Amazon.com

"Castle De'ath" is a truly haunting episode, both because of its red-herring ghost story and the scandalous peek at Mrs. Peel's navel, not to mention her nocturnal investigation of a foreboding Scottish castle in her nightgown.What brings her and "McSteed" (outfitted in a kilt) to the castle is the death of an agent in scuba gear, who when found was four inches taller than when he was alive. "It all has to do with the price of fish," whispers McSteed. In "The Master Minds," Steed and Mrs. Peel investigate a series of raids on state security. Each, Steed notes, "has been boldly conceived and superbly executed" by "a diabolical mastermind." This leads the duo to a special school for geniuses whose lesson plan includes brainwashing. Highlights of this episode are a student's come-on to Steed ("I wonder if I might lure you away from brainwork for something more physical") and a climactic fight seen only in shadow behind a screen on which a military training film is being projected backward. Grade: A. Both episodes are in glorious black and white. Volumes 1, 2, and 3 are also available in The Avengers '65 Set 1. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Steed Boosts His I.Q. - Emma Boosts State Secrets
"Castle De'ath" is an unusual Avengers entry, in that Steed and Emma are both undercover at the same place at the same time, from the very start of the episode. The cinematography is curiously rather bleached, for what probably should have been a starker melodrama - but it works splendidly, anyway. This one consists mostly of skulking and good fights, Emma's skulking done in a fetching peignoir by moonlight. The flirtation between Emma and Steed is especially light and playful. The plot, about a secret submarine base and its connection to the disruption of the local economy, is clever and credibly handled.

"The Master Minds" is one of my personal favorites, about a MENSA-esque high-I.Q. club called RANSACK, which utilizes the best minds in Britain - without their knowledge - to infiltrate and sabotage military bases, and steal state secrets for sale to the highest bidder. It's quite similar to Ian Fleming's contemporaneous James Bond novel, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" - which, amusingly enough, starred Diana Rigg in the film version. Like "Castle De'ath," Steed and Emma work undercover at the same location, but with a far different result: Emma becomes brainwashed into RANSACK's nocturnal espionage society, and Steed has to snap her out of it - before she kills him. The concluding fight is terrific, Emma's final punch-line one of the more humorous in the series by means of its unique delivery.

A very good pair of early Avengers episodes.

Experience the deadly delights of Castle De Ath
James Hill's moody, dark direction enhances the Scottish mystery Castle De Ath. The beginning is dark and eerie. The camera follows dark corridors, the only sound Scottish bagpipes. Finally the camera flickers to a barechested man, bound by leather straps to a table. He silently writhes as he is being tortured on the rack! Steed and Mrs. Peel investigate mysterious happenings at an isolated Scottish castle. Where have the fish disappeared to? How did a British secret agent grow three more feet when his dead body was recovered? Best lines: "Lean on Mistress Peel, as much as you like." Gordon Jackson is excellent as the dignified Scottish laird facing hard economic times. Cousins Ian and Angus argue about their family heritage and what they should do about their decreasing income. Hint: think of Wilkie Collins and The Terribly Strange Bed. Good red herrings and witty dialogue. A shocked conspirator, "He is having trouble at the Power Plant. He has been attacked - by a woman!" "Bless her!" Steed smiling broadly.

Masterminds pokes fun at those with high IQs. When a British politician is caught breaking into a secret installation and then murdered Steed and Mrs. Peel investigate RANSACK. "You have a high IQ," Emma informs him. "How high?" "The same as mine. I took your test for you!" Sign on one of the rooms, "If you can't sleep ring for a mistress." The final battle of the Avengers versus the baddies in a darkened auditorium, with the training film amusingly run in reverse while the Avengers silently toss the baddies about is a delight. Superb direction and acting. This is one of the best of the black and white sets. Recommended for purchase! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The first episode of the third season finds the irascible antique hunter and scam artist Lovejoy (Ian McShane) returning home six months after the windfall from his biggest commission ever. The money's gone, spent on ill-advised schemes, high living, and a flat for his daughter, but like a cat he lands on his feet, even inheriting a friend's country villa for an open-ended housesitting gig. Quickly putting his loyal team back together and reconnecting with gal pal Lady Jane Felsham (Phyllis Logan), he finds himself pulled into a dangerous plot involving a possibly invaluable ancient Incan gold ring, a desperate South American government official, Jane's alluring aristocratic friend Victoria (guest star Joanna Lumley), and a kidnapping in Lovejoy's own backyard. Lovejoy is not quite the cad his reputation suggests in this episode, but his skills as a con man come to the fore in a ploy to save both the girl and the gold. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Another wonderful Lovable Lovejoy
In the opening episode of the third season, Divy Lovejoy find in all sorts of complications. When we last saw him, he had left everyone square money-wise, and was off for a much needed vacation. Now he is broke. All the money gone for various reasons and he is house-sitting for a sleaze Freddie the Phone.
He quickly gathers Lady Jane, Tink and Eric back and is ready for action.

Only Lady Jane has company, a old school chum, Victoria (Joanna Lumley). She is a widow of a South American political. Jane get him involved in brokering a deal for an ancient Inca gold ring for Victoria. For safe keeping, Eric convinces Lovejoy to use a new safe that works on eye identification instead of combination. Lovejoy sets up the deal, but find out there are some very nasty people after Victoria. This becomes apparent when Lady Jane is accidentally kidnapped instead of Victoria.

Lovejoy cannot get the safe to open, to get the ring as ransom for Lady Jane, so they pop over to Eaton to get the top safe cracker out of school. It's up to Lovejoy, knight-errant, to safe both damsels in distress.

First of four episodes to feature a romance between Lovejoy and Victoria.

Great fun. Just wish BBC would get off their duff and release lovejoy on DVD! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This is the Lovejoy we've come to fear and love. This fourth season episode finds the quick-thinking rascal broke, despondent, and uncharacteristically bored with antiques, but he suddenly comes to life when he plots an old-fashioned auction scam. Whetting his appetite by conning a naive young antique dealer (for a little operating cash), he proceeds to gather a group of retired pros to run a variation of an auction ring, but when a snag threatens the plan he pulls Lady Jane into the "only slightly illegal" scheme as an unwittingly accomplice. Lovejoy has always been at his best with his back against the wall and Ian McShane rises to the occasion with one of his most spirited performances. With a twinkle in his eye and barely suppressed grin on his face, McShane lets his audience know that the antique game is more fun when Lovejoy bends the rules. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (1)

McShane is a charming rogue
McShane took Jonathan Gash's books are made Lovejoy his own, a kinder, gentler character as it were. The Ring is one of the best episode of the series.

This picks up after Lovejoy is released from Jail (a set up) but he served time anyway with a roomie - a biker named Mavis. Lady Jane, Tink and Eric are concerned because Lovejoy seems rather depressed and not accepting help from them. He goes to an auction and find a series of watercolour in the cottage style. He decides if he can get one sold at a high price he can sell all 22 paintings so he resorts to his old shifty ways to bump the bidding. He goes to his old Ring - partners that conspire to drive up the price. Only one duffer takes a powder at the last instant leaving Lovejoy in the lurch. So he recruits Lady Jane without her knowing. And she is not a happy camper when she discovers how he used her.

It brightly written, with the devilish twinkle in McShane's eye...absolute gems for his fans. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Cloud Waltzing
This is a great movie to see with your spouse on a quiet romantic evening. Wonderful cast, beautiful setting, good story. If you like romances, you'll like this one.

A GREAT ROMANTIC MOVIE
The scenery is beautiful. The acting was great. This is a romance that you will not want to miss. The hot air balloons were beautiful. If romances are your thing....don't fail to add this one to your collection. The surprise ending will be one you won't forget. My husband loved this movie as much as I did. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Young women in strict Muslim households used to send their pledges of love to young men through messages woven through the knots of a carpet in an Arab tradition that continues to this day, explains a dryly intoning narrator. "What, you may ask, has this to do with Lovejoy?" Plenty, as it turns out, when he agrees to sell an Anatolian carpet for Lady Jane and winds up sniffing out a plot when the bidding war over a seemingly ordinary Berber rug is followed by that carpet's theft. Lovejoy shows that for a rascal he too has a heart. While he seems to lose money every time he turns around in this episode, he becomes Cupid to one young lover, a guardian angel to a high-spirited eccentric with a house full of antique treasures, and an uncharacteristically sensitive friend to Lady Jane when her rocky marriage is suddenly put on the line. Not bad for Britain's most notorious, trouble-prone antique hunter. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (2)

another Lovejoy treasure!
It's musical chairs with rugs for Lovejoy, Tink and Eric.

It starts with Lady Jane buying an expensive Anatolian carpet she really loved her bedroom. Her husband blows his stack, but we soon see the is only the "excuse" for the real problems in their marriage. Rug #1

Rug number #2 comes into play when an elderly lady buys a carpet for her dog, unaware that particular carpet held a special meaning for a lovesick lad. When it is stolen, Lovejoy, Tink and Eric have to suss out why an ordinary Berber carpet is causing such a flack.

Lovejoy must solve the riddle, sell Lady Jane's carpet and find a replacement for everyone. So, not only is Lovejoy a divee, an antique dealer like none other, but he is forced into being Sherlock Holmes, Dear Abby, Cupid and a Guardian Angel to a dear old lady and her dog. A man of many hats!

Charmingly directed, acted and written. JUST PLEASE PUT THEM ON DVD!!

Lovejoy is a Joy!
Lovejoy mysteries deal strictly with the world of antiques. There is plenty of British humor here as well as adventure and mystery. This episode is typical of Lovejoy finding his way into things to make a lot of cash only to blow it to satisfy curiosity and to help a friend in need (Lady Jane). This episode sees the end of Lady Jane's marriage which is unfortunate but not unexpected. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Unless you're a collector, avoid like a rusty Dalek.
As with a lot of remakes, this is more a parody than a an attempt to improve on the original. The TV series version was a gripping and involving story of a post-nuclear holocaust world in which the aggressors had become peaceful humanoids and the victims had become paranoid creatures dependant on machinery.

This film version however, is a toy-like movie filled with multi-coloured Daleks armed with fire-extinguishers, a city of lava-lamps and shower curtains, a fake-looking forest and Thals in comical make-up. Doctor Who (as he's known in this film, played by the usually dependable Peter Cushing) has none of the charisma of Bill Hartnell's Doctor, the Daleks barely manage to exterminate anyone but each other, the Tardis interior looks like a junkyard and the attempts at humour are just pathetic.

If you're a five-year-old who's never seen the TV Dr Who then you'll probably love all the pretty colours and...uh, daring exploits. If, on the other hand, you're a fan a serious sci-fi, then this is one to avoid.

Awarded two stars, but only because the soundtrack's nice.

ON TIME AND WITH PLENTY OF SPACE
As fans of DOCTOR WHO will tell you, DR. WHO AND THE DALEKS with Peter Cushing is less about DOCTOR WHO than the DALEKS - and that's exactly how it should be. A vivid full color, widescreen adpatation of Terry Nations script THE MUTANTS (commonly known now as THE DALEKS) for the DOCTOR WHO television series, this is a bright and entertaining film that manages to skirt the line of family fun with the stark horror of the Daleks. A clean and clear transfer of the film, coupled with solid sound and excellent menus is accented with a host of speical features - the best of which is the entertaining feature length commentary with Jennie Linden (Barbara) and Roberta Tovey (Susan) moderated by Jonathan Sothcott which goes into the background of both the movie, the series it was based from and all the actors involved. Not to be missed. For fans of the series, DR. WHO AND THE DALEKS is a must for any collection, for the casual viewer, it's a timeless piece of sound and fury which will not disappoint.

GOOD DOCTOR - GOOD MOVIE!
"Dr. Who and the Daleks" is a fine film version of the television classic! A great addition to anyone's science fiction film collection! Grade: A-

where is continuity?
Dr WHO and the Daleks- It was altogether a good feature but the writers have changed the characters around from the original series, which really throws a Doctor Who fan off guard. It is obvious they did this to help those who had never seen Doctor Who before get in to the story. It was as if Disney had a hand in this retelling.
For starters The Doctor is now the inventor of the tardis and seems to be from earth rather than Gallifrey. Susan has regressed in age and Barbara is not her teacher but rather her sister, while Ian (also supposed to be Susans' teacher) is Barbara's clumsy slapstick boyfriend.
In my opinion the writer was either too lazy to think up an ingenious way to keep the storyline in tact, or was kept from doing so by executive types. We should all know how those guys get when profit is involved.
Aside from the fact they butchered the relationships between the Doctor and his companions the story kept true to the first meeting of the Daleks as in the original series.
After removing the thought of Barbara being the Doctors' granddaughter and constantly reminding my self that she and Ian were Susans' teachers; and Susan just looked extremely young for her age, it became quite enjoyable. However if you must see this story look for the William Hartnell, black and white version first, they are essentially the same story.
In conclusion, maybe for the family; my seven year old son preferred the Peter Cushing version, so I am led to believe it may be more enjoyable for the whole family.

Daleks and the Doctor on a bigger screen
This was the first of the two big-screen adaptions of Dr. Who - with bigger and better special effects than on the show, though taking a different course as to the Dr.'s character. On the show, the Doctor is an alien - a member of an advanced race of humanoids who live extremely long lives, can regenerate their bodies under circumstances that would kill normal muggles like us, and have mastered the science of space-time travel. Carousing through the cosmos, the Doctor's ship is incredibly huge on the inside (actually limitless) but on the outside can look like an object of any size - in the Doctor's case, a London Police call box. Frequent travels brought the Doctor into conflict with the Daleks - machines housing horribly (and never seen) natives of the planet Skaro who descended from the mutated survivors of a global thermo-nuclear war. The most popular of the Doctor's TV-foes, the Daleks were the natural choice to share his leap to the big screen.

While the Daleks' story is unchanged for the film (cold conquerors of a dying world), and though this flick otherwise follows the plot of the serial in which the Daleks were introduced, the flick otherwise changes the Doctor's story. Now, instead of being a time-lord, the Doctor is a curmudgeonly human inventor (named "Doctor Who" - the characters who are his granddaughters are never mentioned by that name) who manages to construct a crude space-time machine which is bigger inside than out, and just happens to look like a Police call box on the outside. Accidentally sending the time/space ship on its way - the Doctor and crew (his two granddaughters and the older one's date) - vanish from Earth and wind up on a blasted alien world. The Doctor tricks his passengers into going out exploring - he's too much of an adventurer to pass the alien world up. When a huge (and seemingly abandoned) city looms nearby, he goes to investigate, hoping - he tells the others - to find extra mercury for a critical fluid link. Instead, when the city proves to be home to nasty sounding Daleks, they are all captured. The Doctor is then forced to learn the nature of these mechanized creatures and find a way to escape and link up with the Thals - green-skinned descendants of the Daleks' ancient enemies. Though the Thals are stubbornly peaceful, you know that the Doctor will lead them to rise up against the Daleks.

This was a great flick - not quite faithful to Who-lore, but confident in its own way. Cushing is an unforgettable Who, though he could have done with the TV incarnation's more hard edged (here he's a kindly old guy with a child's sense of adventure). Being a human inventor raises some questions, but none that get in the way of the fun, and anyway sticking to the TV-show's premise of the Doctor's being a time-lord would complicate things (the story would have to explain his origin AND the Daleks') The Daleks, on the other hand, are faithfully translated to the big-screen - their huge city, their screeching voices and their fascist-style cruelty fit them to a tee (if anything, the movie Daleks are even louder here) The flick ends on a climactic battle that won't dissappoint. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Saturday afternoon fun
Great stuff to watch with the kids! This is not really "hard core" science fiction or even up to par with later Doctor Who TV episodes but its got enough action and a little sillyness to keep even todays kids interested and give the adults a satisfying smile.
The disc has good chapter navigation and the extras are acceptable - the product placement/ad campaign info provided in the extras show were interesting.

Stick with the TV series
I was always fascinated with the original Dr. Who TV show, which had a lot of surprisingly interesting, thought-provoking ideas underlying its low-budget sets and costumes. But this movie doesn't match the TV series' depth. It's clear that this movie was made "just for kids." The exaggerated acting, slapstick humor, and tweedle-dee soundtrack make this a big disappointment if you watch it in the wrong mindset. As a movie for kids, it's colorful and fun. But if you go into it expecting the same quality as the show, you'll find it very disappointing and more than a little cheesy. Save your money.

Pure sci-fi fun and entertainment.
This movie is good, simple to follow and adventurous. It has in it time travel, aliens, robots, spaceships, humor and action. It does look cheesy but that is another good thing in this movie, don't ask me why. Overall: VERY GOOD.

Second Aaru film a worthy spin-off of TV series
The second and last of the Aaru Doctor Who films, Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD, is basically the film version of the second Dalek story, The Dalek Invasion Of Earth, and outdoes the previous Aaru film. Instead of Ian and Barbara, we have Louise, the Doctor's niece, and Tom Campbell, a constable who after being coshed on the head by some robbers, stumbles into the TARDIS just as its course has been set.

The point in making a film rendition of a TV series is to improve on the original, right? Well, this film does do that in many areas, which is what bigger budgets are for. The scene of London in ruins is realized more effectively. Considering how the original serial for this was 150 minutes long, condensing it to 80 minutes and still getting the cream of the plot is quite a feat.

The brass march of the Robomen is snazzy and snappy. The Robomen themselves are dressed in glossy black fetish suits with whips and have goggles over their eyes. I know this wasn't a BBC production, but I'm surprised why they didn't consider that kinky and they backtracked on having a villainess in jackboots too risque in Colony In Space.

The most notable improvement are the Dalek flying saucers, whose two windowed section rotate in opposite directions. They are the most effective in aerial shots, but are done right to scale in ground shots, as when the prisoners are escorted to the landing strip where it is parked.

There is a funny scene involving Tom, disguised as a Roboman. He has trouble marching in sync with the other Robomen, and this includes eating, as they all eat in unison.

The claw-arm Daleks outnumber the standard sink-plunger arm Daleks, and these Daleks have a sharp paint job, enhanced by the fact that they are in colour.

Peter Cushing makes a good Doctor, the gentle archetypal absent-minded professor. Roberta Tovey reappears as Susan. Other notables include Bernard Cribbins as Tom Campbell, Ray Brook as David, who made his mark in Pete Walker films (House Of Whipcord, The Flesh And Blood Show, The Tale Of Tiffany Jones), and Phil Madoc as Brockley the black marketeer. Madoc appeared in a number of stories: The Krotons, The Brain Of Morbius, and The Power Of Kroll. And Jill Curzon shines the screen as the lovely Louise.

In the end, nothing compares to the original series, but this spin-off does have a charm of its own.

this is a cult classic for dr who fans.
unlike the serial, peter cushing fits well as the doctor. when the doctor and his capanions time travel to 2150 where a war wages on between the humans and the daleks. this might be campy, but all dr who fans shoud add this to their video collections. i highly recommend it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Lovejoy's independent-minded daughter Vicki (Amelia Shankley) finds an 18th-century Scottish commemorative sword in her attic and puts it up for auction, inadvertently bidding up her own dad. Lovejoy is about to chalk it up to experience when a Scot named Kinloch (Edward Hardwicke) offers him more than double the value, which only sets his opportunistic mind whirling with possibilities. After a series of robbery attempts Lovejoy decides to investigate Kinloch and witnesses a bizarre dinnertime ritual at his palatial estate. The episode rings with offbeat humor and irony as fate takes an even stronger hand than Lovejoy in the final revelations of the sword's secrets. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A gem of a Lovejoy episode
This episode finds Lovejoy at odds with his grown daughter. To make up for not being the best of absentee fathers while Victoria was growing up, Lovejoy creates a London showroom for his antiques and set daughter up in the showroom as helper and a place for her to live. Victoria wants a real job and to own her own apartment, which sets daughter and father on collision course.

Further complicating matters, Victoria discovers a very rare and unusual Scottish claymore, which she puts up on the sly at an auction and Lovejoy buys not knowing his daughter is the seller!

18th-century Scottish commemorative sword draws the interest of a Scot named Kinloch (Edward Hardwicke) who offers him more than double the value. Instead of taking the officer, Lovejoy -ever ready to turn a sale into an even better sale - sets about to suss out why someone would be offered 3 times the price for the Sword. This leads to Lovejoy being followed, a break-in of the London flat where Lovejoy has to climb on the roof to escape, and in turn leads Lovejoy to break into Kinloch's castle. It's Men in Kilts and Lovejoy out to find out wha' ha' ye!

Great fun - especially when Eric and Victoria trade clothes to fool the people spying on Lovejoy and Eric ends up with a Pink t-shirt saying "so many men...so little time". Sharply, directed, acted and written. Vintage Lovejoy where McShane shines!

Just PLEASE release all the Lovejoy's on DVD....NOW!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Escape in Time" finds the intrepid John Steed and Emma Peel hot on the trail of villains who are offering criminals the perfect escape from modern law: a one-way trip to the past, where they can lose themselves in history. Philip Levene's smart script and Avengers designer Wilfred Shingleton make the time-transport scenes convincing in a very economical way--travelers go to sleep in a room at an opulent, old country house and awaken in that same room furnished in the style of the Georgian or Elizabethan ages, etc. When Mrs. Peel takes a trip back to what she believes is going to be 1790, and is confronted by a masked executioner from an older era, it's yikes time. Levene also wrote the second episode on this tape, "The See-Through Man," in which a discredited inventor (the delightful Roy Kinnear) sells his formula for invisibility and Steed and Emma believe enemy agents may be using it. Not one of the pantheon episodes, "The See-Through Man" is still quite enjoyable, particularly in its tag scene, which finds our hero and heroine pushing Steed's old Rolls after it fails to start. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Emma Carries A Plush Toy - Steed Carries the Day
Unfortunately, the wonderful episode "Escape Through Time" is paired with the clunker "The See-Through Man," but, well, you can't have everything. They're nicely paired in one regard, which is that they're both faux sci-fi pieces about bad guys playing on the credibility of others with elaborate frauds. "See-Through Man" is too see-through plot to maintain the suspension of disbelief, where "Escape Through Time" is far more cleverly done. "See-Through" is largely an intentional comedy, which makes matters worse, since it's painfully unfunny - it's idea of humor is a comic-opera Russian idiot, who, ironically enough, is the same Russian idiot used in one of the previous season's equally spectacularly unfunny scripts. What it does have is Diana Rigg charming her way nicely through the mess that is "See-Through Man's" script.

"Escape Through Time" is by far the better piece, with Steed and Mrs. Peel trying to find out why several of England's most notorious criminals are being found dead of wounds inflicted by archaic weapons. Seems someone is selling them the perfect escape - an escape into the past. True time travel? Or an elaborate get-rich-quick scam? Emma goes through the elaborate plush-toy entry ritual, to find out.

Delightful escape for fans of the Avengers
This episode has one of the few scenes of Mrs. Peel and Steed embracing- to foil the villains of course. Criminals are absconding with millions to England! Emma and Steed begin tracing a route that involves carrying a stuffed animal. Emma repairs one for him and Steed says admiringly I didn't know you could sew. After all, she says crisply, our relationship hasn't been exactly...domestic, has it The viewer can ponder that remark! One of the villains that raves Emma deserves appre-ciation. I appreciate your- appreciation, she says dryly. Steed's attempted rescue. Can't you give me any more than that, asks a harassed colleagaue. I was blindfolded, he says defensively. One of the clues to the villains hideaway is a turkey farm. Witty, satirical and clever. One of the best of the color episodes. ... Read more

Description

John Steed’s impeccable charm and Mrs. Peel’s imperturbable calmwere the essence of "cool" to fans of THE AVENGERS in the 1960s and beyond.Incertain episodes, however, the greatest fun can be found in watching a villain chip awayat their impervious personae.Traps, tricks and mind-control were all in a day’s work forTHE AVENGERS. "The Joker"First aired 11 April, 1967 A vengeful escaped lunatic plays a deadly game with Mrs. Peel, unaware she always hasan ace up her sleeve: Steed!Trapping Emma with an amorous and amoral villain was anoft-used but always effective plot device of THE AVENGERS. Directed by Sidney Hayers, Written by Brian Clemens. "Who’s Who?"First aired 18 April, 1967 When an enemy trades the minds of Steed and Mrs. Peel with those of its own top agents,it takes THE AVENGERS to give the enemy a permanent identity crisis.Must see: theantics of the "evil" hip-swinging, gum-chewing Mrs. Peel and swaggering, cigar-smokingSteed. Directed by John Moxley, Written by Philip Levene. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A great show
Sally Nesbitt makes a great guest appearance as the loony Ona in the nail-biting 'The Joker'.

Emma is terrorized by a past convict she helped to put into prison and now wants her dead. She ends up in a horribly dank old mansion with Ona, a seemingly mentally disturbed young woman who prattles on over nothing.

Emma hears old German jazz tunes and roses keep appearing wherever she ventures in the house. As Steed rushes down to save Emma, he fears he may be too late to get to the leggy Mrs Peel.

Top stuff!

Joker evokes sinister country house atmosphere
Diana Rigg as the poised Mrs. Peel is lured to a country house in an isolated spot. Steed feels he is doing a kindness by not warning her that a sinister German criminal, Prendergast, has escaped. Since Emma was influential in trapping him, leading to his arrest and imprisonment, Steed's friend suggests she be warned... Recurring Joker motifs- Joker playing card on door, multiple copies of one record, a figure that spies on Emma through a peep hole. Rigg conveys Emma's assurance and confidence, then her growing despair when she realizes she is locked in with a faceless murderer who has left her a corpse, cut the telephone wires, taken the door key. It is suitably claustrophobic and suspenseful. Who's who is less interesting, a 2 star episode. One of the stars was ill, the other on vacation so one gets a Steed and Mrs. Peel script with Steed and Mrs. Peel missing through much of the show! There is one teasingly kinky moment. Steed and Emma have been transplanted into different, more common bodies and enemy agents have appropriated theirs.

Emma succeeds in transferring herself back -only to be attacked by Steed who is sure the female enemy agent resides in Emma's body. "If you're not convinced....." She whispers something in his ear. "Oh, Mrs. Peel," The tag of Steed and Mrs. Peel has a great closing line. "One should never take a man for granted (she says of Steed)....but one does!" The producers should never have taken the sublime pairing of Diana Rigg and Patrick MacNee for granted and assumed that ANy female actress would be as good. The show was never as well acted or written after she left. ... Read more

Description

The sublime chemistry between Diana Rigg (as Mrs. Emma Peel) andPatrick Macnee (as John Steed), along with the juxtaposition of Steed’s old worldgentlemanliness with Mrs. Emma Peel’s wealthy jet-set kinkiness, led many Americanviewers to ask the Big Question: Did they or didn’t they?Our lips are sealed. "Return Of The Cybernauts"First aired 15 June, 1967 The deadly Cybernauts -- self-aware robot assassins -- are back.More formidable thanever, they’re still no match for mere flesh-and-blood Avengers.Dr. Beresford (PeterCushing) exposes Steed’s jealous streak by playing Casanova to the "delectable" Mrs.Peel. Directed by Robert Day, Written by Philip Levene. "Death’s Door"First aired 7 June, 1967 Nightmares come true when an enemy agent uses dream-influencing drugs to disrupt adiplomatic conference.Emma and Steed soon bid their plans goodnight.Always readyto improvise, Steed outdoes himself in "Death’s Door" with a makeshift wood-and-stonefirearm. Directed by Sidney Hayers, Written by Philip Levene. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Emma Becomes A Puppet - Steed Cuts the Strings
"Return of the Cybernauts" is just what a sequel to a great success should be - exactly the same, but completely different. Emma is wooed by urbane sophisticate Paul Beresford, who, unbeknownst to anyone, is actually the brother of cybernaut creator Dr. Armstrong, who perished in an accident Beresford blames on Emma and Steed. Beresford utilizes one of Armstrong's cybernaut robots to abduct a small number of Britain's leading scientists, coercing them to create the most evil torture possible in order that Beresford might savor his revenge. One of them devises a wristwatch that commandeers its wearer's nervous system, in essence turning them into a remote-control robot, and Beresford - seething cad that he is - of course intends to use it on Emma.

This episode benefits tremendously from the casting of Hammer mainstay star Peter Cushing as Beresford, and some of the best wit in the series. Steed has his funniest-ever line, when the sadistic Beresford superiorly sneers about all the qualities of his soul-wresting watch, retorting with a smile, "But does it tell good time?" The story is quite clever, in the sense that the new cybernaut menace isn't the robots at all, but the threat of being able to take over the mind and body of people and make robots out of them - yet it retains the use of the actual mechanical man from the original story, for continuity. Gorgeous color photography, great performances (especially from Rigg and Cushing), and a brisk, witty script make this one of The Avengers' all-time best.

"Death's Door" may be considered merely a bonus, on this tape. It's a not-bad semi-rehash of the previous year's "Too Many Christmas Trees." A peace conference is being ruined by the primary delegates' seeming psychic foreknowledge of disasters to come - all of which are, of course, being stage-managed by nefarious outside parties. It's too contrived to be believable, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun.

Return of cybernauts is a return to terror
(5 stars) Writer Philip Levene surpassed his original cybernauts story in this sequel. Peter Cushing is a charming businessman who has ingratiated himself with Steed and Emma while he secretly plots to destroy them. He is Armstrong's brother. Steed is jealous of Beresford's attentions to Emma. "We know nothing against Paul," Emma says mildly. "I'm sure I can think of something if I try," mutters a jealous Steed. Beresford kidnaps terrorized scientists. One would think that such brilliant men would quickly devise a way to foil a cyberanut or escape but only one tries. Cushing gives a memorable performance as a man who secretly hates Steed and Emma but finds her very attractive. "That," he tells his hostage scientists,"is the very delectable Emma Peel." The suspense builds as Beresford schemes to physically enslave them. Great final fight scene and Beresford succombs to the same fate as his ruthless brother. Death's door is a 3 star episode. British politicans are haunted by premonitions of death. Steed and Emma try to guard one nervous politician who later dies of fright. Far less suspenseful than Cybernauts because British diplomats are being menaced. Some of the 1967 scripts were flatter than the 1965-1966 episodes- they lacked mystery and complexity. One misses the variety of Tony Williamson (Too Many Christmas Trees), Roger Marshall (Dial a Deadly Number/girl from Auntie), Malcolm Hulke (The Gravediggers). This one had no humor. Viewing the Avengers it is understanable why Diana Rigg left in 1967. She wisely left while the series was still at the top. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In "What the Butler Saw," one of two black-and-white episodes from the fourth season of The Avengers, someone is leaking defense secrets to "the other side."While gentleman spy John Steed (Patrick Macnee) goes undercover as a butler to locate the culprit, Mrs. Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) launches "Operation Fascination" to attract the attention of the womanizing prime suspect, Captain Miles. About to meet him for drinks, she is memorably advised by Steed, "Don't do anything I would do." Two notable bits: for security purposes, three defense officials zip themselves up in a ridiculous giant plastic body bag that anticipates Get Smart's Cone of Silence; and Emma flees from a pursuer through a succession of doors used to train butlers, a scene echoed in Sam Raimi's Crimewave. "The House That Jack Built" is one of Rigg's finest hours, and a rare chance to see the usually nonplussed Mrs. Peel totally plussed. She is in for "the fright of [her] life" when she is held prisoner in a house rigged by a vengeful techno-obsessed madman bent on driving her insane. Rooms that move and labyrinthian mazes are mere prologue to "the exhibition dedicated to the late Emma Peel." This volume is also available in The Avengers '66, Set 2. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Emma Inherits A Haunted House - Steed Butlers One
This is a very odd pair of episodes, "What the Butler Saw" being essentially a very British comedy and "The House That Jack Built" an intense sci-fi melodrama.

"Butler" is a deliberately more comedic re-telling of an earlier Honor Blackman story, in which very faithful military men appear to be leaking important state secrets. To get to the bottom of it, Emma becomes the seducer of a ladies' man, and Steed first impersonates top-ranking members of each armed service and then turns to butlering to keep a close eye on the suspects. The humor is English farce, not so amusing to American audiences. Probably the funniest thing in the episode is Steed's variety of facial hair disguises while cozying up to the Army, Navy, and Air Force officers. There's also a fairly amusing chase in the finale, with Emma pursued through a series of opening and shutting doors, one after another, all in a straight line and only a few feet apart from each other.

"House" is the better piece of the two, an often genuinely creepy and very atmospheric haunted house story of another color. A nonexistent dead uncle bequeathes Emma his house in the country - which turns out to be an eerie automated prison, designed to become her tomb by a madman with a grudge. Two things especially stand out in this one: the surrealistic sets of the mechanized haunted house, which are really unsettling, and Diana Rigg's virtual one-woman performance as the mouse caught in the trap.

Can you take me now for a quick scrape and a hot towel ..?
Somebody is selling top British defense secrets to the enemy. The talented British agent Steed contacts the double-agent barber. They whisper, but not quiet enough. The barber is killed. The list of potential traitors includes three high ranking officers. They have weaknesses: drunkeness (leading to headaches), gambling (to the extent of neglecting official duties), and womanizing. They also have butlers. Steed decides to join a butling (gentlemen's) school. The action becomes more heated with Mrs. Peel joining the force as an officer's girlfriend. At the end Steed and Mrs. Peel are saved by a retired, senile, patriotic, but not really demented general.

Best episode of the avengers
this is one of my favorite avengers episodes ever. I have seen almost all of them and out of them all this one is one of the most suspensful ones. I have liked this one since i was 9 years old. This movie...[is good] if u have to pick one take this one.

House that jack built holds up better 33 years later.
I viewed the house that Jack built over 30 years ago. The commericals destroyed the unity and made it seem less interesting. On video the suspense builds and the menace of odd camera angles,and rooms that appear to move, make it sinister and fresh. What is appealing is the that the heroine, using her brain and skills, rescues herself ! ... Read more

Amazon.com

In "The Living Dead," reports of a ghost seen in the chapel of a private estate, owned by the 16th Duke of Benedict, bring agents John Steed and Emma Peel into the British countryside to investigate. Another agent is killed while looking for evidence, and soon after, Mrs. Peel disappears. What Steed finds while searching for his partner is a particularly imaginative invention by writer-producer Brian Clemens, a nice blend of science fiction, conspiracy tale, and the usual unflappable charm of the two principals. In the second episode on this tape, "The Hidden Tiger," the villains within an organization called PURRR intend to overwhelm England with ordinary household kittens who are made savagely violent by radio transmitters altering their brain waves. The script by Philip Levene is a succession of clever little mysteries (How did a big-game hunter get mauled to death while he was inside a cage?), and the outrageousness of several scenes (a seemingly doomed Steed is tied to a chair, surrounded by furry kittens) is a hoot. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Living Dead has suspenseful prologue
Brian Clemons Living Dead captures the attention with a provocative prologue. A drunken man stumbles out of the pub and cuts through the graveyard. To his horror, a stone coffin begins to move and the cover slides open, revealing a white haired man in a white outfit who rises, enters the church, and begins tolling the bell. The drunk gibbers to the pub owner and others that he has seen the late, dead Duke Rupert. When they enter the church it is empty, but the bell continues to toll. Wonderful opening, more average script. Clemens repeated his plot , 1965 Town of No Return. It has a little humor FOG- Friends of Ghosts, and SMOG Scientific Measurement of Ghosts. Emma rescues Steed and for a refreshing change Emma and Steed save a few lives instead of everyone being murdered.

Hiden Tiger is hugely overrated. The teaser of Emma painting walls, tearing off paper and being confronted with "Mrs. Peel" printed on the wall, and Steed appearing and tearing paper off the opposite wall "we're needed" is delightful. The cat references are ubiquitous: cat among the pidgeons, quiet as a mouse (Steed to the cats!) I found watching everyone be clawed to death pitiless and redundant. Escape in Time by writer Philip Levene was a far wittier script. HIden Tiger is very overrated. Clemens'scripts the Joker, superlative Seven, Richard Harris The Winged Avenger, and Roger Marshall Something Happened on the Way to the Station were much better scripts. By 1967, midway thorugh the season, the Avengers scriptwise was missing the variety of writers: Roger Marshall, Tony Williamson , John Lucaroti etc. Clemens and Levene are beginning to run out of ideas. If the viewer is a cat lover he or she will probably enjoy HIden Tiger. I found it mundane. Delightful tag of Steed sketching a heart on Emma's wall with his initials. Before he can add hers she spies it and indicates she is not pleased! ... Read more

Description

THE AVENGERS featured Steed, the "top professional" and Mrs. Peel,the "talented amateur," avenging... what?British audiences apparently didn’t care.Butwhen THE AVENGERS was introduced to American audiences, producers felt a jobdescription was warranted:"Extraordinary crimes against the people and the state haveto be avenged by agents extraordinary." "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Station"First aired 22 March, 1967 When agents plan an assignation with assassination aboard a train, it takes quickengineering by THE AVENGERS to derail their nefarious plans.Watch for Steed’svaunted facility with electronics. Directed by John Krish, Written by Brian Clemens. "Something Nasty In The Nursery"First aired 2 April, 1967 When terror toys and nasty nannies drive a slew of British nobles into their secondchildhoods, Steed and Mrs. Peel realise that if they spare the rod they could spoil theentire nation.Dream sequences and lethal playthings make this episode a fan favorite. Directed by James Hill, Written by Philip Levene. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Funny Thing Happened is Fast-paced and witty
Roger Marshall, the writer who penned Silent Dust (1966), the witty Girl from A.U.N.T.I.E., and complex and witty Dial a Deadly Number, began this script. Due to creative differences he left and Brian Clemmens finished it.

Steed and Mrs. Peel set out to meet an agent. The only clue is his briefcase, left behind in the baggage car. The body count kept rising in 1967. The later episodes seem more violent than the black and white ones.

When Steed disappears Emma seeks the help of an elderly expert who dreams of buying abandoned railway stations. "I'd like you to listen to this umbrella." (Steed's umbrella conceals a recording device.) There are the usual ruthless villains- a manaical machine gun firing groom, his ruthless bride. There are great fight scenes- Emma and two china throwing baddies in a dining car, the groom and Emma in to the death battle as he tries to push her out the door, and a great steam- filled battle among assassins and the avengers.

Something Nasty in the Nursery get 3 stars. Secrets are leaking out and each man has the same baffling dream - it involves his childhood nanny. Philip Levene wrote the script that involves a nonplused Steed "Proud fatherhood sits upon you!" proclaims the head of a school for nannies. There is a gun firing jack in the box and the usual dastardly villains but little humor

Funny Thing Happened blends Peculiar and Humorous
Steed and Emma investigate some sinister goings on at a deserted train station. When Steed disappears Emma seeks the help of an elderly railway enthusiast. "I'd like you to listen to this umbrella." "Listen to the-"

The villains are a very killcrazy lot. There is a machine gun -toting murderer who goes about dressed as a groom, his "bride" and cokiller eager to dispatch others-

Humor abounds. Emma subdues the female assassin "A slight difference of opinion," she says breazily, having tossed the bride on the luggage rack.

Glorious fight scene in steam filled railway car, and a humorous dish throwing one in a dining car. Roger Marshall provided a good script. The later Avengers 67 scripts began to flatten out- less plot, no red herrings (unlike 65 scripts) and Emma and Steed seldom save anyone's life anymore. Something Nasty in the Nursery concerns ruthless killer spies, sinister toys - one gentle toy store owner is murdered by a shooting jack in the box. As the violence and body count escalated, the series lost much of its charm. Nasty does have a wonderful ending. Emma, masterfully played by Diana Rigg assumes a think accent as a fortune teller predicting their future adventures, "I see danger. We find a body." "It usually begins that way-" Steed murmurs. Emma "I see two- things." Steed "Do I take care of them?" "No, I do." Delightfully humorous ending after all the pitiless killings.

Irony sparks "funny thing"
Roger Marshall wrote "A funny Thing happened on the way to the station" The title is ironic- meaning peculiar. A middle aged man is chased by 2 younger men- he seemingly outwits them, only to be tricked into getting off at a deserted stop and murdered. Using a sinister, machine gun toting groom is grotesque. This episode has little humor. Emma to eccentric railroad lover, "I'd like you to listen to this umbrella." There is a china smashing battle in the dining car, and a marked deterioration in the 1967 scripts. No longer are there red herrings (Small Game, Murder Market, How to Succeed at Murder) the villains slay and slay. Perhaps the machine gun violence reflected too much of the violence of the 1960s. Something Nasty in the Nursery has a machine gun toting nanny, lethal toys- a jack in the box that fires a gun. AGain the villains kill and attack. One never has to wonder who the baddies are. The later episodes lack the wit and subtlety of earlier Philip Levene and Roger Marshall scripts. It is easy to understand Diana Rigg's observation that "Looking for Mr. Big wasn't very testing." Even the authors of The Avengers Dossier concede that when Brian Clemmens quarreled with writer Roger Marshall, who left, and then Philip Levene, who also quit writing the series became cartoonish and more shallow. Diana Rigg went on to make some quality films and star on Broadway and in London. The decline in scripts continues with the last batch: the redundant Murdersville, and You Have Just Been Murdered. As the writers killed off more and more characters it became off putting and boring. I preferred the 1965 scripts when Steed and Mrs. Peel actually saved lives: the economist in A Sense of History, accountant in How to Succeed at Murder. Stuffing the show with more and more murders made it less engrossing. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Is Venus about to attack Earth? Several members of the British Venusian Society think so, while other BVS devotees are being killed in a rather unearthly manner: hit by some kind of bright light that leaves them shock-white from head to toe. Steed and Mrs. Peel investigate and find, naturally, a larger conspiracy than meets the eye. The enticing mystery (written by Philip Levene) is aided by a nifty sound effect (a high-pitched whine that grows stronger just before the burst of light), and Steed's infiltration of the eccentric BVS group is highly entertaining. The second episode on the tape is another Levene script, "The Fear Merchants," in which businessmen are being reduced to babbling psychiatric patients after being subjected to their worst fears: spiders, birds, fast cars, etc. Steed has to do some fancy footwork to avoid being buried by a bulldozer, and Mrs. Peel--who apparently has no phobias--is nearly subjected to nasty surgical tortures. The satirical element, in which captains of industry are made demented by anxieties, is great fun. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Steed and Mrs. Peel deal with Venusians and Fear Merchants
It took five years for "The Avengers" to make it from British television to the United States, but once it arrived the spy "drama" became one of the first British television cult hits. With Patrick Macnee as the dapper John Steed and Diana Rigg as the implacable Emma Peel, this was a James Bond clone that provided its own eccentric collection of diabolical geniuses, improbable gadgets, and absurd villains. The only thing we took seriously were the two main characters and each week we eagerly awaited for Steed to find a way of telling Emma, "Mrs. Peel, we're needed." This videotape offers up two adventures from 1967:

"From Venus With Love" (First aired January 14, 1967; Directed by Roy Baker and Written by Philip Levene) finds Steed and Emma trying to solve the mystery of bizarre deaths: several men, while taking photographs of Venus in the night sky, suddenly drop dead with their hair turned white. The common denominator are the bizarre characters who belong to the British Venusian Society, who plan to send a spaceship to the planet. Either the Venusians are doing a pre-emptive invasion and targeting the BVS's membership, or somebody has a more earthly reason for wanting the group dead. To solve the matter Emma is racing around the British countryside trying to track down a fleeing bright light. "From Venus With Love" is one of those episodes where eccentric characters abound: my favorite is the retired brigadier who is dictating his memoirs on the war using a series of victrolas to produce the requisite sound effects.

"The Fear Merchants" (First aired January 21, 1967; Directed by Gordon Flemying and Written by Philip Levene) offers another connect the dot mystery as our heroes are confronted with a strange series of businessmen who have suddenly gone insane. This time the common denominator is the wonderfully competitive world of ceramics. But what makes this one interesting are the titular characters, a trio of researchers who find a person's worst fear and use it against them, and then want to prove their theory of Mrs. Peel. I was happy to see "The Fear Merchants" again (it was the second episode of "The Avenger" (in color) broadcast in the U.S.) because a photograph from it was my favorite cover shot on one of paperback novels featuring "The Avengers." The attraction was not just Diana Rigg as Emma Peel, but also the costumes designed by Alun Hughes, which took every opportunity to reveal large expanses of flesh (not to be confused with the famous "Emmapeeler" in the previous episode). This was the episode that hooked me on the series.

However, Emma Peel was more than just good looks. She was smart, had a dry sense of humor, and could kung-fu anybody stupid enough to cross her. But even more fun that watching her take out the baddies was the wry expressions that flittered over Diana Rigg's face as she bantered with John Steed. Before Muldar and Scully, there was Steed and Mrs. Peel.

Venus with Love definitely goes into orbit
From Venus with Love includes several delightful eccentrics. Steed and Emma are puzzled.What is killing young men and turning their hair white? Emma meets a charming, self-deprecating, elegant chimney sweep. "My name is Betram Fortescue Smythe,"he introduces himself to Emma. "Bert Smith," He can't use his aristocratic name because no one would hire him to sweep chimneys if he did. Unfortunately, the charming sweep, smitten with Emma, is zapped a few moments after they meet. Steed is given the most delightful eye examination ever. "Identify them!" orders his eye doctor. "Bowler, top hat..." In addition, a retired army general, a mock up of MOntgomery, is dictating his memoirs, using battle sounds, camouflage etc. until someone camouflages him! Fear Merchants uses irony to make amusing points about human fears. "The pound is sick so we're visiting the hospital," Diana Rigg's dry wit always delivers. A superhuman strong man smashes boards during his workout while a meek looking man struggles hopelessly to lift a barbell. Naturally "superman" is the one traumatized- by a mouse! The usual wit distinguishes this one. Emma and Steed are menaced by psychiatrists' henchmen who practice "deadly medicine." "Notice how fear makes him obey," says the villain coolly to Emma, pointing a gun at Steed, "his fear for you." Neat plot twists as Steed detects the cold blooded doctor's neurosis, and

Emma discovers Steed's secret fear in the tag scene. The first seven color episodes, with the exception of The See Through Man were a much stronger set of scripts than the final 7 of 1967. Viewing the weaknesses of such scripts as: 50,000 Breakfast, See Through Man one can understand why Diana Rigg left.

Avengers-Campy Sixties Laughable Fun, Don't miss out
I am a twenty-something who saw the Avengers only in sindication, (I was born in the early seventies) and I have loved it ever since. Only then could you get away with the zaniness and sexiness that Steed(MacNee) and Mrs. Peel(Rigg) so masterfully displayed. I just bought these new sets they've put out through A&E and all I have to say is BRAVO! Now others can experience all of the fun those of us who've already seen it have everytime we watch Steed and Mrs. Peel.

One of the greatest of the series
The new movie version doesn't come close to the original.I watched this show every week from the first episode to the last,without fail, And of all of them the "Fear Merchants" is the one that I remembered most. Diana Rigg is, without a doubt, The only Mrs. Peel. And Patrick MacNee will always be Steed.

"Mrs. Peel... We're needed..."
Amongst those who have seen last summer's motion picture "The Avengers", and had no idea what it was about (I never saw the show beforehand, but had a lot of background info to start with) now's your chance. It's also the chance for many fans of the original "Avengers" to cash in on the suspense series' first run on the video market. But this is just Volume 1, Trilogy 1. So far eight other volumes have been released from 1967, and inevitably other seasons will come. For now though, this is the place to start! ... Read more

Amazon.com

If you are a new Avengers fan, these two classic black-and-white episodes are the perfect introduction to the beloved British series that combined espionage with science fiction. "The Cybernauts" was the first episode to air in the United States. Steed and Mrs. Peel are up against automated assassins made by an inventor who plots to create an electronic dictatorship. A highlight is an elegantly dressed Mrs. Peel's karate fight. In "Death at Bargain Prices," Steed and Mrs. Peel once again find extraordinary goings-on in the most ordinary places, in this case a department store that serves as a front for madman tycoon Horatio Kane's biggest takeover bid yet--of London (he has rigged the store with a nuclear device). Mrs. Peel works undercover as a clerk, prompting Steed's priceless line, "I asked where to find you and was told, 'Our Mrs. Peel is in ladies' underwear.' I rattled up the stairs three at a time." This episode was directed by Charles Crichton, who directed A Fish Called Wanda. Volumes 1, 2, and 3 are also available in The Avengers '65 Set 1. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Steed Plays With Toys - Emma Tests Her Metal
"The Cybernauts" is the quintessential Avengers episode, the most famous of the series and deservedly so. If you're new to the series, this is the best story to start out on. It has all the elements the show became so famous for - science-fictional story, a flamboyantly bizarre evil mastermind, good suspense, and playful banter between the two principals. Michael Gough is an electronics whiz, who kills off his competition by means of one of his lesser inventions - a simple steel robot named "Roger," who he releases as a guided missile. How the robot homes in on its target is more the mystery than the fact that a robot is responsible for the killings. This episode works in every way, except that the early red-herring of trying to blame a karate expert isn't much of a red-herring, today - but even that gives Mrs. Peele an excuse to strut her stuff in the dojo. Gough is famous for playing evil English cads, and is at his best, here. The robots (yes, there is more than one) are brilliantly designed in minimalist fashion, making them all the creepier.

"Death At Bargain Prices" is also one of the better Avengers entries, with Steed and Mrs. Peele investigating a curious murder at a department store, which they suspect may have something to do with a missing atomic scientist - of course, they're right. Why is a missing atomic scientist connected to a department store murder? Well, that's the fun of finding out, then, isn't it? With special guest cameo appearances by Yogi Bear and Doctor Who's arch-enemies, the Daleks. A good time is to be had by all.

Rush to your local murdered agent missing atomic scientist department store, and buy this double-great tape, double-quick.

Death at Bargain Prices is a bargain at any price!
Death at Bargain Prices is superbly directed by Charles Crichton. MacNee and Rigg deliver top notch performances. After Steed teases her "I was told 'Our Mrs. Peel is in lady's underwear' I rattled up the steps three at a time."

"Merry quips Department, 3rd floor," says an unruffled Emma. She retaliates by telling Steed that a retired industrialist lives on the top floor. "Department of discontinued lines, you should fit right in," she retorts, fingering the lapel of his less than stylish suit. The script is witty and Crichton builds the suspense of a department store with sinister goings on. The music helps build a sense of menace. One pricless scene involves Emma and Steed tracking a Sunday store receipt, a clue from a murdered agent (the store was closed Sunday) to the unnamed department. The saleslady in infant's assumes they are a married couple and that Emma is pregnant. "I can tell you're a proud father to be" she ringingly tells a nonplused Steed. Cybernauts is a 3 star script, overrated and not interesting. Emma has a great fight scene with a young female karate expert, and she and Steed tangle with killer Cybernauts and deranged, power mad scientists. This script has no red herrings or surprise villains. Far inferior to Town of No Return, Dial a Deadly Number, Brimstone, and HOney for the Prince.

Death at Bargain Prices is well worth the price of purchase. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"The Bird Who Knew Too Much" is a Brian Clemens story in which John Steed and Emma Peel find carrier pigeons equipped with tiny cameras used to photograph top-secret missile bases. The photography theme extends to some comic moments in which Steed and Emma both do a little posing for a fashion cameraman, but there is also some fun with a parrot named Captain Crusoe, who requests political asylum at one point. Also on this tape is "The Winged Avenger," a truly crafty piece of work by writer Richard Harris, with good tongue-in-cheek references to the influence of comic-book culture on '60s television. A number of ruthless men are being ripped apart and killed by an unknown assailant, the only clue being that their murders seem to have been predicted in recent comic strips featuring a Batman-like superhero named the Winged Avenger. The zippy climax finds Mrs. Peel and a killer each wearing magnetic boots that allows them to fight on a ceiling. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Steed Reads the Comics - Emma Gets the Bird
Of the episodes on this tape, "The Winged Avenger" is more famous and fun, though "The Bird Who Knew Too Much" is actually the better-made.

"Avenger" is flawed by the too-quick revelation that a bizarre series of high-rise locked room murders are being committed by a freaky man in a razor-taloned bird costume, which spoils the suspense (a mistake not repeated in the very similar later episode, "The Hidden Tiger"). But this one is still too much fun for words, featuring some of the more memorable English eccentrics the series was so famous for, and some of its best high camp. It's not spoiling anything to reveal that Steed discovers his quarry is in the comic book industry by finding recent murders perfectly depicted in a superhero monthly's pages, creating a fabulous sequence in the story where he races to Mrs. Peel's rescue because he sees her there about to be killed. The concluding scene pays homage to the then-current original Batman T.V. series, in humorous fashion.

Sticking with the feathered motif, "The Bird Who Knew Too Much" is - in theory - a more realistic story, though in many ways it's just as camp. Steed and Mrs. Peel find top secrets making their way out of the country via clever and unexpected avian means.

Winged Avenger delightfully spoofs American show
The Winged Avenger is crisply directed. An unseen force makes scraping noises, scales multi-story buildings, and savagely destroys ruthless business men who "downsize" by throwing everyone out of work! Steed and Mrs. Peel consult books trying to find an animal that matches the description. When they realize it is a human predator.. "I have a theory, "Steed relates, "He uses a trampoline, bounces up,scales it with a pick.."

And your other theory? "He bribes the doorman!" Steed says in frustration. As the duo close in on a logical explanation Mrs. Peel meets a dashing explorer, "Nothing like authenticity" assures her as they scale a tiny replica of a mountain with fake snow and simulated high winds. The usual wit pervades Winged Avenger. Mrs. Peel meets an eccentric inventor of boots enabling a person to walk up the side of a house, a building, and on the ceiling. "It'll ruin the carpet trade," she sighs. The fight scene, Mrs. Peel and her insane assailant, in mortal combat upside down on the ceiling, is a delight. A frantic Steed is driving to the rescue. "How are we doing?" he asks the only sane one left alive. "Not good!" Emma's murderous fate is prefigured in huge cartoon drawings. The Bird who Knew too much also features delightful eccentrics. "Twitter" "I don't do bird impersonation," Mrs. Peelsays. "Edgar J. Twitter," he introduces himself. Mrs. Peel's sluthing leads her to a daffy, bird loving professor (recognize the actor from the previous season's HOney for the pRince as QQF Businessman: fantasies, imaginary assassinations!) who trains highly intelligent birds to communicate and memorize- leading to the bird being stolen and British agents being murdered.

all around fun
well if your in the mood f