1966: U.N.C.L.E. tries to “extend the brand” with The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.

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 the series was an episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., written by Dean Hargrove and directed by Joseph Sargent. It featured Mary Ann Mobley as a quite young April Dancer (a character name that was one of Ian Fleming’s few contributions to the U.N.C.L.E. universe) and a 40-year-old plus Mark Slate (Norman Fell).

Before the series began filming, both roles were recast with Stefanie Powers and Noel Harrison. Over at the Television Obsurities site, there’s a history of the one-season series. That report, which includes a video of a GFU promo, can be view by CLICKING RIGHT HERE.

To read reviews of a good many episodes of the series, CLICK HERE.