Karate chops, flips, and just being gorgeous... what the heck more could you want from a female role model for young women and an scintillating attraction for the guys?
John Steed & Emma Peel saved England's Royal Bacon on "The Avengers" for 50 episodes from 1965-68, defeating one diabolical mastermind and his dirty crew at a time.
Honor Blackman started the ball rolling as a karate-chopping anthropologist and part-time spy (Dr. Cathy Gale) in the first Yin-Yang incarnation of "The Avengers" (1962-64). It was a big hit in the UK and Australia.
When the show went from "as-live" video to film a year later, Ms. Blackman had left the show for the movies and Ms. Rigg--a RADA graduate--was chosen out of 300 applicants. The show was picked up in The States in 1966, and became a network and late-night syndication staple for three decades.
Emma Peel, the distaff part of the patnership, could be both damsel in distress and damsel kicking ass, depending on what was called for. In doing so, she was a decade and more ahead of any "emancipated" ladies in action shows on American television. Here's a tribute to now-Dame Diana Rigg, editted by the kellygarrett You Tube website
She had an adventurous life hehe (love those boots)
ReplyDeleteThat's true, Iri Ani. Her boots were made combat-tough but always chic.
ReplyDeleteNo dull evenings at home for our young widow, Mrs. Peel ,what with The Empire in a state of peril and "The Ministry" agent John Steed at the door saying, "Mrs. Peel, we're needed." ;-)
It's her smile and confidence that does it for me.
The scene with her walking jauntly across the edge of a lakeside-bridge, jacket in hand and wearing a sleeveless top,(2:10--2:14 of the video), is one of the iconic Sixties images for me.
The Avengers were my introduction to British Television (being too young to understand the humor of Monty Python at the time) and that lead me to a whole new world of enjoyment that continues to this day (to the point that I prefer british programs over american). Being a true fan of the show, I collected a 45rpm single by Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman attempting a song called Kinky Boots and an episode guide. I was amused that the guide pointed out that the british public was shocked when writers for the show leaked to the press that their beloved adventure program that they had faithfully followed for so many years had actually been written as a satire (they just didn't get it and took it as serious adventure drama). I was a bit disappointed in the movie version, but then it was american and we ruin everything.
ReplyDeleteGood to meet a fellow "Avengers" fan, Kenneth. I, too, admittedly often prefer British programs over the domestic product. "The Avengers" and "The Prisoner" were the first shows I remember viewing from the UK and I was quite taken by offbeat nature and wit of the shows.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that original .45 of Macnee and Blackman doing "Kinky Boots" was a nice find. I heard a copy of it on the Internet a while back, along with the B-side, "Let's Keep It Friendly".
Funny anyone took this as a "realistic" show. It was a lot of fun to me. I collected all the Blackman and Diana Rigg episodes on VHS a years back and enjoyed renewing my acquaintance with the best male-female tv detective team ever!
Thanks for your comments.
I so loved this show!!! I wanted to be Diana Rigg but had to settle for dressing like her.... And Steed, so classy, so clever!!
ReplyDeleteAnother "Avengers" lover!
ReplyDeleteYes, Christy, and I wanted to be John Steed, a man of action and bravery, but with a great off-hand sense of humor.
I was disappointed when I found out that few gentlemen in modern Britian dressed like he did.
I worked in the corp headquarters of a optic company and we had an accounting manager who was "very British" right down to the bowler and cane umbrella. He was also as cleaver as Steed in that he got 50 page faxes from Hong Kong in chinese and read them through right off the machine, He retired and came back as a consultant doing the same thing for more money and his own hours.
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