The Avengers - '63 Set 3 (1966)

Devoted Avengers fans will get a kick out of this boxed set, which contains six vintage episodes from the series' second season. But it's also worth a look to those for whom the series begins and ends with Emma Peel. After all, Patrick MacNee, in his signature role as John Steed, is the star of the show. At this early stage, the urbane, umbrella-toting Steed is a more interesting character, more risible and ruthless, a little less the gentleman spy with whom American audiences are more familiar. These episodes, shot on videotape, are also cruder (part of the primitive charm is spotting bloopers such as dropped props or crouching crew members caught on camera). A pre-Pussy Galore Honor Blackman costars as Steed's "amateur assistant," the formidable Cathy Gale (although "I need your help, my dear" just doesn't have the ring of "Mrs. Peel, we're needed"). This collection contains two episodes ranked among her best. In "Intercrime," she is recruited to infiltrate an international criminal organization responsible for 12 robberies, not one, Steed observes, "with the hallmark of an English criminal." "Warlock" casts a chilling spell, as creepy villain Cosmo Gallion (Peter Arne) uses the occult to obtain scientific secrets. This episode was originally intended to have been Cathy Gale's introduction to the series. At one point, after she deposits an inebriated Steed at his doorstep, he provocatively propositions her, "Would you like to come up?" "Immortal Clay" and especially "Golden Eggs" have their moments, but the true rarities of this set are the episodes "Box of Tricks" and "School for Traitors," in which Steed calls upon the services of an unwitting jazz singer named Venus Smith (Julie Stevens). The perky Venus is a love-her-or-hate-her character whose tenure with the series was brief. --Donald Liebenson Amazon.com

Early adventures for Steed

For all the fans of The Avengers familiar with the Emma Peel/Tara King era of the show, these early episodes featuring Cathy Gale and Venus Smith may come as something of a disappointment. In fact, fans of the later shows may find it hard to believe that they are even part of the same TV series!

After the initial run of 26 episodes featuring Police Surgeon David Keel and his cohort John Steed had aired in the UK in 1961/62, the producers of the program opted to bring Steed to the forefront of the action and give him a number of different "assistants." Thus, for season two, 26 further episodes were made and broadcast in 1962/63 featuring Steed abetted by Martin King, Venus Smith or Cathy Gale. Mrs. Gale turned out to be the most popular and successful foil for the suave agent, and the other characters did not return after season two. Unlike the later Peel/King stories which were all made on film, these studio based TV shows are much more reliant on dialogue and plot than visual elements, and can be somewhat heavy going as a result.

A&E is releasing these stories in a somewhat confusing order, and has started with season three. The first two sets released, Avengers 64 1 & 2, feature the LAST six episodes of season three. Next comes Avengers 63 sets 1 & 2 which comprises of the first half of the season. Next up in the release order is 63 sets 3 & 4 which precede 1 & 2 in running order and in fact feature the last seven stories from season two, plus the first from season three. Confused? Ultimately, it doesn't really matter, since thankfully there's no real reason to watch the stories in chronological order anyway.

What is interesting is the development of the production standards. 63 sets 3 & 4, featuring the latter stories from season two, are far more rudimentary in terms of production quality. The sets are extremely small and sparse; The direction very slap-hazard; Camera work shoddy; Sound is extremely poor; and the acting is negligible. With no budget for editing or reshooting, all the actor's fluffs and goofs stayed in. Steed's character is far less suave and sophisticated then he became later during his familiar role alongside Mrs. Peel, and the relationship with Mrs. Gale in particular is at first downright hostile with very little warmth between the two. He seems to get along much better with Miss Venus Smith, a night club singer who he engages at various gigs to act as his eyes and ears. Venus is a very odd character, and played strangely, but enthusiastically by Julie Stevens. She looks about 12, sings like she's forty, and dresses like anything in between. She also seems extremely naïve and it's hard to imagine why Steed engages her to help him at all. The far more intelligent and elegant Mrs. Gale does eventually warm up to Steed, and in the season three stories where she is the exclusive companion to him, their relationship develops nicely and they become much warmer and closer to each other.

The production values on season three are also much better than the earlier episodes. The sets became larger and more elaborate. The direction, lighting and sound improved greatly and the acting was much less wooden. Some editing was clearly allowed on these later stories, whereas the earlier ones clearly were broadcast as if they were live. There's a terrific blunder in "Six hands across a table," where Cathy is called "Ros" in one scene, and both actors realize the mistake, but keep going.

The quality of the DVD's is somewhat disappointing, even accounting for the age of the material and the production values mentioned above. It may not be the case, but it certainly appears that A&E have made no attempt whatsoever to re-master the original tapes, and the flaws, jumps, scratches and sound blips are too numerous to mention. Virtually every episode on 63 sets 3 & 4 are hampered by picture and sound flaws and defects. Things do improve for 63 1 & 2 and 64 1 & 2, but the quality is still disappointing. Mind you, it appears they have done nothing to clean up the Tara King episodes either!

As a big fan of the series, I wouldn't even consider not having these episodes in my collection, but if you're looking for the wacky camp humor and the tele-fantasy of the Peel/King eras, these stories may not be for you. December 16, 2002

An Inimitable Partnership

Not a very gentleman-like Steed you say? Before the good old days you say? If you fondly remember that great British import that we watched on TV way back in the 60s then you no doubt know about the content of what you are getting. Yet, you may be surprised by this one. John seems a bit rough and tumbled around the edges. And his partner is quite a looker. In this case it is not John and Emma, but instead John and Kathy Gale (Honor Blackman). Still you may likely be concerned about the quality of the product. Being on DVD, the aesthetics about the actual episodes are not in question here. All these episodes were shot directly to videotape and they have great historic value to lovers of the show. �Warlock� is my favorite episode. Very creepy that one is. August 6, 2001

Of more historical interest than dramatic at this point

Of the 160 "Avengers" episodes telecast since its inception (recorded on 1/61) to the last of the Tara King entries (5/69), numbers 41-128 are now available from A&E on tape and DVD. This means we have almost all of the Cathy Gale's and all of the Diana Rigg's, which is saying a lot! The latest entry in this series is that give us those telecasts starting with "Intercrime" (1/63) and ending with "Brief for Murder"(5/63).

In reviewing the other sets, I stated that we must judge these older offerings on their own merits without comparing them unfairly with what was to come when Rigg took over. Here we must even forget the more fanciful Honor Blackman episodes that began after the ones included in these sets; for indeed many of these are pretty cut and dry detective plots without much imaginative development or even witty dialogue. (An exception is a female character's claiming that in her act she does "interesting things with stuffed snakes"!)

The best one of all is the last, which is really the opening of the third Avengers season. Here we have Steed apparently involved in treason and then in a murder, the latter being that of Cathy Gale. Since we simply KNOW that the whole thing has to be a put up, the suspense is minimal. However the acting is the smoothest of all the episodes in these sets, special thanks given to John Laurie and Harold Scott, who play two lawyer brothers determined to make legal history in a way that followers of the O.J. murder trial will find very up to date.

Some of the telecasts find Julie Stevens as Venus Smith in place of Honor Blackman; and I for one found myself fast forwarding through the two obligatory songs she was given in each of her appearances. As always, the chemistry between Steed and Gale is never that between Steed and Peel. Gale seems to display more annoyance than admiration for him; and frankly I do find his character a little too cocky, enough to make me agree with her.

It is always fun to spot actors who will appear in future episodes or as stars in their own right in the years after these shows were recorded. We have a very young Paul Eddington ("The Good Neighbors," "Yes, Minister"), Philip Latham (the Rigg episode "Room Without a View" and the series "The Pallisers")--to name only two.

Still, there is enough enjoyment in these old telecasts, which (by the way) seem to have a better picture and sound quality than early issues of later shows; but still with occasional blurring and jumping, much of which I suspect is in the original tapes, and now and then fuzzy sound, due mostly to the accents. April 30, 2001

More reviews at Amazon.com ...