I love British TV series from the
1960s-especially the Spy series.
My two favorites were ‘The Prisoner’
and ‘The Avengers’ with ‘The Avengers’ taking the number one spot.
The Emma Peel and John Steed period
was by far my favorite but I enjoyed the series overall.
Originally created as revenge series
the show evolved into a spy thriller starring John Steed and several sexy
leading ladies.
After the original series was
cancelled it was resurrected in the 1970s as ‘The New Avengers’ and in the
1990’s it hit the Silver Screen.
I have an extensive collection of
books about ‘The Avengers’ but they pale in comparison to author Michael
Richardson’s ‘Bowler Hats And Kinky Boots: The Unofficial And Unauthorized
Guide To The Avengers’, published by Telos
Publishing Ltd.
It is the most exhaustive and
thoroughly researched book about ‘The Avengers’ I have ever encountered.
Everything there is to know about
the show is included such as episode guides, behind-the-scenes tidbits,
production notes, sequence of original broadcasts, cast and crew bios and so
much more.
There are even sections on
commercial merchandise tie-ins, the legacy of the show and spin-offs.
There are spy shows and then there
is ‘The Prisoner’ what I consider to be an ‘anti-spy’ TV show.
The series star, Patrick McGoohan
had just come off his immensely popular ‘Secret Agent’ TV series, as it was
known in the United States.
In a brilliant move to bring an end
to his popular spy series, McGoohan created ‘The Prisoner’ which although it
did not name the key player, was known by fans as the spy in Secret Agent.
When a British spy resigned he is
kidnapped and taken to a location known only as ‘The Village’.
While there he is subjected to
various forms of mental manipulations in an attempt to learn his secrets.
It is never made clear whether his
kidnappers were from the British government or enemy agents.
The series only lasted one season
and successfully brought to a conclusion to the saga of the main character.
‘Fall Out: The Unofficial And
Unauthorized Guide To The Prisoner’ written by Alan Stevens and Fiona Moore,
delves into the enigmatic thriller that changed the face of TV forever.
Filled with pop culture references,
utilizing unique storytelling techniques and cleverly managing to keep
audiences guessing each week, ‘The Prisoner’ is a cult classic.
Learn all about the series from
production secrets to cast and crew bios to episode examinations.
Another British creation made a
successful transition to movies from popular novels.
James Bond, the suave and deadly
British spy premiered on the Silver Screen in the early 1960s.
Due to a copyright snafu the popular
series had a lapse where another production company was able to make its own
‘unofficial’ James Bond film based on ‘Casino Royale’.
Made with tongue securely placed its
cheek, ‘Casino Royale’ was more farce that a spy-thriller.
Still it is a James Bond film and
although lambasted by ‘true’ James Bond fans it does have a place in cinema
history.
‘The Making Of Casino Royale (1967)’
by Michael Richardson takes a good hard look at the James Bond spoof.
Cast and crew bios, production
notes, missing scenes, production difficulties and how the film was adapted for
the screen and other interesting tidbits fill the pages with information about
the cult classic.