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You can click here for a much better view (sharper, better color, and no nadir and zenith pinching) or enjoy what Flickrâ„¢ provides. But do click on the external link (to fieldofview.com) and you'll be happy forever--if you derive your happiness from watching carefully made 360 panoramas on the best viewing platform online.
Norman admires the grey house whose stucco is nearly complete. Behind Norman is a brown house that was completed some days ago.
The sky is grey with a mixture of fog and wildfire smoke.
Contractor Norman Hudson called me on February 18, 2021 to tell me he was in line to get the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. He died two days later, at 77 years of age. He thus fulfilled his often-expressed desire never to retire.
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Highest position: 500 on Friday, April 12, 2013
It must be Spring as nests are popping up all over. This Great White Egret is bringing a finely selected stick back with him. I wonder if that is for the Living room or one of the Bedrooms...
Have a great weekend Everyone!
The MJRX SD18 No. 7314 sits outside of the Railway Service Contractors, Inc. shops in Kansas City, KS. It's been released, and in the coming days, it'll be interchanged to the UP, eventually making its way to a grain elevator in Mead, NE.
Though it's not currently wearing the flashiest paint scheme ever, the SD18 is a rare bird. Out of the 114 that were, only 54 were for American railroads while the other 60 were for export.
This engine was built 60 years ago for the Chesapeake & Ohio as the CO No. 1814. It later became the CO No. 7314 and repainted in Chessie System colors before being sold to the Tennessee Southern Railroad.
The Indiana Railroad acquired it, and it was once again sold to North Iowa Rail Holdings as the IBCX No. 7314 and leased to the Iowa Northwestern as the IANW No. 7314, all the while keeping its INRD paint.
It's most recently been used as a switcher at grain elevators, being used by Debruce Grain at Catoosa, OK and Gavilon Grain in Wichita, KS. Gavilon traded this to Railway Service Contractors last year for an SD40T-2. When this arrived here, it still wore its weathered INRD paint. 2/5/23.
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Ok, So I've had this Fuji X100F for a couple of weeks now and can't make up my mind if I love it or hate it. On the plus side it's small, mirrorless and inconspicuous, meaning I can get away with a bit more street photography without being glared at!
However, the ergonomics of the camera are painful. The grip if far to small, and as a result it's easy to accidentally knock one of the four buttons on the command dial. I've disabled two of them, but it's impossible to disable the "drive" button. As a result today I managed to knock the camera into "filters" mode without realizing it and spent 10 minutes trying to work out what I'd done. Somehow it also switch from raw mode to jpg mode at the same time which I didn't realize until I got home, at which point I gave the camera a stream of four letter words.
Another ruthless killer.
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New character.
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The Kenilworth Lodge is a historic hotel built by George E. Sebring in the town of Sebring, Florida, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 15, 2000. The Sebring family, owners, and operators of many pottery businesses moved to Ohio in the late-1800s and with the dream of building their own pottery town that would stand as a memorial to their work and ideas, founded the small town of Sebring, Ohio. Work began at the site in April 1898 with the construction of factories, stores, and homes with George being the first of the Sebring family to construct a house in the town. He operated the Oliver China Company and also founded the town’s first insurance agency and real estate agency. In 1908, he began the planning of a new town on the shores of Lake Jackson in Highlands County, Florida.
The lots of the newly founded town of Sebring, Florida were laid out in a circle, forming the framework of subsequent development of the town. Most residential plots were located within the southern half of the circle with the finer homes located to the west on the shores of Lake Jackson. The Kenilworth Lodge was built in 1916 and like many hotels of the era, it served as an image of progress as well as a place for prospective settlers to stay, featuring an eighteen-hole championship golf course, an orange grove, and a terraced lawn leading to a lakefront beach. It had a beauty parlor, barbershop, a gift shop, and a restaurant. The building itself consisted of a three-story central block with two short wings. Although the architect the unknown, construction was carried out by a local contractor, B.A. Cope. The two wings were extended to their current lengths in 1922.
Sebring sold the hotel in 1923 to a New York syndicate headed by an acquaintance and experienced hotelier, John Connelly. Connelly operated the hotel during the Florida Land Boom and the era’s most defining event which occurred in November 1924, when the town of Sebring and Geroge E. Sebring played host at the Kenilworth Lodge to an annual convention of governors from all over the country. About twenty governors, accompanied by the governor of Florida, Carl A. Hardee, stayed for two days and brought with them national publicity. In 1925, the Kenilworth was sold once again to Vincente Hall and George Kline for $1,000,000 who also purchased the Nan-Ces-O-Wee Hotel from George Sebring in an attempt to monopolize on the burgeoning tourism industry. They would go on to construct the massive Harder Hall on the shores of Little Lake Jackson before the Great Depression put an end to their plans. In June 1927, their corporation went bankrupt and their properties were put up for auction. A local Businessman by the name of David Tuttle purchased the Kenilworth Lodge at auction and operated it throughout the depression. Immediately after World War II, a cabaret was added onto the building, directly on the backside of the central block.
In 1972, Thomas Wohl, a Hollywood, Florida businessman, purchased the Kenilworth Lodge and began selling off parts of the property including the golf course and portions of the block the hotel was situated on. Around this time, a restaurant was built along the south wing and was joined to the hotel by a walkway. The restaurant was sold off in 1995 and the connections to the hotel were sealed at that time. The Kenilworth Lodge was later sold in 1996 to Mark and Madge Stewart and was again sold in later to Robert Mueller, who would operate the hotel until its closure. On May 11, 2016, a small electrical fire activated the hotel’s suppression system, prompting a routine fire inspection of the property. The inspection found multiple fire violations including obstructed exit doors, no fire alarm system, taped over sprinkler heads, non-working emergency lighting, open electrical wires, and more. Due to the violations, the Kenilworth Lodge was condemned and remains closed. Although the building has been boarded up, vandals have found their way inside, causing further damages to the hotel’s interior. At this rate, there’s no telling if or when the Kenilworth Lodge will reopen.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.abandonedfl.com/kenilworth-lodge/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenilworth_Lodge
www.abandonedfl.com/help-information/
www.abandonedfl.com/david-bulit/contact-me/
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"Fantasy Weekly: Return of ‘Hassanity’ off the bench"
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The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series created in the 1960s. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry) and his assistant John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. Steed's most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish and assertive women: Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), and later Tara King (Linda Thorson). Later episodes increasingly incorporated elements of science fiction and fantasy, parody and British eccentricity. The Avengers ran from 1961 until 1969, screening as one hour episodes its entire run.
The pilot episode, "Hot Snow", aired on 7 January 1961.
The final episode, "Bizarre", aired on 21 May 1969.
The Avengers was produced by ABC Television, a contractor within the ITV network. After a merger in July 1968 ABC Television became Thames Television, which continued production of the series although it was still broadcast under the ABC name. By 1969 The Avengers was shown in more than 90 countries. ITV produced a sequel series The New Avengers (1976–1977) with Patrick Macnee returning as John Steed, and two new partners.
In 2007 The Avengers was ranked #20 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever
1961: With Dr David Keel (Ian Hendry)
The Avengers began in the episode Hot Snow, with medical doctor, Dr David Keel (Ian Hendry), investigating the murder of his fiancée and office receptionist Peggy by a drug ring. A stranger named John Steed, who was investigating the ring, appeared and together they set out to avenge her death in the first two episodes. Afterwards, Steed asked Keel to partner him as needed to solve crimes.
The Avengers followed Hendry's Police Surgeon, in which he played police surgeon Geoffrey Brent.[3] While Police Surgeon did not last long, viewers praised Hendry. Hendry was considered the star of the new series, receiving top billing over Macnee, and Steed did not appear in two episodes.
As the series progressed, Steed's importance increased, and he carried the final episode solo. While Steed and Keel used wit while discussing crimes and dangers, the series also depicted the interplay—and often tension—between Keel's idealism and Steed's professionalism. As seen in one of the two surviving episodes from the first series, "The Frighteners", Steed also had helpers among the population who provided information, similar to the "Baker Street Irregulars" of Sherlock Holmes.
The other regular in the first series was Carol Wilson (Ingrid Hafner), the nurse and receptionist who replaced the slain Peggy. Carol assisted Keel and Steed in cases, without being part of Steed's inner circle. Hafner had played opposite Hendry as a nurse in Police Surgeon.[3]
The series was shot on 405-line videotape using a multicamera setup. There was little provision for editing and virtually no location footage (although the very first shot of the first episode consisted of location footage). As was standard practice at the time, videotapes of early episodes of The Avengers were reused. Of the first series, two complete episodes still exist, as 16 mm film telerecordings. One of the episodes remaining does not feature Steed. The first 15 minutes of the first episode also exists as a telerecording; the extant footage ends at the conclusion of the first act, prior to the introduction of John Steed.
The missing television episodes are currently being re-created for audio by Big Finish Productions under the title of The Avengers - The Lost Episodes[4] and star Julian Wadham as Steed, Anthony Howell as Dr. Keel and Lucy Briggs-Owen as Carol Wilson.
1962–64: With Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Venus Smith (Julie Stevens) and Dr Martin King (Jon Rollason)
Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale
Production of the first series was cut short by a strike. By the time production could begin on the second series, Hendry had quit to pursue a film career. Macnee was promoted to star and Steed became the focus of the series, initially working with a rotation of three different partners. Dr Martin King (Jon Rollason), a thinly disguised rewriting of Keel, saw action in only three episodes produced from scripts written for the first series. King was intended to be a transitional character between Keel and Steed's two new female partners, but while the Dr. King episodes were shot first, they were shown out of production order in the middle of the season. The character was thereafter quickly and quietly dropped.
Nightclub singer Venus Smith (Julie Stevens) appeared in six episodes. She was a complete "amateur", meaning that she did not have any professional crime-fighting skills as did the two doctors. She was excited to be participating in a "spy" adventure alongside secret agent Steed (although at least one episode—"The Removal Men"—indicates she is not always enthusiastic). Nonetheless, she appears to be attracted to him and their relationship appears similar to that later displayed between Steed and Tara King. Her episodes featured musical interludes showcasing her singing performances. The character of Venus underwent some revision during her run, adopting more youthful demeanour and dress.
The first episode broadcast in the second series had introduced the partner who would change the show into the format for which it is most remembered. Honor Blackman played Dr Cathy Gale, a self-assured, quick-witted anthropologist who was skilled in judo and had a passion for wearing leather clothes.[5] Widowed during the Mau Mau years in Kenya, she was the "talented amateur" who saw her aid to Steed's cases as a service to her nation. Gale was said to have been born 5 October 1930 at midnight, and was raised in Africa. Gale was early-to-mid 30s during her tenure, in contrast to female characters in similar series who tended to be younger.
Gale was unlike any female character seen before on British TV and became a household name. Reportedly, part of her charm came from the fact that her earliest appearances were episodes in which dialogue written for Keel was simply transferred to her. Said series script writer Dennis Spooner "there's the famous story of how Honor Blackman played Ian Hendry's part, which is why they stuck her in leather and such—it was so much cheaper than changing the lines!"[6]
Venus Smith did not return for the third series and Cathy Gale became Steed's only regular partner. The series established a level of sexual tension between Steed and Gale, but the writers were not allowed to go beyond flirting and innuendo. Despite this the relationship between Steed and Gale was progressive for 1962–63. In "The Golden Eggs" it is revealed that Gale lived in Steed's flat; her rent according to Steed was to keep the refrigerator well-stocked and to cook for him (she appears to do neither). However, this was said to be a temporary arrangement while Gale looked for a new home, and Steed was sleeping at a hotel.
During the first series there were hints Steed worked for a branch of British Intelligence, and this was expanded in the second series. Steed initially received orders from different superiors, including someone referred to as "Charles", and "One-Ten" (Douglas Muir). By the third series the delivery of Steed's orders was not depicted on screen or explained. In "The Nutshell" the secret organisation to which Steed belongs is shown, and it is Gale's first visit to their HQ.
Small references to Steed's background were occasionally made. In series three's "Death of a Batman" it was said that Steed was with I Corps in World War II, and in Munich in 1945. In series four episode "The Hour That Never Was" Steed goes to a reunion of his RAF regiment.
A film version of the series was in its initial planning stages by late 1963 after series three was completed. An early story proposal paired Steed and Gale with a male and female duo of American agents, to make the movie appeal to the American market. Before the project could gain momentum Blackman was cast opposite Sean Connery in Goldfinger, requiring her to leave the series.
Series transformation
During the Gale era, Steed was transformed from a rugged trenchcoat-wearing agent into the stereotypical English gentleman (he had first donned bowler and carried his distinctive umbrella part way through the first season as 'The Frighteners' depicts), complete with Savile Row suit, bowler hat and umbrella with clothes later designed by Pierre Cardin. (The bowler and umbrella were soon changed to be full of tricks, including a sword hidden within the umbrella handle and a steel plate concealed in the hat.) These items were referred to in the French, German and Polish titles of the series, Chapeau melon et bottes de cuir ("Bowler hat and leather boots"), Mit Schirm, Charme und Melone ("With Umbrella, Charm and Bowler Hat") and Rewolwer i melonik ("A Revolver and a Bowler Hat"), respectively. With his impeccable manners, old world sophistication, and vintage automobiles, Steed came to represent the traditional Englishman of an earlier era.
By contrast his partners were youthful, forward-looking, and always dressed in the latest mod fashions. Gale's innovative leather outfits suited her many athletic fight scenes. Honor Blackman became a star in Britain with her black leather outfits and boots (nicknamed "kinky boots") and her judo-based fighting style. Macnee and Blackman even released a novelty song called "Kinky Boots". Some of the clothes seen in The Avengers were designed at the studio of John Sutcliffe who published the AtomAge fetish magazine.
Series script writer Dennis Spooner said that the series would frequently feature Steed visiting busy public places such as the main airport in London, without anyone else present in the scene. "'Can't you afford extras?' they'd ask. Well it wasn't like that; it's just that Steed had to be alone to be accepted. Put him in a crowd and he sticks out like a sore thumb! Let's face it, with normal people he's weird. The trick to making him acceptable is never to show him in a normal world, just fighting villains who are odder than he is!"[6]
1965–68: With Emma Peel (Diana Rigg)
In 1965 the show was sold to United States network, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The Avengers became one of the first British series to be aired on prime time U.S. television. The ABC network paid the then-unheard of sum of $2 million for the first 26 episodes. The average budget for each episode was reportedly £56,000, high for the British industry. The fourth series aired in the U.S. from March to December 1966.
Previously The Avengers had been shot on 405-line videotape using a multicamera setup, with very little provision for editing and virtually no location footage. The U.S. deal meant that the producers could afford to start shooting the series on 35mm film. The use of film rather than videotape was essential, as British 405-line video was technically incompatible with the U.S. NTSC videotape format. Filmed productions were standard on U.S. prime time television at that time. The Avengers continued to be produced in black and white.
The transfer to film meant that episodes would be shot using the single camera setup, giving the production greater flexibility. The use of film production and the single camera production style allowed more sophisticated visuals and camera angles and more outdoor location shots, all of which greatly improved the look of the series. As was standard on British television filmed production through the 1960s, all location work on series four was shot mute with the soundtrack created in post production. Dialogue scenes were filmed in the studio, leading to some jumps between location and studio footage.
Diana Rigg as Mrs Emma Peel
New female partner Mrs Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) debuted in this series, in October 1965. The name of the character derived from a comment by writers, during development, that they wanted a character with "man appeal". In an early attempt to incorporate this concept into the character's name, she was called "Samantha Peel", shortened to the awkward "Mantha Peel".[7] Eventually the writers began referring to the idea by the verbal shorthand, "M. Appeal",[8] which gave rise to the character's ultimate name. Emma Peel, whose husband went missing while flying over the Amazon, retained the self-assuredness of Gale, combined with superior fighting skills, intelligence, and a contemporary fashion sense.
After more than 60 actresses had been auditioned, the first choice to play the role was Elizabeth Shepherd. However, after filming one and a half episodes (the pilot; 'The Town of No Return' and part of 'The Murder Market'), Shepherd was released. Her on-screen personality was deemed less interesting than that of Blackman's Gale and it was decided she was not right for the role. Another 20 actresses were auditioned before the show's casting director suggested that producers Brian Clemens and Albert Fennell check out a televised drama featuring the relatively unknown Rigg (she had earlier guested in an episode of the TV show; 'The Sentimental Agent' that Clemens had written). Her screen test with Macnee showed that the two immediately worked well together, and a new era in Avengers history began.
A prologue was added to the beginning of all the fourth series episodes for the American transmissions. This was to clarify some initial confusion audiences had regarding the characters and their mission. In the opener, a waiter holding a champagne bottle falls dead onto a human-sized chessboard; a dagger protruding from a target on his back. Steed and Mrs. Peel (dressed in her trademark leather catsuit) walk up to the body as the voice over explains: "Extraordinary crimes against the people, and the state, have to be avenged by agents extraordinary. Two such people are John Steed, top professional, and his partner Emma Peel, talented amateur. Otherwise known as The Avengers." During this voice over, Steed pours two drinks from the wine bottle and Mrs Peel replaces her gun in her boot. They clink glasses and depart together. Fade to black and then the opening titles proper begin.
Film location plate presented by ABC TV to the Stapleford Miniature Railway, which is still in use today
In contrast to the Gale episodes, there was a lighter, comic touch in Steed and Peel's interactions with each other and their reactions to other characters and situations. Earlier series had a harder tone, with the Gale era including some quite serious espionage dramas. This almost completely disappeared as Steed and Peel visibly enjoyed topping each other's witticisms. The layer of conflict with Gale – who on occasion openly resented being used by Steed, often without her permission – was absent from Steed's interaction with Peel. Also the sexual tension between Steed and Gale was not present with Peel. In both cases, the exact relationship between the partners was left ambiguous, although they seemed to have carte blanche to visit each other's homes whenever they pleased and it was not uncommon for scenes to suggest Steed had spent the night at Gale's or Peel's home, or vice-versa. Although nothing "improper" was displayed, the obviously much closer chemistry between Steed and Peel constantly suggests intimacy between the two.
Science fiction fantasy elements (a style later known as Spy-fi) emerged in stories. The duo encountered killer robots ("The Cybernauts") and giant alien carnivorous plants ("The Man-Eater of Surrey Green").
In her fourth episode, "Death at Bargain Prices", Mrs Peel takes an undercover job at a department store. Her uniform for promoting space-age toys is an elaborate leather catsuit plus silver boots, sash, and welder's gloves. The suit minus the silver accessories became her signature outfit, which she wore primarily for fight scenes, in early episodes, and in the titles. There was a fetishistic undercurrent in some episodes. In "A Touch of Brimstone" Mrs Peel dressed in a dominatrix outfit of corset, laced boots and spiked collar to become the "Queen of Sin".
Peel's avant-garde fashions, featuring bold accents and high-contrast geometric patterns, emphasized her youthful, contemporary personality. She represented the modern England of the Sixties – just as Steed, with his vintage style and mannerisms, personified Edwardian era nostalgia. According to Macnee in his book The Avengers and Me, Rigg disliked wearing leather and insisted on a new line of fabric athletic wear for the fifth series. Alun Hughes, who had designed clothing for Diana Rigg's personal wardrobe, was suggested by the actress to design Emma Peel's "softer" new wardrobe. Pierre Cardin was brought in to design a new wardrobe for Macnee. In America, TV Guide ran a four-page photospread on Rigg's new "Emmapeeler" outfits (10–16 June 1967). Eight tight-fitting jumpsuits in a variety of bright colors were created using the stretch fabric crimplene.
Another memorable feature of the show from this point onwards was its automobiles. Steed's signature cars were vintage 1926–1928 Bentley racing or town cars, including Blower Bentleys and Bentley Speed Sixes (although, uniquely, in "The Thirteenth Hole" he drives a Vauxhall 30/98), while Peel drove a sporty Lotus Elan convertible which, like her clothes, emphasized her independence and vitality. During the first Peel series, each episode ended with a short, comedic scene of the duo leaving the scene of their most recent adventure in some unusual vehicle.
For this series Diana Rigg's stunt double was stuntman Billy Westley, Patrick Macnee's stunt double was Peter Clay.
Fifth series
After one filmed series (of 26 episodes) in black and white, The Avengers began filming in colour for the fifth series in 1966. It was three years before Britain's ITV network began full colour broadcasting.
This series was broadcast in the U.S. from January to May 1967. The American prologue of the previous series was rejigged for the colour episodes. It opened with the caption The Avengers In Color (required by ABC for colour series at that time). This was followed by Steed unwrapping the foil from a champagne bottle and Peel shooting the cork away. (Unlike the "chessboard" opening of the previous series, this new prologue was also included in UK broadcasts of the series.)
The first 16 episodes of the fifth series begin with Peel receiving a call-to-duty message from Steed: "Mrs Peel, we're needed." Peel was conducting her normal activities when she unexpectedly received a message on a calling card or within a delivered gift, at which point Steed suddenly appeared (usually in her apartment). The messages were delivered by Steed in increasingly bizarre ways as the series progressed: in a newspaper Peel had just bought, or on traffic lights while she was out driving. On one occasion Steed appeared on her television set, interrupting an old science-fiction movie (actually clips from their Year Four episode "The Cybernauts") to call her to work. Another way Steed contacted her was in the beginning of episode 13, "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Station" when she enters her flat and sees a Meccano Percy the Small Engine going around a circular track with a note on one of the train cars that says "Mrs. Peel" in bold letters, she then walks over to Steed who says "you're needed". At the start of "The Hidden Tiger" Peel is redecorating her apartment (wearing a jumpsuit and drinking champagne); she peels off a strip of wallpaper, revealing the words "Mrs Peel" painted on the wall beneath. She turns to see Steed in the apartment removing another strip of wallpaper, revealing "We're needed" painted underneath on another wall. In another instance Emma enters Steed's flat to find he has just fallen down the stairs, and he painfully gasps, "Mrs Peel, you're needed." Often the episode's tag scene returned to the situation of the "Mrs Peel, we're needed" scene. "The Hidden Tiger" returns to the partially redecorated apartment where Steed begins painting a love heart and arrow and the initials of two people on the wall, but paints over the initials when Peel sees his graffito. In "The Superlative Seven" the call to duty and the tag both involve a duck shooting situation where unexpected items fall from the sky after shots are fired.
The series also introduced a comic tag line caption to the episode title, using the format of "Steed [does this], Emma [does that]." For example "The Joker" had the opening caption: "Steed trumps an ace, Emma plays a lone hand".('The Joker' was to a large extent a re-write colour episode of the earlier Cathy Gale b/w era story; 'Don't Look Behind You' as were a few other later episodes re-writes in colour of b/w era tales.)
The "Mrs Peel, we're needed" scenes and the alternate tag lines were dropped after the first 16 episodes, after a break in production, for financial reasons. They were deemed by the U.K. networks as disposable if The Avengers was to return to ITV screens. (Dave Rogers' book The Avengers Anew lists a set for every Steed/Peel episode except "The Forget-Me-Knot".)
Stories were increasingly characterised by a futuristic, science fiction bent, with mad scientists and their creations wreaking havoc. The duo dealt with being shrunk to doll size ("Mission... Highly Improbable"), pet cats being electrically altered into ferocious and lethal "miniature tigers" ("The Hidden Tiger"), killer automata ("Return of The Cybernauts"), mind-transferring machines ("Who's Who???"), and invisible foes ("The See-Through Man").
The series parodied its American contemporaries with episodes such as "The Girl From AUNTIE", "Mission... Highly Improbable" and "The Winged Avenger" (spoofing The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible and Batman, respectively). The show still carried the basic format – Steed and his associate were charged with solving the problem in the space of a 50-minute episode, thus preserving the safety of 1960s Britain.
Comedy was evident in the names and acronyms of the organizations. For example, in "The Living Dead", two rival groups examine reported ghost sightings: FOG (Friends Of Ghosts) and SMOG (Scientific Measurement Of Ghosts). "The Hidden Tiger" features the Philanthropic Union for Rescue, Relief and Recuperation of Cats—PURRR—led by characters named Cheshire, Manx, and Angora.
The series also occasionally adopted a metafictional tone, coming close to breaking the fourth wall. In the series 5 episode "Something Nasty in the Nursery" Peel directly references the series' storytelling convention of having potentially helpful sources of information killed off just before she or Steed arrive. This then occurs a few minutes later. In the tag scene for the same episode, Steed and Peel tell viewers – indirectly – to tune in next week.
For this series Diana Rigg's stunt double was stuntwoman Cyd Child, though stuntman Peter Elliot doubled for Rigg in a stunt dive in "The Bird Who Knew Too Much".
Rigg's departure
Rigg was initially unhappy with the way she was treated by the show's producers. During her first series she learned she was being paid less than the camera man. She demanded a raise, to put her more on a par with her co-star, or she would leave the show. The producers gave in, thanks to the show's great popularity in the US.
At the end of the fifth series in 1967, Rigg left to pursue other projects. This included following Honor Blackman to play a leading role in a James Bond film, in this case On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Rigg and Macnee have remained lifelong friends.
1968–69: With Tara King (Linda Thorson)
Thorson and Macnee
When Diana Rigg left the series in October 1967, the British network executives decided that the current series formula, despite resulting in popular success, could not be pursued further. Thus they decided that a "return to realism" was appropriate for the sixth series (1968–69). Brian Clemens and Albert Fennel were replaced by John Bryce, producer of most of the Cathy Gale-era episodes.
Bryce had a difficult situation in hand. He had to find a replacement for Diana Rigg and shoot the first seven episodes of the new series, which were supposed to be shipped to America together with the last eight Emma Peel colour episodes.
Bryce signed his then-girlfriend, 20-year-old newcomer Linda Thorson, as the new female costar and chose the name "Tara King" for her character. Thorson played the role with more innocence in mind and at heart; and unlike the previous partnerships with Cathy and Emma, the writers allowed subtle hints of romance to blossom between Steed and King. King also differed from Steed's previous partners in that she was a fully fledged (albeit initially inexperienced) agent working for Steed's organisation; his previous partners had all been (in the words of the prologue used for American broadcasts of the first Rigg series) talented amateurs. Bryce wanted Tara to be blonde, so Thorson's brown hair was bleached. However the process badly damaged Thorson's hair, so she had to wear wigs for the first third of her episodes, until her own hair grew back. Her natural brown hair was not seen until the episode "All Done with Mirrors".
Production of the first seven episodes of the sixth series began. However financial problems and internal difficulties undermined Bryce's effort. He only managed to complete three episodes: "Invitation to a Killing" (a 90-minute episode introducing Tara King), "The Great, Great Britain Crime" (some of its original footage was reused in the 1969 episode "Homicide and Old Lace") and "Invasion of the Earthmen" (which survived relatively intact except for the scenes in which Tara wears a brown wig.)
After a rough cut screening of these episodes to studio executives, Bryce was fired and Clemens and Fennel were summoned back. At their return, a fourth episode called "The Murderous Connection" was in its second day of production. After revising the script, it was renamed as "The Curious Case of the Countless Clues" and production was resumed. Production of the episode "Split!", a leftover script from the Emma Peel colour series, proceeded. Two completely new episodes were also shot: "Get-A-Way", and "Look (Stop Me If You've Heard This One) But There Were These Two Fellers".
Dennis Spooner said of the event that "Brian left The Avengers for about three episodes, someone took over, and when Brian came back, it was in a terrible state. He was faced with doing a rewrite on a film they'd already shot." The episode had a story error where Steed leaves for a destination. The villains then realise this and pursue him – yet arrive there before Steed does. It was fixed by having a character ask Steed 'What took you so long?', to which he replies 'I came the pretty way'. "You can only do that on The Avengers you see. It was just my favourite show to work on."[10]
Clemens and Fennel decided to film a new episode to introduce Tara King. This, the third episode filmed for the sixth series, was titled "The Forget-Me-Knot" and bade farewell to Emma Peel and introduced her successor, a trained but inexperienced agent named Tara King. It would be broadcast as the first episode of the sixth series. Tara debuts in dynamic style: when Steed is called to Headquarters, he is attacked and knocked down by trainee agent King who mistakes him for her training partner.
No farewell scenes for Emma Peel had been shot when Diana Rigg left the series. Rigg was recalled for "The Forget-Me-Knot", through which Emma acts as Steed's partner as usual. Rigg also filmed a farewell scene for Emma which appeared as the tag scene of the episode. It was explained that Emma's husband, Peter Peel, was found alive and rescued, and she left the British secret service to be with him. Emma visits Steed to say goodbye, and while leaving she passes Tara on the stairway giving the advice that "He likes his tea stirred anti-clockwise." Steed looks out the window as a departing Emma enters the Bentley driven by Peter – who from a distance seems to resemble Steed (and was played by Patrick Macnee, wearing a bowler hat and umbrella).
Bryce's original episode introducing Tara, "Invitation to a Killing", was revised as a regular 60-minute episode named "Have Guns Will Haggle". These episodes, together with "Invasion of the Earthmen" and the last eight Peel colour episodes, were shipped to America in February 1968.
For this series the government official who gave Steed his orders was depicted on screen. Mother, introduced in "The Forget-Me-Knot", is a man in a wheelchair. The role was taken by Patrick Newell who had played different roles in two earlier episodes, most recently in series five. Mother's headquarters would shift from place to place, including one episode where his complete office was on the top level of a double-decker bus. (Several James Bond films of the 1970s would make use of a similar gimmick for Bond's briefings.)
Added later as a regular was Mother's mute Amazonian assistant, Rhonda (Rhonda Parker). There was one appearance by an agency official code-named "Father", a blind older woman played by Iris Russell. (Russell had appeared in the series several times previously in other roles.) In one episode, "Killer", Steed is paired with Lady Diana Forbes Blakeney (Jennifer Croxton) while King is on holiday.
Scriptwriter Dennis Spooner later reflected on this series. "When I wrote "Look (Stop Me If You've Heard This One) But There Were These Two Fellers", that was definitely the last series. They were going to make no more, so in that series we went right over the top; we went really weird, because they knew there weren't going to be any more."[11]
Spooner said the series "worked because it became a parody on itself, almost. You can only do that so long." Overall he attributes the success of the show to its light approach. "We spoofed everything, we took Mission: Impossible, Bad Day at Black Rock, High Noon, The Dirty Dozen, The Birds... we took them all. The film buffs used to love it. There were always lines in it that people knew what we were talking about."[11]
Vehicle wise, Steed continued to drive vintage green Bentleys in the first seven episodes in production. His regular transport for the remainder of the series were two yellow Rolls-Royce cars. Mother also occasionally appeared in silver Rolls-Royces. Tara King drove an AC 428 and a Lotus Europa. Lady Diana Forbes Blakeney drove an MGC Roadster.
The revised series continued to be broadcast in America. The episodes with Linda Thorson as King proved to be highly rated in Europe and the UK. In the United States however, the ABC network that carried the series chose to air it opposite the number one show in the country at the time, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Steed and King could not compete, and the show was cancelled in the US. Without this vital commercial backing, production could not continue in Britain either, and the series ended in May 1969. The final scene of the final episode ("Bizarre") has Steed and King, champagne glasses in hand, accidentally launching themselves into orbit aboard a rocket, as Mother breaks the fourth wall and says to the audience, "They'll be back!" before adding in shock, "They're unchaperoned up there!"
************************************************************************************
Courtesy of Chatwick University Archives, 1960
Another tough guy....!
Have a great time,thank you for visit.
My DeviantArRT- noro8.deviantart.com/
My ArtStation - www.artstation.com/noro8
treeps.deviantart.com/art/The-Daedric-Contractor-386389382
I said, I did. The daedric version of the Contractor Mask was done.
Also, I'm using the Wintage version of the Somber ENB now. I loved it!! =D
Ken at www.customminifig.co.uk suggested redoing this guy with the Hazel ISA M4. The result looks cool IMO, however I do like my Brickarms assault rifle / shotgun hybrid.
This Left-Hand Drive Scammell Contractor was one of the heavy haulage machines that were active at the Welland (Malvern) Steam and Country Fair in 2023.
The Coconut Grove Playhouse was a theatre in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. The building was originally constructed as a movie theater called the Player's State Theater. It opened on January 3, 1927, as a part of the Paramount chain. The movie house was designed by the architect Richard Kiehnel of Kiehnel and Elliott. It was built by local realtors Irving J. Thomas and Fin L. Pierce. Albert Peacock was the contractor.
The theater was renowned as the second movie theatre on the east coast of Florida to be air conditioned and having the largest Wurlitzer organ in the United States. It was used for a variety of shows until closing in 2006. It has not been used since. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
In the 1950s George Engle, an oilman, bought it and spent over $1 million (equivalent to $47 million in 2017) in renovations having the architect Alfred Browning Parker convert it to a live theatre. It reopened on January 3, 1956 with the US premiere of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, starring Bert Lahr and Tom Ewell.
In the fifty years that have followed, the Playhouse has played host to many of theater's most renowned performers, including Maureen Stapleton, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Eve Arden, Tallulah Bankhead, Carol Channing, Liza Minnelli, Linda Lavin, Bea Arthur, George C. Scott, Colleen Dewhurst, Ethel Merman, and Raúl Esparza.
Between 1964 and 1965, The Coconut Grove Playhouse was used by The Miami Actors Company, which was meant to be an extension of the National Theatre and Academy. The brainchild of Ilse Earl, who taught theatre classes at Miami Dade College, launched this effort. Only 20 actors from Miami and surrounding areas were chosen to become part of this historic event, out of more than 100 or so of those who were asked to audition.
The company was reviewed by The Miami Herald theatre critic at that time. Shows involved, among others, were J.B. by Archibald MacLeish; All the Way Home by Tad Mosel; and Slow Dance on the Killing Ground by William Hanley. Slow Dance was a hurried replacement which had to be put in place within ten days of rehearsal, replacing Hogan's Goat.
In 1982, actor-director José Ferrer was named Artistic Director, and under his supervision the Playhouse gained a reputation as one of the nation's leading theatres. In 1985, Arnold Mittelman was selected after a national search to succeed Mr. Ferrer. Among the productions that premiered here prior to a Broadway opening are Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys, starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, and Urban Cowboy. Sherry Glaser’s Family Secrets moved to off-Broadway and became its longest running one-woman show. The Playhouse presented the world premiere of Fame: The Musical, which went on to great success in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and London’s West End, and mounted a revival of Death of a Salesman, starring Hal Holbrook and Elizabeth Franz, prior to a national tour. The theatre now has two stages, the 1700-seat proscenium Mainstage Theater and the intimate 100-seat Encore Room Theater.
The Playhouse provided a broad range of programs for all ages, including the In-School Touring Program, which presented plays aimed at students in grades six through twelve, Lizard Lessons, original plays with music for kindergarten through third grade, a Summer Theater Camp for teens, and Theater Stages, which teaches acting techniques, playwriting, costume and scenery design, and improvisation to children, teens, and adult performers.
On November 22, 1996, Late Show with David Letterman originated from the theater. It was the last episode of the show not to originate from New York.
The Coconut Grove Playhouse closed in 2006 due to an accumulated debt, which many believed was due to the high operating costs of running the large 1,130-seat theatre. The theatre remains closed to this date. In January 2014, however, Miami-Dade County received permission from the State of Florida to take over the building.
At the time of the Miami-Dade County takeover, there were several ideas for the use of the space. The current plan approved by the State of Florida is for a 300-seat theatre at the venue to be operated by GableStage, a renowned South Florida theatre company currently operating in a 150-seat theatre at the historic Biltmore Hotel. GableStage would work in association with Florida International University and their theatre department, working with them to provide students there with professional, real world experience. At the time of the approval, the City of Miami government waived 1.5 million dollars worth of previously accumulated building violation fees.
This plan was rivaled by a proposal for creating a 700-seat theatre at the space. The group presenting this proposal was led by Mike Eidson, trust chairman at the Adrienne Arsht Center, a large performance complex in downtown Miami. Eidson's involvement in the deal was separate from his position at the Arsht Center. Kevin Spacey was cited as a backer of the plan, with Eidson claiming that he would be interested in serving as an advisor in the project and possibly working as an artistic director upon reopening. Spacey worked in a similar position in reviving London's Old Vic Theatre. This proposal was not passed, however it is still being considered as an option. A county chairman encouraged Eidson to "postpone" his plans, suggesting that the idea is not completely out of sight.
The 700-seat theatre option has received mixed reviews. Ann Anthony, executive director of Miami's Mad Cat Theatre Company, is one of the plan's many opponents. She cited the difficulty of filling a large theatre and the presence of two large theatres nearby, the Miracle Theatre and the venues at the Adrienne Arsht Center. Many people support the plan though, hoping that with Kevin Spacey's backing that the theatre could bring in big stars and become a prominent regional theatre once again.[
After a long bidding process between 9 architecture firms, Miami-Dade county commissioners voted for Arquitectonica to restore the venue and bring it up to current building codes. $20 million in voter-approved bond money has been set aside to fund this project. The building is deemed a historical landmark so it cannot be fully demolished, but many residents are concerned that much of the building will not be preserved.
Preservation architect Richard Heisenbottle sketched a plan for the restoration of the venue that could fit the smaller 300-seat space and the 700-seat theatre proposed by Eidson, and keep most of the original exterior. Upon this development, Arquitectonica was tasked with looking into the budgetary requirements for this plan as well as how much of the historic architecture could be saved if the venue had two performance spaces.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_Grove_Playhouse
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
So we found Green's depot, but there was just this one bus present, a Ford R1014 Plaxton Derwent, alongside a number of minibuses. It had an interesting history though, being new to H&C of South Petherton, Somerset, and sold to contractor Wimpey in 1979 when they closed down. It did well to survive three years there, and returned to PSV use with Green in 1982, who would run it for over 5 years.
Depot, 20/8/86
As we are aware getting into locations can be a bit bizar , as we left this place a local german lady stopped pedalling her bike and asked us when was the "Building " going to be re opened , we so were not german contractors , as we found this place there happened to be major road works right outside the place , the only way in !!
This beautiful church was incorporated in 1923. Work was started the same year toward a new edifice and was completed in 1924. The rectory was moved north to parallel the construction, facing the lake.
L. Phillips Clarke, of Harvey and Clarke, was the architect for the new church, as he was later for the new parish hall in 1929 and for the new rectory and Sunday School rooms built later. Wilcox Bros. Inc., the contractor, built the church and also did repair work after it suffered hurricane damage in 1928.
The marble and mosaic work was done by craftsmen from Italy, who brought much of the material with them. Louis S. Clarke (whose father, C. J. Clarke, had donated the community building in which the original church group met, and whose son was the architect for the present building) made the chandeliers for the church by hand, together with the chains by which they hang, all of which he forged himself. The marble altar and the original Skinner organ were made possible by generous donations.
On February 24, 1924, the first service was held in the new church. The old church building was then used as a parish hall until it was destroyed in the hurricane of September 1928.
Some features that identify it as the original church building are the arch detail over the entrance, the screen doors, and one of the small front windows.
In May 1929 work was started on the first two units of a new parish hall. The cornerstone was laid on July 14th and work was completed in September. A choir room, kitchen quarters, and a new rectory were added in 1939. Funding for and work on the Sunday school rooms which frame the current courtyard commenced in 1948.
The collapse of the land boom in 1926, the killer hurricane in 1928, and the stock market crash of 1929 brought development to a halt in the region. Holy Trinity, holding a large debt for the new building, endured a very difficult struggle and at one point foreclosure was threatened. However, in 1938 as the depression waned, the debt was restructured and disaster was averted.
The formal consecration of the church was held on April 29, 1945, after the mortgage was retired. The event was hailed in the press as "the high point in the history of the Episcopal congregation in West Palm Beach." The consecration services were conducted by Bishop John D. Wing of the Diocese of South Florida, before a congregation that packed the building. The Rev. William S. Turner was rector at that time.
Memorials and gifts throughout the years, too numerous to detail in this limited space, have enhanced the beauty of the church. A large Skinner organ was added to the original organ in 1939, and other additions were subsequently made. The stained glass windows were installed over a period spanning sixty years, with the first window, the large rose window over the altar, being installed in 1924. The most ambitious window addition program occurred in the 1950s with the Rev. James Stirling as Rector. The most recently installed windows, in the south wall of the Baptistry, were installed in 1984.
Having originally been started with the help of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, Holy Trinity has in turn through the years helped start five other Episcopal churches in the area: St. Andrews Church, Lake Worth, St. Georges, Riviera Beach, St. Marks, Palm Beach Gardens, The Church of the Holy Spirit, West Palm Beach, and Grace Episcopal Church, West Palm Beach.
Credit for the data above is given to the following people and websites:
www.flickr.com/photos/59081381@N03/https://en.wikipedia.o...www.holytrinitywpb.org/our-history
www.flickr.com/photos/59081381@N03/
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
A custom built MP/PDW chambered in .45, was one of many unique designs created for hitmen in the service of organized crime, the "Contractor's 45" was sometimes referred to as the modern replacement to the iconic Thompson SMG of the 1920s.
"ALL MY PMC IS RICH AS FUCK!"
Ah, contractors. You love to hate them and hate to love them, but you've gotta admit that it's the most badass job in the world. Stackin' paper, shootin' motherfuckers, drinkin' booze and fuckin' bitches.
C&C Appreciated.
I am really happy with this figure - he is one of my Private Military Contractors, and he is heavily armed!
His helmet is a BrickArms MCH with minifig.cat Nightvision goggles and a Tiny Tactical scope (which I am using as a mounted camera), and he is armed with a BrickArms SMG (with Tiny Tactical additions), a BrickArms proto SABR, and a BricKArms proto Kukri, as well as several extra ammo magaziness. Everything is removable and usable for the figure.
It also uses the head of the GIBrick CIA Operative!
This view offers multiple angles of the figure.
As always, I hope you enjoy the figure, and comments are always appreciated!
This is my personal Contractor's M4A1 (as of 2-23-13, no longer)
Credit to Duke for the rails, the SPW team for the workspace, Wiikling for the mag, Worlock and Skye for the writing, Luckystriker for upper reciever(does not include bolt, writing, etc.)
P.S. The GL, the silencer, and the rail system is all shapework (does not include sight attachments or delta ring)
View all sizes please!!!
Year 1968 - XUP 999F
Engine 6 Cylinder Cummins
Power 390 HP
Gearbox RV Semi-Auto 8 Forward 2
Pulling Capacity 240 Tonnes Gross
History: XUP 999F was the last big Scammell to be brought by Siddle C.Cook in 1968, in december 1977 XUP 999F helped magna load into the record books by moving a 120ft long 401 tonne moisture seperator-reheater bound for san onofre nuclear power station in Calafornia USA. It was the heaviest load to move on the roads in the UK at the time. Seen at Kettarin Rally.