"The Avengers" All Done with Mirrors (1968)

Director:

Ray Austin

Writer:

Leigh Vance (teleplay)

TV Series:

"The Avengers" (1961)

Original Air Date:

13 November 1968 (Season 7, Episode 8)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Somebody is leaking secrets from the Carmadoc research institute and suspicion falls upon Steed, who has been spending some time there...

Plot Keywords:

Mirror | Bound And Gagged | Tied To Chair | Handcuffs | British

Cast

Patrick Macnee	...	John Steed
Linda Thorson	...	Tara King
Dinsdale Landen	...	Watney
Peter Copley	...	Major Sparshott
Edwin Richfield	...	Timothy Barlow
Michael Trubshawe	...	Col. Withers
Patrick Newell	...	Mother
Joanna Marie Jones	...	Pandora Marshall (as Joanna Jones)
Nora Nicholson	...	Miss Emily
Tenniel Evans	...	Prof. Carswell
Liane Aukin	...	Miss Tiddiman
Anthony Dutton	...	Dr. Seligman
Peter Thomas	...	Kettridge
Graham Ashley	...	Markin
Michael Nightingale	...	Real Colonel
Robert Sidaway	...	Real Barlow
Desmond Jordan	...	Walter Guthrie
David Grey	...	Frederick Williams
Peter Elliott	...	Arkin
John Bown	...	Roger
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joe Dunne	...	Sweeno (uncredited)
Bruno Elrington	...	Gozzo (uncredited)
Rhonda Parker	...	Rhonda (uncredited)
Paul Weston	...	Thug in lighthouse (uncredited)

Directed by
Ray Austin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Leigh Vance		teleplay

Produced by
Brian Clemens	....	producer
Albert Fennell	....	producer

Original Music by
Howard Blake

Cinematography by
Alan Hume

Film Editing by
Manuel del Campo

Casting by
G.B. Walker

Production Design by
Robert Jones

Makeup Department
Jim Hydes	....	makeup artist
Janet Wadeson	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Ron Fry	....	production manager
Laurie Greenwood	....	unit manager
Gordon Scott	....	executive in charge of production (as Gordon L.T. Scott)
Franz von Toskana	....	assistant production manager (as Franz von Habsburg)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ron Appleton	....	assistant director
John Hough	....	second unit director

Art Department
Brian Muir	....	sculptor
Kenneth McCallum Tait	....	associate art director (as Kenneth Tait)
Len Townsend	....	associate art director
Simon Wakefield	....	set dresser
Herbert Worley	....	construction manager

Sound Department
Peter Lennard	....	sound editor
A.W. Lumkin	....	recording director
Cecil Mason	....	sound recordist
Len Shilton	....	dubbing mixer

Stunts
Joe Dunne	....	stunt arranger

Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Birtles	....	supervising electrician
Brian Elvin	....	camera operator
Gerald Gibbs	....	director of photography: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Felix Evans	....	wardrobe
Alun Hughes	....	wardrobe designer: Linda Thorston
Patrick Macnee	....	wardrobe designer: Patrick Macnee

Editorial Department
Harry Booth	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Karen Heward	....	music editor

Other crew
Jack Greenwood	....	production controller
Philip Levene	....	story consultant
Terry Nation	....	script editor
Mary Spain	....	continuity
Julian Wintle	....	consultant to the series
Franz von Toskana	....	production accountant (uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sydney Newman		creator

Cinematography by
Gerald Gibbs		(lighting cameraman) (1968-1969)
Walter J. Harvey		(lighting cameraman) (1968-1969) (as Jimmy Harvey)

Film Editing by
John Glen
Frank P. Keller

Costume Design by
Anne Gainsford

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Drummond Riddell	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Keith Batten	....	boom operator

Stunts
Cyd Child	....	stunt double: Diana Rigg, 1965-1967

Transportation Department
George Andrews	....	unit driver

Production Companies

• ABC Weekend Television

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1968) (USA) (TV)
• Independent Television (ITV) (1968) (UK) (TV)

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

ABC Weekend Television

Perhaps the Best Tara Episode of the Bunch

Well paced, good plot with a couple of really fine action sequences, namely Tara taking on a bearded, silent henchmen and kicking another one down the stairs of a lighthouse that takes a year...well, "leap year" so to speak.

The plot itself benefits from being simple in execution as a couple of mysterious deaths near a top secret research facility have Tara investigating along with a new, somewhat inept agent. Because Steed has already been seen at the facility, he is under "arrest" to divert suspicion. Numerous clues lead Tara to a lighthouse where the investigation takes an interesting turn.

Linda Thorson looks wonderful dressed in tight fitting clothing and employing some "pseudo-judo" which makes her fights look more realistic. I enjoy the way the bearded henchman has no set up, yet he seems menacing enough.

Going by production order, this is the first episode that Rhonda appears. According to the official story, Patrick Newell, who plays "Mother" was not happy about having to maneuver his wheelchair around and spotted Rhonda Parker (being 6 foot tall, she was hard to miss) as one of the "beauties" and asked if she could be his assistant. She was hired on the spot and did 17 more episodes. Going by show order, Rhonda actions seem rather out of character as she smiles at Steed as if she has never met him before (in production order, she hasn't). In all of her other appearances she rarely smiles at all.

Overall, this is a well crafted episode that measures up to the Emma Peel period...one of the few that does.