteries.

Gordon Jackson was born in 1923 and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. From his first acting job as a young teen on radio and for the rest of his career, he made no effort to affect any accents other than his native Scottish (unlike so many other actors hailing from the various corners of the United Kingdom, such as Ireland or Wales). This did not prove to be a limitation, as he made the leap to film at the age of 20 and spent the next four decades portraying a range of characters.

Jackson is perhaps best remembered for his television roles as Hudson the Butler in "Upstairs, Downstairs" (1971 - 1975) and as George Cowley, the hard-as-stone government agent in "The Professionals" (1977 - 1983), as well as for his roles in films like "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" (1965), "The Night of the Generals" (1967), "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (1969), "Madame Sin" (1972), and "Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death" (1984). Jackson was also a well-respected Shakespearean actor, and he regularly appeared on London stage productions even while maintaining his busy film and TV schedule.

Jackson worked right up until shortly before his death in 1990.

The Avengers: The Master Minds

The Master Minds (1965)

Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Laurence Hardy, Bernard Archard, Patricia Haines, and Ian MacNaughton

Director: Peter Graham Scott

Rating; Nine of Ten Stars

After a cabinet minister (Hardy) is nearly killed while stealing state secrets, but claims to have no memory of attempting to do so, secret agents John Steed (Macnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) discover his treason may be linked to his membership in RANSACK, a private club for people with exceptionally high IQs. 

"The Master Minds" is another great episode, with another clever script that deftly mixes humor and suspense, and, more importantly, makes the comic book universe within which John Steed and Mrs. Peel exist seem real. While trying to figure out what is causing elected officials and loyal government employees to turn traitor (and even murderous), they have to tread carefully because of the lurking political scandal. This sense of reality is further heightened by Steed behaving in a far more serious fashion than usual, with the scenes of Steed interacting with fellow employees of the Ministry and a government psychiatrist showing that Patick Macnee can bring an intensity to Steed that we rarely see. This more grounded, serious Steed brings a slightly darker atmosphere to this episode, and the grounding make the climactic scenes all the more intense. (All that said, it's also Steed's rebellious flippant approach to life that ends up saving him and Peel both, if in a somewhat roundabout way.)

Mrs. Peel's treatment "The Master Minds" is also interesting, as moreso than ever before, it's spelled out that she is the "total package" with even more brains than she has beauty and enough breeding to shut down lecherous men without causing a scene. In this episode, it's established that Mrs. Peel is not only smarter than Steed, but she is a literal genius. The test administered by RANSACK (which she passes easily) certifies her as such, and she even helps Steed cheat (and yet still has to falsify his results) for him to be considered for admission. 

This episode also keeps up the momentum until the very end, with an exciting and very creatively staged climax where we see Emma Peel and the mysterious figure who's using RANSACK as a vehicle to corrupt Great Britain's greatest minds in silhouette, behind a rear-projection screen upon which military footage is being shown. The only drawback is that nowhere near enough is done with this very interesting villain. In understand why the identity was kept secret until the end, but I feel like this is another one of those minor characters in "The Avengers" who deserved more screen time... and who should have made a reappearance in another episode or two.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Five

Continuing the mini-profiles of supporting players in Season Four episodes of "The Avengers":

ANDRE MORELL

In "Death at Bargain Prices", Andre Morell played Horatio Kane. He's an eccentric businessman who's grown embittered with society and who has withdrawn from public life and taken up residence on the top floor of a department store he owns. From here, he is overseeing his ultimate deal and money-making scheme.

Andre Morell was born in London, in 1909. He was a classically trained actress who began his professional career at the Old Vic in the early 1930s, and transitioned into television with parts in screen adaptions of classic novels and various other made-for-television movies during the late 1930s. For the next three decades, and into the 1970s, Morell was a fixture on British television, as well as a familiar face in big screen thrillers and horror films during the 1950s and 1960s from the legendary Hammer Films and other studios, His appearance along side Peter Cushing in "Cash on Demand" being a favorite here at Shades of Gray. 

Playing Horatio Kane in "Death at Bargain Prices" was Morell's second appearance on "The Avengers". He was also in the Season Three episode "The Death of a Batman" as a different character. 

Morell, who had started smoking at the age 14, passed away from lung cancer in 1978.