Posted on November 23, 2009 by The HMSS Editors
Over at Cinema Retro’s Web site, Lee Pfeiffer describes Robert Vaughn’s 77th birthday party.
A brief excerpt:
The black tie affair began with a cocktail hour attended by the likes of Ben Gazzara, Dick Cavett and Joe Sirola, who had played a villain in several episodes of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. As with all Players events, the [...]
Filed under: The Other Spies | Tagged: David McCallum, Lee Pfeiffer, Robert Vaughn, Robert Vaughn's 77th birthday, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, TV spy shows | Leave a Comment »
Posted on October 18, 2009 by The HMSS Editors
That blueprint, of course, would be the director’s North by Northwest, which marked its 50th anniversary this year.
The film is normally written about its use of themes such as mistaken identity or use of familiar landmarks as settings that Hitchock employed in his prior films. Still, it’s also striking how the movie also seemed to [...]
Filed under: James Bond Films, The Other Spies | Tagged: Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, Ernest Lehman, Hitchcock's crop duster sequence, James Bond Films, North by Northwest, North by Northwest as blueprint for 1960s spy entertainment, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, TV spy shows | 2 Comments »
Posted on September 21, 2009 by The HMSS Editors
Forty-five years ago — Sept. 22, 1964 — a show debuted that had been pitched to NBC executives as “James Bond for television.”
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. turned out to be more than that. It ushered in an era where spies would be welcomed into U.S. living rooms and not just be seen on movie screens. [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: David McCallum, Ian Fleming, Ian Fleming's brief association with U.N.C.L.E., Leo G. Carroll, NBC, Norman Felton, Robert Vaughn, Sam Rolfe, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, Will Kuluva | 2 Comments »
Posted on September 19, 2009 by The HMSS Editors
It’s a few days before The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’s 45th anniversary. So here’s are variations on a theme — namely the Jerry Goldsmith-composed theme.
There were five different versions of the opening theme (two in the first season), and four different end title versions. Here’s an first-season end title, using an edited version of Goldsmith’s original. [...]
Filed under: The Other Spies | Tagged: Gerald Fried, Jerry Goldsmith, Lalo Schifrin, Lalo Schifrin's take on The Man From U.N.C.L.E Theme, Robert Armbruster, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'s 45th anniversary, TV spy shows | 2 Comments »
Posted on September 16, 2009 by The HMSS Editors
Next week, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., the spy show with just a teeny bit of Ian Fleming influence, celebrates its 45th anniversary. To whet your appetite, here’s a special commercial.
It runs five minutes or so and features the casts of shows sponsored by Chevrolet — Bonanza, Bewitched and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
In this case, Robert [...]
Filed under: The Other Spies | Tagged: Agnes Moorehead, Bonanza and Bewitched, Chevrolet, Dan Blocker, Robert Vaughn, Special 1964 Chevrolet commercial on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Man From U.N.C.L.E, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. selling Corvairs, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'s 45th anniversary, TV spy shows | 1 Comment »
Posted on September 13, 2009 by The HMSS Editors
This week marks the 45th anniversry of Goldfinger’s U.K. premier. What’s the film’s legacy? Try these on for size:
1. Most obvious, it was the first 007 mega-hit.
Dr. No and From Russia With Love had been successful, but Goldfinger turned 007 into a worldwide phenomenon. It set a record at the time for recouping its costs [...]
Filed under: James Bond Films | Tagged: 007 creative personnel working on "anti-Bond" films, 20th Century-Fox, Albert R. Broccoli, Columbia Pictures, Derek Flint, Goldfinger's 45th anniversary, Goldfinger's impact on 1960s spy entertainment, Goldfinger's legacy, Goldfinger's twin brother?, How Goldfinger created demand for "anti-Bonds.", John Barry, John Le Carre, Ken Adam, Len Deighton, Matt Helm, Paul Dehn, Peter Hunt, Richard Maibuam, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, TV spy shows, United Artists | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 6, 2009 by The HMSS Editors
We’ve noted some of these and skipped others. In any case, this is proving to be quite the year for notable James Bond and/or Ian Fleming-related anniversaries. Here’s a recap:
April: 100th anniversary of the birth of 007 producer Albert R. “Cubby Broccoli.
May: 100th anniversary of the birth of 007 screenwriter Richard Maibuam
June: 30th anniversary of [...]
Filed under: James Bond Films, The Other Spies | Tagged: Albert R. Broccoli, Goldfinger, Ian Fleming's brief involvement in U.N.C.L.E., James Bond Films, Licence to Kill, Moonraker, Napoleon Solo, Notable James Bond/Ian Fleming anniversaries in 2009, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Richard Maibuam, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, The Man with the Golden Gun, The World Is Not Enough, TV spy shows | Leave a Comment »
Posted on August 30, 2009 by The HMSS Editors
Here’s a postscript to a previous post about cameos involving The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Our previous examples were when the show’s popularity was strong and were part of other MGM productions. This one aired one week after the show was canceled in January 1968 and was part of its replacement:
That’s of [...]
Filed under: The Other Spies | Tagged: Leo G. Carroll, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, The Other Spies, Weird Man From U.N.C.L.E. cameos | Leave a Comment »
Posted on August 29, 2009 by The HMSS Editors
In the 1960s, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had one spy franchise with The Man From U.N.C.L.E. So the studio decided to use every opportunity possible for exposure, even if it meant putting it into situation comedies or comedic movies.
Take, for example, MGM’s sitcom Please Don’t Eat the Daisies. Here the young boys of the show’s featured family get [...]
Filed under: The Other Spies | Tagged: David McCallum, Doris Day, Frank Tashlin, Frank Tashlin's U.N.C.L.E. sight gag, Illya Kuryakin cameos, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM overexposes U.N.C.L.E., Napoleon Solo cameos, Paul Lynde, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, Robert Vaughn, Rod Taylor, The Glass Bottom Boat, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, Weird Man From U.N.C.L.E. cameos | 2 Comments »
Posted on August 25, 2009 by The HMSS Editors
In the jaded 21st Century there’s a marketing phrase, “extend the brand,” where a company tries to take an existing brand name of a product and produce a similar, yet slightly different version. For example, Coke began Diet Coke, New Coke (oops), Cherry Coke, etc. So it was with The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.
The pilot for [...]
Filed under: The Other Spies | Tagged: April Dancer, Ian Fleming, Mark Slate, Mary Ann Mobley, Noel Harrison, Norman Fell, Stefanie Powers, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., The Man From U.N.C.L.E | Leave a Comment »