(David and Cinema Retro Editor-in-Chief Lee Pfeiffer. Photo: Cinema Retro.)
We congratulate David McCallum on his milestone 90th birthday....and not showing any signs of slowing down! David has always been there for Cinema Retro, making numerous contributions over the last 20 years. Aside from his acting talents, David is also the epitome of a true gentleman.
Here are some tantalizing excerpts of separate interviews with Robert Vaughn and David McCallum of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." at the peak of the show's success in 1966, courtesy of the BBC Archive.
Leo G. Carroll was one of the most dependable and popular character actors of the 20th century. As this short "fact file" video indicates, he had a very interesting life and career. He was wounded in WWI and was also an accomplished director of stage productions. He was one of Alfred Hitchcock's favorite actors, appearing in six of the Master's films. He found an unexpected late-career surge in popularity with younger audiences with his immortal portrayal of spy boss Alexander Waverly on both "The Man from U.N.C.L.E" and "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.". Both Robert Vaughn and David McCallum admitted to being in awe of working with him and both agreed he was the real Man from U.N.C.L.E.
At the peak of its popularity in 1966, "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." was a genuine international phenomenon, as evidenced by this widely-seen advertisement for a pop poster of David McCallum, who was a heart throb for teenage girls. Curiously, the original ads did not give fans of Robert Vaughn the same option, unless one could view the microscopic print at the bottom of the coupon that promoted his poster almost as an afterthought. Vaughn's fans must have griped because a second version of the ad prominently depicted both stars equally. It's great to know that McCallum is still at the top of his game on the hit TV series "NCIS".
Here's a brief interview with Robert Vaughn, who was attending the London premiere of producer Ross Hunter's ill-fated musical version of "Lost Horizon" in 1973. It's a good thing he wasn't ask to speak after he saw the film, as his mood may not have been as congenial!
We love the cheesy but fun 1966 Man From U.N.C.L.E. feature film One Spy Too Many, cobbled together from the two-part episodes of The Alexander the Greater Affair with Rip Torn as a villain of Bondian standards. The film featured some extra sexy scenes shot exclusively for the feature film. These feature Yvonne Craig and Donna Michele and feature prominently in the original trailer.
"The Man from U.N.C.L.E." was not only a TV phenomenon in the 1960s but the mania also extended to the big screen. MGM produced eight feature-length movies derived from two-part episodes of the series. (Some included extra "bonus" footage that would deemed to be too sexual or violent for network broadcast.) These lazily-compiled efforts were astonishingly profitable, especially in England where some house records were set at theaters. (Only three of the feature films were released theatrically in the USA: "To Trap a Spy", "The Spy with My Face" and "One Spy Too Many". "One of Our Spies is Missing" was planned for American release but we've yet to substantiate that it actually was.) This trailer is suitably hokey, mod, cheesy and fun as we once again watch Robert Vaughn and David McCallum save the world from the threat of Thrush!
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE COMPLETE "U.N.C.L.E." MOVIE COLLECTION FROM THE CINEMA RETRO MOVIE STORE
If you were a boy growing up in the mid-1960s, chances are you had the Man From U.N.C.L.E Thrushbuster Corgi car. Not only did it come in cool packaging that included a display stand with photos of Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, but you also got a plastic ring with their photos on it. The ring would "flicker" and alternate the image of each actor. The well-made car was also pretty groovy- you pressed a button on top and Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin would alternately shoot out of the side windows. (The add says there were sound effects for the gun shots but we don't recall this being the case). Most of the cars were painted blue but there were a small number of them available in white paint. These can now command hundreds of dollars on the collector's circuit. Here is an original ad for the car from the Moonbase Central web site.
Here's a rarity from a Western Auto stores catalog for the 1966 Christmas holiday season: an abundance of those great toys tied in with the spy movie rage of the era. In addition to the generic non-licensed stuff, check out the ad for the Man From U.N.C.L.E. rifle and the James Bond shooting camera. If you had these in mint, boxed condition today, you could buy your own hollowed-out volcano from which you could plot to rule the world!
Here's a golden oldie from 1966: the Man from U.N.C.L.E. secret message pen ad by American Character toy company. It looks like the entire marketing campaign for the commercial cost about fifty cents, but in those days anything relating to a movie or TV spy was a sure-fire way to make a quick profit.
Although we've seen the individual theatrical trailers for the 1966 "Man from U.N.C.L.E." feature films "To Trap a Spy" and "The Spy with My Face", we had never seen this rarity: a 60-second U.S. TV spot presenting them in the double-feature format in which most fans saw them theatrically. Amusingly, the footage crediting David McCallum (who the narrator refers to as "David McCullum") was inexplicably lifted from another "Man from U.N.C.L.E" feature film, "One Spy Too Many" and shows villain David Sheiner in the same footage! The U.N.C.L.E. feature films were simply two-part episodes that had been telecast on TV, then converted into highly profitable movies, occasionally with some re-editing and extra footage added that was deemed a bit too steamy for network broadcasts.
The folks at the web site Flashbak alerted the world at large about the existence of this rare video with young Kurt Russell in the mid-1960s when he starred in TV ads for Mattel's line of generic spy toys under the banner Agent Zero-M. With the spy rage booming at the time, some companies decided to save the licensing fees they would have to spend to market official James Bond and Man from U.N.C.L.E. toys and simply made up similar items that they owned the copyright to. It should be noted that young Kurt also guest-starred in a first season episode of U.N.C.L.E.: "The Finny Foot Affair" broadcast in 1964 during the show's first season. Click here to visit the Flashbak web site for more Agent Zero-M info.
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.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE COMPLETE SET OF "U.N.C.L.E." FEATURE FILMS FROM THE CINEMA RETRO MOVIE STORE
Despite the disappointing boxoffice results for the 2015 big screen version of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E", the film's co-star Armie Hammer, who played Illya Kuryakin, says that a script is being developed in the hopes of bringing a sequel to the big screen. Since the 1970s U.N.C.L.E. fans dealt with promising rumors that a big screen version was in the works, originally to star Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who starred in the TV series. However, these projects ended up being thwarted by various factors. In 1983, Vaughn and McCallum did star in "Return of The Man From U.N.C.L.E", a one-shot TV movie reunion. When the 2015 film was released it bore little resemblance to the TV series except for the Cold War setting and the names of the characters. Still, fans responded favorably to the re-imaging of the premise and expected a sequel which seemed unlikely to happen. Another plausible option might be to convert the much-beloved U.N.C.L.E premise into a cable TV series for Netflix and Amazon- that is, if the big screen sequel doesn't materialize. Click here for more.
Here's a rare gem for "Man From U.N.C.L.E." fans- silent footage from British Pathe newsreel of David McCallum arriving at London Airport in 1966 and getting a Beatles-like reception from screaming teenagers, some clad in home-made Illya Kuryakin tribute outfits.
The Spy Command web site provides an interesting article outlining changes made for home video release to specific episodes of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.", "Hawaii Five-O" and "The F.B.I.". Some of the changes are rather "in the weeds" stuff that might only be noticed by diehard fans but the specifics are still very intriguing to read- especially about a "Hawaii 5-O" episode that was only telecast once and is not available on video, and an episode of "The F.B.I." that never aired at all. Click here to read.
The past year has been an especially harsh one for the entertainment industry in terms of well-known personalities who have passed away. Today's news that actor Robert Vaughn has died hits Cinema Retro especially hard and this writer in particular. He died from a battle with leukemia and was surrounded by his family in his final moments. I first met Robert in 1983 at a press conference in New York in which he and David McCallum promoted their forthcoming TV movie "Return of The Man From U.N.C.L.E." I've remained friends with them ever since and shared many an enjoyable conversation. Robert was an early supporter of Cinema Retro and contributed to numerous issues, most recently issues #33 and #34 in which he was interviewed by writer Steve Rubin about the dramatic occurrences in making the 1969 WWII film "The Bridge at Remagen". Robert overcame a troubled youth in which he grew up in a household in which both of his parents, who were actors, were barely on speaking terms. In his autobiography "A Fortunate Life", he related how, as a young man with an aspiration for acting, he and his mother drove to Hollywood in a beaten up car in hopes he would find work. He did so almost immediately and gained praise for his stage appearance in "End as a Man". That led to appearances in a slew of "B" movies, including the Roger Corman cult film "Teenage Caveman". He didn't linger in "B Movie Hell" for long, however. Having befriended Paul Newman, he got a key supporting role in Newman's 1959 film "The Young Philadelphians" and earned an Oscar nomination for his performance. That led to him being cast by John Sturges in the 1960 western classic "The Magnificent Seven". He became a familiar face on TV in the 1960s and co-starred with Gary Lockwood in the short-lived TV series "The Lieutenant".
Vaughn with Steve McQueen on the set of "The Magnificent Seven".
Robert entered the realm of superstardom with the 1964 premiere of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.", which benefited a great deal from the explosive success of the James Bond phenomenon. He played suave secret agent Napoleon Solo opposite David McCallum as fellow agent Illya Kuryakin. The show struggled for ratings in its first season before catching fire in the second season and becoming a pop culture phenomenon in its own right. In 1966 Photoplay named him the most popular male star in the world. The series lasted three-and-a-half years and when it went off the air in January 1968, he went immediately into production on "Bullitt", the detective thriller in which he played an ambitious D.A. in conflict with a maverick detective played by Steve McQueen. He was nominated for a BAFTA for his acclaimed performance. Over the decades Robert appeared in many other major films including "The Venetian Affair", "Superman III" , "S.O.B" and "The Towering Inferno". He won an Emmy for his performance as the political hatchet man in the 1977 mini series "Washington: Behind Closed Doors" and in 1998 was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He had a late career success as one of the stars of the British crime series "Hustle" that ran from 2004-2012, earning him a new generation of fans.
Robert was always consumed by politics. He was the first major American actor to publicly denounce President Johnson's Vietnam War policy, a position that earned him criticism from William F. Buckley, the father of modern conservatism. The two men ended up having a memorable debate on Buckley's political show "Firing Line" and a moderator ruled it a "draw", something Robert took great pride in. He and Buckley formed a mutual respect and kept in touch after the event. Robert also worked tirelessly to pursue higher education and became the first star of his caliber to earn a PHD. His thesis on the Hollywood blacklist was published as the acclaimed book "Only Victims". He was a close friend of Robert F. Kennedy and was devastated by his assassination in 1968, just two months after the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, who he greatly admired and once introduced at an event. Robert became disaffected with the situation in America and moved to England for several years where he starred in the TV series "The Protectors" and made feature films such as "The Mind of Mr. Soames" and the 1970 all-star version of "Julius Caesar". Although he considered himself a confirmed bachelor, he fell for his co-star in a production of "The Tender Trap", Linda Staab. They ultimately married and raised a son, Cassidy, and a daughter, Caitlin. The Vaughns resided in Ridgefield, Connecticut, having preferred the East Coast to the dazzle of Hollywood, but they also spent a considerable time in England shooting for the filming of "Hustle". Robert loved the UK and considered it his second home. In 2014 he returned to London to star in a West End revival of "Twelve Angry Men". He received rave reviews and proved he could still bring in audiences, as the play was a smash hit and entered an extended run.
Cinema Retro's Lee Pfeiffer reunited Vaughn with David McCallum and "Man From U.N.C.L.E." guest star Joe Sirola at the 2009 event in honor of Vaughn at The Players.
In 2009, this writer had the pleasure of arranging and hosting a black tie dinner in honor of Robert at New York's famed private club for the arts, The Players. The highlight of the evening was the surprise appearance of David McCallum, who made a very gracious speech about their long friendship. The two men remained in touch through the years and always called each other on their birthday.
With Robert's death, the entertainment world has lost another great talent. He once told me why he titled his book "A Fortunate Life". He said, "All I ever wanted to do was act and I always have. If you do what you want to do for a living then you can say you never worked a day in your life".
Thanks for the memories, Robert. Closing Channel D for the final time.
This is the original review from the movie industry trade magazine Film Bulletin for the 1966 "Man From U.N.C.L.E." feature film "One Spy Too Many" starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, which was comprised of the two-part episode "The Alexander the Greater Affair" with some additional footage shot specifically for the theatrical release. Despite the low production costs of these "U.N.C.L.E." films, they generated huge profits in the international markets. Eight feature films were made from two-part episodes, although only three were released in the United States: "To Trap a Spy", "The Spy With My Face" (the latter two as a double feature) and "One Spy Too Many".
The eight feature films are available as a DVD set. Click here to order.
For fans of Sixties retro TV, DC Comics is providing news that will have them pinching themselves. The legendary comic company has announced a major new project titled "Batman '66 Meets The Man From U.N.C.L.E.". The two-issue adventure will be released this December and if this teaser artwork is any indication, we might see comic incarnations of Adam West, Burt Ward, Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, all of whom are alive, well and working. The only icing on the cake we can hope for is if DC gets them all together for a promotional event. Meanwhile, the emphasis on U.N.C.L.E. might lend some steam to on-going grass roots efforts to get Warner Brothers to commit to a sequel to director Guy Ritchie's recent big screen reboot, which under-performed at the boxoffice but has built a loyal following of fans. For more click here.
(Photo copyright Cinema Retro. All rights reserved.)
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, actor David McCallum discusses his views on "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.", including the new big screen remake of the classic show, and reveals that he has just finished writing his first book- a crime novel "Once a Crooked Man" that will be published in January. Looks like all those years fighting crime on TV have had an added benefit for the 82 year-old icon. Click here to read.
There's a tasteless old joke that defines "mixed emotions" as the reaction you would have upon hearing that your mother-in-law just drove off a cliff in your new Jaguar. As a die-hard fan of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." TV series, I admit to having expectations of experiencing mixed emotions at last Monday's world premiere of Guy Ritchie's feature film version of the show at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York. For those of us who grew up during the spy craze of the mid-1960s, espionage movies are always close to our hearts. With Bond, Bourne and Mission: Impossible still big box-office, it's clear that the younger generation is in synch with our passion for this genre. The Bond films have earned respect for enduring for more than 50 years with six different actors giving vastly different interpretations of Agent 007, each successful in his own way. However, Bond has never been out off the big screen for a period of more than five years (those dark days between the release of Licence to Kill in 1989 and GoldenEye in 1995), whereas some of the other classic spy sensations of the 1960s were brought back many years after their initial success. The classic Get Smart TV series begat a woeful big screen version called The Nude Bomb in 1980, a decade after the show last aired. The 2008 version with Steve Carell was only good by comparison. The Avengers begat the universally-scorned big screen version. The success of Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible franchise masks the fact that the films have nothing to do with the classic TV series that inspired it. That show's premise was to showcase a team of special agents, each of whom had their own unique special talents. Cruise's films tossed out the team concept and even made the show's leading hero, Jim Phelps into the main villain in the first big screen edition. (Blasphemy! It's like remaking Gunsmoke and having Marshall Dillon turn out to be a bank robber.) The Wild, Wild West (inexplicably re-titled Wild, Wild West) was a dreadful 1999 concoction that served as a vanity piece for Will Smith. The less said about the big screen version of I Spy starring Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson, the better. Following the distortions big screen versions of beloved spy TV series perpetrated on the movie-going public, those of us who are long time U.N.C.L.E. aficionados sometimes felt that the long-planned theatrical version of the show might best be left undeveloped. Indeed, it seemed as though fate agreed. There have been so many efforts made to bring the franchise to movie screens that one loses count of them all. Suffice it to say that scripts have been floating around major studios since the mid-1970s when the show's original stars, Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, were deemed essential to star in it. In 1983, we did get Vaughn and McCallum in the CBS TV movie Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. but plans to revive the series fell through. Over the decades, high profile names like Quentin Tarantino, George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh had all expressed enthusiasm about making a feature film version of the only to have plans inevitably go up in smoke. Finally, director Guy Ritchie managed to overcome the curse with the long-awaited film that has just opened. Ritchie seemed to throw cold water on the project in the eyes of many fans of the show when he announced he was ditching most of the key ingredients that were considered to be main staples of the U.N.C.L.E. story lines. Thus, it was with an open mind but a bit of trepidation that I entered the theater to experience the film, comforted by the knowledge that at least the lavish after-party at the Bowery Hotel was sure to be sensational. (It was.)
I'm please to say that not only did I enjoy the new feature film version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. but so did several die-hard, long-time admirers of the show who alsoattended the premiere. The first order of business in regard to the film is to understand that director Ritchie has started the concept of the franchise from scratch. Fortunately, Ritchie did keep one integral aspect of the show intact: it is set in the Cold War. In this version Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) is a charismatic international smuggler of fine art who is avoiding a lengthy jail term by doing high stakes undercover work for the F.B.I. Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) is a psychologically troubled Soviet agent with a hair-trigger temper and almost supernatural physical strength. He is a loyal agent to the Red cause partly because he feels an obligation to restore his family's honor, as his father had been denounced by Stalin's regime as a traitor. The film opens with Solo sneaking into East Berlin to make contact with Gaby (well-played by Alicia Vikander), a sexy young woman who is nonetheless relegated to working as a mechanic in a dreary auto repair shop. Solo informs her that her estranged father, an esteemed nuclear scientist, has been kidnapped by forces unknown. The fear is that he may be forced to develop a nuclear weapon for an unstable regime. (At least the plot line is timely, given the current debates that are on-going about the Iran nuclear deal.) She agrees to help him track down her father through trying to contact an equally estranged uncle who may know his whereabouts. All of this entails the minor obstacle of getting over the Berlin Wall. In the course of attempting to do so, the pair is relentlessly attacked by Kuryakin, who seems impervious to pain and impossible to slow down, let alone stop. The ever- dapper Solo, however, is unfazed by any number of near death situations and he and Gaby make a daring escape in a manner that is suspiciously similar to that used by James Coburn in the 1967 flick In Like Flint.
The plot threatens to become predictable when Solo and Kuryakin are forced to work together by their respective intelligence agencies, a device that already had moss on it back in 1977 when Roger Moore found himself in the same situation with an albeit beautiful Soviet spy (Barbara Bach) in The Spy Who Loved Me. After a brutal, knock-down, drag 'em out fist fight, Solo and Kuryakin make a temporary truce to ensure the success of the mission. If will not be revealing any astonishing "spoilers" to inform the reader that the duo ultimately come to respect each other, even while engaging in typical male ball-busting put-downs. Things heat up when they discover that the missing scientist is in the hands of a group of international, filthy rich criminals (are there any other kind in spy flicks?) Fortunately, these baddies are of Bondian caliber and the most intriguing of them is Victoria (Elizabeth Debicki in a sensational performance). There are numerous plot twists, some surprising and some predictable, and quite a few extravagant action sequences. This time around, Ritchie shows more restraint than usual by minimizing the number of action scenes that are shot in today's de rigeur style of blurry images and fast cuts that undermine the impact of such sequences, although a major chase scene involving an ATV falls victim to the cliche. If the film is about anything, it's costume and production design and both aspects are highly impressive. For those of us who still cling to fond memories of the 1960s, it's wonderful to see so many stylish fashions on the big screen once again. Some of the scenes are staged to look like layouts for a fashion magazine of the era and the result is rather delightful, especially in scenes in which Vikander wears some striking mod numbers that recall Stefanie Powers as The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. I should also point out that in today's world of grungy male screen heroes, it's refreshing to see Solo stride proudly around wearing well-tailored three-piece suits. Ritchie also deserves credit for including imaginative opening and ending credits, which in itself represents a rarity today. The film contains any number of highly amusing sequences, some of which are laugh-out-loud funny, yet it never goes full throttle over-the-top into the world of Get Smart, Austin Powers or even that much-derided, camp-filled third season of the TV series. It's also fun to see a movie set in an age where sophisticated spies must use "high tech" gadgets that look positively primitive by today's standards. Obviously, there are no cell phones, computers or other modern distractions.
Don't look for Del Floria's tailor shop entrance to U.N.C.L.E. HQ. In fact, don't look for U.N.C.L.E in the new feature film- it's a code word, not an organization. However, the anticipated sequel seems to remedy that.
There are some gnawing disappointments. One would have hoped that there would have been a few more overt nods toward the impact of the original TV series, which remains quite popular today. Why no cameos from Robert Vaughn and David McCallum? Composer Daniel Permberton provides a fine, innovative score but why is the only acknowledgement of Jerry Goldmith's legendary main theme relegated to a brief joke when Solo hears a few strains of Hugo Montenegro's cover version on a car radio? Why has the famed pen communicator (which foreshadowed the mobile phone by decades) been left absent from the script? At least there are some glimpses of the beloved U.N.C.L.E. rifle and Hugh Grant may not make us forget the great Leo G. Carroll's interpretation of Alexander Waverly, but he does bring energy and wit to the role. Most of the credit must go to Cavill and Hammer for overcoming the unenviable task of inheriting their roles from two TV icons. Cavill does seem to intentionally channel Vaughn's perpetually flippant style as Solo but Hammer's Illya is far removed from McCallum's interpretation. To their credit, they show considerable chemistry together. Much has been made over advance word that U.N.C.L.E. is not even an organization in this film and there is no mention of its evil counterpart Thrush. However, if you stay for the closing credits (which the vast majority of the audience at the world premiere did not, as they were eager to get to the after-party and all that free booze) you will find that the emergence of U.N.C.L.E. as an organization seems in the cards if a sequel materializes. In fact, the movie ends as though a continuation is an inevitability. I asked director Ritchie about this and he said all concerned are ready, willing and eager for a sequel, but it all depends upon the box-office for this film. Here's hoping it happens. Those of us who have waited for forty years for an U.N.C.L.E. feature film can't wait another forty. The film does not make you forget the classic original series but in its own way compliments it. For those involved it's a case of mission accomplished.
Quentin Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema is showing a film festival dedicated to the movies of Man From U.N.C.L.E. stars Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. Tonight and tomorrow, there is a double feature of Vaughn's "The Venetian Affair" (in IB Tech!) and McCallum's "Sol Madrid". On Friday and Saturday, there will be an U.N.C.L.E. double feature of "The Spy With My Face" and "One Spy Too Many"-- all in glorious 35mm. Click here for details.
Here is the special extended trailer for the new "Man From U.N.C.L.E." film that was prepared by Warner Bros. for Comic-Con. It's bound to set off a lot of debate between purists who remain loyal to the classic TV series and those who argue that we need an "U.N.C.L.E." for a new generation. Based on the trailer, it appears that director Guy Ritchie has retained virtually none of the elements of the TV series beyond the title and character names, though we do extend kudos to him for insisting that the film is at least set in the 1960s Cold War period. As with most contemporary spy flicks, the trailer emphasizes action over plot or characterizations. Will the film succeed in standing on its own as a new tent pole franchise for Warners? We'll get the answer when it opens on August 14.
In anticipation of the new "Man From U.N.C.L.E." feature film, Warner Home Entertainment has reissued the complete series in a DVD boxed set, complete with 10 hours of bonus extras. If you don't have the set, click here to order from Amazon and save $38.
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and in anticipation of the forthcoming big screen version of the classic television series, Cinema Retro will be offering periodic reviews of individual episodes of the show, which aired between September 1964 and January 1968. The episodes will be chosen at random and not presented in any specific order, thus offering analysis of telecasts from the four seasons. Reviews will be written by U.N.C.L.E. scholars and long-time devotees of the series.
BY C.W. WALKER
Air
Date: February 1, 1965; repeated June 21, 1965
Filmed
December 16-18; 21-23, 1964
Director:
Seymour Robbie
Writer:
Dick Nelson
Whenever
fans new to The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
ask me which episodes they should start with, The Mad Mad Tea Party Affair is always at the top of my list. It was filmed
just before Christmas and aired in February, midway through the first season
when the series was really hitting its stride.Although it lacks the film noir
feel of some other first season episodes like “The Dove Affair†and “The Never
Never Affair†or the colorful ‘60s vibe of later seasons, it contains all the
elements that defined the series and made it so enormously popular. In many
ways, this is a quintessential episode.
One
of the attractions of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
series was its central “wainscot fantasy†--- that is, the idea that an
incredible but largely invisible and exotic world of spies fighting evil existed
side by side with our everyday, mundane existence. As with Harry Potter’s
Hogwarts, young folks in the audience wanted to believe that U.N.C.L.E. was real
(the official sounding disclaimer at the end of each episode told us so!) and adults
could have fun playing along. Everyone coveted an U.N.C.L.E. identification
card (preferably gold) or fervently hoped that one day, Napoleon Solo and Illya
Kuryakin would come knocking on our door, dragging us along with them to save
the world. Even the United Nations got into the act when visitors asked guides
to allow them a peek at U.N.C.L.E.
headquarters.
The
bad guys (often, but not always) were in league with Thrush, and could be found
lurking just behind the facades of the most innocuous places like book stores
and car washes, beauty salons and vacuum cleaner repair shops. To enter
U.N.C.L.E.’s sleek futuristic headquarters (what Kay later describes as this
“chrome and gunmetal madhouseâ€), all you had to do was pull the coat hook in
the middle booth of Del Floria’s. Poor Kay: she doesn’t even pull that iconic
hook. While she’s still patiently waiting, dressed in just her underwear, the
back wall suddenly swings open, revealing U.N.C.L.E.’s pulsing high tech reception area and, like
Alice, Kay is suddenly propelled through a modern looking glass.
The
episode acknowledges its debt to Lewis Carroll with act titles like “The Rabbit
Hole Revisited†and “The Mad Hatter’s Inquisition.†Dick Nelson only wrote two
other episodes besides this one, but with his contributions of the retired
agent, Albert Sully in “The Odd Man Affair,†and the infamous Thrush operative,
Angelique, in “The Deadly Games Affair,†his contribution to the series’ canon
was considerable.
Kay’s
unplanned sojourn at HQ means she may miss her own wedding, but there’s a much
larger crisis shaping up in the form of increasingly serious threats being made
against U.N.C.L.E. which is hosting a top secret international summit within
the HQ building later that day. The aforementioned mysterious man (a bemused
Richard Haydn), who begins the story by attacking HQ with a model airplane,
turns out to be a red herring: he’s actually U.N.C.L.E. chief Alexander Waverly’s
brother-in-law, a logic professor named Hemingway. The real villain is Riley (a
misleadingly pleasant Peter Haskell) a mole in U.N.C.L.E.’s demolition lab, who
is working under the direction of the notorious Thrush scientist, Dr. Egret.
Egret
is notable, not only because she is a formidable professional woman, but also
because she could effectively transform her physical appearance. Thus
disguised, she was supposed to be a recurrent antagonist but played by
different actresses. As it turned out, she will show up only once more, in “The
Girls from Nazarone Affair,†definitely a lost opportunity.
Along
with the Innocent, the Villain and the agents all scrambling around the sleek,
shiny corridors of U.N.C.L.E. headquarters, , “The Mad Mad Tea Party†also features some interesting gadgetry, including
an innocent looking pen that, when pressed against a skull, can instantly homogenize
a brain. This wicked weapon is deliberately contrasted with Hemingway’s more mundane attempts to keep the
agents on their toes. For the most part, veteran television director Seymour
Robbie plays it straight and simple, although he does include a particularly
notable low angle shot of shell casings sliding across the corridor floor after
a shootout.
It
all ends well of course, but not before some very close calls, enough for Kay
to realize that although the life of an enforcement agent can be terribly
exciting, she’s better off pursuing a nice quiet life with good old boring
Walter. I’m not quite sure we in the audience felt the same way. Illya looks
awfully dashing in that black turtleneck at the end, and his playful wink is
certainly inviting.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE ENTIRE SERIES, WITH HOURS OF BONUS EXTRAS, FROM AMAZON AND SAVE $116!
People magazine's web site features a selection of forthcoming photos from director Guy Ritchie's forthcoming big screen version of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." starring Henry Cavill as Napoleon Solo, Arnie Hammer as Illya Kuryakin and Hugh Grant as Alexander Waverly. The film probably won't resemble the classic TV series but kudos to Ritchie for keeping it set in the Cold War era. Click here for more.
JUST ADDED! CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TEASER TRAILER!
In the lead up to the August 2015 release of the feature film version of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.", the web site The Digital Spy put together an informative and fun article centering on key facts and film clips relating to the classic TV series starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. Click here to view.
Here's a golden oldie: a vintage public service announcement from the 1970s with Robert Vaughn warning us about the dangers of improperly inflated tires. When the Man From U.N.C.L.E. tells you to inflate those tires, you'd better inflate those tires!
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and in anticipation of the forthcoming big screen version of the classic television series, Cinema Retro will be offering periodic reviews of individual episodes of the show, which aired between September 1964 and January 1968. The episodes will be chosen at random and not presented in any specific order, thus offering analysis of telecasts from the four seasons. Reviews will be written by U.N.C.L.E. scholars and long-time devotees of the series.
By Lee Pfeiffer
"The Virtue Affair"
Air date: December 3, 1965
Director: Jud Taylor
Writer: Henry Slaser
Although most U.N.C.L.E fans tend to favor the series' premiere season (when it was telecast in B&W), I've always been partial to the second season, which began in September 1965. That's when I first experienced the show, through a ringing endorsement of my older brother, who said, "It's like a TV version of James Bond." For a nine year old boy who was enjoying the 007-inspired spy craze of the mid-1960s, that was all I had to hear. I quickly became hooked on the show and my enthusiasm for it has never diminished, although I hereby admit that my expertise relating to the series is not nearly on par with some of the writers who will be contributing reviews to future columns.
"The Virtue Affair" is a strong episode from the second season; one that fully illustrates the show's penchant for mixing thrills and humor. This time around, Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) are dispatched to France by U.N.C.L.E. chief Alexander Waverly (Leo G. Carroll) to thwart some goings-on involving the development of a secret missile system. The episode begins with Solo and Illya spotting a missile launch device being smuggled through the countryside by some mystery men. They follow the van in hopes of locating the ultimate destination for the device but they are, in essence, carjacked by a desperate old man who forces them at gunpoint to rescue him from some pursuers on motorbikes. The man turns out to be Raoul Dubois (Marcel Hillaire), one of the world's most acknowledged experts in missile guidance technology. He has Solo and Illya take him to the home of his daughter Albert (named after Einstein), who- in true U.N.C.L.E. style- turns out to be a stunning beauty played by Marla Powers. Turns out that Albert is also a recognized expert in her father's field of engineering. Raoul tells the agents that he had been duped into joining a missile technology program thinking it was being run by the French government. He found out too late that it was a private venture with nefarious purposes and that he and other engineers were being held captive and forced to develop the system that will allow a deadly missile to be launched. Before he can identify the mastermind behind the plan, two motorcycles crash through the living room door and their riders succeed in assassinating Raoul in front of the hapless Solo and Illya. (A refreshing aspect of the series is the occasionally inability of its protagonists to avoid making costly mistakes.) Waverly informs the men that the likely evil genius they are seeking is a man named Jacques Robespierre (Ronald Long), a rich eccentric who claims lineage to the legendary madman of the French Revolution. Waverly explains that Robespierre is a walking paradox: a committed pacifist who is eager to bring back an era of social graces even if he has to engage in genocide to do so. He once ran for the presidency of France on a platform of outlawing the sale of wine. Not surprisingly, Waverly says, he only garnered 84 votes in a nation that is fanatical in its love of the grape. Waverly suspects that Robespierre intends to achieve through violence what he could not achieve at the ballot box: a takeover of the French government and the establishment of an arch conservative regime that will use violence to enforce Robespierre's peculiar code of morality.
Solo and Albert arrange to get invitations to Robespierre's mansion but he sees through them immediately and they are imprisoned. Albert is given a choice: reveal the code that will enable the launch of a missile that will destroy the vineyard regions of France or witness Solo's execution. She relents and Robespierre keeps his word to spare their lives, although Solo ends up in a jail cell. Meanwhile, Illya gains access to the Robespierre estate grounds by posing as a hunter with a proficient use of a bow and arrow. (Actually an electronically enhanced bow and arrow system that ensures he gets a bullseye every time.) He has a chance encounter with a real expert bow and arrow hunter, Karl Vogler (Frank Marth, who played many secondary roles on the "classic 39" episodes of "The Honeymooners"). A highlight of the episode is the sporting competition between Vogler and Illya in which both men try to top each other in terms of marksmanship, though Illya is clearly cheating with his U.N.C.L.E.-enhanced arrow device. Vogler also recognizes Illya as an enemy agent (the villains in this episode are unusually efficient) and before long he becomes the stalked prey in a version of "The Most Dangerous Game", as Vogler and his fellow hunters track him through the woods. Illya, who is handcuffed behind his back, has only his wits and natural instincts to avoid what appears to be certain death. Once freed from his pursuers, Illya ends up at Robespierre's castle and gets possession of the guidance system just moments before it is to be utilized to launch the missile. In the most amusing sequence in the episode, he is mistaken for a famed engineer and is forced to give a lecture to real engineers about the workings of the system. It's genuinely amusing to see David McCallum get a rare chance to show off his comedic abilities, as he uses double talk to get the engineers to answer their own questions. Nevertheless, he is inevitably exposed as a fraud and is sentenced to Robespierre's idea of traditional justice: death by guillotine.
"The Virtue Affair" boasts some of the wittiest repartee between Solo and Illya, with both men making jokes at the other's expense, all thanks to the fine script by Henry Slesar. Ronald Long makes for one of the more memorable villains, an amusing Burl Ives-type who defends chivalry with a passion but thinks nothing of overseeing the senseless slaughter of thousands of innocent people. The episode is very ably directed by Jud Taylor, who sadly would not contribute to any more of the shows over the length of its run, and Robert Drasnin's score is particular effective. Unlike "I Spy", which filmed around the world, all of U.N.C.L.E.'s exotic locations consisted of stock footage- but that only adds to a retro TV lover's affection for the series.
EPISODE RATING: ***1/2 (out of four).
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE ENTIRE SERIES, WITH HOURS OF BONUS EXTRAS, FROM AMAZON AND SAVE $116!
"The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 8 Movie Collection" is available on Amazon USA for only $29.49. The set consists of the the two-part episodes that originally aired on TV and which were later released as theatrical feature films. Of the eight films, only three were released in the United States. In some cases, additional footage with new characters were inserted into the episodes for theatrical distribution.
The set contains the following films:
To Trap a Spy
The Spy With My Face
One Spy Too Many
One of Our Spies is Missing
The Spy in the Green Hat
The Karate Killers
The Helicopter Spies
How to Steal the World
One Spy Too Many
The DVDs are released through the Warner Archive, which means they are region-free and can play on any international DVD system.
All of the feature films star Robert Vaughn, David McCallum and Leo G. Carroll.
Fifty
years ago, the Great Society was launched, the Ford Mustang went on sale, the
Beatles invaded America, and “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,†quite arguably the most
intriguing and original adventure series ever produced for television, debuted
on NBC. In September, 100 U.N.C.L.E. fans gathered in Culver City, Calif., home of the
once-glorious Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio where the show was filmed, to
celebrate five decades of fascination with U.N.C.L.E. The event was strictly limited to 100 attendees and sold out quickly, an indication of the show's lasting legacy.
The
two-day event, dubbed “The Golden Anniversary Affair,†started organizing only
last May. Two lifelong U.N.C.L.E. fans — Robert Short, an Oscar-winning special
effects artist who was introduced to the show even before it went on the air
when his sister got a job as a photo and stunt double on the series; and Jon
Heitland, author of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Book,†the indispensable guide to
the series (still available at Amazon.com) — were moved to action when it became
clear that no one in or out of the TV industry planned to celebrate the
landmark anniversary.
“It
just felt right to give something back to the show that had inspired so many of
us,†said Short.
“This
landmark series still has many devotees who have kept the flame alive for a
half century,†Heitland added, “and we wanted to commemorate that remarkable
legacy with a once-in-a-lifetime event.â€
With
startup funds donated by Los Angeles U.N.C.L.E. fan Lisa Lazarus, Short and
Heitland moved quickly to organize an unforgettable experience that included
tours of the former MGM lot, presentations from many of the people who worked
on the show, displays of U.N.C.L.E. props gathered from numerous private
collections, and an unprecedented live concert of music composed for the show
by such film and TV legends as Jerry Goldsmith, Lalo Schifrin and Gerald Fried.
(Photo copyright Alan Stephenson. All rights reserved.)
The
weekend opened on Friday afternoon, Sept. 26, with attendees dividing into four
groups to tour the Sony Pictures lot, the facility that once was the legendary
MGM studio. The back lots that evoked countless international locations and
allowed U.N.C.L.E. agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin to appear anywhere
in the world are long gone, now covered with condos and offices. But the main
lot, housing the soundstages and such landmarks as the Irving Thalberg Building
and the studio water tower, remains much as it was 50 years ago.
Studio
guides led the groups all over the lot, accompanied by hosts Heitland and
Short, and by two of the event’s guests, “U.N.C.L.E.’s†associate producer
George Lehr and director of photography Fred Koenekamp. Both men delighted the
fans and the tour guides by pointing out various “U.N.C.L.E.†shooting
locations and reminiscing about their work on the show.
(Photo copyright Alan Stephenson. All rights reserved.)
The
tour wound all through the lot, past many streets, buildings and doorways seen
briefly as office buildings, airports, college campuses and other locations in “U.N.C.L.E.â€
episodes. The famous water tower “blown up†by Napoleon Solo in “The Deadly
Toys Affair†and seen in other episodes still stands at the center of the lot.
The tour went through the scoring stage where composers recorded the music for “The
Man From U.N.C.L.E.†and for so many famous pictures released by MGM and other
studios. The trip also included a visit to Stage 10, where the permanent sets
for U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters and the interior of Del Floria’s Tailor Shop once
stood. The stage is now a TV studio where Sony’s game show “Jeopardy†is taped.
And
as everyone left the tour, we discovered that the photos taken in front of a
green screen when we arrived were developed to show each attendee standing
inside U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters. With that surprise memento in hand, Friday
ended back at the event’s base at the Doubletree Hotel Westside for an informal
evening of dining and mixing.
Bob Short moderates panel of guests: Sharon Farrell, Fred Koenekamp, George Lehr, Randy Kirby and Joseph Sargent.
(Photo copyright Alan Stephenson. All rights reserved.)
Saturday’s
schedule was wall-to-wall fun, beginning at 9 a.m. with registration and
distribution of a fabulous swag bag provided by Lisa Lazarus, and everyone’s ID
badges, replicas of the triangular security badges worn in U.N.C.L.E.
Headquarters, of course. Panels filled the morning and afternoon: George Lehr
and Jon Heitland discussed the show’s production challenges; Fred Koenekamp
joined Stephen Sylvester, author of the must-have book “MGM: Hollywood’s
Greatest Backlot,†to talk about the tremendous advantages of shooting the
series at MGM; writer-producer Mike Thomas brought actress Sharon Farrell to
the stage for a rollicking talk about her career, which included three
appearances on “U.N.C.L.E.â€; Danny Biederman, author of “The Incredible World
of Spy-Fi†and the owner of many original props from “U.N.C.L.E.†and other spy
shows and films, discussed the show’s famous gadgets with Lehr, Gene Winfield,
the custom carmaker who built the U.N.C.L.E. Car, and Richard Conroy of Ideal
Toys, the designer of the show’s iconic gun, the U.N.C.L.E. Special.
Hard as it is to believe, but The Man From U.N.C.L.E. premiered 50 years ago today. Impressively, it remains alive and well in the minds of all the Baby Boomer fans who grew up with the series- and a new generation will be introduced to U.N.C.L.E. through the forthcoming feature film. We must recognize the genius of producer Norman Felton who, with Sam Rolfe, developed the concept (along with some brief suggestions from Ian Fleming.) We extend our congratulations to our old friends Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who have both been major supporters of Cinema Retro since it debuted ten years ago. Happily, both guys are doing great career-wise and never seem to stop working. We also recognize all those actors, directors, writers and crew members whose talents made the show so iconic. A special, heartfelt nod to the legendary Leo G. Carroll, whose contribution to the series is inestimable.
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the premiere
of the iconic 1960s spy series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., producers Robert
Short and Jon Heitland are organizing The Golden Anniversary Affair, an
exclusive invitational event in Los Angeles, scheduled for Friday September 26th and
Saturday September 27th.
This once in a lifetime event will represent an
opportunity for a maximum of 100 fans to gather and share their memories and
their love of this classic series.
The festivities begin on Friday September 26th, when
the lucky 100 take a special walking tour of the Sony studio lot with an
emphasis on sites where the show was filmed, including Stage 10, where
U.N.C.L.E. headquarters stood. On Saturday September 27th, the main event will
take place at The DoubleTree by Hilton on the Westside where several rooms will
be devoted to panel discussions about the making of the original show and the
upcoming Warner Bros feature film, a display of original props (the U.N.C.L.E.
weapons, wardrobe and special car created for the series) and an U.N.C.L.E.
cast and crew discussion about the making of the show leading up to a soiree
Saturday night. Although the event will end Saturday evening, on Sunday
there will be an opportunity for attendees to visit outlying filming sites on
their own.
“It is not
uncommon to hear fans, many of whom are leaders in their chosen professions,
remark that this show changed their lives,†says Short, an Academy
Award-winning visual effects artist.
Says Heitland, the author of The Man from
U.N.C.L.E. Book, the Behind the Scenes Story of a Television Classic, “We feel
it will be the definitive event marking the 50th anniversary of this
Classic 60’s series.â€
So far, the producers have lined up a number of VIP
guests, including associate producer George Lehr, director Joe Sargent, and
director of photography Fred Koenenkamp, composers Gerald Fried, Robert Drasnin
and “Girl from U.N.C.L.E.†regular Randall Kirby who have confirmed their
interest in attending. A list that continues to grow every day. The producers
hope that The Golden Anniversary Affair will be a West Coast reunion of sorts
for all who made the show such a success.
Our old pal Robert Vaughn is a smash in London. Vaughn is starring in the West End production of Twelve Angry Men (with Tom Conti now co-starring). The play's boxoffice results have been such a smash that the run has been extended through June. Meanwhile, in this 50th year of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Vaughn still attracts fans who line up outside the Garrick Theatre to get his autograph. Let's hope the show makes it to Broadway. Click here to visit Soloholics, the official Robert Vaughn web site, run by Tammy Hayes.
Long before David McCallum became one of the most popular cast members on the long-running hit series NCIS, he made teenage girls swoon as Illya Kuryakin, the mysterious blonde Russian-born agent on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. McCallum teen mania probably peaked in 1966 when the stores were flooded with action figures, posters and lunchboxes featuring his likeness and that of his co-star and fellow teen Robert Vaughn. We thought we had seen it all when it came to U.N.C.L.E. fandom but then we became aware of a 1966 45 RPM titled "Love Ya, Illya" by Angela and the Fans that was released as a 45 RPM record. If you're a McCallum fan, it doesn't get any groovier than this!
Both season 1 and season 2 episodes of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. are now available for streaming through the Warner Archives instant viewing program. Best, you can take advantage of a free trial. Click here for more.
Noel Harrison as agent Mark Slate in The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.
Noel Harrison, who rode the wave of "British Invasion" music to U.S. shores in the 1960s, has died at age 79. The son of legendary actor Rex Harrison, Noel took a different path than his famed father. At the height of his career, he dropped out of show business to do construction work because he disdained living the life of a celebrity. He was also a championship skier at one time. At his peak, Harrison's well-received folk songs won him loyal followers and some of the songs charted as hits. His biggest splash came when he recorded "The Windmills of Your Mind", the classic title song for the 1968 film "The Thomas Crown Affair" starring Steve McQueen. The song won an Oscar and is still "covered" by artists today. In terms of acting, Harrison only dabbled in the field. He had minor roles in 1960s films like "Agent 8 3/4", "The Best of Enemies" and "Where the Spies Are". He became a heart throb for teenagers during his co-starring role opposite Stefanie Powers in "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E." He also guest starred on numerous prominent TV series. Harrison resumed his career as a folk singer and found his audience was still enthused about his work. He cut an acclaimed album in 2002. Upon hearing of his death, Stefanie Powers issued this statement:"My darling friend Noel Harrison passed last night. Let us all light a candle to speed him on his way - he deserves to fly with the angels." For more click hereClick here to visit the Noel Harrison web site.
Robert Vaughn will return to the stage in a high profile London production of Twelve Angry Men, commencing in November. The show will have a try out run in Birmingham before replacing the long-running Rock of Ages show in the West End of London. The classic drama by Reginald Rose has been a staple of international stage dramas since it debuted in the 1950s. The 1957 feature film version was the first movie directed by Sidney Lumet. For Robert Vaughn, the show represents a return to England where he only recently completed filming his long-running hit TV series Hustle. The former Man From U.N.C.L.E. star lived in England during the 1970s but now makes his home in Connecticut. For more click here
Warner Brothers has released a plot synopsis and more casting choices for the long-planned Man From U.N.C.L.E. feature film set to go into production in England shortly. Apparently, the script will have the characters of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin presented, not as friends, but as adversaries who are reluctantly teamed to help prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Guy Ritchie will direct. For more click here
A long-standing award to STARZ Entertainment pertaining to rights to the Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV series has been reduced on appeal. The case by STARZ against Lindsay Dunlap, who claimed to have obtained rights to the series from its creator Norman Felton, resulted in STARZ incurring costs for a planned video release of the show. That fell apart when Warner Brothers presented evidence that they owned video rights to the series. STARZ then sued Dunlap for damages and was awarded almost $3 million in compensatory and punitive damages. A judge has reduced that figure by half, eliminating the punitive damages but letting stand the compensatory damages of $1.5 million and asserting that Dunlap's claim of ownership of the series did not take into consideration Warner Brothers' rights. Warners ultimately released the entire series on DVD, as well as the spinoff The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. and eight feature length films derived from the show. For more click here
There have been so many false starts in the attempt to bring The Man From U.N.C.L.E to the big screen, we've given up trying to summarize them all. Suffice it to say that fans believe there is a curse on any such attempt. The latest development won't do anything to dispel those beliefs. Tom Cruise, long rumored to be starring in the role of Napoleon Solo originated on the TV series by Robert Vaughn, has formally bowed out. Ironically, he's bypassed the U.N.C.L.E. project in order to do yet another installment of the Mission: Impossible series. So Cruise has dropped one film inspired by a classic 1960s spy franchise in favor of another. Still, Warner Brothers remains keen on making U.N.C.L.E. a new franchise and Guy Ritchie is still attached as director. Arnie Hammer is also still with the film, presumably to play the role of Illya Kuryakin that was originally played by David McCallum. However, at this rate, we can assume the curse will strike again. Maybe the only way U.N.C.L.E. will ever make it to the big screen is in the form of the two part feature films that were derived from the TV show in the 1960s. For more click here
Actor Robert Vaughn discusses his long career and his new film, The Magnificent Eleven, a UK-sports based movie loosely based on the classic Western The Magnificent Seven in which Vaughn co-starred with other stars-to-be. He humorously relates his greatest career satisfactions and disappointment (he won't get to play Hitler) and talks about his most embarrassing scene as The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Click here to read
Since 1979, there have been rumors of a Man From U.N.C.L.E. big screen feature film. The near-miss opportunities date back so long that the TV classic's stars Robert Vaughn and David McCallum were originally going to reprise their roles of super spies Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin. For various reasons, each planned film project fell apart including a recent one in which George Clooney was to star. Now Guy Ritchie is the director of choice and Deadline reports that Tom Cruise is the latest major actor in talks to bring the film to reality. Fans are skeptical that the project will ever see the light of day and it is virtually certain it will be a hi-tech, modern day, SFX-packed spectacle that will have little in common with the TV series aside from its title. Click here for more
For decades the classic 1960s TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. has come close to being revived on the big screen. The closest that came to reality, however, were the low-budget features cobbled together from two-part episodes of the series and released theatrically. Since the late 1970s when series stars Robert Vaughn and David McCallum were being wooed to star in a big screen version for MGM to the very recent past when director Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney planned to collaborate on an U.N.C.L.E. feature, fans have been repeatedly disappointed when these projects inevitably fall apart. There was a 1983 CBS TV reunion movie, Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. that starred Vaughn and McCallum but the merits of which are still debated in fan circles. In the case of the Soderbergh project, Clooney backed out of the film, citing back injuries, and Soderbergh griped that he couldn't get adequate funding for the retro-based spy flick. Rumors now have it that director Guy Ritchie may be attached to yet another U.N.C.L.E. film, but if history is any guide, fans should not get too enthused about this coming to reality, either. In fact, the web site HMSS Weblog makes the argument that maybe the show is best left in the past since most modern filmmakers don't seem to have a handle on those elements that made it so special. Click here to read
Here's a real gem from MGM showing the beauties of Italy as a guise for promoting their upcoming slate of films. You can see rare footage of Man From U.N.C.L.E. stars Robert Vaughn and David McCallum meeting up in Venice during the shooting of their separate feature films The Venetian Affair and Three Bites of the Apple. The promotional short even features footage of them together on a gondola. (Vaughn was supposed to make a cameo appearance inthe McCallum film, but it never came about.) Kudos to the Warner Archive for finally releasing The Venetian Affair (click here for our review) and we hope they get around to Three Bites of the Apple which is an amusing comedy featuring McCallum in especially fine form as a tour guide taking around a zany group of tourists. The great supporting cast includes Sylva Koscina, Tammy Grimes and Harvey Korman.
Man from U.N.C.L.E. legend Robert Vaughn has approved the Soloholics web site run by Tammy Hayes as his official fan site. Soloholics provides the latest news on the non-stoppable Vaughn's latest appearances, films, stage productions, etc along with a host of rare and vintage photos from his career. Click here to view
Malaysian writer Daniel Chan was obviously weaned on the spy craze of the 1960s. In his piece for The Malay Mail, he looks back on the connections between James Bond and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - and manages to also include the character of Felix Leiter. It's nice to see such appreciation in the international press for these old time spy favorites. Click here to read
It's worth a trip in the Cinema Retro Time Machine to travel back to 1965 to see how Time magazine portrayed Robert Vaughn, then 32 years old, as TV's answer to Horatio Alger in the starring role of Napoleon Solo, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
On the January 11 1966 episode of NBC sitcom Please Don't Eat the Daisies (inspired by the Doris Day/David Niven feature film), the kids suspect their father is a secret agent. This is reaffirmed when he has a chance encounter with Man From U.N.C.L.E. star David McCallum, in an early example of cross-promotion of two popular TV shows. The surprise ending has dad calling in someone to convince his boys that he is not a spy. To the surprise of no one, that person turns out to be McCallum's fellow U.N.C.L.E. star Robert Vaughn, seen here in a publicity photo. The show had the desired effect at the time, with kids enthusiastically talking about the cameos the next day. The only question we have is: where are those sweatshirts today? They would be worth a fortune on eBay!