At its peak, "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." was so popular that it spawned eight feature films that were derived from episodes of the T.V. series (often re-edited and sometimes containing some new footage that was deemed a bit too sexy for broadcast). Only the first three films were shown theatrically in the USA but the others proved to be hits in the international market. Here is the trailer for "How to Steal the World", the final film. It was appropriately enough derived from the final two episodes of the TV series, "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair" Parts 1 and 2 that were broadcast in January 1968.
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In the old days it was common for movie studios to adapt hit Broadway stage productions for the screen. However, in more recent years the reverse philosophy has been all the rage with countless films being brought to the stage, generally as musicals. In some cases this makes sense, as illustrated by Mel Brooks' musical version of his 1968 comedy film classic "The Producers". However, the cost of staging a show on Broadway is almost prohibitively expensive. Thus, skittish investors know that tourists, who make up the bulk of ticket purchases, want a genial, uplifting experience, which explains why there has been a dearth of new dramas on the Great White Way. Even when dramas and non-musical comedies do show up, they are generally limited runs and powered by the presence of big movie stars in the main roles. The desire to squeeze musical numbers into any production has often reached the point of absurdity with horror and science fiction movies being adapted as song-and-dance extravaganzas. The Guardian takes a look back at some of the most notorious Broadway movie-to-stage flops that includes "Carrie", "Spider-man" and even "The Fly". Click here to read.