Ken Russell’s brush with the world of spies

Movie director Ken Russell died this week at the age of 84. Obituaries concentrated on films such as the rock opera Tommy or the drama Women In Love. Russell though had a flirtation with spy entertainment, directing 1967′s Billion Dollar Brain, the third of 007 producer Harry Saltzman’s Harry Palmer series, based on Len Deighton’s [...]

U.N.C.L.E. epilogue: Soderbergh finds a new project

Steven Soderbergh, who bailed out of directing a movie version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., has found a new project, according to THE WRAP entertainment news Web site. Steven Soderbergh has signed on to direct a new thriller, “The Bitter Pill,” TheWrap has confirmed. Scott Burns wrote the script and is also producing. Other producers [...]

Robert Vaughn on U.N.C.L.E. (and many other things)

Bits and pieces of an Archive of American Television interview with Robert Vaughn are up on YouTube. The full interviews for the series are lengthy (typically two to three hours) and are intended for notable figures in television to discuss their full careers. Excerpts are put on YouTube to stir interest for would be viewers. [...]

Ben Whishaw is Q in Skyfall, BBC says

Ben Whishaw will play Q in Skyfall, the BBC reported, citing the actor’s agent. Whishaw, 31, had been previously announced as being in Skyfall’s cast with no details provided about his character. Whishaw would be the youngest Q in the Eon Productions series. Peter Burton was 41 when he played the character (referred to as [...]

Warner Bros. still wants an U.N.C.L.E. film, The Wrap says

Warner Bros. hasn’t given up on making a movie version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. despite director Steven Soderbergh’s departure from the project, THE WRAP ENTERTAINMENT NEWS WEB SITE SAYS. Quoting “an individual close to `U.N.C.L.E.’” (Napoleon Solo? Alexander Waverly? Maybe somebody less well know like George Dennell or Mandy Stevenson? It is a goofy [...]

Compare Die Another Day vs. Hawaii Five-0

At the start of 2002′s Die Another Day, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is captured on a mission in North Korea. Danny Kleinman’s main titles incorporates depiction of Bond being tortured: On the Nov. 21 episode of Hawaii Five-0, Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) has been tricked by arch enemy Wo Fat (Mark Dacascos) to coming to [...]

Happy Thanksgiving from the HMSS Weblog

It’s a crazy world out there, so it’s good to have a holiday to remind you that there are things to be thankful for. For Bond fans, production of a new film, Skyfall, is underway. That’s something that wasn’t assured at this time last year. Most 007 fans we know, even though who don’t care [...]

’60s spy music to ease into Thanksgiving weekend

It’s time to chill out as the long holiday weekend (at least in the U.S.) approaches. A few selections: U.S. television executives weren’t satisfied with Edwin Astley’s theme for the U.K. show Danger Man. So Johnny Rivers got the call when the show was re-named Secret Agent for U.S. distribution: Various groups recorded a version [...]

McGarrett 2.0 clearly has never watched Die Another Day

Because if he had, he wouldn’t have gone to North Korea. Or, as somebody said in Return of the Jedi, “It’s a trap!” As you might gather, we were watching the Nov. 21 episode of Hawaii Five-0, featuring the latest confrontation between Steve McGarrett 2.0 and his arch-enemy Wo Fat 2.0. We’re not even halfway [...]

Happy 79th birthday, Robert Vaughn

How the time flies. Nov. 22 is the 79th birthday of Robert Vaughn, the original Man From U.N.C.L.E. It was 48 years ago, while filming the U.N.C.L.E. pilot, that the crew took time off to celebrate the star’s 31st birthday when news arrived of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Not the way to [...]