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Patrick McNee dies, first person on CBC-TV in 1952.
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DanNospamSay
Jun 25, 2015, 6:49:07 PM6/25/15
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Not mentioned in the CBC listed obit is Patrick McNee's many works for the CBC.
Patrick McNee, played the live person talking to the irascible "Chich" for the audience in 1952 to 1953.
and several teleplays.
----
Canada and The United States
Between 1950 and 1959 Patrick Macnee worked most of the time in North America, either in Canada or in The United States.
According to the list on Denis Kirsanov's site Steedumbrella Macnee took part in at least 70 TV theatre productions, TV Series or mini series in this decade. Most often he worked for the Canadian TV CBC. Steedumbrella (in June 2014) lists 41 productions for Toronto, followed by his work in the United States, where he appeared in 34 TV Series or TV plays before 1960. Only four television productions between 1950 to 1952 were BBC Sunday Night Theatre productions in England. In order to work more easily in America, Patrick Macnee also took U.S. citizenship in 1959.
He only appeared a few times on stage and did several plays in Canada at that time: Dial M for Murder in Canada (mid 1950s), The Lady's Not For Burning (March 1953) at Hart House Theatre, Toronto; Richard of Bordeaux at Crest Theatre, Toronto for two weeks in January 1954; Haste to the Wedding at Crest Theatre, Toronto in May 1954 and A Sleep of Prisoners at The Jupiter Theatre, Toronto in April 1953.
The director of this play was Leonard White, the later producer of the early series of The Avengers.
He toured with the Old Vic Company on A Midsummer Night's Dream playing the role of Demetrius, but in Scotland, where the tour opened in August 1954, the play wasn't a successful one. It got better critical notices at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in Autumn 1954, and the play ran for 29 performances. A Tour of the U.S. and Canada followed.
from johnsteedsflat.com/television2.html
-------
On the CBC.
Patrick Macnee and Glenyss McDiarmid on the set of The Child Wife. Photo: Alvin Armstrong, CBC Vancouver Still Photo Collection.
from vanalogue.wordpress.com/tag/cbc-television/
"The Child Wife", Pacific 13, air date: July 31, 1957. Writer - Ian Thorne. Cast - Glenyss McDiramid, Patrick Mcnee.
The Child Wife, produced by Andrew Allen and starring local actress Glenyss McDiramid and Patrick Macnee (most famous for his role on The Avengers), aired on CBUT's Pacific 13, Wednesday July 31, 1957.
According to an anecdote in an article of the July 1957 issue of CBC Times, Vancouver actor and writer Ian Thorne wrote a dramatic teleplay called The Child Wife, but he wasn't happy with the dialogue so he was reluctant to show it to CBUT producer, Andrew Allen. He did, however, outline the plot to Allen, who thought it sounded like a good comedy. So, though originally conceived as a drama, The Child Wife, was later reworked into a comedy.
The two main actors in The Child Wife are Glenyss McDiramid as the 'child wife', whose school teacher husband won't let her grow up and Patrick Mcnee as the famous young writer of lurid covered novels who arrives to live close by. Unfortunately, that is all we know about the plot, as a copy of the production no longer exists.
Five kinescope (or kine) prints were made on the telecast night to be distributed to the various stations. Kinescopes were used to distribute copies of TV productions to the regions and affiliates which lay outside of the extent of the Mt. Seymour transmitter prior to the launch of the Anik satellites. Unfortunately, the distribution card indicates that at some point the kine negative was destroyed and only one positive print was kept. However, it also reveals that the final print was out "on permanent loan", as authorized by CBUT's then regional director, Len Lauk.
------
It appears from this early 1954 programming schedule (below) that it took awhile for CBUT to provide programs "of Canadian origination" as evidenced by the numerous American TV shows in the listings. [Contrary to popular belief, the use of American television shows on CBC TV has very deep roots]
[NEWSPAPER COPY ] Typical early CBUT TV programming schedule (ca. early 1954). Note the broadcast of TV test pattern.
Other than the local news, the only Canadian or local programs were Uncle Chichimus and Test Pattern.
[ PHOTO Uncle Chichimus and Hollyhock on cover of CBC Times, Pacific Region Schedule for Dec. 13-19, 1953. ]
Patrick McNee, played the live person talking to the irascible "Chich" for the audience in 1952 to 1953.
Uncle Chichimus and his sidekick (and niece) Hollyhock handpuppets appeared on the cover of the CBC Times guide for Dec.13-19, 1953 - marking the first occasion on which a television subject was thrust into the CBC Times limelight. The creation of puppeteer, John Conway, it is highly appropriate that Uncle Chichimus should be the subject of this particular CBC Times cover. For not only was the chubby, bald puppet and his niece Hollyhock beloved regulars on CBC television broadcasts in the eastern Canada, but they were conceived here on the West Coast.
In 1948, Ontario native, John Conway, moved to Vancouver to teach English at the University of British Columbia. While living in B.C., Conway and a fellow puppeteer toured the province with a new puppet troupe, and it was during this time that he formed the idea of the puppet characters, Uncle Chichimus (Chich) and Hollyhock (Holly). They made their television debut on the very first broadcast of CBLT -Toronto on September 8, 1952, marking the debut of English language television (The CBC's French language television made it's debut two days earlier in Montreal on Sept 6, 1952). They made an appearance on the schedule for CBUT's first broadcast offering special greetings to the new Vancouver TV station.
=========
Patrick Macnee, agent John Steed of TV's The Avengers, dead at 93
The British-born actor died Thursday at his home in California, his son confirmed
The Associated Press Posted: Jun 25, 2015 2:51 PM ET Last Updated: Jun 25, 2015 3:43 PM ET
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/patrick-macnee-agent-john-steed-of-tv-s-the-avengers-dead-at-93-1.3127868
Actor Patrick Macnee, seen here in a 1969 photo wearing the suit and bowler hat of his Avengers character, John Steed, died Thursday of natural causes his family confirmed.
Actor Patrick Macnee, seen here in a 1969 photo wearing the suit and bowler hat of his Avengers character, John Steed, died Thursday of natural causes his family confirmed. (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Patrick MacNee smiles at book signing for his memoirs Blind In One Ear and The Avengers and Me in Los Angeles in 2002. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
His son Rupert said in a statement that Patrick Macnee died Thursday at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
The British-born actor was best known as dapper secret agent John Steed in the long-running television series.
His son says Macnee died of natural causes with his family at his bedside.
"Wherever he went, he left behind a trove of memories," read a statement on the actor's website. "Patrick Macnee was a popular figure in the television industry. He was at home wherever in the world he found himself. He had a knack for making friends, and keeping them."
Born to a noble family
Born to a noble British family in 1922, Macnee spent his early years in Berkshire, England with his father, a racehorse trainer, and a socialite mother, who was well regarded for her work with military families.
He began acting at an early age, and trained at London's Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art after attending the prestigious British boarding school Eton College.
Macnee claimed to have been thrown out of the boys' private school for dealing in horse-race bets and pornography.
The Second World War drew him away from acting for a time, when he served on coastal forces of the Royal Navy.
Time in Canada
After the war, Macnee took a few small films parts, including a role in the 1951 classic A Christmas Carol. But he left England for Canada and later the United States after receiving a call from David Greene, a director friend at CBC in Toronto, according to his website.
Macnee returned to London in the 1960s when production began on The Avengers.
The clever spy drama, which began in 1961 in Britain, debuted in the United States in 1966. It ran for eight seasons and continued in syndication for decades afterward.
The New Avengers
The three main characters in the television series The New Avengers, appear together in a promotional photo shoot in July 1976. From left, Joanna Lumley as Purdey, Patrick Macnee as John Steed, and Gareth Hunt as Mike Gambit. (Wesley/Keystone/Getty Images)
Macnee's character appeared in all but two episodes, accompanied by a string of beautiful women who were his sidekicks. The most popular was likely Diana Rigg, who played sexy junior agent Emma Peel from 1965 to 1968. Honor Blackman played Catherine Gale from 1962 to 1964, and Linda Thorson was Tara King from 1968 to 1969.
"We were in our own mad, crazy world," Macnee told the Wichita Eagle in 2003 when The New Avengers was being issued on DVD. "We were the TV Beatles. We even filmed in the same studio."
But while he made his name internationally playing a smart, debonair British secret agent, Macnee was never a fan of the James Bond movies.
"I think their stories aren't that realistic," he told Salt Lake City's Deseret News in 1999. "I think the sadism in them is horrifying. ... On the other hand, the books -- the James Bond books -- were fascinating."
Macnee outlived three wives. His is survived by his two children and one grandson.
With files from The Associated Press
Patrick McNee, played the live person talking to the irascible "Chich" for the audience in 1952 to 1953.
and several teleplays.
----
Canada and The United States
Between 1950 and 1959 Patrick Macnee worked most of the time in North America, either in Canada or in The United States.
According to the list on Denis Kirsanov's site Steedumbrella Macnee took part in at least 70 TV theatre productions, TV Series or mini series in this decade. Most often he worked for the Canadian TV CBC. Steedumbrella (in June 2014) lists 41 productions for Toronto, followed by his work in the United States, where he appeared in 34 TV Series or TV plays before 1960. Only four television productions between 1950 to 1952 were BBC Sunday Night Theatre productions in England. In order to work more easily in America, Patrick Macnee also took U.S. citizenship in 1959.
He only appeared a few times on stage and did several plays in Canada at that time: Dial M for Murder in Canada (mid 1950s), The Lady's Not For Burning (March 1953) at Hart House Theatre, Toronto; Richard of Bordeaux at Crest Theatre, Toronto for two weeks in January 1954; Haste to the Wedding at Crest Theatre, Toronto in May 1954 and A Sleep of Prisoners at The Jupiter Theatre, Toronto in April 1953.
The director of this play was Leonard White, the later producer of the early series of The Avengers.
He toured with the Old Vic Company on A Midsummer Night's Dream playing the role of Demetrius, but in Scotland, where the tour opened in August 1954, the play wasn't a successful one. It got better critical notices at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in Autumn 1954, and the play ran for 29 performances. A Tour of the U.S. and Canada followed.
from johnsteedsflat.com/television2.html
-------
On the CBC.
Patrick Macnee and Glenyss McDiarmid on the set of The Child Wife. Photo: Alvin Armstrong, CBC Vancouver Still Photo Collection.
from vanalogue.wordpress.com/tag/cbc-television/
"The Child Wife", Pacific 13, air date: July 31, 1957. Writer - Ian Thorne. Cast - Glenyss McDiramid, Patrick Mcnee.
The Child Wife, produced by Andrew Allen and starring local actress Glenyss McDiramid and Patrick Macnee (most famous for his role on The Avengers), aired on CBUT's Pacific 13, Wednesday July 31, 1957.
According to an anecdote in an article of the July 1957 issue of CBC Times, Vancouver actor and writer Ian Thorne wrote a dramatic teleplay called The Child Wife, but he wasn't happy with the dialogue so he was reluctant to show it to CBUT producer, Andrew Allen. He did, however, outline the plot to Allen, who thought it sounded like a good comedy. So, though originally conceived as a drama, The Child Wife, was later reworked into a comedy.
The two main actors in The Child Wife are Glenyss McDiramid as the 'child wife', whose school teacher husband won't let her grow up and Patrick Mcnee as the famous young writer of lurid covered novels who arrives to live close by. Unfortunately, that is all we know about the plot, as a copy of the production no longer exists.
Five kinescope (or kine) prints were made on the telecast night to be distributed to the various stations. Kinescopes were used to distribute copies of TV productions to the regions and affiliates which lay outside of the extent of the Mt. Seymour transmitter prior to the launch of the Anik satellites. Unfortunately, the distribution card indicates that at some point the kine negative was destroyed and only one positive print was kept. However, it also reveals that the final print was out "on permanent loan", as authorized by CBUT's then regional director, Len Lauk.
------
It appears from this early 1954 programming schedule (below) that it took awhile for CBUT to provide programs "of Canadian origination" as evidenced by the numerous American TV shows in the listings. [Contrary to popular belief, the use of American television shows on CBC TV has very deep roots]
[NEWSPAPER COPY ] Typical early CBUT TV programming schedule (ca. early 1954). Note the broadcast of TV test pattern.
Other than the local news, the only Canadian or local programs were Uncle Chichimus and Test Pattern.
[ PHOTO Uncle Chichimus and Hollyhock on cover of CBC Times, Pacific Region Schedule for Dec. 13-19, 1953. ]
Patrick McNee, played the live person talking to the irascible "Chich" for the audience in 1952 to 1953.
Uncle Chichimus and his sidekick (and niece) Hollyhock handpuppets appeared on the cover of the CBC Times guide for Dec.13-19, 1953 - marking the first occasion on which a television subject was thrust into the CBC Times limelight. The creation of puppeteer, John Conway, it is highly appropriate that Uncle Chichimus should be the subject of this particular CBC Times cover. For not only was the chubby, bald puppet and his niece Hollyhock beloved regulars on CBC television broadcasts in the eastern Canada, but they were conceived here on the West Coast.
In 1948, Ontario native, John Conway, moved to Vancouver to teach English at the University of British Columbia. While living in B.C., Conway and a fellow puppeteer toured the province with a new puppet troupe, and it was during this time that he formed the idea of the puppet characters, Uncle Chichimus (Chich) and Hollyhock (Holly). They made their television debut on the very first broadcast of CBLT -Toronto on September 8, 1952, marking the debut of English language television (The CBC's French language television made it's debut two days earlier in Montreal on Sept 6, 1952). They made an appearance on the schedule for CBUT's first broadcast offering special greetings to the new Vancouver TV station.
=========
Patrick Macnee, agent John Steed of TV's The Avengers, dead at 93
The British-born actor died Thursday at his home in California, his son confirmed
The Associated Press Posted: Jun 25, 2015 2:51 PM ET Last Updated: Jun 25, 2015 3:43 PM ET
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/patrick-macnee-agent-john-steed-of-tv-s-the-avengers-dead-at-93-1.3127868
Actor Patrick Macnee, seen here in a 1969 photo wearing the suit and bowler hat of his Avengers character, John Steed, died Thursday of natural causes his family confirmed.
Actor Patrick Macnee, seen here in a 1969 photo wearing the suit and bowler hat of his Avengers character, John Steed, died Thursday of natural causes his family confirmed. (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Patrick MacNee smiles at book signing for his memoirs Blind In One Ear and The Avengers and Me in Los Angeles in 2002. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
His son Rupert said in a statement that Patrick Macnee died Thursday at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
The British-born actor was best known as dapper secret agent John Steed in the long-running television series.
His son says Macnee died of natural causes with his family at his bedside.
"Wherever he went, he left behind a trove of memories," read a statement on the actor's website. "Patrick Macnee was a popular figure in the television industry. He was at home wherever in the world he found himself. He had a knack for making friends, and keeping them."
Born to a noble family
Born to a noble British family in 1922, Macnee spent his early years in Berkshire, England with his father, a racehorse trainer, and a socialite mother, who was well regarded for her work with military families.
He began acting at an early age, and trained at London's Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art after attending the prestigious British boarding school Eton College.
Macnee claimed to have been thrown out of the boys' private school for dealing in horse-race bets and pornography.
The Second World War drew him away from acting for a time, when he served on coastal forces of the Royal Navy.
Time in Canada
After the war, Macnee took a few small films parts, including a role in the 1951 classic A Christmas Carol. But he left England for Canada and later the United States after receiving a call from David Greene, a director friend at CBC in Toronto, according to his website.
Macnee returned to London in the 1960s when production began on The Avengers.
The clever spy drama, which began in 1961 in Britain, debuted in the United States in 1966. It ran for eight seasons and continued in syndication for decades afterward.
The New Avengers
The three main characters in the television series The New Avengers, appear together in a promotional photo shoot in July 1976. From left, Joanna Lumley as Purdey, Patrick Macnee as John Steed, and Gareth Hunt as Mike Gambit. (Wesley/Keystone/Getty Images)
Macnee's character appeared in all but two episodes, accompanied by a string of beautiful women who were his sidekicks. The most popular was likely Diana Rigg, who played sexy junior agent Emma Peel from 1965 to 1968. Honor Blackman played Catherine Gale from 1962 to 1964, and Linda Thorson was Tara King from 1968 to 1969.
"We were in our own mad, crazy world," Macnee told the Wichita Eagle in 2003 when The New Avengers was being issued on DVD. "We were the TV Beatles. We even filmed in the same studio."
But while he made his name internationally playing a smart, debonair British secret agent, Macnee was never a fan of the James Bond movies.
"I think their stories aren't that realistic," he told Salt Lake City's Deseret News in 1999. "I think the sadism in them is horrifying. ... On the other hand, the books -- the James Bond books -- were fascinating."
Macnee outlived three wives. His is survived by his two children and one grandson.
With files from The Associated Press
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