The Avengers Forever: Dissertation

	Robin Redmon Wright Call for Interviews

Did watching the first feminist on television, Honor Blackman as Dr. Catherine Gale, influence your life?

[After watching Cathy Gale in The Avengers] Women were leaving their homes, their kitchens and their crèches in droves and going out and starting to throw men over their shoulders, which they've been doing ever since. It was sheer luck that the women's movement was starting to get going then.

-–Patrick Macnee

My name is Robin Redmon Wright, and I am a Ph.D. candidate from Texas A&M University and that statement by Macnee led me to formulate the topic of my dissertation research. And the more I've investigated the subject, the more fascinated I have become by the avant-garde nature of the character of Catherine Gale and her influence on female viewers. I am investigating the long-term effects of strong, successful, television female role models by looking at the one female character that was so incredibly far ahead of her time.

I want to interview women who were influenced by Honor Blackman's strong portrayal of the world's first televised feminist heroine. All interviews will be strictly confidential. No real names will be used.

I want to hear your stories! If you can answer any of these questions, I would love to interview you for my doctoral dissertation:

1) What do you remember about the place of women in western culture when the character of Catherine Gale in The Avengers first hit the airwaves in 1962?

2) Did watching Cathy Gale on television have an effect on your choices, actions and/or worldview?

3) Can you tell me any stories about how watching the character of Cathy Gale (or the person of Honor Blackman) affected what you did? How you thought?

If you would be willing to participate in this research project, please email me at rrwright@sfasu.edu and tell me briefly about your experiences. I look forward to hearing from all those fans of Honor Blackman/Cathy Gale who were inspired by the actor and/or the character. Also note that I will be in England in July to interview people who contact me before then for face to face interviews. Let's tell the world how much she meant to women! Thank you.

—Robin Wright