Escapade - Avengers USA (1978)

[Dandy Forsdyke]

In 1978 Brian Clemens took the concept of The (New) Avengers to the US and tried to launch The Avengers USA for Quinn Martin Productions (Cannon, Barnaby Jones, Steets of San Francisco, etc ).

Here is the trailer/opening theme tune ...

http://www.fuzzymemories.tv/screen.php?c=2890

Granville Van Dusen and Morgan Fairchild was their 'Gambit' and 'Purdey'.

Thanks to Odalys Amion on 'The Avengers Yahoo Group' for the heads up.

[Timeless A-Peel]

Thanks so much, Dandy! I've wanted to see a snippet of Escapade literally for years, even though I've been told by people who saw it back in the day that it was horrible. I like to see these things and figure out they're horrible for myself.

Taken the way I took the movie, i.e. not as an Americanised Avengers, but just a seventies show, it looks like it might have been mildly diverting. Not a patch on TNA, though. The guy's particularly underwhelming, not even close to Gareth, although they're both pretty obviously modelled on Gambit and Purdey, even down to some of the wardrobe. You can see a lot of the overlap--lots of Gareth and Joannaish running around, and the credits have nods both to the original series Rigg titles (champagne, the chess game, the flower), and TNA's (the "turning to look at the camera and smiling" technique popped up in the animated set, right down to the greyish background). Honestly, I think what lets it down the most is the stupid computer idea, with all its blinky lights, and the bleepy-bloopy theme song. I think if there was a full episode I'd definitely watch it, just for fun, but I think another season of TNA would have been a better outlet for American money.

Anyway, in four years Remington Steele came along and did fun escapism decently. But I'm really happy to see this.

[Dandy Forsdyke]

Well I was one of those they may have said it was horrible, but I have to disagree with the 18/19 year old me, looking at it again. It does scream 1970s though. Morgan Fairchild looks a but too delicate to do all the Purdey rough stuff though.

I would derfinitely like to see the full episode. Now we have this, who knows ... ?

And Remington Steele passed me by entirely - silly, as I knew even back then who Brian Clemens was and that he wrote a few episodes.

[Dandy Forsdyke]

Deleted. multiposted.

[Dandy Forsdyke]

deleted. multiposted.

[Timeless A-Peel]

Well I was one of those they may have said it was horrible, but I have to disagree with the 18/19 year old me, looking at it again. It does scream 1970s though. Morgan Fairchild looks a but too delicate to do all the Purdey rough stuff though.

I would derfinitely like to see the full episode. Now we have this, who knows ... ?

And Remington Steele passed me by entirely - silly, as I knew even back then who Brian Clemens was and that he wrote a few episodes.

I'd most certainly like to see the full episode. Like I said, on it's own it looks like mindlessly enjoyable fluff, and it'd be fun to see what else they sourced from the original. And I have no problem with the seventies look, either. I have to agree that neither actor looks up to the sort of rough and tumble stuff Gareth and Joanna endured in TNA. And the bikini at the end of the credits did make me roll my eyes a bit. Bit obvious that.

Remington Steele is, in my opinion, the best action/romance/comedy to come out of the eighties (better than Hart to Hart, and streets ahead of Moonlighting, which was pretty much a Remington rip-off created by one of the production people leaving that show to create the new one). Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist were also pretty much the only well-dressed people in the whole of the eighties (I'm so serious. People make fun of the seventies, but there were literally no good eighties clothes outside that show. They didn't exist. And I include Ashes to Ashes in that). It feels very much like a sort of fluffy TNA--they could be Purdey and Gambit if the real Purdey and Gambit spent more time squabbling and snogging. Pierce Brosnan's really excellent in it--he's excellent at the comedy, and manages to be both suave and twitchy/nerotic. They also go over to England for a couple of episodes, and you get a nice couple of guest turns by familiar faces like Simon Oates and Julian Glover. The Brian Clemens stories even have Avengers-like tag scenes, and Ray Austin gets some directing in. I'd highly recommend it.

[Frankymole]

Anyway, in four years Remington Steele came along and did fun escapism decently. But I'm really happy to see this.

And there was this: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085088/

[mousemeat]

Thanks so much, Dandy! I've wanted to see a snippet of Escapade literally for years, even though I've been told by people who saw it back in the day that it was horrible. I like to see these things and figure out they're horrible for myself.

Taken the way I took the movie, i.e. not as an Americanised Avengers, but just a seventies show, it looks like it might have been mildly diverting. Not a patch on TNA, though. The guy's particularly underwhelming, not even close to Gareth, although they're both pretty obviously modelled on Gambit and Purdey, even down to some of the wardrobe. You can see a lot of the overlap--lots of Gareth and Joannaish running around, and the credits have nods both to the original series Rigg titles (champagne, the chess game, the flower), and TNA's (the "turning to look at the camera and smiling" technique popped up in the animated set, right down to the greyish background). Honestly, I think what lets it down the most is the stupid computer idea, with all its blinky lights, and the bleepy-bloopy theme song. I think if there was a full episode I'd definitely watch it, just for fun, but I think another season of TNA would have been a better outlet for American money.

Anyway, in four years Remington Steele came along and did fun escapism decently. But I'm really happy to see this.

yup...concur a third season of New Avengers, would have been far better than this mis fire from QM productions..However, not sure if steed would been along for the ride in season three...

[Dandy Forsdyke]

A third New Avengers series would only have been made with Patrick, although they may have considered the odd episode without Steed as an experiment - or perhaps him making a cameo appearence.

Patrick might well have appeared in an episode of Escapade as well, had it gone beyong the pilot, as Morgan Fairchild, the female lead, said she was looking forward to meeting him. They may have had to call him something other than 'John Steed' though.

[Timeless A-Peel]

A third New Avengers series would only have been made with Patrick, although they may have considered the odd episode without Steed as an experiment - or perhaps him making a cameo appearence.

Patrick might well have appeared in an episode of Escapade as well, had it gone beyong the pilot, as Morgan Fairchild, the female lead, said she was looking forward to meeting him. They may have had to call him something other than 'John Steed' though.

They probably would have gently phased Steed out, gradually letting Gareth and Joanna take on more and more of the load, with Patrick doing a few scenes here and there. Maybe they could do one of those vacation episodes once in awhile, and he could play a bigger role in one of those? But I don't think Patrick would want to keep doing it full-time. Ultimately, I would have liked TNA to end with Steed formally handing the reins over to Purdey and Gambit, with the implication that they would be the first line of defense from now on.

I hadn't heard about him being in Escapade, though--where did you read the Morgan Fairchild bit, Dandy?