The Avengers International Fan Forum

mousemeat · Posted: Sun May 18, 2014 11:50 am Post subject: Ray Austin

been an while, since he's posted on the forum..right ? wondering what's he has been up to..and more....i could certainly ask him a truckload of questions..concerning the stunts, etc

MikeR · Epic Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Posts: 1130 Location: UK

mariocki · Winged Avenger Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 514

When I saw him in London last year he said he was planning on writing his autobiography so hopefully he's been busy with that.
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denis · Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 6:05 am Post subject:

mousemeat · Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 11:50 am Post subject: Re: Ray Austin

denis rigg · A Touch of Brimstone Joined: 06 Sep 2008 Posts: 2591

Wow, I am currently studying TV Times from 1-7 February 1969, and found Ray's commentary on how he became a film director for swimming sequence in Avengers episode The Bird Who Knew Too Much:

Eventually The Avengers provided me with a chance when a director went sick on a critical shooting day and I was called on to direct a swimming sequence with Diana Rigg. They were happy enough with the results to make me a second unit director.

Curiously, I read about it in other articles earlier as for Ray started as film director in The Avengers from this scene, but the information was presented so that I thought that Ray was simply asked to shoot the scene as a chance for him to measure his capabilities.
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MikeR · Epic Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Posts: 1130 Location: UK

Does anyone know of an interview with Ray where he talks about how he came to work on The Champions as the second unit director.

He does not appear to have done many interviews over the years.

mariocki · Winged Avenger Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 514

Mike - I know he mentioned it during his interview at The Cinema Museum a few years ago but I don’t think that’s available anywhere. He’s done a few interviews and commentaries for Lives In The Pictures recently so you could have a look at their videos on YouTube, probably the one for All Done With Mirrors would be a good place to start:

https://youtube.com/channel/UCn4zLn2xA13IvIbRcSt-99w

https://youtu.be/iBVU9_INv9I
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MikeR · Epic Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Posts: 1130 Location: UK

Hi Geoff

Thanks for taking the time to read and assist. I will take a look over at YouTube and see if Ray mentions this at all. John Hough who went the other way from The Champions to The Avengers gives insight as to why this occurred. It appears to be that John was too extravagant as a second unit director, which I’m assuming means that he was taking too long to complete location filming and/or taking his unit far away from Elstree Studios, when the local Borehamwood area could easily provide suitable filming locations. John also got caught up in the fallout over The Champions episode To Trap a Rat, which was taken out of the hands of director Sam Wanamaker after he failed to finish principal photography on the episode in the standard turnaround time of 10 days. It was well known that producer Monty Berman was very budget conscious, especially on The Champions. There is a three part interview with John on The British Entertainment History Project that covers his entire career including The Avengers/The New Avengers and his other television and film directing.

mousemeat · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2022 5:45 pm Post subject:

mariocki · Winged Avenger Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 514

mousemeat · Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2022 5:31 am Post subject:

MikeR · Epic Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Posts: 1130 Location: UK

Geoff and Mousemeat

Again thanks for taking another look at this one. Apparently John found an ally in Sam Wanamaker when they were filming the episode to Trap a Rat, but when that went pear shaped it did not go well for the second unit director and assistant producer Johnnie Goodman told him on more than one occasion that his work was too extravagant. John and Ray Austin knew each other from working at Elstree Studios and they would frequently go for a drink after work and it was during one these visits to the pub where an agreement was made that they would swop series. In saying this, it would appear that Albert Fennell and Monty Berman were in agreement with this arrangement and allowed it to happen.

I have now watched several of the watchalong commentaries and Ray does mention this time of his life although not in the same amount of detail that John did during his interview. However, Ray did point out that although he had left The Avengers he was back on series quite quickly as a freelancer to direct the episode Have Guns Will Haggle and of course John was his second unit director.