With the countdown ticking away toward the November 27 DVD release of the complete Man From U.N.C.L.E. DVD collection from Time Life, it seems the stars are aligning in anticipation for fans who have been waiting impatiently for the series to be released. Time Life reports sales are soaring and even the general public is abuzz about it. The other night I was having a few drinks with actor and Cinema Retro contributor Joseph Sirola at The Players club in New York. Sitting near me was a group of people discussing their excitement with the pending U.N.C.L.E. release, as they all seemed to agree it was their favorite show of all time. That's when Joe Sirola's noticed a voicemail on his phone. Turns out it was from David McCallum, who had co-starred with Joe in three episodes of the series. They haven't seen each other since and recently made contact because of their connection with Cinema Retro. They'll be planning a reunion lunch next week.
Earlier today, my phone rang and it was Robert Vaughn, calling in from Los Angeles where he said he had just served as one of the presenters at a wonderful event paying tribute to the great TV theme songs. Vaughn said he was to be introduced at the event by Monica Mancini, the musician daughter of the legendary composer Henry Mancini. A clever gag was staged whereby Monica pretended that "the next presenter" appeared to be missing. Rather than use a cell phone, she took out a pen and said, "Open Channel D!" and the crowd roared as Mr. Solo himself walked into the spotlight. (We'll have coverage of this event in the near future). Vaughn confirmed he is hard at work on his eagerly-awaited autobiography which is now titled A Fortunate Life. It is slated for release in the latter part of 2008. He confessed to being slightly overwhelmed by the sudden explosion of enthusiasm for all things U.N.C.L.E.-related and said he had a wonderful time reliving old times with David McCallum for the DVD set. He joked that he never dreamed back in the 1960s that more than 40 years later the show would still be so prominent in people's minds.
Stay tuned for more bulletins - and enjoy the above photo showing Vaughn and McCallum together for the DVD interview session. Remember, the latest issue of Cinema Retro (#9) begins our 8 part series about the making of the U.N.C.L.E. feature films beginning with To Trap a Spy. -Lee Pfeiffer
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