HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American
spy fiction Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intellig ...
television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents Napoleon Solo, played by Robert Vaughn, and Illya Kuryakin, played by David McCallum, who work for a secret international counterespionage and law-enforcement agency called U.N.C.L.E. ( United Network Command for Law and Enforcement). The series premiered on September 22, 1964, and completed its run on January 15, 1968. The program was part of the spy-fiction craze on television, and by 1966 there were nearly a dozen imitators. Several episodes were successfully released to theaters as
B movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...
s or double features. There was also a spin-off series, '' The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.'', a series of novels and comic books, and merchandising. With few recurring characters, the series attracted many high-profile guest stars. Props from the series are exhibited at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum and at the museums of the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
and other US intelligence agencies. The series won the
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
for Best TV Show in 1966. Originally, co-creator Sam Rolfe (of '' Have Gun – Will Travel'' fame) wanted to leave the meaning of U.N.C.L.E. ambiguous so it could refer to either " Uncle Sam" or the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
. Concerns by the MGM legal department about using "U.N." for commercial purposes caused U.N.C.L.E. to become an acronym for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. Each episode had a spurious "We wish to thank" acknowledgement to U.N.C.L.E. in the end titles.


Background

The series consists of 105 episodes originally broadcast between 1964 and 1968, produced by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
and Arena productions. The first season was produced in black-and-white, the remaining in colour. The first episode was broadcast on September 22, 1964, as part of the Tuesday night NBC lineup, but moved to Monday nights, a half hour earlier, the following January.
Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...
contributed to the series after being approached by co-creator Norman Felton. According to the book ''The James Bond Films'', Fleming proposed two characters, Napoleon Solo and April Dancer (later appearing on the spin-off series '' The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.''). The original name for the show was ''Ian Fleming's Solo.'' Robert Towne, Sherman Yellen, and
Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave science fiction, New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published wo ...
later wrote scripts for the series. Author Michael Avallone, who wrote the first original
novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book, or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent ...
based upon the series (see below), is sometimes incorrectly cited as the show's creator. Originally, Solo was the focus of the series, but David McCallum as Russian agent Illya Kuryakin drew so much enthusiasm from fans, the agents became a team.


Premise

The series centered on a two-man troubleshooting team working for multi-national secret intelligence agency U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement): American Napoleon Solo ( Robert Vaughn), and Russian Illya Kuryakin ( David McCallum). Leo G. Carroll played Alexander Waverly, the British chief of the organization. Barbara Moore joined the cast as Lisa Rogers in the final season. The series, though fictional, achieved such cultural prominence that props, costumes, documents, and a video clip are in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum's exhibit on spies and counterspies. Similar exhibits are held by the museum of the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
.


Thrush

U.N.C.L.E.'s primary adversary was Thrush (named WASP in the pilot film). The original series never divulged whom or what Thrush represented, nor was it ever used as an acronym. The novels written by David McDaniel explain that it stands for "Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity", described as having been founded by Colonel Sebastian Moran after the death of Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls in the
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
short story " The Final Problem". But in a second season episode, guest star Jessie Royce Landis plays a character who claims that she founded Thrush. Producer Felton always insisted that Thrush was not an acronym and stood for nothing. Thrush's aim was to conquer the world. Thrush was considered so dangerous an organization that even governments who were ideologically opposed to each other – such as the United States and the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
– had cooperated in forming and operating the U.N.C.L.E. organization. Similarly, when Solo and Kuryakin held opposing political views, the friction between them in the story was held to a minimum. Although executive producer Norman Felton and Ian Fleming conceived Napoleon Solo, it was the producer Sam Rolfe who created the global U.N.C.L.E. hierarchy, and he included the Soviet agent, Illya Kuryakin. Unlike the CIA or the British SIS (
Secret Intelligence Service The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 (MI numbers, Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of Human i ...
), U.N.C.L.E. was a global organization of agents from many countries and cultures.


Innocent character

The creators decided an innocent character would be featured in each episode, giving the audience someone with whom to identify. Despite many changes over four seasons, "innocents" remained a constant – from a suburban housewife in the pilot, "The Vulcan Affair" (film version: ''To Trap a Spy''), to those kidnapped in the final episode, "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair".


Episodes


''Solo'' – the pilot

Filmed in color from late November to early December 1963, with locations at a
Lever Brothers Lever Brothers was a British manufacturing company founded in 1885 by two brothers: William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), and James Darcy Lever (1854–1916). They invested in and su ...
soap factory in California, the television pilot made as a 70-minute film was originally titled ''Ian Fleming's Solo'' and later shortened to ''Solo''. However, in February 1964 a law firm representing ''
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
'' producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli demanded an end to the use of Fleming's name in connection with the series and an end to the use of the name and character "Solo", "Napoleon Solo" and "Mr. Solo". At that time filming was underway for the ''Bond'' film '' Goldfinger'', in which Martin Benson was playing a supporting character named "Mr. Solo", being an
American Mafia The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian-American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian-American criminal society and organized crime group. The terms Italian Mafia and Italian Mob apply to ...
boss murdered by Auric Goldfinger. The claim was the name "Solo" had been sold to them by Fleming, and Fleming could not use it again. Within five days Fleming had signed an
affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or ''deposition (law), deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by la ...
that nothing in the Solo pilot infringed any of his Bond characters, but the threat of legal action resulted in a settlement in which the name Napoleon Solo could be kept but the title of the show had to change. Coincidentally, the TV series debuted only a few days after the Sept. 17, 1964 U.K. release of the ''Goldfinger'' movie with its "Mr. Solo" character, though U.S. release would not occur until 1965. The role of the head of U.N.C.L.E. in the pilot was Mr. Allison, played by Will Kuluva, rather than Mr. Waverly, played by Leo G. Carroll, and David McCallum's Illya Kuryakin only had a brief role. Revisions to some scenes were shot for television, including those needed to feature Leo G. Carroll. The pilot episode was reedited to 50 minutes to fit a one-hour time slot, converted to black-and-white, and shown on television as "The Vulcan Affair". Additional color sequences with Luciana Paluzzi were shot in April 1964, and then added to the pilot for MGM to release it outside the United States as a
B movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...
titled '' To Trap a Spy''. This premiered in
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
in November 1964. The extra scenes were reedited to tone down their sexuality, and then used in the regular series in the episode "The Four-Steps Affair". Beyond extra scenes for the feature film, and revised scene shots and edits made for the television episode, there are other differences among the three versions of the story. Before the show went into full production there was concern from
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
that the name of Thrush for the pilot's international criminal organization sounded too much like SMERSH, the international spy-killing organization in Fleming's Bond series. The studio suggested Raven, Shark, Squid, Vulture, Tarantula, Snipe, Sphinx, Dooom, and Maggot (the last used in early scripts). Although no legal action took place, the name "WASP" was used in the feature version ''To Trap a Spy''. The original pilot kept "Thrush" (presumably since it was not intended to be released to the public in that version). Felton and Rolfe pushed for the reinstatement of "Thrush". It turned out that WASP could not be used, since Gerry Anderson's British television series ''
Stingray Stingrays are a group of sea Batoidea, rays, a type of cartilaginous fish. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae (deepwate ...
'' was based on an organization called W.A.S.P. (World Aquanaut Security Patrol). By May 1964, Thrush was retained for the television episode edit of the pilot. Despite this, WASP was used by the feature film in Japan in late 1964, and it was left in the American release in 1966. Another change among the three versions of the pilot story was the cover name for the character of Elaine May Donaldson. In the original pilot it was Elaine Van Nessen; in the television version and the feature version it was Elaine Van Every. Illya Kuryakin's badge number is 17 in the pilot, rather than 2 during the series, and Solo's hair, after new footage was added, changed back and forth from a slicked back style to the less severe style he wore throughout the series. With the popularity of the show and the spy craze, ''To Trap a Spy'' and the second U.N.C.L.E. feature '' The Spy with My Face'' were released in the United States as an MGM
double feature The double feature is a Film, motion picture industry phenomenon in which theaters would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which the presentation of one feature film would be followed by various short subjec ...
in early 1966.


Season 1

The show's first season was in black-and-white. Rolfe created a kind of ''
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...
'' world, where mundane everyday life would intersect with the looking-glass fantasy of international espionage which lay just beyond. The U.N.C.L.E. universe was one where the weekly "innocent" would get caught up in a series of fantastic adventures, in a battle of good and evil. U.N.C.L.E. headquarters in New York City was most-frequently entered by a
secret passage Secret passages, also commonly referred to as hidden passages or secret tunnels, are hidden routes used for stealthy travel, escape, or movement of people and goods. They are sometimes inside buildings leading to secret rooms. Others allow pe ...
in Del Floria's Tailor Shop. Another entrance was through The Masque Club. Mr. Waverly had his own secret entrance, hinted at in the episode "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair". The episodes were largely filmed on the MGM back lot. The same building with an imposing exterior staircase was used for episodes set throughout the Mediterranean area and Latin America, and the same dirt road lined with
eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...
trees on the back lot in Culver City stood in for virtually every continent of the globe. The episodes followed a naming convention where each title was in the form of "The ***** Affair", such as "The Vulcan Affair", "The Mad, Mad, Tea Party Affair", and "The Waverly Ring Affair", etc. The only exception was "Alexander the Greater Affair". The first season episode "The Green Opal Affair" establishes that U.N.C.L.E. uses the term "affair" to refer to its different missions. Rolfe endeavored to make the implausible elements in the series seem not only feasible but entertaining. In the series, frogmen emerge from wells in
Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
, shootouts occur between U.N.C.L.E. and THRUSH agents in a crowded
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
theater, and top-secret organizations are hidden behind innocuous brownstone facades. The series began to dabble in spy-fi, beginning with "The Double Affair" in which a THRUSH agent, made to look like Solo through plastic surgery, infiltrates a secret U.N.C.L.E. facility where an immensely powerful weapon called "Project Earthsave" is stored; according to the dialogue, the weapon was developed to protect against a potential alien threat to Earth. '' The Spy with My Face'' was the theatrical film version of this episode. In its first season ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' competed against '' The Red Skelton Show'' on CBS and Walter Brennan's short-lived '' The Tycoon'' on ABC. Due to bad writing, the ratings were poor and it faced cancellation. But NBC switched it to Monday nights where it found a receptive audience. The success of the James Bond film '' Goldfinger'' also created a huge interest in spy entertainment which greatly benefitted the series. During this time producer Norman Felton told Alan Caillou and several of the series writers to make the show more tongue-in-cheek.


Seasons 2–4

Switching to color, ''U.N.C.L.E.'' continued to enjoy huge popularity. When Rolfe left the show at the conclusion of the first season, David Victor became the new showrunner. Over the next three seasons, five different showrunners would supervise the ''U.N.C.L.E.'' franchise, and each one took the show in a direction that differed considerably from that of the first season. In an attempt to emulate the success of ABC's mid-season hit ''
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
'', which had proved hugely popular with its debut in early 1966, ''U.N.C.L.E.'' moved swiftly towards self-parody and slapstick. In contrast to other seasons, the fourth and final season had a recurring female character, Lisa Rogers, played by Barbara Moore in ten episodes. During the third season the producers made a conscious decision to increase the level of humor. This new direction resulted in a severe
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
drop, and again nearly resulted in the show's cancellation. It was renewed for a fourth season and an attempt was made to go back to more serious storytelling, but the ratings never recovered and ''U.N.C.L.E.'' was finally cancelled midway through the season.


Spin-off series

The series was popular enough to generate a spin-off series, '' The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1966–67) The "girl" was first introduced during ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' episode " The Moonglow Affair" (February 25, 1966) and was then played by Mary Ann Mobley. The spin-off series ran for one season, starring Stefanie Powers as agent "April Dancer", a character name credited to Ian Fleming; and Noel Harrison as agent Mark Slate (who had been played substantially differently by actor Norman Fell in the pilot). There was some crossover between the two shows, and Leo G. Carroll played Mr. Waverly in both programs, becoming the second actor in American television to star as the same character in two separate series.


Reunion TV movie

A reunion telefilm, ''Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' subtitled ''The Fifteen Years Later Affair,'' was broadcast on CBS in America on April 5, 1983, with Vaughn and McCallum reprising their roles, and Patrick Macnee replacing Leo G. Carroll, who had died in 1972, as the head of U.N.C.L.E. A framed picture of Carroll appeared on his desk. The film included a tribute to Ian Fleming via a cameo appearance by an unidentified secret agent with the initials "JB". The part was played by George Lazenby, driving James Bond's trademark vehicle, an Aston Martin DB5. One character, identifying him, says that it is "just like '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service''", which was Lazenby's only Bond film. The film, written by Michael Sloan and directed by Ray Austin, briefly filled in the missing years. THRUSH had been put out of business, and the escape of its leader from prison begins the story. Solo and Kuryakin, who had retired, are recalled by U.N.C.L.E. to recapture the escapee and defeat THRUSH once and for all. Rather than reuniting the agents and recapturing their chemistry, however, the film has the agents separated and paired with younger agents. Like most similar reunion films, this production was considered a trial balloon for a possible new series which never materialized. Although some personnel from the original series were involved (like composer Gerald Fried and director of photography Fred Koenekamp), the film was not produced by MGM but by Michael Sloan Productions in association with Viacom Productions.


Theme music

The theme music, written by
Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer, conductor and orchestrator with a career in film and television scoring that spanned nearly 50 years and over 200 productions, between 1954 and 2003. He was consid ...
, changed slightly each season. Goldsmith provided only three original scores and was succeeded by Morton Stevens, who composed four scores for the series. After Stevens, Walter Scharf did six scores, and
Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Music of Latin America, Lati ...
did two. Gerald Fried was composer from season two through the beginning of season four, and rearranged the theme twice. The final composers were Robert Drasnin, Nelson Riddle, and lastly Richard Shores. Drasnin also scored episodes of '' Mission: Impossible'', as did Schifrin, Scharf, and Fried. Riddle's score for the two-part episode "The Concrete Overcoat Affair" was so loathed by executive producer Norman Felton that he never hired the composer again, although the music did get tracked into other third-season episodes and the film version. The music reflected the show's changing seasons. Goldsmith, Stevens, and Scharf composed dramatic scores in the first season using brass, unusual time signatures and martial rhythms. Gerald Fried and Robert Drasnin opted for a lighter approach in the second, employing jazz flute, harpsichords and bongos. By the third season, the music, like the show, had become more camp, exemplified by a faster R&B organ and saxophone riff version of the theme. The fourth season's attempt at seriousness was duly echoed by Richard Shores' somber scores.


Guest stars and other actors

Apart from Solo, Kuryakin, and Waverly, few recurring characters appeared on the show with any regularity. As a result, ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' featured many high-profile guest performers during its three-and-a-half-year run. William Shatner and
Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy ( ; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor and director, famous for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes Development of Spock, originating Spock in Star Trek: T ...
appeared together in a 1964 episode, "The Project Strigas Affair", a full two years before ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'' premiered. Shatner played a heroic civilian recruited for an U.N.C.L.E. mission, and Nimoy played the villain's henchman. The villain was portrayed by Werner Klemperer. James Doohan appeared in multiple episodes, each time as a different character. Barbara Feldon played an U.N.C.L.E. translator eager for field work in "The Never-Never Affair", one year before becoming one of the stars of ''
Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...
.''
Robert Culp Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an American actor and screenwriter widely known for his work in television. Culp earned an international reputation for his role as Kelly Robinson on ''I Spy (1965 TV series), I Spy'' ( ...
played the villain in 1964's "The Shark Affair". Leigh Chapman appeared in a recurring role as Napoleon Solo's secretary, Sarah, for several episodes in 1965. Woodrow Parfrey appeared five times as a guest performer, although he never received an opening-title credit. Usually cast as a scientist, he played the primary villain in one episode, "The Cherry Blossom Affair". Another five-time guest star was Jill Ireland, who at the time was married to David McCallum. Ricardo Montalbán appeared in two episodes as the primary villain. "The Five Daughters Affair" featured a cameo appearance by
Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...
. Janet Leigh and Jack Palance appeared in "The Concrete Overcoat Affair" and Sonny and Cher made an appearance in the third season episode "The Hot Number Affair". Other notable guest stars included: Richard Anderson,
Eve Arden Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades. Beginning her film career in 1929 an ...
, Martin Balsam, Whitney Blake,
Joan Blondell Rose Joan Blondell (August 30, 1906 – December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years. Blondell began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on a film career, estab ...
, Lloyd Bochner, Judy Carne, Roger C. Carmel, Ted Cassidy, Joan Collins, Walter Coy, Yvonne Craig, Broderick Crawford,
Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...
, Kim Darby, Albert Dekker, Ivan Dixon, Chad Everett, Anne Francis, Harold Gould, Grayson Hall, Pat Harrington Jr., James Hong, Allen Jenkins, Patsy Kelly, Richard Kiel, Marta Kristen, Elsa Lanchester, Martin Landau, Angela Lansbury, Herbert Lom,
Julie London Julie London (born Julie Peck; September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch song, torch singer noted for her contralto voice, London recorded over thirty album ...
, Jack Lord, Lynn Loring, Jan Murray,
Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. He made his a ...
, William Marshall, Eve McVeagh, Carroll O'Connor, Susan Oliver, David Opatoshu, Leslie Parrish, Eleanor Parker, Slim Pickens, Vincent Price, Dorothy Provine, Cesar Romero, Charles Ruggles,
Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor before transitioning to leading roles as an adult in various genres such as action adventures, science-fiction, westerns, romance films, co ...
, Telly Savalas,
Barbara Shelley Barbara Shelley (born Barbara Teresa Kowin; 13 February 1932 – 3 January 2021) was an English film and television actress. She appeared in more than a hundred films and television series. She was particularly known for her work in horror film ...
, Nancy Sinatra, Sharon Tate, Guthrie Thomas, Terry-Thomas, Rip Torn, Fritz Weaver, and Elen Willard (in her last acting appearance).


Gadgets


Communications devices

The characters in the series had a range of useful spy equipment, including handheld
satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...
communicators. A
catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
often heard was "Open Channel D" when agents used their pocket radios; these were originally disguised as
cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...
packs, later as cigarette cases, and still later as fountain pens. One of the original pen communicator props is now in the museum of the CIA. Replicas have been made over the years for other displays, and this is the second-most-identifiable prop from the series (closely following the U.N.C.L.E. Special pistol).


U.N.C.L.E. car

A few of the third- and fourth-season episodes featured an "U.N.C.L.E. car", which was a modified Piranha Coupe, a plastic-bodied
concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle or show vehicle) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not ...
based on the
Chevrolet Corvair The Chevrolet Corvair is a Rear-engine design, rear-engined, Chevrolet Turbo-Air 6 engine, air-cooled compact car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet over two generations between 1960 and 1969. A response to the Volkswagen Beetle, it was of ...
chassis built in limited numbers by the custom car designer Gene Winfield. The U.N.C.L.E. car had been lost after the end of the TV series, but it was found in Colorado during the early 1980s, and it was restored to original condition by Oscar-winning special effects artist Robert Short of California.


Weaponry

One prop, designed by the toy designer Reuben Klamer often referred to as "The Gun", drew so much attention that it actually spurred considerable fan mail, and was often so addressed. Internally designated the "U.N.C.L.E. Special", it was a modular semi-automatic firearm weapon. The basic
pistol A pistol is a type of handgun, characterised by a gun barrel, barrel with an integral chamber (firearms), chamber. The word "pistol" derives from the Middle French ''pistolet'' (), meaning a small gun or knife, and first appeared in the Englis ...
could be converted into a longer-range carbine by attaching a long barrel, an extendable shoulder stock, a telescopic sight, and an extended
magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
. In this "carbine mode", the pistol could fire on full automatic. This capability brought authorities to the set to investigate reports that the studio was illegally manufacturing machine guns. They threatened to confiscate the prop guns and it took a tour of the prop room to convince them that these were actually "dummy" pistols incapable of firing live ammunition. The actual pistol used as the prop was the Mauser Model 1934 Pocket Pistol, but it was unreliable, it jammed constantly, and it was dwarfed by the carbine accessories. It was soon replaced by the larger and more-reliable Walther P38. The long magazine was actually a standard magazine with a dummy extension, but it inspired several small-arms manufacturers to begin making long magazines for various pistols. While many of these continue to be available 40 years later, long magazines were not available for the P38 for some years. THRUSH had a range of weaponry of its own, much of them only in the development stage before being destroyed by the heroes. A notable item was the
infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...
sniperscope, enabling villains to aim gunfire in total darkness. The prop was built from a U.S. Army-surplus
M1 carbine The M1 carbine (formally the United States carbine, caliber .30, M1) is a lightweight semi-automatic carbine chambered in the .30 carbine (7.62×33mm) cartridge that was issued to the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War, and t ...
, with a vertical foregrip and barrel compensator, and using army-surplus infrared scopes. The infrared
special effect Special effects (often abbreviated as F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the fictional events in a story or virtual world. ...
was achieved using a searchlight to illuminate the target. The viewfinder image was a negative version of the film. When the scopes were switched on a pulsing chirp sound effect was used. The fully equipped carbines were seen only once, in "The Iowa Scuba Affair". After that, a mockup of the scope was used to make handling easier. German small arms were well represented in the series. Not only were P38s frequently seen (both as the U.N.C.L.E. Special and in standard configuration), but also the Luger pistol. In the pilot episode "The Vulcan Affair", Illya Kuryakin is carrying a M1911 pistol. The Mauser C96 and MP 40 machine pistols were favored by opponents. U.N.C.L.E. also used the MP 40. Beginning in the third season, both U.N.C.L.E and THRUSH agents used rifles that were either the Spanish CETME or the Heckler & Koch G3 (based on the CETME).


Awards and nominations

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
s * 1965: Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment – Actors and Performers (nominated) – David McCallum * 1965: Outstanding Program Achievements in Entertainment (nominated) – Sam Rolfe * 1966: Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series (nominated) – David McCallum * 1966: Outstanding Dramatic Series (nominated) – Norman Felton * 1966: Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama (nominated) – Leo G. Carroll * 1966: Individual Achievements in Music – Composition (nominated) – Jerry Goldsmith * 1966: Outstanding Achievements in Film Editing (nominated) - Henry Berman, Joseph Dervin, William Gulick * 1967: Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama (nominated) – Leo G. Carroll
Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...
* 1965: Best TV Star – Male (nominated) – Robert Vaughn * 1966: Best TV Star – Male (nominated) – Robert Vaughn * 1966: Best TV Star – Male (nominated) – David McCallum * 1966: Best TV Show (won) * 1967: Best TV Show (nominated)
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
s * 1966: Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show (nominated) – Lalo Schifrin, Morton Stevens, Walter Scharf, Jerry Goldsmith
Logie Awards The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The event is telecast live and ...
* 1966: Best Overseas Show (won)


Feature films


Theatrical releases of episodes

''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' rated so highly in America and the UK that MGM and the producers decided to film extra footage (often more adult to evoke Bond films) for two of the first season episodes and release them to theaters after they had aired on TV. The episodes with the extra footage that made it to theaters were the original pilot, "The Vulcan Affair", retitled '' To Trap a Spy'' and "The Double Affair" retitled as '' The Spy with My Face''. Both had added sex and violence, new sub-plots and guest stars not in the original TV episodes. They were released in early 1966 as an ''U.N.C.L.E.'' double-feature program first run in neighborhood theaters, bypassing the customary downtown movie palaces which were still thriving in the mid-1960s and where new films usually played for weeks or months before coming to outlying screens. A selling point to seeing these films theatrically was that they were being shown in color, at a time when most people had only black-and-white TVs (and indeed the two first-season episodes that were expanded to feature length, while filmed in color, had only been broadcast in black-and-white). The words "in color" featured prominently on the trailers, TV spots, and posters for the film releases. The episodes used to make U.N.C.L.E. films were not included in the packages of television episodes screened outside the United States. Subsequent two-part episodes, beginning with the second season premiere, "Alexander the Greater Affair", retitled ''One Spy Too Many'' for its theatrical release, were developed into one complete feature film with only occasional extra sexy and violent footage added to them, sometimes as just inserts. In the case of ''One Spy Too Many,'' a subplot featuring Yvonne Craig as an U.N.C.L.E. operative carrying on a flirtatious relationship with Solo was also added to the film; Craig does not appear in the television episodes. The later films were not released in America, only overseas, but the first few did well in American theaters and remain one of the rare examples of a television show released in paid theatrical engagements. With the exception of the two-part episode "The Five Daughters Affair", shown as part of Granada Plus's run of the series, the episodes which became films have never aired on British television. The films in the series: * '' To Trap a Spy'' (1964) * '' The Spy with My Face'' (1965) * '' One Spy Too Many'' (1966) * '' One of Our Spies Is Missing'' (1966) * '' The Spy in the Green Hat'' (1966) * '' The Karate Killers'' (1967) * '' The Helicopter Spies'' (1968) * '' How to Steal the World'' (1968)


2015 remake

A film adaptation of the television series was produced by Warner Bros. and Turner Entertainment, and was released in 2015. Directed by
Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter known primarily for British comedy gangster films and large-scale action-adventure films. Ritchie left school at the age of 15, and worked in e ...
, the film stars Armie Hammer, Henry Cavill, and Hugh Grant as Kuryakin, Solo, and Waverly, respectively. Filming began in September 2013, and the film was released on August 14, 2015. The film received mixed reviews.


In other media


Soundtrack albums

Although album recordings of the series had been made by Hugo Montenegro and many orchestras
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of the title theme, it wasn't until 2002 that the first of three double-disc albums of original music from the series were released through '' Film Score Monthly'' (FSM).


Comic books

Several comic books based on the series were published. In the US, there was a Gold Key Comics series which ran for twenty-two issues. Entertainment Publishing released an eleven-issue series of one- and two-part stories from January 1987 to September 1988 that updated U.N.C.L.E. to the 1980s, while largely ignoring the reunion TV film. A two-part comics story, "The Birds of Prey Affair", was put out by Millennium Publications in 1993, which showcased the return of a smaller, more-streamlined version of THRUSH, controlled by Dr. Egret, who had melded with the Ultimate Computer. The script was written by Mark Ellis and Terry Collins, with artwork by Nick Choles, and transplanted the characters into the 1990s. Two ''Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' strips were originated for the British market in the 1960s (some Gold Key material was also reprinted), the most notable for '' Lady Penelope'' comic, which launched in January 1966. This was replaced by a ''Girl from U.N.C.L.E.'' strip in January 1967. ''Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' also featured in the short-lived title ''Solo'' (published between February and September 1967) and some text stories appeared in '' TV Tornado''. In 2015–2016,
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
launched ''Batman '66 Meets the Man from U.N.C.L.E.'', a crossover with its '' Batman '66'' series.


Novels

Two dozen novels were based upon ''Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' and published between 1965 and 1968. Unhampered by television censors, the novels were generally grittier and more violent than the televised episodes. The series sold in the millions, and was the largest TV-novel tie-in franchise until surpassed by ''Dark Shadows'' and ''List of Star Trek novels, Star Trek''. # ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' ( ''The Thousand Coffins Affair'') by Michael Avallone. When villages in Africa and Scotland are wiped out by a plague of madness, Solo and Kuryakin dig up a graveyard and a monster named Golgotha. # ''The Doomsday Affair'' by Harry Whittington (author), Harry Whittington. The agents must find the mystery man "Tixe Ylno" before he triggers war between the US and the USSR. # ''The Copenhagen Affair'' by John Oram. UFOs are buzzing Europe, and the U.N.C.L.E. agents crisscross Denmark to find the factory before THRUSH launches an armed fleet. # ''The Dagger Affair'' by David McDaniel. DAGGER fanatics have an energy damper that can shut down electrical fields, atomic reactions, and human beings, and even THRUSH is panicked. This is the novel in which McDaniel introduced the acronym for THRUSH, though it was never used by any other of the novelists nor on the show itself. # ''The Mad Scientist Affair'' by John T. Phillifent. The agents stop biochemist "King Mike" from poisoning London, then discover his second plan is to contaminate the entire North Sea. # ''The Vampire Affair'' by David McDaniel. Napoleon and Illya don't believe in vampires and werewolves, but an U.N.C.L.E. agent has died, so they must investigate an ancient castle in Transylvanian Romania. # ''The Radioactive Camel Affair'' by Peter Leslie. Solo joins a caravan and Kuryakin threads a war zone to reach a missile base deep in the Sudan hinterlands. # ''The Monster Wheel Affair'' by David McDaniel. The agents canvass the globe and infiltrate a remote island to confirm an inexplicable space station belongs to Egypt. # ''The Diving Dames Affair'' by Peter Leslie. The deaths of two merry missionaries lead the agents to the plains of Brazil and a giant dam with no apparent purpose. # ''The Assassination Affair'' by J. Hunter Holly. Surviving assassins' bullets and a "do-it-yourself murder room", the agents follow THRUSH to desolated Michigan farms and a scheme to starve the world. # ''The Invisibility Affair'' by Thomas Stratton (Robert Coulson and Gene DeWeese). The agents track an invisible dirigible to a submarine in Lake Michigan – and a plot to hijack an entire country. # ''The Mind Twisters Affair'' by Thomas Stratton. People in a college town are unaccountably catatonic, euphoric, and raging. The agents must ferret out who and how before the "experiment" goes nationwide. # ''The Rainbow Affair'' by David McDaniel. The agents consult every classic fictional spy and detective in England to find the world's best bank robber before THRUSH can recruit or kill him. Notable for unnamed cameos by Simon Templar, The Saint, Miss Marple, John Steed, Emma Peel, Willie Garvin, Tommy Hambledon, Neddie Seagoon, Father Brown, a retired
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
(aged nearly 100), and Dr. Fu Manchu. # ''The Cross of Gold Affair'' by Fredric Davies (Ron Ellik and Fredric Langley). Clues hidden in crossword puzzles lead the agents, hippies, and frogmen to a Coney Island death-trap to stop the biggest heist in history. # ''The Utopia Affair'' by David McDaniel. Solo must command U.N.C.L.E. North America while Waverly is on a forced six-week vacation, and an undercover Illya tries to protect Waverly from THRUSH assassins. # ''The Splintered Sunglasses Affair'' by Peter Leslie # ''The Hollow Crown Affair'' by David McDaniel. In the last published David McDaniel novel, THRUSH Agent Ward and Irene Baldwin from ''The Dagger Affair'' return in a battle against an U.N.C.L.E. lab chief who has defected to THRUSH. # ''The Unfair Fare Affair'' by Peter Leslie # ''The Power Cube Affair'' by John T. Phillifent # ''The Corfu Affair'' by John T. Phillifent # ''The Thinking Machine Affair'' by Joel Bernard # ''The Stone Cold Dead in the Market Affair'' by John Oram # ''The Finger in the Sky Affair'' by Peter Leslie # ''The Final Affair'' by David McDaniel. Never published, but available online. Waverly has a plan to capture or destroy THRUSH's ultra-computers, isolating the many satraps to crush THRUSH forever. But as the "final affair" gets underway, ghosts from the past return. Some live and some die as a new order arises. Volumes 10–15 and 17 of the series were only published in the United States. Souvenir Press, Souvenir Press used a different numbering (from Ace) for their editions. Whitman Publishing published three hardcover novels aimed at young readers: ''The Affair of the Gunrunners' Gold'' and ''The Affair of the Gentle Saboteur'' by Brandon Keith (writer), Brandon Keith, and ''The Calcutta Affair'' by George S. Elrick. A children's storybook was written by Walter B. Gibson entitled ''The Coin of El Diablo Affair''. The digest-sized ''Man from U.N.C.L.E. Magazine'' featured original novella continuing the adventures of Solo and Kuryakin. Published under the house name "Robert Hart Davis", they were written by such authors as John Jakes, Dennis Lynds, and Bill Pronzini. 24 issues, which also offered original crime and spy-fiction short stories and novelettes, and occasional SF and fantasy reprints under the title "Department of Lost Stories", ran monthly from February 1966 to January 1968. An additional novella entitled "The Vanishing City Affair" was advertised on page 140 of the January 1968 issue for the proposed (but never published) February 1968 issue. It is as yet unconfirmed, however, if this novella was shelved for possible future release elsewhere or if it was ever written at all.


TV Annuals

There have been four TV Annuals published in UK between 1967 and 1970 by World Distributors which features written stories and reprint of a Gold Key Comics story which were never published in the UK.


Home media

MGM/UA Home Video released eight volumes, featuring two episodes each, on home video on September 25, 1991. In November 2007, after coming to an agreement with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Time Life released a 41 DVD set (region 1) for direct order, with sales through stores scheduled for fall 2008. An earlier release by Anchor Bay Entertainment, Anchor Bay, allegedly set for 2006, was apparently scuttled because of a dispute over the rights to the series with Warner Home Video. On October 21, 2008, the Time-Life set was released to retail outlets in Region 1 (North America) in a special all-seasons box set contained within a small briefcase. The complete-series set consists of 41 DVDs, including two discs of special features included exclusively with the box set. Included in the set was the ''Solo'' pilot episode, as well as one of the films, ''One Spy Too Many''. Paramount Pictures and CBS Home Entertainment released ''Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' to DVD in Region 1 on March 3, 2009. On August 23, 2011, Warner Archive Collection released ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E. 8-Movie Collection'' on DVD via its "manufacture on demand" service. On November 4, 2014, Warner Home Video released the complete series set on DVD in Region 1 in a new repackaged version. On August 4, 2015, Warner Home Video released an individual release of season 1 on DVD in Region 1. Season 2 was released on February 2, 2016. In Region 2, Warner Bros. released the complete series set on DVD in the UK. It also released a separate film collection on September 8, 2003. The DVD contains five of the eight films, missing the following: ''To Trap a Spy'' (1964), ''The Spy in the Green Hat'' (1966) and ''One of Our Spies is Missing'' (1966). On March 26, 2012, Fabulous Films released ''Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' on Region 2 DVD.


Merchandise

Licensed merchandise included Gilbert action figures, Aurora Plastics Corporation, Aurora plastic model kits, lunch boxes, and toy guns. An example of this, the Louis Marx "Target Gun Set", a dart-gun shooting-game released in the form of a quasi-playset, is built around the setting of U.N.C.L.E. headquarters in New York City. Art on the cardboard stand displays both the U.N.C.L.E. and THRUSH logos, and a half-dozen soft plastic figures per "side" were provided, including Solo, Kuryakin and Waverly. The game measures ; the figures, at , represent one of the few attempts Marx made at supplementing its 6-inch figure line. The U.N.C.L.E. figures are cast in blue, except for a single (unnamed) figure in tan; THRUSH agents are cast in gray. Marx was released an arcade game licensed under ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' Corgi Toys produced a die-cast toy model of the "Thrushbuster", an Oldsmobile 88, with figures of ' Napoleon Solo' and ' Illya Kuryakin' which popped in and out of the car windows firing guns by pressing down on a model periscope protruding through the roof.


See also

* Illya Kuryakin * Napoleon Solo * U.N.C.L.E. * The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (film), ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (film) – 2015 remake


References


External links

*
Encyclopedia of Television


* [http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/31609/man-from-uncle-the-complete-series-the/ Production history and DVD review of complete series]
A detailed chronology of the show's production
{{DEFAULTSORT:Man From U.N.C.L.E., The The Man from U.N.C.L.E., 1964 American television series debuts 1968 American television series endings 1960s American drama television series American action television series Black-and-white American television shows American English-language television shows American spy television series Gold Key Comics titles Television shows adapted into comics Television shows adapted into films Television shows adapted into novels Television series by MGM Television Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios NBC television dramas