Now there’s a reason for this episode, apart from taking us up to the evening posts which I hope to be up to. January 26th, 1969:
Review:
“The suave Simon Templar has encounters with two gorgeous blonde sisters, who make idealistic statements about death.
The Saint tracks down the ladies to a large remote country house, which is owned by a rich entrepreneur named Keith Longman (Clifford Evans). The ladies, Vanessa (Veronica Carlson) and Stella (Jayne Sofiano) are Longman’s daughters.
After he infiltrates Longman’s home, the Saint finds out from the man himself that he is experimenting with cryogenics. Longman has a bad heart, and he is determined to freeze himself into suspended animation until years later, when he assumes that heart transplants operations will improve. Longman’s freezing process has never been tested on humans–and he believes that the Saint will be the perfect subject.
When I first saw this episode I thought I was watching the Avengers, as it’s the kind of story Steed and Co would be involved in, but I guess it was an experiment, or even an ode to the Avengers; whichever it is, it’s an intriguing episode that borders heavily on horror/sci-fi.
The director is Freddie Francis who, of course, done countless hammer films, and here he keeps things watchable, but it is Joyce Sofiano as the eccentric daughter of the equally eccentric Longman who steals the scene.”
From Wiki:
“The Avengers is a British espionage television series that aired from 7 January 1961 to 21 April 1969. It initially focused on David Keel (Ian Hendry), aided by John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Ian Hendry left after the first series; Steed then became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. His most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish, and assertive women: Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), and Tara King (Linda Thorson). Dresses and suits for the series were made by Pierre Cardin.”
From me:
“I wonder if Hendry of The Avengers was cry-oed by Macnee. Also, I quite liked the insanity of the two females in this … in keeping with most of the girls I’ve known, though the ones I knew had better dress sense. Thank goodness all the ladies I know today are sane … the insane forming the wokerati, no?”