Diana Rigg on The Sentimental Agent

About two years before starring as Emma Peel on The Avengers, Diana Rigg made her television debut in 1963 on The Sentimental Agent. The Sentimental Agent was a spin-off from another series, Man of the World, and starred Carlos Thompson as a sophisticated Argentinian import/export man who involved himself in various intrigues. The show only had 13 episodes.

The Sentimental Agent has the distinction of introducing Diana Rigg to the world of television. She had been performing on-stage since the 1950s, but in the early 1960s she decided to begin performing on TV. The Sentimental Agent was her first appearance, then she did a few teleplays before landing the role of Emma Peel on The Avengers.

Diana Rigg's Sentimental Agent episode, 'A Very Desirable Plot', was originally broadcast in late 1963. The episode takes place in the Caribbean, where a bunch of people have bought plots of land to build homes on. However, the land turns out to be unsuitable for building and the people are outraged to find that they may have been swindled out of their money. The suave Carlos Varela (played by Carlos Thompson) is the one who has sold these people prefabricated houses to put on their land and he is as surprised as they are to find out that the land is a swamp. After some of the landowners place blame on him for being involved with this scheme, he quickly sets about trying to rectify the situation. Carlos Varela must find the man who sold them the undesirable land and then lay a trap for him in order to rescue the large group of scam victims.

Diana Rigg plays Francy, the daughter of a retired British military man who has spent his savings to purchase land and a home in a tropical island paradise. Francy does not trust Carlos Varela and begins her own investigation. Of course, being as enchanting as she is, Carlos takes a liking to her and she appears to like him as well.

Its a bit hard to believe that this is someone's television debut because she acts so naturally. I guess being onstage for years previously had really paid off, because Diana Rigg is wonderful here. She displays all of the charm and understated exuberance that would make her famous a couple of years later in The Avengers. All in all, a very auspicious screen debut and its no wonder that she would become internationally known shortly thereafter.

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Here are some images of Diana Rigg on The Sentimental Agent:

Barbara De Rossi in Hearts and Armour

In 1983. Barbara De Rossi starred as Bradamante in Hearts and Armour (the English title of the original Italian title I Paladini - storia d'armi e d'amori). The film is an epic fantasy piece based upon Ludovico Ariosto's 16th century epic poem 'Orlando Furioso'. Barbara De Rossi stars alongside an international cast, mostly comprised of Italian and American actors and actresses.

The first things I noticed about Hearts and Armour were the stunning cinematography by Dante Spinotti and the amazing set and costume design. Disregarding everything else, the movie simply looks fantastic.

Barbara De Rossi made Hearts and Armour very early in her career. Her first film was in 1978, but she didn't really begin her acting career in earnest until 1980. As in most of her English-language features, her voice is dubbed here. Nevertheless, she manages to make quite an impression, especially due to her striking beauty. Beyond that, it is perhaps not difficult to make an impression when surrounded by some of the cheesiest American actors that could be found.

The movie was released to theaters internationally and Warner Brothers dubbed the movie for English speaking markets. However, Hearts and Armour to this day remains a cult classic, not widely seen then or now. The film had a VHS release but I guess no one has deemed it worthy of a nice DVD release. One can only hope that a digital remaster will appear someday and hopefully in widescreen! Hearts and Armour is just too good not to get a bit more recognition.

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Here are some pictures of Barbara De Rossi in Hearts and Armour (I Paladini - storia d'armi e d'amori):

Jill Townsend on The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.

Jill Townsend's first appearance on TV was on Hawk, a short lived detective series starring Burt Reynolds, which aired in November of 1966. January 31, 1967 saw the airing of Jill Townsend's second television guest appearance on The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. In an episode called 'The Drublegratz Affair', Jill Townsend plays Sherilee, a young woman with a cast on her leg who happens to be at the same wintry mountaintop location where some evil-doings are happening. She shares a funny scene with co-star Noel Harrison and later gets locked in a wardrobe with Stefanie Powers and Noel Harrison. Jill Townsend's character is not heavily featured in the episode, but she does get a few opportunities to be on the screen and she does a great job with the material and time she is given.

Of course, later on in 1967 Jill Townsend would be cast in a starring role on the TV western Cimarron Strip. She would go on to do quite a few other memorable TV guest appearances over the years, not to mention a handful of film roles. However, it is quite fun to see her in this early role just prior to her achieving a greater level of fame.


Here are a few pictures of Jill Townsend on The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.:

Jill Townsend with Stefanie Powers and Noel Harrison

Charlotte Rampling on The Avengers

After being featured in the films Rotten to the Core and Georgy Girl in 1965 and 1966 respectively, Charlotte Rampling turned her attention to a string of UK television appearances. Perhaps the best remembered of her four TV guest spots was her role on The Avengers.

Unfortunately, Charlotte Rampling's Avengers episode is the only one of her four mid-'60s TV appearances that is generally available to the viewing public. The Avengers was popular in the UK and overseas and has been repeated consistently over the years on TV, made available on VHS and now has been released on DVD. The other shows that Charlotte Rampling appeared on (Five More, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Theatre 625) have not had the good fortune of enjoying such international success and are not as well remembered today, leading to a lack of repeats and home video releases. Maybe some or all of these items exist on the collector's circuit, or maybe they will turn up someday. Let's hope so!

Charlotte Rampling and Patrick Macnee

In the fifth season episode of The Avengers titled 'The Superlative Seven', Charlotte Rampling plays Hana. As one of a group of seven individuals, each outstanding in some way, she is ushered to an unknown location for sinister purposes. Hana is an expert shooter and dresses in cowboy gear for the duration of the episode, only occasionally removing a cowboy hat which normally places on the back of her head. Despite the silly costume, Charlotte Rampling still manages to look terrific throughout. She has a great exuberance and charming quality here, the same that she brought to many of her early roles.

Charlotte Rampling and Diana Rigg

Though they only share one scene together, it is also worth noting how amazing it is to see two of Britain's best and most beautiful actresses, Charlotte Rampling and Diana Rigg, on the screen together!

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Here are some pictures of Charlotte Rampling on The Avengers: