The Avengers: the Cathy Gale era / Honor Blackman talk

Philippa · 14 Jun 2009, 23:09 by Philippa

If Emma and Tara get their own topics, we can't just leave Cathy out now can we?

I really love this era, especially series 3, though it's very different, and a lot more realistic than the Emma and Tara series. It's still much more a straightforward police/spy show, with more realistic plotlines. Also Steed's very different, not the stereotypical English gentleman that he'd later on become, but much more spy-esque and quite tough.
Cathy Gale is a fantastic character though, definitely a great Avenger girl, but they all are and that's why it's so difficult to choose a favourite. I know I can't. In some episodes the interaction between her and Steed is great, and actually quite fun to watch, but to be honest I prefer the episodes where Cathy is mostly seen working on her own. She's a very tough woman, but at the same time extremely feminine, and she always looks beautiful. And unlike most women she can pull off those leather outfits. Oh and don't forget those kinky boots

So, who's with me on Cathy Gale love?

Philippa · 18 Jun 2009, 22:42 by Philippa

So nobody's going to share Cathy love with me?

Eric · 18 Jun 2009, 23:05 by Eric

Philippa wrote:So nobody's going to share Cathy love with me?

I will my dear , I will ...

Philippa · 18 Jun 2009, 23:17 by Philippa

Very good

And thanks for the beautiful pictures, I'd never seen that last one before!

Philippa · 20 Jun 2009, 19:28 by Philippa

So what's everyone's favourite Cathy episode?

Timeless A-Peel · 21 Jun 2009, 06:10 by Timeless A-Peel

Philippa wrote:So what's everyone's favourite Cathy episode?

That's a toughie. The Charmers is one of the funner ones, but I tend to like the gritty suspenseful Cathys, like The Nutshell, the Wringer, Intercrime. Those would be in my favourites.

Philippa · 21 Jun 2009, 10:04 by Philippa

The Charmers, The Nutshell and The Wringer are a few of my favourites too. Another one that I really like is Death Dispatch, though it's a shame of the poor quality. They should get these episodes properly restored, because some of them aren't fun to watch, since the quality of the episodes is so bad. Same goes for Death of a Great Dane.
A few other good ones are Concerto, Lobster Quadrille, Death a la Carte and Death on the Rocks.
And of course, how could I forget: Don't Look Behind You!

Timeless A-Peel · 21 Jun 2009, 17:08 by Timeless A-Peel

The quality of the episodes hurts them a lot. When I watch Avengers episodes, it's usually to relax, but it's hard with the Gales because you can't see/hear what's going on. I don't know how much they could be restored because they were shot on poorer quality stock to begin with, but it would be nice.

Philippa · 24 Jun 2009, 22:42 by Philippa

Yes it's definitely a shame about the quality of some episodes. Sometimes I have to switch on the subtitles, and I hate putting on Dutch subtitles because normally I don't need them. Though I find when I watch them on my laptop, and I have my earphones in, I absorb everything much better than on a tv, and I never need subtitles for the Gales then.

Timeless A-Peel · 25 Jun 2009, 05:57 by Timeless A-Peel

Philippa wrote:Yes it's definitely a shame about the quality of some episodes. Sometimes I have to switch on the subtitles, and I hate putting on Dutch subtitles because normally I don't need them. Though I find when I watch them on my laptop, and I have my earphones in, I absorb everything much better than on a tv, and I never need subtitles for the Gales then.

I have to resort to cranking the volume up really loud to hear faint lines, and then I only hear really faint lines really loud, not clear, if you know what I mean, and when it's hard to see what's going on, too, it makes it hard to enjoy the episode. When I'm tired I just don't have it. I think that's the biggest deterrent for me when it comes to the Cathys, some episodes more than others. Mind you, occasionally a fly lands on the camera lens, and then you get some unintentional comedy. Ditto when the cameraman walks by an open door. :lol:

Philippa · 25 Jun 2009, 08:50 by Philippa

Yes in one episode, don't remember which one, someone doesn't close a door properly so it opens again and you can see a man with a huge camera behind it :lolol:

It's the episode where Cathy pretends to be a German spy I think.

Timeless A-Peel · 25 Jun 2009, 16:52 by Timeless A-Peel

Philippa wrote:Yes in one episode, don't remember which one, someone doesn't close a door properly so it opens again and you can see a man with a huge camera behind it
It's the episode where Cathy pretends to be a German spy I think.

Intercrime, one of my favourites, and not just because we get a cameo appearance from Mr. Camera Man. "Look, mom, I'm on TV!" :lol:

Philippa · 01 Jul 2009, 17:04 by Philippa

^That's definitely the charm of those old shows. It was on tape, nothing to be done about it. I love spotting errors in tv shows :lol:

Timeless A-Peel · 01 Jul 2009, 17:10 by Timeless A-Peel

Philippa wrote:^That's definitely the charm of those old shows. It was on tape, nothing to be done about it. I love spotting errors in tv shows

Me too. There are errors in the other eras, too, but the Cathy ones are always the funniest. :lol:

Philippa · 01 Jul 2009, 18:37 by Philippa

I was just listening to Honor on BBC Radio 2, and she said she just did an interview about The Avengers because there are DVDs coming out. Will this mean that there'll be a new British release, with, dare I say it, extras? :squee:

Timeless A-Peel · 01 Jul 2009, 18:38 by Timeless A-Peel

Philippa wrote:I was just listening to Honor on BBC Radio 2, and she said she just did an interview about The Avengers because there are DVDs coming out. Will this mean that there'll be a new British release, with, dare I say it, extras?

I heard that, too, and mentioned it on the Avengers Fan Forum. No one there seems to know about any new releases though, but that's what I thought. We can hope! :squee:

Mara · 01 Jul 2009, 19:26 by Mara

New releases?! I'm crossing my fingers for for TNA with extras* However, any new DVDs with extras would be totally amazing...

Philippa · 01 Jul 2009, 19:50 by Philippa

Oh yes, I desperately need a TNA release. Preferably one with loads of extras :lol:

And even though I've got all the Cathys on DVD, if they're releasing new ones with extras, I'll buy them :grin:

Khell · 02 Jul 2009, 08:46 by Khell

New release? Well, good thing I got none of the Cathys, yet! *lol* I got duplicates of the TNA adventures (different releases) and Sapphire & Steel already and soon, the colour Emmas, too, where I got the Definite Dossier and have the German DVD box coming.

Timeless A-Peel · 02 Jul 2009, 16:22 by Timeless A-Peel

Khell wrote:New release? Well, good thing I got none of the Cathys, yet! *lol* I got duplicates of the TNA adventures (different releases) and Sapphire & Steel already and soon, the colour Emmas, too, where I got the Definite Dossier and have the German DVD box coming.

Which two TNA sets do you have? Have you got the one with the Gareth/Brian Clemens commentaries? I want the French ones, because I'm pretty sure one of them has the Gareth/Joanna screentest on it.

Khell · 03 Jul 2009, 07:29 by Khell

I got the ooooold one (Definite Dossier or something and DON'T ask what I paid for it) and the one with the commentaries. The old one got no extras but that didn't matter, at that time.

Timeless A-Peel · 03 Jul 2009, 16:21 by Timeless A-Peel

Khell wrote:I got the ooooold one (Definite Dossier or something and DON'T ask what I paid for it) and the one with the commentaries. The old one got no extras but that didn't matter, at that time.

Neither do the A&E ones (unless you count scene selection and a few paltry screenshots, which they do), but, as you said, that was all I had access to at the time, and I was just thrilled to have all the episodes, uncut, on something other than taped videos with that same cornflakes ad showing a million times in-between. I wish we got more commentaries on the other set, though.

Eric · 03 Jul 2009, 17:11 by Eric

Timeless A-Peel wrote:I wish we got more commentaries on the other set, though.

How are these commentaries with Gareth & Brian btw ?
I never heard them because I have the old Contender set .
Do they contain lots of inside info ?

Timeless A-Peel · 03 Jul 2009, 17:59 by Timeless A-Peel

Eric wrote:
Timeless A-Peel wrote:I wish we got more commentaries on the other set, though.

How are these commentaries with Gareth & Brian btw ?
I never heard them because I have the old Contender set .
Do they contain lots of inside info ?

Not as much as I'd have liked. I suppose it depends. I've read so many books and articles about the series that much of what is said is retread for me. But the most annoying thing is the interviewer, who keeps feeding them questions we've heard the answers to a hundred times before, to the point they're not easily able to just throw in stories that occur to them, and it also keeps them from commenting on what's onscreen as well. Gareth in particular seems to always be wanting to say something that sounds good, but either Brian or the interviewer is always talking, so he never gets the chance. That said, it's lovely because there are a few new scraps (The white car Gambit crashes in Eagle's Nest was Albert Fennel's, for example, and the bruises in Dead Men were used to cover up Gareth's tattoo), and there's a real sense of friendship between Brian and Gareth. And we get so few chances to hear Gareth as "Gareth" if catch my meaning that this makes them a real treat. When he gets a good chance to talk he's funny and sweet. And you should hear what the man could do to his voice. He should have been a voice actor! Sometimes I couldn't figure out where the fourth person had come from, and then I realised it was Gareth. There's a particularly good bit from Dead Men's commentary where he talks about this fellow who owned the Victorian Folly and his pigeons. You just have to hear Gareth on that one. Hilarious! :lmao:

So I'm glad I got them. If you're a real TNA fan, you'll want to hear them. I just wish they'd been less structured and more free-form.

Philippa · 03 Jul 2009, 23:34 by Philippa

Ooh I'd love to have a set with commentaries. Do you know if these sets are still for sale?

The Avengers: the Cathy Gale era / Honor Blackman talk

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