Ms. Schell played a shapely robot in this first episode of SPACE: 1999 entitled, "The Guardian of Piri." Maya -- Princess from the planet Psychon! With her mind-boggling powers of molecular transformation, she is an enchanting member of Moonbase Alpha's Top Com- mand.    For insurance, the producers decid- ed to surround the unknown Lazenby with a large and attractive cast, thereby hiding any faults. Thus, the popular Diana Rigg was cast as the female lead, and Telly Savalas as the evil villian.    For further insurance, 12 lovely girls were cast as allergy victims who were essential to Savalas' scheme to take over the world -- Catherine Schell turns up again as one of these lovelies. This is a robot of Maya featured in the SPACE: 1999 episode, "The Taybor." Maya seems to be beside herself with two of her astounding alter-egos. deterred -- he went on to bigger things (The Andromeda Strain) and eventually learned to make a living playing weirdos and psychos on TV. She continued moving up to the "A" pictures.    On Her Majesty's Secret Service was certainly an "A" picture. Sixth in the immensely popular James Bond series, OHMSS was the first of the series not to star Sean Connery. Connery, tired of the role and unwilling to be typecast any longer, had left for bigger and better things, and had been replac- ed, after a long search by Producers Saltzman and Broccoli, by a young polo star named George Lazenby.    As a German farm girl, Schell is unable to eat corn, the staple her farm produces. Cured of this problem by Savalas new technique, Schell is one of only two girls in the large group to see through Bond's impersonation of an effeminate British lord, and he even- tually proves she is right between the covers.    OHMSS was less than a smashing success, but it did make money, and Miss Schell put her talent to work in such television series as The Adventurers and The Persuaders.    Finally, the big break came. Spotted on TV by Blake Edwards, she was

cast as the female lead in his new Inspector Closeau movie -- The Return of the Pink Panther. Here Schell finally found her metier.    Working with the insane Peter Sellers and old pro Christopher Plummer, Schell gave her characterization of Lady Litton, wife of the infamous Phantom (an international jewel thief), a depth and charm immensely important to the overall atmosphere of the film. Her childlike laughter, combined with her mature beauty and charm, proved a near-perfect foil for Sellers. Their scenes together, at the hotel bar and inside the Litton Home, show his ability to literally force her into laughter. The film was an international success, and the future of Miss Schell was totally assured.

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