But first…
Dulltown, UK: Today’s Raymond Chandler quote is from his novel The High Window (1943):
He leaned back in his chair with the smile of a bored aristocrat.
‘All set?’ I inquired. ‘Pulse and respiration normal? You wouldn’t like a cold towel on your head or anything?’
He didn’t curl his lip because it had been curled when he came in. ‘A private detective,’ he said. ‘I’ve never met one. A shifty business one gathers. Keyhole peeping, raking up scandal, that sort of thing.’
‘You here on business, I asked him, ‘or just slumming?’
His smile was as faint as a fat lady at a fireman’s ball.
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Another of my mail art postcards, a simple collage on fluorescent card using clippings from that awful UK TV listings magazine What’s On TV.
Are these two characters famous enough to be recognised by anyone under the age of, oh, say 40?
The Avengers was on TV here in the UK in the 1960s – gosh, that’s fifty-odd years ago, mind you, it was so stylish and charming that they are still rerunning them – probably there is an episode playing right now, somewhere in the world…
Despite a fairly high body count in each adventure they still managed to maintain a lighthearted, witty, tongue in cheek, ‘swinging 60s’ feel.
Ah, Mr John Steed and Mrs Emma Peel – what a combination! I’m sure that the writers of the much later X-Files must have been familiar with The Avengers – just look at their creations, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully; that same platonic, but smouldering, relationship, the warmth, the humour, and the cheeky ironic banter. A very different time, but really, a very similar couple… Hot indeed!…
Dave Whatt 
I recognised them, but sat wondering where I had seen them from, and I had to read on before the “aha!” moment dawned. Lovely couple, and yes, now you mention it, the dynamics are very similar to the X-Files couple…..although I have to say that Mr Mulder is rather more interesting to watch than Mr Steed, haha! 🙂
“Rather more interesting to watch”? Doh!…
The Avengers was quite popular in the US as well
Oh, I know. You could tell, by the way at the start of each show it said “Made in Color” with ‘colour’ spelled the American way, so as not to confuse the US audience.
That sentence might seem like it’s grammatically incorrect. . was vs were..but I meant the program, not the characters
I’d go for ‘was’ myself – ‘The Avengers’ being the programme.
He leaned back in his chair with the smile of a bored aristocrat…..which begs the question, how many readers would have been familiar with how an aristocrat smiles when he’s bored? I guess I can only imagine…..I don’t think I’ve ever knowingly been in the company of an aristocrat, much less one that was bored. Maybe because I have such a titillating personality people are not bored in my company? Nah.
Yes, yes, I’m sure no one could be bored in your company Dana.
Oh, I think we all know what aristocrats look like, we’ve seen ’em in films – anyway, over here we have real ones to look at, should we wish to…
hahahaha…oh Dave! Yes, those imitators (mostly from Boston, I’d guess)
They keep running emma peel and tara king episodes, but we need some reruns of the Cathy Gale’s and even some earlier ones with the Dr. I looooveeee the Avengers. Mrs Peel, we’re needed.
Cathy Gale – I’d forgotten about her, and the Doctor. I suppose those episodes would be be far too old and crusty, and very black and white, to show – and the cardboard scenery would show up badly on our HD TVs…
Ah! but who remembers Steed’s first partner was Ian Hendry. I’m kind of glad he left to be replaced (eventually) by Diana Rigg. She was major crush of mine as a young lad and, fine actor though he was, I really don’t think the Hellfire Club episode would have been the same with Mr Hendry in basque, gloves and knee length kinky boots.
“Kinky boots” – gods, just typing that makes me feel old.
Oh yes, Ian Hendry – I do remember him. As I recall he always came across a bit dour and reluctant. Yes indeed, the Rigg episodes were definitely the peak of the ‘arc’ (as they say these days).