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Motorcycle-riding Bond girl dies

By 08.04.202010 Comments

Who remembers Pussy Galore?

Pussy Galore was a fictional character in the 1959 Ian Fleming James Bond novel Goldfinger and the 1964 film of the same name. In the film, she is played by Honor Blackman. She passed away this week at the age of 94.

Honor Blackman riding her Norton Big 4

Norton Big 4

How long it had been since she last rode a motorcycle I don’t dare to say but this was what she was known for; for riding a Norton Big 4 back in the 40s.

Some actors might have refused to play a character called Pussy Galore, especially in those days, but Honor Blackman reportedly loved the notoriety of the role she played in 1964.

Pussy Galore becomes Miss Galore

Even though notoriously conservative US censors refused to allow the name “Pussy Galore” to appear on promotional materials. Instead she would be shown as “Miss Galore”, this didn’t stop the fun-loving Honor Blackman from taking delight in embarrassing interviewers by repeating the character’s name over and over during a US promotional tour for the movie. My kind of girl 😊

The Avengers

Far lesser known fact is that, Blackman played motorcycle-riding, black-leather-clad Cathy Gale in the second season of British TV series The Avengers.  She even piloted a Triumph Speed 500 in an early episode but even prior to The Avengers, it turns out Honor Blackman had an already developed adventurous streak; her working life began as a motorcycle dispatch rider for the Home Office during the Second World War while she was in her teens.

Female dispatch riders

Because men were being sent to battle during WW2, nearly all dispatch riders were women. These riders played a crucial role in the war effort, delivering urgent messages and information between headquarters and remote field units. She was not only pretty, she was a Bond girl ánd motorcycle-riding war hero.

Parts of this article first appeared on Cycle World

Watch one of her scenes here

10 Comments

  • Rex J Covington says:

    Awesome Story!

  • Chocodent says:

    That’s what we call a character!! And a real heroes as she was volunteering for this riser agent dangerous job in her teens you said. Respect for beauty, bravery and humour all together 😊

  • Rod Rezvani says:

    Dear Folks at Scenic:
    Since you asked for a feedback and not to waste any of your time, I write the following and go right into the matter. I believe your software is way too expensive, specially now a days. You may not agree, and I’d understand.
    I am using a rival product that is nearly free, and nearly as good. I will switch if your software were more affordable, that is a one time purchase charge only.

    Best Regards
    Rod Rezvani
    Houston, Texas
    281-360-6006

    • Guido says:

      Thanks Rod,

      I understand your point of view but I guess we have to agree to disagree. The price maybe a lot of you don’t use all the features and can suffice with an app that offers a subset of those features.

      I’ve had a lot of discussions with users in the past. You can never make everyone happy. I have now accepted this and will stay with the current model for the time being. In my opinion this is the right balance when you consider the following things:
      – the development and maintenance work
      – the monthly running costs
      – the features a user gets for this
      – the price of other similar apps
      – the price for motorcycle navigation devices such as Garmin Zumo and TomTom Rider

      • Durk says:

        Hello Rod and Guido,

        There is also privacy to consider. If it’s cheap or free you pay with your interests and whereabouts. I say it’s good value. Especially sinds the big update.

  • Brian Grohs says:

    I’ve been using the Scenic App for a couple years, it’s rock solid and has guided me from coast to coast in Canada. I’ve used it in the US, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Lichtenstein.

    Features such as auto zoom, map details, voice guidance, speed alerts, etc are worth every penny. It’s simple to use and the support you get from Guido is first class, he always replies personally.

    I don’t mind paying for apps, especially the small businesses that people put their sweat and tears into. These people need to put food on their plate too.

  • Brian says:

    I looked at several options to find a great motorcycle navigation app. Yes, there are cheaper options but none of them are as good as Scenic! I have created and ridden dozens of rides and customized them afterwards to add points of interests, potty & fuel stops, restaurants and more! It’s easy when you get the hang of it and fun. The App has gotten continuously better since I signed up and the Support is ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. PERIOD!!! It’s worth every penny. Go Scenic!

  • Jonathan says:

    I’m a new user of Scenic, and just getting used to all of the features. After saving a route, can I access turn by turn steps with street names? If not, that would be a valuable feature.

  • Guido says:

    Hi Guys. I appreciate the questions, but could you please use the support page for questions like this? There is a vast amount of information already there, and if you can’t find the answer you are looking for there are contact options at the bottom of the support page. Thanks everyone 🙂

  • Guido says:

    Or otherwise the forum. That’s a great medium for discussion around pricing for example. Thanks again. Appreciate all the support 👍

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