Richard Donner directed more than his share of episodic television shows before hitting it big as a feature film director in 1976’s The Omen. That work included putting his imprint on 1960s spy shows.

In a 2006 Archive of American television interview, Donner discussed his work on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Get Smart. He also did some episodes of The Wild, Wild West. The segment where he talks about U.N.C.L.E. and Get Smart occurs roughly during the 21:50 to 26:38 of this video:

A few notes: Donner’s memory is a tad faulty in places. He refers to David McCallum having been married to Jill St. John when he meant Jill Ireland. Still, that kind of thing is easy to overlook. With U.N.C.L.E., Donner had a big impact; he directed four of the series’ first 14 episodes including the first (The Quadripartite Affair) that included an expanded presence for McCallum’s Illya Kuryakin and one of the few episodes (The Terbuf Affair) that provided much in the way of backstory for Robert Vaughn’s Napoleon Solo.

You can see part of the finished product here. That’s Jill Ireland with McCallum (except in the long shots); a brunette Anne Francis as the lead villain; future Emmy-awarding winning director (for The Monkees) James Frawley as a treacherous policeman; executive producer Norman Felton as an irate chess player at a party; and Donner himself as a drunk at the same party:

New in at Cinema Books: A Fortunate Life by Robert Vaughn,$16.95 paper.  New paperback edition of Robert Vaughn’s autobiography. Long time friend of Steve McQueen, a romance with Natalie Wood and reminiscences of Judy Garland, Charlton Heston, and Elizabeth Taylor. The star of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. also appeared in The Magnificent Seven  and Bullitt. Plenty of Kennedy stories too.

Some formidable names to conclude the series (now at 100 actors and 100 actresses):

Patrick McGoohan, Orson Welles, David Niven, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, Edward Everett Horton, Walter Huston, Alan Arkin, Vic Morrow, Peter Falk, George Sanders, Steve Buscemi, Ralph Meeker, Joe Shishido, Broderick Crawford, John Turturro, Charles Bronson, Jackie Gleason, Ben Gazzara, Peter Lorre.

Image sources: IMDb, Dr. Macro, Google Images, and my own screen shots.

(related posts: 20 Actors, 20 (more) Actors, 20 Actors (coda), 20 Actors (encore), 20 Actresses, 20 (more) Actresses, 20 Actresses (grand finale), 20 Actresses (ultimo), 20 Actresses (encore))

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 charm of the evening was enhanced by the fact that the crowd is very limited in size, giving the event a very personal aspect. Vaughn arrived looking dashing as ever in the company of his charming wife Linda. His son Cassidy (a ringer for Christopher Reeve) and fiancee Kelly also attended. Even among the sophisticates at the cocktail hour, there was quite a commotion when a surprise guest appeared: David McCallum (who was accompanied by his wife Kathy). Vaughn was pleasantly shocked.

To read the entire article and view accompanying photographs, just CLICK RIGHT HERE.

On November 22:

1574 Discovery of the Juan Fernández Islands off Chile.

1718 Pirate Edward Teach (best known as “Blackbeard“) was killed in battle with a boarding party led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard.

1808  Thomas Cook, British travel entrepreneur, was born.

1819  George Eliot, (Mary Ann Evans) British novelist, was born.

1859  Charles Darwin’s book On the Origin of Species was first offered for sale, in London.

1899 Hoagy Carmichael, American composer, was born.

1890 Charles de Gaulle, President of France (, was born.

1913 Benjamin Britten, British composer, was born.

1914 Peter Townsend, British Equerry and air pilot, was born.

1919 – Máire Drumm, Irish civil rights activist, was born.

1928 The premier performance of Ravel’s Boléro took place in Paris.

1943  Lebanon gained independence from France.

1958  Jamie Lee Curtis, American actress, was born.

1963  US President John F. Kennedy was killed and Texas Governor John B. Connally is seriously wounded by Lee Harvey Oswald.

1975 Juan Carlos was declared King of Spain following the death of Francisco Franco.

1977 British Airways inaugurated a regular London to New York City supersonic Concorde service.

1998  British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher withdrew from the Conservative Party leadership election, confirming the end of her premiership.

1995 Toy Story was released as the first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery.

2005 Angela Merkel became the first female Chancellor of Germany.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

Tonight the disc in the player was 1974’s classic disaster movie, The Towering Inferno, starring Paul Newman, and Steve McQueen, with William Holden, Faye Dunaway, and a distinguished Fred Astaire.

I’m fairly certain that the reason this got in my queue was to test my theory that it doesn’t matter what decade it comes from, disaster movies are pretty awful. With a few choice exceptions, this hypothesis holds up.

As for the plot, what do you expect, David Mamet? Tallest building in the world goes up in flames and architect Doug Roberts (Paul Newman) and Fire Chief O’Hallorhan (Steve McQueen) have to (and do) save the day. BAM. Done. Next!

Color commentary, though? I’ve got plenty of that given my work history with electronics, submarines, and water plant operations. Too bad I’m not an architect or I could probably tear this movie a new arsehole over that too.

First things first, though. I have to admit that both Paul Newman and Steve McQueen were veritable badasses, which isn’t really unexpected, particularly for McQueen. I mean, come ON! One of his replies to a firefighter frightened of rapelling down an elevator shaft was, “Well, you better go first so you don’t take any of us with you when you fall.” That doesn’t even touch on The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, and Bullitt. Steve McQueen is so badass he makes John Wayne look like Andy Dick, Chuck Norris like Ralph Macchio, and Jason Statham like Pee Wee Herman. Steve McQueen might even be able to take Dolemite in a fight, but I’m not positive.

There were a few Scenes That Remind You This Movie Is Old. For one, when the fire trucks go by, other drivers actually pull over to the side of the road! Another scene has a kid wearing wireless headphones. The things are freaking enormous and basically have a set of rabbit ears attached to them to pick up radio signals, presumably from Planet V.

And apparently, in 1974, the sign of the upper class is to have plaid curtains and to wear a cravat.

Oh, and despite Cheech Marin’s insistence in Desperado, the bartender in this movie does, in fact, get killed.

We’re also treated to an, “Oh, I KNOW that guy! What’s his name?” moment when we see Robert Vaughn. He was one of the Magnificent Seven, co-starred with McQueen in Bullitt, amd was in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., but most people recognize him as the bad guy from Superman III.

Now to get cracking on all the ridiculous parts of this movie. Ob, believe me, there are plenty.

First off, I seriously think this movie was written by a building inspector or safety officer, since in many places The Towering Inferno is more a safety training video than an action/disaster movie. For example, the fire starts when an electrical junction box explodes (due to shoddy wiring on part of the electrical contractor) and a wire sets fire to a huge pile of oily rags in a room filled with flamable liquids. It’s like everything you shouldn’t do safety-wise all rolled into one!

Okay, so maybe that was the only scene written by the safety officer, because a safety officer would never let the following appear on celluloid. There was a scene where another electrical breaker fried and started smoking. The dude opens up the panel and starts poking around in there without any electrical safety gear on whatsoever. You don’t go poking around in a 450 volt panel with your bare hands when it’s not de-energized, especially when it’s been damaged by fire or explosion.

Also, I don’t think the safety inspectors would have approved of hooking the bathroom taps and washing machine hookups to kerosene tanks instead of water lines. I mean, that’s the only possible explanation I can think of for so many people bursting into flames like they did in this movie. Seriously, a half second of contact with flames on their pant leg is enough to make them immediately become Burning Man. No one dies of smoke inhalation. No, that’s not sexy enough for the big screen. They have to erupt in flames and walk about and jump out windows for dramatic effect.

Sadly, we’ve yet to cross the threshold into ridiculousness. Way up on the 135th floor of Nakatomi Plaza Glass Tower, in one of the stairwells, a wheelbarrow full of cement has tipped over, hardened, and completely blocked access to the door. While it’s not entirely outside the realm of possibility that there was a wheelbarrow full of cement in a stairwell on the 135th floor (though it’s extremely unlikely), the fact that the building was already starting to be occupied and no one noticed it until then is completely moronic.

Finally, the 12 year old in me would like to provide this out of context quotation: “Jack, I know you’ve been hitting it. I’m gonna get some relief for you and your men.”

(AP Photo/Fred Beckham)

The team has had to face a great deal of adversity this year in dealing with the injury of captain and defensive playmaker Scott Lutrus, the switching of quarterbacks during the season, and most recently the loss of a teammate, Jasper Howard, who was murdered a day after the Huskies homecoming win over Louisville.

So after 5 games and a lot of adversity, here are my mid-season grades for the team:

QUARTERBACKS: Zach Frazer started the season as the starter, but after two mediocre performances and a knee injury in the first two games of the season, the stage was set for Cody Endres. In the four games he has played since taking over for Frazer, Endres has completed close to 65% of his passes for 1314 yards and 6 touchdowns. Endres has made some mistakes, but overall he has improved throughout the season and is doing things to help his team win. OVERALL GRADE: B

(AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald, Jerry Larson)

RECIEVERS: One of the biggest question marks coming into this season was the receiving core. After a terrible season last year, the Huskies were looking for playmakers on the outside. Through the first few games, the Huskies were still looking for that go-to-guy. A few players made some plays, such as Brad Kanuch, Michael Smith, and Isiah Moore. But no guy really stepped up and became that deep threat and consistent playmaker. However, over the past three games, Senior Marcus Easley has become that guy for the Huskies. Easley has had over 100 yards receiving and has had a touchdown in each of the last three games. With his emergence and hopefully more consistency from the other receivers, the offense will have a passing attack it can rely on. OVERALL GRADE: C

OFFENSIVE LINE: The big guys up front have been solid for most of the year. Besides a few sacks here and there, and the one holding penalty on Dan Ryan against North Carolina for a safety, the offensive line has been a strong point for the Huskies. They have given Dixon and Todman room to run, and have given Endres decent protection in the pocket. OVERALL GRADE: B+

DEFENSIVE LINE: The Huskies front four on defense have been pretty consistent this year. Lead by Senior Lindsey Witten, who is second in the nation in sacks, the defensive line has been a strong point for UConn this year. Freshman defensive end Jesse Joseph has proven to be a playmaker as well, while Kendall Reyes has played well at the tackle position. They did have a bad game against Pittsburgh when they were man-handled by the Pitt offensive line. OVERALL GRADE: A-

LINEBACKERS: Captain Scott Lutrus has been out for all but two games this year (he has been cleared to play this weekend against Rutgers), however the linebacker core has played extremely well even without their leader. Lawrence Wilson is leading the Big East in tackles and has become more of a vocal leader. Greg Lloyd has been very consistent and Lutrus’ replacement Jory Johnson has played very well. Once Lutrus is back on the field the Huskies will have the best linebacker group in the Big East. OVERALL GRADE: A

DEFENSIVE BACKS: The Defensive Backs have played well all season, but they lost one of their leaders in Jasper Howard. Team captain Robert McClain and fellow senior Robert Vaughn have played extremely well, as both have 4 interceptions on the year. Jerome Junior and Jonathan Jean-Louis have split time at the other safety spot and have been solid players. Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Dwayne Gratz will be competing for playing time at the corner position that was Jasper Howard’s. OVERALL GRADE: B+

SPECIAL TEAMS: Desi Cullen is having a good senior year as he is one of the top punters in the Big East. Kicker Dave Teggart, who was one of the most consistent kickers in the conference a year ago, has struggled so far this year. He is just seven for twelve on field goal tries this year, and missed two costly ones against West Virginia that could have given UConn the victory. Teggart needs to find his rhythm again, and when he does the Huskies will have a solid special teams duo. OVERALL GRADE: C+

HEAD COACH RANDY EDSALL: Coach Edsall has built this program to what it is today, and has done it with class and integrity. Coming into this year the Huskies had a lot of question marks, and overall the team has played better than their 4-3 record indicates. Coach Edsall and his assistants have done a good job with this team, but they need to continue to preach the concept of “Finishing” to the team. The only downside to the coaching this year has been that the team has blown three fourth quarter leads, and some of that falls on the coaching staff. While on the field, Coach Edsall may have a little work to do, off the field he has been “Coach of the Year” in my book. Dealing with the tragedy of losing a player is never easy, but what Coach Edsall went through was just awful. He had to identify the body, call Howard’s parents to tell them what had happened to their son, call Jazz’s girlfriend to tell her the bad news, then tell the team that they had lost a teammate and brother. Coach Edsall has handled this entire situation with class and has been the leader and support for the team, the program, the Howard family, and the entire UConn community. Coach Edsall has done a marvelous job leading this team through this horrific time, while trying to get them back to normal business of playing football. OVERALL GRADE: A+

The Huskies have plenty of talent, heart, and desire to win every game the rest of the season. If the team can continue to improve, play together, play the entire game, play for Jasper Howard, and follow the lead of Coach Edsall, then they can have a very successful season.

The team will return to the field this Saturday when they host Big East rival Rutgers at Noon at the Rent. It will be the first home game since the death of Jasper Howard, and many tributes will be made at the game. The team hopes its ultimate tribute will be a win in Howard’s honor.

There have been oodles of monster countdowns. There have been ones about “giant monsters”, “sea creatures”, “classic monsters” and “human-sized monsters” so where was all love for the little monsters!

In the spirit of Halloween, we will take a look at those small monsters people quickly forget.

#10 C.H.U.D.

There is no real way to describe what a CHUD is. I think that is why they came up with the name being an acronym for “Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller.” These beings of the sewer terrorized New York citizens including John Heard, Daniel Stern, Robert Vaughn and June Lockhart in two films. At first glance you might call them tiny cousins of Morlocks from The Time Machine. But really they are just ugly, slimy nasty little buggers.

#9 Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

First of all I wanna meet the guy that thought up the idea that Killer produce was a marketable idea in Hollywood. This indie movie became an indie sensation with multiple sequels in the 80s and I can still hear the theme  song in my head. If you can forget the idiocy of the plot and the illogical idea that a tomato can become conscious and crave blood then you will laugh your butt off at this flick. The tomatoes make our list because these tiny psychotic produce may be funnier than hell but they are still monsters. Not to mention they harass George Clooney in the sequel.

#8 Quatto

Who in their right mind can forget Quatto when seeing the movie, Total Recall. Man lifts up shirt goes into trance as his stomach starts talking to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now that is one creepy beer belly.

“Quuuaaaaiiiiidddd, release your mind!”

Quatto is also the most powerful small monster on our list as he is the leader of the Martian resistance and he asks for Arnie’s help. My question is which mouth does he eat through? Does Quatto have a social life? Are there female Quatto? Oh and those freakish baby arms creep me out!

#7 Ghoulies

These little guys know how to party! Their slimy, crawl up through toilets and are summoned by Satanic worshipers who have no idea what they are getting themselves into. The first film was directed by Charles Band who was also responsible for many of the Puppetmaster and Trancers sequels. The effects were also one of the earlier works of the late Stan Winston who did Ghoulies a year after his work on the first Terminator.

The infamous toilet crawling scene was actually added into the film after it had wrapped. It came from the mind of Charles Band when he was trying to come up an idea for a promotional campaign for the film.

These little demons spawned three sequels which just got worse and worse as they went. In one sequel they harass a dumbfounded Andrew McCarthy at college. Sure this is a Gremlins rip off but Ghoulies really took the concept into another arena of the B-Movie. Ghoulies did help Charles Band become one of the most successful B-Movie makers of the 1980s. During the late 1980s and early 1990s he even rivaled Roger Corman.

#6 Basketcase

Ghoulies may have been a more successful franchise but when you think about the complications of making our next monster believable I think you have to see why he slips past those tiny little hell-raisers.

Basically Basketcase looks like a tumor with arms who lives in a basket and is psychotic. He also has a name, Belial. What he is actually is the remnants of a conjoined twin. His very naive and attractive brother, Duane, cares for him and well leads victims to Belial. The film’s plot revolves around the conjoined twins hunting down the doctors who separated them.

Belial came from the mind of Frank Henenlotter, who wrote and directed the film. He was also the hands of Belial when he grabbed his victims. Henenlotter guided the series into two sequels.

In future episodes, the twins meet an assortment of freaks, Duane tries to reattach Belial, Duane goes to an asylum, Belial gets a girlfriend and they have offspring. Another reason Basketcase ranks above Ghoulies is that with each sequel they continued the story and believe it or not. Belial became a character you wanted to know what happens to. I am not sure a love interest was the way to go but that is just something you have to see.

Oh one last question, could Belial and Quatto be cousins?

See you back here Thursday as we reveal the top five “pint-sized” monsters.

So Says the Soothsayer.

‘HELLO CHELTENHAM’. Well, here I am, coming to you live from the festival! I have been event hopping and what wonderful rich and diverse fare.

Jeremy Paxman was on top form giving a talk on Victorian art, or to be more precise, on life and social values described and depicted in their paintings. It was not just a critique fest for a Brian Sewell master class on art, but the 19th century truly brought to life in his unique informative and anecdotal presenting style, and with hardly a politician in sight.

Next Robert Vaughn. Yes, he of The Magnificent Seven, Bullitt, The Man from Uncle and recently BBC 1’s Hustle fame. Now I always find it interesting listening to these Hollywood legends recounting stories, their lives and telling of the ‘greats’ and times past. I was not disappointed. His involvement in and view of American politics was also pertinent. Did you know that for a number of years the FBI had a file on him?

Listening to an author talking about how he or she came to write a novel, their inspiration and the ‘behind the scenes’ work in actually writing and completing a book makes fascinating listening too. Why does a writer write and what induced them to start writing? How long does research and writing a novel actually take? Kate Mosse, bestselling author of Labyrinth and Sepulchre talking with Sandi Toksvig revealed many answers. And afterwards I was fortunate enough to meet her and have my copy of her latest book ‘The Winter Ghosts’ autographed!

Finally a literary joke. An Irishman goes for a job on a building site and is told by the foreman he can only be taken on if he can answer a question correctly. What’s the difference between a girder and a joist, asks the foreman. A silence follows before the Irishman replies; well Goethe wrote Faust and Joyce Ulysses.

Enjoy the Festival. Must dash to another event!

Jasper Howard, Andre Dixon After Loss (PATRICK RAYCRAFT / HARTFORD COURANT / October 10, 2009)

The defense, which came into the game ranked 4th in the nation, played well for the first 45 minutes, as they caused two turnovers and limited the Panthers to just 6 points. Robert Vaughn had two interceptions for the Huskies. However, the game is 60 minutes long, and the defense could not stop Pitt and quarterback Bill Stull. Stull hit Dorin Dickerson for a 27-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Panthers added a two-point conversion and then the game-winning field goal.

Like the defense, the Husky offense played well for the first three quarters, but in the fourth they were out gained 147 yards to 6 by Pitt. Cody Endres played pretty well in his third start of the season, with his only mistake being a fumble in the first half. He finished the day throwing for 197 yards and a touchdown, while completing 17 of 23 pass attempts. The Husky ground game was held in check for the most part. Andre Dixon ran for 95 yards and a touchdown, while Jordan Todman added another 43 yards.

Lutrus Hurt vs Pitt (PATRICK RAYCRAFT / HARTFORD COURANT / October 10, 2009)

UConn drops to 3-2 on the season, and 0-1 in Big East play. They return to the field next Saturday, October 17, when the Louisville Cardinals travel to East Hartford. It will be the Homecoming game for the Huskies. Kick-off is at Noon.

Bullit: Steve McQueen plays the straightest cop on earth, desperate to get the job done no matter how many superiors he pisses off. The film’s most notorious part, and only real action scene, is the awesome car chase in which a Ford Mustang and Dodge Charger take a proper beat down as they tear through the steep streets of San Francisco. The big let down was that there wasn’t much more action, and the film moves along at a slow-ish speed, especially the first 40 minutes. The Mustang gets a lot of good shots, so Ford certainly got their money’s worth. Although it’s famous for the chase scene, there’s frankly not that much else on offer, other than a staple story and a lot of close ups of a solemn and confused McQueen. Middle of the road cop film.

Score: 6/10

I know it is belated but I had to wish Dr Mallard  a happy  76th birthday since he and i share September 19 as the anniversary of our birth. You will note that for convenience sake, I am using Ducky and David McCallum intrchangeably.For those of us from an earlier time, he was known as Illya Kuryakin, partner to Robert Vaughn on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. which actually began on this date in 1964. He was  a bit of  a heart-throb in that role as a Russian born secret agent.

As is true with a number of NCIS characters, elements of the actor’s  real life surface in their character. With Ducky, the Scottish ancestry is often refered to and McCallum himself was born in Glasgow. One of the neatest pieces of info I learned about him was that he and his wife are big supporters on charities that benefit the US Marine Corps, as his wife’s was a marine who served in the Battle of Iwo Jima . Of course, we all know about Jethro and the Marines.

Diehard NCISers will remember Gibbs being asked who Ducky resembled when he was younger.He repiled, “Illya Kuryakin. McCallum may never again have reached the heights of those secret agent days, but we NCIS  fans wish many more years as our favorite medical examiner.

Ducky-Then

Ducky-Now

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. The opening moments of the pilot/first episode, seen in the first couple of minutes of this video, were certainly eye-catching and enhanced by Jerry Goldsmith’s score:

The show featured a dashing wordly hero, Napoleon Solo. Ian Fleming, during a very brief period when he was involved with the project, had helped name him. Fleming quickly dropped out, at least in part because he didn’t want to anger Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, the producers who were turning his James Bond novels into movies. Norman Felton, the producer overseeing U.N.C.L.E., and Sam Rolfe, the writer-producer who Felton chose to write the pilot, would come up with their own take on the spy genre.

While it had some Bondian elements, U.N.C.L.E. would have significant differences:

1. It was the utopian spy show. U.N.C.L.E. was a multi-national organization, whose agents were the best that many countries had to offer. It was a post-Cold War series produced in the middle of the Cold War. The best example of that? Namely:

2. Illya Kuryakin a sympathetic Russian character. Kuryakin was seen only fleetingly in the U.N.C.L.E. pilot, The Vulcan Affair. Nevertheless, it was clear that Felton and Rolfe had bigger plans in the future. Robert Vaughn, in a short presention to advertisers and network executives said that Kuryakin (and the actor who played him, David McCallum) “is an interesting young man — you’ll see him often.” NBC wasn’t that keen on Kuryakin and wanted him out. Felton & Co. instead dumped actor Will Kuluva, who had played U.N.C.L.E. boss Mr. Allison, and had him replaced with Leo G. Carroll as Alexander Waverly. When NBC discovered what had happened, it was too late. (The Kuluva scenes were refilmed with Carroll before the episode aired.)

Bear this in mind. U.N.C.L.E. premiered 23 months after the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the U.S. and Soviet Union nearly went to war. The show often kept Kuryakin’s “Russian-ness” under wraps, but not entirely. In one first-season episode, he’s shown in the U.S.S.R. in a military uniform. In another, he and Solo are driving up to a large mansion. “Suddenly, I feel very Russian,” Kuryakin says. Put another way: director Lewis Gilbert boasted during the making of the 007 film The Spy Who Loved Me how that film featured a sympathetic Russian character. It only took 007’s producers 13 years to catch up to U.N.C.L.E. in that regard.

3. U.N.C.L.E. spies had to be different from Bond because they mixed more with “ordinary” people.

Rolfe in his pilot script established the use of an “innocent” — a character intended as a surrogate for the audience. In Rolfe’s pilot story, it was a housewife who had a close relationship with Andrew Vulcan, a leader of the criminal organization Thrush. Solo and Kuryakin, simply by interacting with the “innocents,” had to act differently than Bond and show different emotions. In the series, the “innocents” are a mixed bunch. A goofy third-season episode, The Matternhorn Affair, has an innocent (Bill Dana) who’s supposed to be funny but instead has the audience rooting for him to get killed.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was like a nova. Its popularity shone brightly but then burned out. By January 1968, it’d be off the air.

But U.N.C.L.E. paved the way for a full fledged spy invasion of U.S. TV screens. A year after its debut, NBC brought out I Spy (a more serious, Cold War-grounded spy drama) and Get Smart, the spy parody created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry while CBS introduced The Wild, Wild West where the spy and cowboy genres mixed. In 1966, CBS went to the well again, with Mission: Impossible.

What’s more, this decade has been quite good for U.N.C.L.E. fans. The entire series is available on DVD with extensive extras. Four volumes of U.N.C.L.E. soundtrack music are available from Film Score Monthly, produced by film and TV music expert Jon Burlingame. There hasn’t been an U.N.C.L.E. movie but having seen what’s happened to Mission: Impossible (Jim Phelps turned into a villain in the 1996 film), The Wild, Wild West (turned into a very uneven 1999 film) and I Spy (turned into a goofy 2002 comedy), that may not be a bad thing.

In any event, happy anniversary, U.N.C.L.E. and Messrs Solo and Kuryakin.

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 Vaughn drew the short straw. He’s telling viewers about the Corvair, the model that would become known as “unsafe at any speed” courtesy of consumer advocate Ralph Nader. Not exactly like getting to drive an Aston Martin DB5.

As we understand it, this spot ran on all three shows early in the 1964-65 season. Take a look for yourself. In particular, note the rather, eh, interesting interaction between Agnes Moorehead and Dan Blocker. (No spy connection but it does look like she’s ready to rip his clothes off.)

Richard Thomas

Battle Beyond the Stars

is a Roger Corman-produced science fiction film, directed by Jimmy T. Murakami and released in 1980. The film is notable in that the screenplay was partly written by John Sayles, the score was by James Horner and the special effects were directed by James Cameron. Several of the effects shots were re-used for other films throughout the 1980s. An example of this can be seen during the movie theater fight scene at the end of Bachelor Party. Additionally the space ship models and effects were re-used in the film Space Raiders.

Tagline: A battle beyond time, beyond space.

Seven mercenaries are recruited from throughout the galaxy to save a peaceful planet from the threat of an evil tyrant bent on dominating and enslaving the entire universe.

Robert Vaughn

Trivia:

Sybil Danning

George Peppard

John Saxon

Make Up Department
  Charles Balazs … hairdresser
  Sue Dolph … makeup artist
  Ken Horn … prosthetic assistant
  Karen Kubeck … assistant makeup artist
  Mike La Valley … prosthetic assistant
  Steve Neill … prosthetic makeup
  Cliff Raven … makeup artist: Quopeg’s tattoo
  Thom Shouse … prosthetic assistant
  Rick Stratton … prosthetic makeup

27 x 40 Movie Poster

Special Effects Department
  Frank DeMarco … pyrotechnics
  Roger George … pyrotechnics
  Hal Miles … special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects Department
  Larry Albright … lighting pieces
  Ed Banks … gaffer: special photographic effects
  Stephen Barncard … effects lighting and props
  Chris Brightman … additional photography: special photographic effects
  Steve Caldwell … camera operator: special photographic effects
  Jim Cameron … additional director of photography: special photographic effects
  Jim Cameron … miniature design and construction
  Tom Campbell … additional photography: special photographic effects
  Tom Campbell … engineering: miniature design and construction
  Jo Carson … production manager: special photographic effects
  Brian Chin … miniature design and construction
  C. Comisky … producer/supervisor: special photographic effects
  John Cruz … effects lighting and props
  Chuck De Cola … effects lighting and props
  George D. Dodge … director of photography: special photographic effects
  Marcia Dripchak … optical effects supervisor
  Steve Elliott … rotoscope/animation/graphic effects
  Judith Evans … rotoscope/animation/graphic effects
  Michele Ferrone … production manager: special photographic effects
  Randall Frakes … additional photography: special photographic effects
  Deborah Gaydos … rotoscope/animation/graphic effects
  Alec Gillis … miniature design and construction
  Daniel Gross … rotoscope/animation/graphic effects
  Doug Hall … effects lighting and props
  Dr. Ken Jones … technical director: special photographic effects
  Robert Maine … additional photography: special photographic effects
  Austin McKinney … additional director of photography: special photographic effects
  René Meunier … optical lineup
  Joshua Morton … additional director of photography: special photographic effects
  John Muto … rotoscope/animation/graphic effects
  Eric Peterson … additional photography: special photographic effects
  Anthony Randel … editor: special photographic effects
  Jack Reed … effects lighting and props
  Peter Regla … optical consultant
  David Riley … additional photography: special photographic effects
  Maury Schallock … supervisor: model design and construction
  Dennis Skotak … director of photography: special photographic effects
  Dennis Skotak … miniature design and construction
  Robert Skotak … miniature design and construction
  Robert Skotak … special designs/effects creations
  Dan Slater … optical consultant
  Dan Smith … camera operator: special photographic effects
  Carolyn Strauss … additional photography: special photographic effects
  Pat Sweeney … additional photography: special photographic effects
  Jon Thaler … optical editorial
  Pat Thompson … miniature design and construction
  Melissa Tripp … assistant editor: special photographic effects
  Paul Turner … effects lighting supervisor
  Nina Vlahos … editor: special photographic effects
  Gary Wagner … additional photography: special photographic effects
  Susan Welsh … assistant editor: special photographic effects
  Barry Zetlin … rotoscope/animation/graphic effects
  Rob Maine … miniature process projection (uncredited)
  Mike Warren … optical effects (uncredited)

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 an uxpected thrill:

Well, as you might imagine some misunderstandings, presumably leading to yuks occur. (We say apparently because we haven’t seen the complete episode). But by the end of the story, somebody else shows up to clear things up:

Now it’s a little unclear on what level we’re supposed to take this. In the end titles, Robert Vaughn and David McCallum are billed as their fictional characters, Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin. Maybe in this fictional universe, U.N.C.L.E. has a sanctioned television show (that the boys watch) a la the 1965-74 version of The FBI?

Meanwhile, MGM also produced a spy comedy with Doris Day and Rod Taylor called The Glass Bottom Boat. The film’s director, Frank Tashlin, was known for sight gags similar to the ones he used when directing Warner Bros. cartoons. Thus, we see this scene:

  

Eden made featured appearances on television shows such as The Johnny Carson Show (as “Barbara Morehead” and “Barbara Huffman”), The West Point Story, Highway Patrol, Private Secretary, I Love Lucy, The Millionaire, Target: The Corruptors!, Crossroads, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, December Bride, Bachelor Father, San Francisco Beat, Father Knows Best, Adventures in Paradise, The Andy Griffith Show, Cain’s Hundred, Saints and Sinners, The Virginian, Slattery’s People, The Rogues, and the series finale of Route 66 playing the role of Margo. She guest starred in four episodes of Burke’s Law playing different roles each time. She was an uncredited extra in the movie The Tarnished Angels with Rock Hudson.

Her theatrical film debut came in Back from Eternity (1956). From 1957-1959, she starred in the television series How to Marry a Millionaire, playing the role of “Loco Jones”, the character portrayed in the film by Marilyn Monroe. The show ran in syndication through National Telefilm Associates, which attempted to launch a fourth network at the time, in partnership with 20th Century Fox studios. Eden’s co-stars were Merry Anders, and Lori Nelson. After 39 episodes, Nelson quit the show. Eden as Loco and Merry Anders as Mike McCall continued with the series from the 40th episode to the final 52nd segment.

Discovery in the Hollywood sense came when she starred in a play with James Drury. Film director Mark Robson, who later directed her in the movie From The Terrace, had come to the play and wanted her for 20th Century Fox studios. Her screen test was the Joanne Woodward role in No Down Payment. Though she did not get the role, the studio gave her a contract. Eden did a screen test for the role of Betty Anderson in 1956 for the movie Peyton Place, though Terry Moore got the role. She had minor roles in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and The Wayward Girl and then became a leading lady in films and starred opposite Gary Crosby in A Private’s Affair and had a notable part in Flaming Star (1960), with Elvis Presley.

The following year, she played in a supporting role as Lt. Cathy Connors in Irwin Allen’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, with Frankie Avalon playing the trumpet while she danced in one of many successful science fiction outings by the so called “Master of Disaster.” She starred in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm a George Pal-directed Cinerama film for MGM, and another Irwin Allen production for 20th Century Fox Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962). Eden was also the female lead in the 1962 20th Century Fox comedy Swingin’ Along, starring the comedy team of Tommy Noonan and Peter Marshall. She did a screen test with Andy Williams for the 20th Century Fox movie State Fair, but didn’t get the role.

Her last film for 20th Century Fox was The Yellow Canary (1963). She left Fox studios (due to budget cuts) and began guest-starring in shows such as Saints And Sinners and also doing films for MGM, Universal, and Columbia. She played supporting roles over the next few years, including The Brass Bottle, and the notable, if odd, movie 7 Faces of Dr. Lao, both with Tony Randall. In The New Interns, she co-starred with Michael Callan. She starred in the beach movie Ride The Wild Surf playing the role of Augie with Fabian.

Then she signed to become “Jeannie,” a genie in a bottle rescued by an astronaut in the television sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. She played this role for five years and 139 episodes. Eden also played Jeannie’s sister in nine episodes and Jeannie’s mother in two.

After that, Eden did an unaired pilot, The Barbara Eden Show, and another pilot, The Toy Game. She also began starring in and sometimes producing a string of successful made-for-TV movies, making at least one a year for one of the networks and they all were top-rated. Her first TV movie was called The Feminist And The Fuzz. Although best known for comedy, most were dramas, as when she starred with her “Jeannie” co-star Larry Hagman in A Howling in the Woods (1971). She starred in The Woman Hunter (1972) with Robert Vaughn, an earlier co-star from Gunsmoke. In The Stranger Within (1974), Eden plays unwitting housewife Ann Collins,

Brothers Grimm DVD

who becomes one of many earthling women that are extraterrestrially impregnated. Like the mother-to-be in Rosemary’s Baby, Ann develops unusual prenatal cravings (in this case, coffee grounds instead of blood-rare meat). The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson and directed by Lee Philips.

Eden played Liz Stonestreet, a former policewoman now private detective investigating the disappearance of a missing heiress in a critically acclaimed TV movie Stonestreet: Who Killed The Centerfold Model? (1977). She played Lee Rawlins, a woman who worked at a department store, in the ABC TV movie The Girls in The Office (1979) and starred in and co-produced with her own production company the NBC TV movie romantic comedy The Secret Life Of Kathy McCormick (1988) about a woman who works in a supermarket.

In addition, she starred in and produced the romantic comedy TV movie Opposites Attract (1990) co-starring John Forsythe, their first joint screen appearance since her guest-starring role in a 1957 episode of his Bachelor Father TV series.

Eden starred in I Dream of Jeannie as Jeannie, a genie set free from her bottle by astronaut Captain (later Major) Anthony Nelson, played by Larry Hagman. Barbara was initially passed over for the role as she was blonde and of small stature, but Sidney Sheldon called on her when he was unable to find a suitable brunette to play the part. I Dream of Jeannie was a mild success in the ratings, and it ran from 1965 until 1970, and during this time Eden was nominated twice for Golden Globe Awards. She later reprised her Jeannie role in two made-for-TV reunion movies (I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later in 1985 and I Still Dream of Jeannie in 1991), and in the last scene of the theatrical movie A Very Brady Sequel. She also has played Jeannie in many TV commercials (AT&T, Lexus, Old Navy). I Dream of Jeannie has gone on to become one of the most successful series in international syndication earning Barbara Eden many fans over the world.

Trivia:

She was not allowed to show her belly button on “I Dream of Jeannie” (1965) because of NBC’s “No Navel Edict”.

Her parents divorced when she was 3 and her mother Alice later married Harrison Connor Huffman.

Although she was born Barbara Jean Moorhead, she took her stepfather’s last name of Huffman when her mother Alice remarried.

Also played Jeannie’s sister in “I Dream of Jeannie” (1965).

Mother, Alice Huffman (b. 13 August 1915). Barbara and her mother were very close. After her mother developed lung cancer, Barbara took care of her until she died on November 12, 1986.

Step-father, Harrison Connor Huffman (b. 19 November 1907)

Son, Matthew Ansara, (b. 29 August 1965).

Graduated in 1949 Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco.

Shortly after shooting began on the pilot episode for “I Dream of Jeannie” (1965), it was learned that she was pregnant. Director Gene Nelson invented a shot he playfully called the “ATB” (“Above the Baby”). “Sometimes,” he stated, “We’d have to follow Jeannie’s arm across the room”.

Her son Matthew Ansara (with first husband Michael Ansara) died of an accidental drug overdose. He was 35. His body was found in his car in a parking lot off a freeway in Los Angeles. [25 June 2001]

Barbara’s last name was changed from “Huffman” to “Eden” by her first agent.

Measurements: 36B/C-24-36 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

She was inducted into the California Broadcasting Hall Of Fame in a special ceremony July 18, 2003

Her husband, Jon Eicholtz, celebrates his birthday on August 3

She did a screen test in May, 1960 for State Fair (1962).

After “I Dream of Jeannie” (1965) she had a nightclub act for a while. She was actually a talented singer, and she performed various kinds of songs in her act.

She’s directly descended from American founding father Benjamin Franklin.

Her grandfather, Charles Benjamin Franklin, was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1870.

Has a younger sister, Alison Scanlon, who is 12 years younger.

Barbara and her husband, Jon Eicholtz, were married in 1991 in San Francisco at Grace Cathedral, where Barbara attended as a child.

As a child, she had to wear glasses, an eye patch and pigtails. Because of this, she became very shy. To help overcome her shyness, her mother had Barbara get singing lessons.

Miss San Francisco of 1951.

Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Lucille Ball became her mentor and wanted to put Barbara under contract, Barbara signed with 20th Century Fox, instead.

Although she was born Barbara Jean Moorhead she began using the name Barbara Jean Huffman in 1945 and then became Barbara Eden in 1956.

When her son Matthew Ansara was 19 months old she brought him on stage and sang to him while co-hosting The Mike Douglas Show.

Owns a chocolate Labradoodle named Djinn-Djinn (The dog is named after Jeannie’s dog on “I Dream of Jeannie”).

Portrayed by Paris Hilton on “American Dreams” (2002).

One of our favorite 007 femme fatales, Luciana Paluzzi, turned 72 last month. So we figured that was as good an excuse to honor her here.

Of course, most Bond fans remember her as Fiona, member of SPECTRE’s execution branch, in Thunderball. Here’s the trailer:

Here she is in a similar role in To Trap a Spy, the theatrical movie version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. pilot. This is extra footage used to extend the story to movie length. A toned down version of this footage would appear in the episode The Four-Steps Affair.

A few years later, she re-teamed with Robert Vaughn in The Venetian Affair (based on a Helen MacInnes novel and had nothing to do with U.N.C.L.E.). Here’s that trailer:

And, finally, here’s the trailer for one of her lesser credits, The Green Slime.

‘Send the proms back to where they came from,’ said one father at the school prom on Friday evening. He could think of five things he’d rather do than stand there waiting to take a picture of his daughter as she arrived at school in a limo. We were, luckily, just there to admire the dresses and take pictures.

Many 16-year-olds I no longer recognise, and especially not once the prom-dress and the hair and the make-up have transformed the person I once knew. Luckily you can identify some by their grannies, who look the same as they did six years ago. I stared at one mother until I worked out that we used to sit and wait in the swimming pool changing rooms during lessons, close to ten years ago.

The head teacher was out in white jacket and brandishing a camera, catching his students one last time, as they emerged from pink limos, horse drawn carriages, off the backs of lorries and some from a builders’ white van. The best were the bikers who came roaring along the quiet roads. Half a dozen grizzled motor bike owners, each with a teenager behind them. Cool. But not for girls with expensively done hair.

We went home and celebrated, if that is the word, with take-out pizza and Indian, and a double episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.. I chose the very last two episodes, before the whole series collapsed in 1968. Really strange, even for U.N.C.L.E., and I’m not sure I got to watch it back then. Plenty of Illya Kuryakin, and we had Leslie Nielsen in weird mode, too. Thought the woman looked familiar, and she turned out to be the baroness from the Sound of Music.

Apparently this was filmed as a single episode, so some doctoring was necessary to make it twice as long. You could tell they had had to stretch things. You know, repeat the same footage over and over, long intro to part two saying what happened last week, and probably no cuts to even the worst acting. Those were the days.

Emmy-nominated producer Everett Chambers joins Ed and Frankie for a spirited discussion about Peter Falk, Patrick McGoohan, Jack Cassidy and the original Columbo (NBC, 1971-1978), which Chambers produced for five seasons. Topics include such episodes as “Dead Weight,” “By Dawn’s Early Light,” “Now You See Him,” “Identity Crisis” and “Last Salute to the Commodore,” as well as Falk’s ongoing battles behind the scenes with Universal Studios. Chambers also discusses some of his work in television, including “Johnny Staccato” with John Cassavetes and his collaborations with Dick Powell, Lloyd Bridges and Aaron Spelling:

http://media.podcastingmanager.com/9/3/5/3/3/142636-133539/Media/061609tvc23_2.mp3

The Last of the Magnificent Seven

When I was young, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was a smash hit. Boys wanted to be like Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin; suave and cool secret agents who could dazzle the ladies and get the best of the bad guys (or was that the  other way around?) Girls just wanted Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, the handsome actors who portrayed those gadget-touting hipsters. It was one of many important lessons I’d learn over the years about women and how they think. But it was also an opportunity to discover Robert Vaughn, who has led a fascinating life far beyond his accomplishments as a television and film star.

Vaughn’s book A Fortunate Life is more of a memoir than an autobiography; he does not dwell on his childhood and adolescence for chapters on end nor does he make his hit television show the focus of his book. In fact, Vaughn takes us through a series of events and relationships as a confidante where the focus is seeing through his eyes rather than looking at him. It’s a subtle but clever move that makes for a vastly entertaining read (I devoured it in one sitting) aided by the fact that Vaughn is one of the most intelligent and erudite actors on the planet. Being witty as hell doesn’t hurt, either.

The book came out late last year and I finally made time to get a copy this weekend; for some reason I felt compelled to do so immediately. As a child of the times, I admit I enjoyed reading anecdotes about his contemporaries like James Coburn and Steve McQueen, but I was spellbound by his recollections of the political climate. Vaughn was the first actor to speak out publicly against the Vietnam War, and was an activist who ran the gamut from stumping for candidates to debating William F Buckley on hostile ground (no small feat, Buckley regularly ate opponents for breakfast). 

His close relationship with Robert F. Kennedy and the subsequent tragedy brought back vivid memories for me, having lived through the times.  After JFK and Martin Luther King were felled by assassins, many felt RFK was the last hope for America, and his Presidential campaign radiated even more fervor, optimism and hope that Obama brought to the 2008 election. When he was gunned down after the California primary, the youth of America was numb. Vaughn has very strong opinions about what really happened that night.

I mentioned that Vaughn is whip-smart. Few know that his Doctoral thesis was written about Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare era in Hollywood, and later published under the title Only Victims. I read the book last year while reseaching the Hollywood Blacklist, as it’s considered one of the definitive works on the subject and is a staple at many law schools. Vaughn is thorough but never condescending, a trait echoed in his new book as well.

Vaughn has always been a “working actor”, which loosely translated means he’s got a few stinkers on his resume over the years. Television was exploding when he was breaking into the business, and like many actors of his generation he cut his teeth playing guest roles on dozens of shows. He has a short-lived series prior to UNCLE called The Lieutenant and most recently has come full circle playing a con artist in the British series Hustle. But he’s also etched several landmark film performances into history, from The Magnificent Seven to Bullitt to The Bridge at Remagen. I just grabbed the DVD of The Young Philadelphians so I can watch it tonight; a young Vaughn was nominated for Best Supporting Actor (he lost to Hugh Griffith from Ben Hur) playing opposite Paul Newman.

I’ve read a few interviews with Robert Vaughn over the years and he seems like a charming, witty and intelligent man. That’s what you’ll think, too, when you read this book. Enjoy!

Still the coolest dude in the room at 76 years young

A recent BBC interview to promote the book.

Robert Vaughn’s filmography at IMDB.com

Get your Man From U.N.C.L.E. fix with the complete DVD set and a book about the series.

Also check out Hustle - The Avengers meets Oceans 11.