Bowler Hats and Kinky Boots: The Ultimate Avengers Book

JohnSteedFr · Post by **JohnSteedFr** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 7:07 pm

Do you think, I mean quite honestly, that we'll ever get a chance to see that 'first cut', with the other score on it?

If it could make more sense, at least with the lab scenes planned for the original introduction. It looks great in the trailer. Did you, or your friends, see the original introductory scene?

PS: I'm now reading the last biographies (the part I kinda enjoyed less, but it's excellent nonetheless, quite informative) but I can't wait to see the last and final chapter. Anyway Mike, your book was definitely worth it, it's a guide for all the fans (including the merchandize: all the toys, novels etc.). And I loved that it was UK-limited, we have a clearer vision of the show's impact now in the UK in terms of products.
I hope you didn't think I was annoying to comment all the time etc, it's just I'd planned--right from the start--to give you feedbacks about the book.

darren · Post by **darren** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 8:02 pm

JohnSteedFr wrote:Do you think, I mean quite honestly, that we'll ever get a chance to see that 'first cut', with the other score on it?

If it could make more sense, at least with the lab scenes planned for the original introduction. It looks great in the trailer. Did you, or your friends, see the original introductory scene?

I don't think there's any financial incentive for Warners to ever release it.

MikeR · Post by **MikeR** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 8:03 pm

Joris

I think it’s unlikely that we’ll ever get to see anything other that what appears on the DVD/Blu-ray. Warner Brothers have had plenty of opportunity to compile a director’s cut of The Avengers movie, but they do not appear to have any interest in putting together/restoring the movie to match the shooting script, or one of various revised shooting scripts.

Mick Audsley was the editor on the film and so he saw everything that was shot. It was sometime early in the filming schedule while watching rushes that Mick pointed out to both Jerry Weintraub and Jeremiah Chechik, the lack of rapport between Steed and Mrs Peel. Mick strongly advised that this problem needed to be rectified and in his opinion very little was done about it.

Thanks for all your feedback it’s always a pleasure to discuss The Avengers with you. Plus, it makes me realise that all the effort I put in for 3 years was worth it.

JohnSteedFr · Post by **JohnSteedFr** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 9:16 pm

MikeR wrote:Joris

I think it’s unlikely that we’ll ever get to see anything other that what appears on the DVD/Blu-ray. Warner Brothers have had plenty of opportunity to compile a director’s cut of The Avengers movie, but they do not appear to have any interest in putting together/restoring the movie to match the shooting script, or one of various revised shooting scripts.

Mick Audsley was the editor on the film and so he saw everything that was shot. It was sometime early in the filming schedule while watching rushes that Mick pointed out to both Jerry Weintraub and Jeremiah Chechik, the lack of rapport between Steed and Mrs Peel. Mick strongly advised that this problem needed to be rectified and in his opinion very little was done about it.

Thanks for all your feedback it’s always a pleasure to discuss The Avengers with you. Plus, it makes me realise that all the effort I put in for 3 years was worth it.

It is a 'must buy' book. It feels good to be told once again the story of the show's production but with your book, it goes in-depth. We've got all the details regarding the Honor Blackman series, as the scenes recorded the day before the general recording and what the scenes were.
I loved it!

MikeR · Post by **MikeR** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 11:57 am

Now that Bowler Hats and Kinky Boots has been available for a year, perhaps other contributors to the forum would like to give their views about it?

NickP · Post by **NickP** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 12:56 pm

I've picked up quite a few Avengers books over the years but this is the one I wouldn't be without. It's become the definitive reference to the series in my view Mike.

MikeR · Post by **MikeR** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 1:05 pm

Nick

Thank you, that's very nice of you to say. There were setbacks, but I'm extremely pleased that I persevered with it.

I wanted to call it The Definitive Avengers, but Stephen James Walker asked if I could come up with something else and so I suggested Bowler Hat and Leather Boots, to which he replied as its The Avengers wouldn’t Bowler Hat and Kinky Boots be better. I agreed and then when the cover was being planned the book title was changed slightly to become Bowler Hats and Kinky Boots.

I attempted to include everything I had ever learnt about The Avengers, The New Avengers and the feature film and also did a huge amount of research along the way.

anti-clockwise · Post by **anti-clockwise** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 7:58 pm

The most thorough and comprehensive book on TA I would say. I particularly liked hearing about what was left out of various episodes and rewritten. Sometimes I think it was a shame they did not keep those scenes included/

MikeR · Post by **MikeR** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 9:24 pm

Margo

Thanks for your response. I went through every script I have looking for differences and alterations, even if it was just some dialogue. I found that Brian Clemens' scripts were filmed almost word for word, but others such as Philip Levene's Never, Never Say Die had a couple of sequences (not just scenes) missing from the shooting script.

There appears to have been some rewriting done as the episode was undergoing principal photography.

MRotten · Post by **MRotten** » Sat Dec 05, 2015 7:09 pm

I actually like the fact that the book has no photographs. I am thoroughly enjoying reading it. I'm really not much of a reader, but if it's The Avengers, I'm totally enthralled.