David McCallum, an appreciation

David McCallum’s title card for the final season of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

With the passing of David McCallum at age 90, one of the last of the 1960s spy craze stars is gone.

Illya Kuryakin, a Russian agent who worked for the multi-national U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement) was envisioned as a secondary character for The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The show originally was titled Solo, after Napoleon Solo, played by Robert Vaughn.

Still, even in the earliest days of the project, the makers of the show apparently felt they had something more. Vaughn filmed a short explanation for network executives and potential advertisers about the program’s format. Even though McCallum’s Kuryakin only had a few scenes, Vaughn gave him a mention.

Illya, Vaughn said, “is an interesting young man — you’ll see him often.” 

Truer words were never spoken.

Starting with the third episode, The Quadripartite Affair, Illya began to get more attention. Writer Alan Caillou, a British spy during World War II, provided scripts that hinted at an intriguing character. That combined with McCallum’s acting, caught the attention of audiences.

Something else helped. Robert Vaughn began studying for a Ph.D. Starring in a television series is time-consuming. David McCallum’s rising popularity meant someone else could shoulder some of the responsibility for carrying the show. Before the end of the first season, Solo and Illya were a duo.

To be sure, this was not the first time the popularity of a secondary character rivaled that of the star or stars on a television series. 77 Sunset Strip (Edd Brynes) and Rawhide (Clint Eastwood) were other examples.

Still, the 1960s were becoming the “Swingin’ ’60s.” McCallum’s Illya resonated, especially for young girls.

In 1965, McCallum was a guest host of Hullabaloo, a variety show where different musical acts performed. The show was aimed at young people.

McCallum did his hosting of Hullabaloo in character. The announcer did not say, “Here’s your host, David McCallum.” The announcer said, “Here’s your host for this week’s Hullabaloo, Mr. Illya Kuryakin!”

Throughout the show, McCallum’s Kuryakin avoided assassination attempts by supposed enemy operatives.

At the end of the show, McCallum/Kuryakin is caught and handcuffed by two women agents.

“Oh well,” our hero says, “you can’t win them all.”

But young boys also liked McCallum/Illya. In the 1960s, it was a common sight to see boys wearing turtleneck sweaters, a clothing style associated with Illya.

The appeal of McCallum/Illya, many years later, was a plot point in a 2010 episode of the Mad Men television series that was set in 1965.

David McCallum, of course, was more than Illya Kuryakin. In the early years of his career, he appeared in films such as Hell Drivers (whose cast included Sean Connery and Patrick McGoohan) in 1957 as well as A Night to Remember, a 1958 movie about the Titanic.

After The Man From U.N.C.L.E., McCallum’s many projects included Sapphire & Steel, a TV series he co-starred with Joanna Lumley, and Mother Love, a TV miniseries starring Diana Rigg. McCallum played her ex-husband.

Even with a long association with the TV series NCIS (which lasted years longer than U.N.C.L.E.), McCallum would be reminded of playing Illya Kuryakin. NCIS had an in-joke referring to Kuryakin. And when a feature film version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was released in 2015, McCallum fielded media questions.

Regardless, many fans never lessened their admiration of the actor. He died less than a week after reaching the age of 90. Yet, the news of his passing caused a major reaction, expressed strongly on social media. For many, a major presence in their lives was now gone.