Last week’s FBI arrest of a Russian spy ring last week generated a lot of interest. And, at least two PBS programs couldn’t resist making puns or using cliches gleaned from movies and TV shows to describe it.
The McLaughlin Group: John McLaughlin, host of the gabfest that bears his name, introduced a segment he dubbed, “Secret Agent Man!” And just in case you didn’t get it, there was audio of the Johnny Rivers song “Secret Agent Man,” used in Secret Agent, the U.S. version of Patrick McGoohan’s Danger Man series.
Need to Know: Co-host Alison Stewart couldn’t resist a double dip. In her introduction for a segment about the busted spy ring, she said its members “wereSpies Like Us,” a reference to the 1985 John Landis-directed, Chevy Chase-Dan Aykroyd comedy. Stewart couldn’t leave it there, adding how the ring evoked a return to “Boris and Natasha,” the spies who did their best to make the lives of Bullwinkle J. Moose and Rocky the Flying Squirrel miserable.
Stewart also interviewed author Tim Weiner, who writes about intelligence matters. Weiner wasn’t impressed with the Russian spies, saying they were “the gang couldn’t spy straight.”
Filed under: The Other Spies | Tagged: Alison Stewart, Danger Man, FBI busts Russian spy ring in U.S., John McLaughlin, Johnny Rivers, Need to Know, Patrick McGoohan, PBS goes for the spy cliches, Secret Agent Man, The McLaughlin Group, Tim Weiner |
The Spy Command 
Well we just traded 10 Russian spyies for, 4 Russian nationals that were accused of spying in Russia. I know that trades are good for relations but I have to wonder what intrest the USA has in 4 Russian nationals that were in jail in Russia. I certainly hope there is some other agreement that comes from this ordeal that benifets our country.