Ron Pickering Movies
- 1977
First broadcast circa 1977, the British game show We Are the Champions pitted teams from different schools in a dizzying succession of complex athletic obstacle courses. The teams (differentiated by their colorful t-shirts) were required to run, jump, throw, catch, and climb, as quickly and dexterously as possible. Each episode ended with a round of water sports, while the winning teams competed in a winner-take-all tournament at the end of every season. Originally hosted by Ron Pickering, We Are the Champions was emceed by Gary Lineker after Pickering's untimely death; Lineker remained with the series until it ran its course in the late '80s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ron Pickering, Gary Lineker, (more)
- 1970
Not to be confused with the 1966 Diabolique rip-off Games, 1970's The Games is set during the Rome Olympics. The film zeroes in on four contestants in the 26-mile marathon race: Briton Michael Crawford, American Ryan O'Neal, Czech Charles Aznavour and Australian Athol Compton. Scenes of the grueling training sessions are placed in context with the personal dramas of the four men. Crawford is being driven to the breaking point by trainer Stanley Baker, O'Neal is suffering from a dangerous heart condition, Aznavour is past forty but obliged to compete by his government, and Compton is an Aborigine fighting a lifelong battle against prejudice. Eric Segal, himself an avid runner adapted the screenplay of The Games from the novel by Hugh Atkinson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Crawford, Ryan O'Neal, (more)
- 1967
A spoof of the superhero craze of the late 1960s, this episode gets under way when several businessmen are found clawed to death. All evidence seems to point to a comic-strip character called The Winged Avenger -- but that's impossible, isn't it? While trying to get to the truth of the matter, Steed and Emma find themselves besieged by characters who seem to have sprung full-grown from the American series Batman (there's even a "BANG! POW!" fight sequence, performed with cardboard cutouts of comic-strip "balloons"). Written by Richard Harris, "The Winged Avenger" first aired in England on February 18, 1967 -- the day after its American TV debut. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
