The Avengers film that never was

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 5:08 am

cyberrich wrote:I'm sure one of Dave Rogers old fanzines mentioned the film, with a brief outline of the plot which I seem to remember had something to do with insects. It must be 20 years since I read these and the memory can play tricks, so I'll dig these out, have a read through and get back to you. I also remember a script was written by Brian Clemens circa 1980 for a sequel to the Avengers featuring a new girl called Samantha. It was never filmed, but I remember reading the first couple of pages of dialogue from this too, so I'll look for that as well. I wonder if we'll end up reading this in it's entirety.

The insect one you're thinking of is probably The First Avengers Movie, the mooted TNA-continuing one with Steed, Gambit, and new girl Carruthers (What was it with Brian Clemens and that name?). The Samantha one featured Samantha Peel, Emma's daughter-in-law, Steed, and an American agent, with a body swapping agent named Bobby Lomax trying to off Steed. Neither ever made it far. There was also Escapade, which I'd actually like to see, even if only to see how bad it was.

Sam · Post by **Sam** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 6:14 am

Timeless A-Peel wrote:
cyberrich wrote:I'm sure one of Dave Rogers old fanzines mentioned the film, with a brief outline of the plot which I seem to remember had something to do with insects. It must be 20 years since I read these and the memory can play tricks, so I'll dig these out, have a read through and get back to you. I also remember a script was written by Brian Clemens circa 1980 for a sequel to the Avengers featuring a new girl called Samantha. It was never filmed, but I remember reading the first couple of pages of dialogue from this too, so I'll look for that as well. I wonder if we'll end up reading this in it's entirety.
The insect one you're thinking of is probably The First Avengers Movie, the mooted TNA-continuing one with Steed, Gambit, and new girl Carruthers (What was it with Brian Clemens and that name?). The Samantha one featured Samantha Peel, Emma's daughter-in-law, Steed, and an American agent, with a body swapping agent named Bobby Lomax trying to off Steed. Neither ever made it far. There was also Escapade, which I'd actually like to see, even if only to see how bad it was.

I missed Escapade. I remember my uncle mentioning that he'd watched it and that it "looked like an American Avengers". Neither one of us realsed until years later that it really was.

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 8:43 am

Timeless A-Peel wrote:There was also Escapade, which I'd actually like to see, even if only to see how bad it was.

Just a run-of-the-mill Quinn Martin movie with two uncharismatic actors. Shown once in the UK on a Sunday afternoon and never seen again... I don't think I even bothered with the ending and just thought, 'Avengers? This could be anything... '

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 5:20 pm

Dandy Forsdyke wrote:
Timeless A-Peel wrote:There was also Escapade, which I'd actually like to see, even if only to see how bad it was.
Just a run-of-the-mill Quinn Martin movie with two uncharismatic actors. Shown once in the UK on a Sunday afternoon and never seen again... I don't think I even bothered with the ending and just thought, 'Avengers? This could be anything... '

But you actually got to see it, at least. I just have to go by what I've read. I need a time machine...

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 10:55 pm

Timeless A-Peel wrote: But you actually got to see it, at least. I just have to go by what I've read. I need a time machine...

I daresay it will turn up somewhere at some stage. YouTube will be a very likely bet. When I say I watched it, I probably had one on on the telly and the other on Howard The Duck or Master of Kung Fu or whatever Marvel comic was to hand at the time...

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 3:32 pm

ESCAPADE - IMDB entry

This was the pilot for an American version of the British series The Avengers. As far as I know, it was broadcast only once, to fill up an hour when few people were likely to be watching.

I've read that it was subtitled Avengers U.S. but don't remember seeing that on screen. If one missed Brian Clemens's name in the credits, one would never have guessed this was intended as a home-front version of his earlier show, since it omitted all the things that had made that one compelling: wit, fantasy, bizarreness, mystery, derring-do, masquerade, kinkiness, ordinary interest....

This one was just standard-grade, or a bit below, and so were the leads, utterly inadequate as the intended Yank counterparts of Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee. Trying to be cool, Morgan Fairchild as "Susie" just came off as snide, and Granville van Dusen as "Joshua Rand" played his part squarely and heavily (one can gather from the characters' names the blandness of the approach).

What ever did the producers think they had?

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 4:35 pm

Thanks, Dandy. It sounds bad, but I'd still have liked the opportunity to watch it for myself and decide just how bad it was. I'm surprised it hasn't popped up on youtube or something. (And I wonder how much money it cost the networK? That could've gone to another season of TNA!)

Borgus Weems · Post by **Borgus Weems** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 2:54 pm

Allard wrote:I will quote a text from the booklet that came with the Contender DVD box of season three:

"Honor Blackman told ABC of her decision to leave the Avengers... This resulted in the abandonment of plans for a Beirut-set feature film, The Avengers - Pursuit of Evil by Magna Incorporated and producer Louis de Rochemont"

The interesting thing in this tidbit to me is that a specific place and producers were mentioned... I'll bet it was being put together as a "we have the money and a place, all you need to do is come up with a script & film it" kind of deals... I wonder what info de Rochemont might have in his files (assuming he has files).