New release: In conjunction with the new feature film by Guy Ritchie, Season One of the original Man From U.N.C.L.E. will be released as a stand-alone DVD box set on August 4th. The 10-disc set from Turner Home Entertainment is currently priced at $22.96 on Amazon. From the press release: "In this hit spoof on the spy genre, Robert Vaughn and David
McCallum star as a team of secret agents battling the global crime organization
THRUSH. Under the aegis of the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement
(U.N.C.L.E.), the dapper, suave Napoleon Solo (Vaughn) and the equally dashing
Illya Kuryakin (McCallum) jet to exotic locations, defending the world from
evil, chaos and bad taste. Premiering in 1964, this successful series also
starred Leo G. Carroll as Alexander Waverly and featured guest stars such as
William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy (of Star Trek fame), Kurt Russell as a young
stowaway marked for murder, Ricardo Montelban and longtime comedy favorite Ken
Murray. From trying to save the world from fear gas to trying to save
themselves from a pack of bloodthirsty cheetahs, this spoof brings the spy game
to life with vigor and vibrancy. You may even forget it's in black and white!
Get your spy on with The Man from U.N.C.L.E!" I'm a huge fan of the first season! A number of episodes benefit from a dynamic, cinema vertite vibe in black and white, and fans will enjoy some great work by director Richard Donner. No further details yet regarding bonus content, but I must assume it will be the same as the Season One content from earlier box set releases. If you didn't already pick up the complete sets, this is a great way to explore one of the most influential shows of the 1960s Spy Boom. More info here.
Kathleen Tracy's biography of Dame Diana Rigg was recently re-released in Kindle and Nook editions. From the press release: "Recently voted the "sexiest television star of all
time" by TV Guide readers, Diana Rigg is best known as the brilliant and
seductive British agent, Emma Peel on The Avengers. The Tony and Emmy
award-winning actress is famous not only for her acting talent, but for her
keen intelligence and strong opinions as well. Diana Rigg biographer Kathleen
Tracy reveals the fascinating professional and personal life of this
rebellious, outspoken icon of feminism- from her childhood in India and early
days with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London to her tenure on The
Avengers, her role in the Bond film On Her Maiesty's Secret Service and her
distinguished stage career." Critics have often mentioned the book relies heavily on published interviews, but unless readers have already synthesized Rigg's coverage in the media, Tracy provides a pretty handy introduction to one of the most important artists in Spy Vibedom. Originally published in 2004, you can now pick up the eBook for a low $6.99. Related Avengers posts on Spy Vibe: Avengers Season 5 Titles,Avengers Interview: Michael Richardson, Avengers Interview: Rodney Marshall I, Avengers Interview: Rodney Marshall II, Rare Avengers Scripts, Lost Avengers Released, Season 5 Blu-ray speed comparison,Shakespeare Spies: Diana Rigg, Diana Rigg at 76, Jean Varon Fashion, Mini-Killers, Mrs. Peel Audio Dramas. Learn More: Bowler Hats and Kinky Boots by Michael Richardson. Stay tuned for more Avengers interviews on Spy Vibe. Enjoy!
There's only one Avengers! Moving into color for season five, the production team brought in documentary and TV commercial director John Krish to set the style of the show through new opening and closing title sequences. He was offered a chance to direct every other episode, but found the production pace too fast- only 10 days to edit and cast each next episode. Agreeing to do the titles, which were apparently planned by Brian Clemens, Krish was forced to rush through the filming on a Sunday afternoon at Elstree and wrap by 5:30. Talking in a 2014 interview (below), he said, "All I had was the chair, the cyclorama, a bottle of champaign, the gun. Diana Rigg had flu. Neither of them wanted to be there on a Sunday. It was hard, but it's not revealed, which is the point." Kris went on to direct three episodes of The Avengers in 1967: "Escape in Time", "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Station", and one of my all-time favorite Diana Rigg episodes, "The Living Dead". Past studies of Avengers production have also suggested possible involvement by directors Robert Day and Robert Asher at the time, so Krish's interview may finally clear up details regarding the filming of the title sequences. Stay tuned for upcoming Avengers interviews! Below: production stills of Diana Rigg as Mrs. Emma Peel taken during the Season 5 closing titles, excerpt from the 2014 interview with director John Krish, and the original Season 5 opening and closing titles. Enjoy! Related posts: Avengers Interview: Michael Richardson, Avengers Interview: Rodney Marshall I, Avengers Interview: Rodney Marshall II, Rare Avengers Scripts, Lost Avengers Released, Season 5 Blu-ray speed comparison,Shakespeare Spies: Diana Rigg, Diana Rigg at 76, Jean Varon Fashion, Mini-Killers, Mrs. Peel Audio Dramas. Learn More: Bowler Hats and Kinky Boots by Michael Richardson.
Take a Sunday drive with Spy Vibe and THE SAINT! Roger Moore as Simon Templar put his Volvo P1800 through the paces in a high-speed chase through 1963 London- not only a thrill of editing, but a wonderful time-capsule of the cars, fashion, and architecture of the time. The scene is from "The Rough Diamonds" (season 2, episode 10), which co-starred Douglas Wilmer (The Avengers, Sherlock Holmes, HG Welles' Invisible Man, A Shot in the Dark, The Baron, Hammerhead, UFO, The Protectors). Moore and Wilmer were reunited in Octopussy in 1983. Next up, Jay Leno's Garage takes us on a tour of the famous Volvo P1800 from The Saint. Wrap up your morning of motoring with XCar and their documentary about The Saint. Enjoy!
