FACTOID # 148: Apparently, the Federated States of Micronesia is the place to leave - and Afghanistan is the place to go.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS   

Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 

 

(* = Graphable)

 

 


Encyclopedia > The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Format Espionage
Starring Robert Vaughn
David McCallum
Leo G. Carroll
Theme music composer Jerry Goldsmith
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 105
Production
Executive
producer(s)
Norman Felton
Running time 60 min.
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Original run September 22, 1964January 15, 1968
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. Spy and Secret agent redirect here. ... Robert Francis Vaughn (born November 22, 1932) is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. ... David Keith McCallum (born September 19, 1933) is a prolific Scottish actor and the son of concertmaster violinist David McCallum, Sr. ... Leo G. Carroll (October 25, 1892–October 16, 1972) was an British character actor, best known for his roles in several Hitchcock films and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. He was born in Weedon, Buckinghamshire to a wealthy Catholic family, who named him after the reigning pope... Jerrald King Jerry Goldsmith (February 10, 1929 – July 21, 2004) was an American film score composer from Los Angeles, California. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article is about the television network. ... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A television program (US), television programme (UK) or simply television show is a segment of programming in television broadcasting. ... This article is about the television network. ... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Contents

History

There were 105 episodes (see 1964 in television and 1968 in television) created by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that made up this series. The first season was broadcast in black-and-white. [1] The series centered on a two-man troubleshooting team for a covert espionage organization: American Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn), and Russian Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum). Leo G. Carroll played Alexander Waverly, the British head of the organization. Lisa Rogers (Barbara Moore) joined the cast as a female regular in the fourth season. For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ... Spy and Secret agent redirect here. ... Robert Francis Vaughn (born November 22, 1932) is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. ... David Keith McCallum (born September 19, 1933) is a prolific Scottish actor and the son of concertmaster violinist David McCallum, Sr. ... Leo G. Carroll (October 25, 1892–October 16, 1972) was an British character actor, best known for his roles in several Hitchcock films and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. He was born in Weedon, Buckinghamshire to a wealthy Catholic family, who named him after the reigning pope...


James Bond creator Ian Fleming contributed to the show's creation. The book The James Bond Films reveals that Fleming's TV concept had two characters: Napoleon Solo and April Dancer (The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.). ("Mr. Solo" was originally the name of a crime boss in Fleming's Goldfinger.) Robert Towne and Harlan Ellison wrote scripts for the series, which was originally to have been titled Solo. Author Michael Avallone, who wrote the first original novel based upon the series (see below), is sometimes incorrectly cited as the creator of the series (such as in the January 1967 issue of The Saint Magazine). At one point, Fleming's name was to have been connected more directly with the series. The cover of the original prospectus for the series showed the title Ian Fleming's Solo.[1] Solo was originally slated to be the "solo" star of the series, the only "Man". But a minor walk-on by a Russian agent named Illya Kuryakin caught fire with the fans, and the two were permanently paired. This article is about the spy series. ... This article is about the author. ... First novel. ... For other uses, see Goldfinger. ... Towne in the 1960 movie Last Woman on Earth Robert Towne (born November 23, 1934) is an American actor, screenwriter and director. ... Harlan Jay Ellison (born May 27, 1934) is a prolific American writer of short stories, novellas, teleplays, essays, and criticism. ... The first novel, by Michael Avallone, one of dozens of TV tie-ins he would write. ... Simon Templar is a fictional character known as The Saint in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. ... A prospectus is a legal document that institutions and businesses use to describe what they have to offer for participants and buyers. ...


Premise

The series, though fictional, achieved such notability as to have artifacts (props, costumes and documents, and a video clip) from the show included in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library's exhibit on spies and counterspies. Similar exhibits can be found in the museums of the Central Intelligence Agency and other agencies and organizations involved with intelligence gathering. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is the presidential library of Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the United States. ... CIA redirects here. ...


Background

The show revolved around a fictional secret international law-enforcement agency, the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement; it was engaged in a constant struggle against a vast organization known as THRUSH (originally named WASP in the series pilot movie) . Originally the acronym for Thrush was never explained, but in several of the U.N.C.L.E. novels written by David McDaniel, it was explained to mean Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity, and remains exclusive to the paperbacks and not the series itself. David Edward McDaniel (1944(?)-November 1, 1977) was a US science fiction author. ...


THRUSH's aim was to conquer the world. Napoleon Solo said, "THRUSH believes in the two-party system: the masters and the slaves." So dangerous was the threat from THRUSH that governments, even those most ideologically opposed such as the United States and the USSR, cooperated in the formation and operation of U.N.C.L.E. Similarly, if Solo and Kuryakin held opposing political views, the writers allowed little to show in their interactions. State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Soviet republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ... U.N.C.L.E. was an acromyn for the United Network Command for Law Enforcement. ...


Though executive producer Norman Felton and Ian Fleming had developed the character of Napoleon Solo, it was producer Sam Rolfe who created the organization of U.N.C.L.E. Unlike the nationalistic organizations of the CIA and James Bond's MI6, U.N.C.L.E. was a worldwide organization that comprised agents from all corners of the globe. The character of Illya Kuryakin was created by Rolfe as a Russian U.N.C.L.E. agent. This article is about the author. ... Sam Rolfe (1924 – 1993) was an American screenwriter. ... This article is about the spy series. ...


The creators of the series decided that the involvement of an innocent character would be part of each episode, giving the audience someone with whom it could identify.[citation needed] Through all the changes in series in the course of four seasons, this element remained a factor — from a suburban housewife in the pilot, "The Vulcan Affair" (film version: "To Trap a Spy"), to the various people kidnapped in the final episode, "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair".


Season 1

The show's first season was in black & white.[citation needed] Rolfe's genius was to create a kind of Alice in Wonderland world, where the monotony of everyday life would intermittently intersect with the looking glass fantasy of international espionage which lay just beyond mundane everyday life. 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 Manichean battle of good and evil. In its idealistic depiction of an international organization that transcended borders and agents of all nationalities worked together, Rolfe's U.N.C.L.E. anticipated Gene Roddenberry's interstellar United Federation of Planets in "Star Trek" two seasons later. Rolfe also skillfully blended deadly suspense with a light touch, reminiscent of the best of Hitchcock. In fact, U.N.C.L.E. owes just as much to Alfred Hitchcock as it does Ian Fleming, the touchstone being North by Northwest, where an innocent man is mistaken for an agent of a top secret organization headed by Leo G. Carroll. Black-and-white or black and white) can refer to a general term used in photography, film, and other media (see black-and-white). ... Alice in Wonderland is the widely known and used title for Alices Adventures in Wonderland, a book written by Lewis Carroll -- as well as several movie adaptations of the book -- and is also the setting for several short stories. ... Eugene Wesley Gene Roddenberry, (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American screenwriter and producer. ... The United Federation of Planets, (also known as the UFP or The Federation) is a fictional interplanetary state depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ...


UNCLE headquarters in New York City were most frequently entered by a secret entrance in Del Floria's Tailor Shop. Another entrance was through The Masque Club. Mr. Waverly had his own secret entrance. Unlike the competing TV series I Spy however, the shows were overwhelmingly shot on the MGM back lot. The same outside staircase was used for episodes set throughout the Mediterranean and Latin America, and the same eucalyptus dirt road 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", "The Waverly Ring Affair", and "The Deadly Quest Affair", the only exceptions being, "Alexander the Greater Affair", parts 1 & 2. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Secret passages are sometimes concealed using large items of furniture, such as this reconstruction of the bookcase that covered the entrance to Anne Franks secret room. ... The I-SPY books were spotters guides written for British children, and particularly successful in the 1950s and 60s. ...


Rolfe managed to make the implausibility of it all seem not only feasible but entertaining. Frogmen emerging from wells in Iowa, shootouts between UNCLE and THRUSH agents in a crowded midtown Manhattan movie theatre, top secret organizations hidden behind innocuous brownstone facades; this was a parallel universe that lay just beyond our own. Rolfe left the show at the conclusion of the first season, frustrated by lack of recognition of his role in the show's success and his lack of monetary compensation. This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... This article is about the building material and the dwelling. ... For other uses, see Universe (disambiguation). ...


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. The Red Skelton Show was a staple of American television for almost two decades, from the early 1950s through the early 1970s. ... This article is about the broadcast network. ... Walter Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was a three time Academy Award winning American actor. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American television network. ...


Seasons 2-4

Switching to color, U.N.C.L.E. continued to enjoy huge popularity but the new producer, David Victor, read articles that called the show a spoof and that is what it became. Over the next three seasons, no fewer than five different show runners would supervise the U.N.C.L.E. franchise, and not one of them had a clear understanding of what made the show's unique qualities. Also, U.N.C.L.E. had spawned a swarm of imitators. In 1964, it was the only American spy show on American TV; by 1966, there were nearly a dozen. In a vain attempt to emulate the success of ABC's mid-season hit, Batman, which had taken the nation by storm upon its debut in spring of 1966, U.N.C.L.E. devolved into self-parody and slapstick. Color is an important part of the visual arts. ... This article is about the 1960s television series. ...


This campiness was most in evidence during the third season, when the producers made a conscious decision to increase the level of humor (though second season had shown a considerable increase towards a farcical approach with "The Yukon Affair" and "The Indian Affairs Affair"). With unfunny shows like "The My Friend the Gorilla Affair," the show tested the loyalties of its supporters and this direction resulted in a severe ratings drop, and nearly resulted in the show's cancellation. It was renewed for a fourth season and an attempt was made to go back to serious storytelling, but the show's final producer, Anthony Spinner, turned it into a grim, plodding shadow of its former self, and it was cancelled midway through its fourth season. Camp is an aesthetic in which something has appeal because of its bad taste or ironic value. ... When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are often referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the audience size and composition of television programming. ...


The theme music, written by Jerry Goldsmith, changed slightly each season. Goldsmith only provided four original scores and was replaced by Morton Stevens, who also composed four scores for the series. After Stevens, Walter Scharf did six scores, and Lalo Schifrin (who later wrote the memorable Mission: Impossible theme) did two. Gerald Fried was composer from season two through the beginning of season four. The final composers were Robert Drasnin, Nelson Riddle and Richard Shores. The music reflected the show's changing seasons – Goldsmith, Stevens and Scharf composed compelling and dramatic scores in the first season using brass, unique time signatures and martial rhythms, Gerald Fried and Robert Drasnin went for a lighter approach in the second, employing harpsichords and bongos and by the third season, the music had become pure farce exemplified by an R&B organ and saxophone version of the theme. The fourth season's strained attempt at seriousness was duly echoed by Richard Shores' somber and uninspired scores. Jerrald King Jerry Goldsmith (February 10, 1929 – July 21, 2004) was an American film score composer from Los Angeles, California. ... Walter Scharf (1 August 1910 - 24 February 2003) was an American film composer. ... Lalo Schifrin Lalo Schifrin (born on June 21, 1932) is an Argentine Jewish pianist and composer, most famous for composing the burning-fuse theme tune from the Mission:Impossible television series. ... Mission: Impossible is the name of an American television series which aired on the CBS network from September 1966 to September 1973. ... Gerald Fried (born February 13, 1928) is an American musician well known for his compositions in film and television. ... Robert Drasnin (born 17 November 1927), is an Composer and Clarinet player. ... Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. ...


Props

Solo and Kuryakin, trained in martial arts, also had a range of useful spy equipment, including handheld satellite communicators to keep in contact with UNCLE headquarters. A catchphrase often heard was "Open Channel D" when agents used their pocket radios (originally disguised as cigarette packs, later as a cigarette case, and in following seasons, as pens). Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... Secret Agent is a 1936 British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. ... This article is about artificial satellites. ... A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ... Unlit filtered cigarettes. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...


One prop, often referred to as "The Gun," drew so much attention that it actually spurred considerable fan mail, often so addressed. Internally designated the "U.N.C.L.E. Special", it featured a modular semi-automatic weapon, originally based on the Mauser Model 1934 Pocket Pistol, but soon replaced by the more-readily available Walther P38 pistol. As such, the gun could be converted into a longer-range carbine by attaching a long barrel, extendable shoulder stock, telescopic sight, and extended magazine. The magazine was actually a standard magazine with a dummy extension on it, but it inspired several manufacturers to begin making long magazines for various pistols. The gun usually fired some form of a fast acting tranquilizing dart instead of bullets as opposed to the lethality of a THRUSH weapon. While many of these continue to be available 40 years later, ironically, there is no long magazine currently offered for the P-38. The "U.N.C.L.E. Special"-configured Walther P38 would later become the distinctive alternate mode for the Transformers character Megatron, the evil leader of the Decepticons. THRUSH had an equally impressive range of weaponry, much of it only in development before being destroyed by our heroes; their most notable item was the infrared sniperscope, enabling them to target gunfire in total darkness. A major design defect of the sniperscope (both in the TV series and in the real world) was that its image tube's power supply emitted a distinctive whining sound when operating. This device was built around a U. S. Army-surplus M1 carbine. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Walther P99, a semi-automatic pistol from the late 1990s A semi-automatic firearm is a gun that requires only a trigger pull for each round that is fired, unlike a single-action revolver, a pump-action firearm, a bolt-action firearm, or a lever-action firearm, which require the... Mauser is the common name of a German arms manufacturer, maker of a line of bolt-action rifles from the 1870s to present. ... The Walther P38 is a 9 mm pistol that was developed by Walther as the service pistol of the Wehrmacht at the beginning of World War II. It was intended to replace the costly Luger P08, the production of which was scheduled to end in 1942. ... A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ... A carbine is a firearm similar to, but generally shorter and less powerful than, a rifle or musket of a given period. ... A 30-round STANAG magazine. ... The Walther P38 is a 9 mm pistol that was developed by Walther as the service pistol of the Wehrmacht at the beginning of World War II. It was intended to replace the costly Luger P08, the production of which was scheduled to end in 1942. ... Transformer or Transformers may refer to: Transformer, an electrical device Transformer (album), Lou Reeds 1972 rock album Transformers (myth) of Pacific Northwest native myth The fictional Transformers Universe: Transformers (toyline), a line of toys Transformers category in Wikipedia Transformers Universes Transformers series, television series Transformers (original cartoon) (Aired from... This article is about the Transformers character. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The M1 Carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber . ...


A few of the third- and fourth-season episodes featured an "U.N.C.L.E. car", which was developed from the Piranha, a concept car built to prove the usefulness of plastics in auto construction. 1938 Buick Y-Job, the first Concept car A concept car or show car is a car prototype made to showcase a concept, new styling, technology and more. ...


Spin-offs

The series was popular enough that a spin-off series, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., ran for one season, starring Stefanie Powers as agent "April Dancer" (a character name credited to Ian Fleming). There was some crossover between the two shows, and Leo G. Carroll played Waverly in both programs, becoming one of the first actors in American television to star as the same character in two separate series (a feat later repeated by Richard Anderson and Martin E. Brooks on The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman). First novel. ... Stefanie Powers with Robert Wagner Stefanie Powers (born Stefania Zofia Federkiewicz[1] on November 2, 1942) is an American stage and film actress and singer. ... Richard Anderson as Oscar Goldman in The Six Million Dollar Man Richard Anderson, born Richard Norman Anderson (born August 8, 1926 in Long Branch, New Jersey, USA) is an actor in film and television. ... Martin E. Brooks (born 1925) is an American character actor best known for playing Dr. Rudy Wells on the television series The Six Million Dollar Man and its spinoff, The Bionic Woman; this role was originally portrayed by Alan Oppenheimer. ... The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a fictional cyborg working for the OSI (which was usually said to refer to the Office of Scientific Intelligence, but sometimes was called the Office of Scientific Investigation as well as the Office of Strategic Intelligence[1]). The show... The Bionic Woman was a television series which spun off from The Six Million Dollar Man. ...


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 also from the first season "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 often released 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-60s and where new movies usually played for weeks and even months before coming to outlying screens.


A selling point to seeing these films on the big screen back then was that they were being shown in color, at a time when most people had black and white TVs. The words IN COLOR featured prominently on the trailers, tv spots and posters for the film releases.


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.


All of the films were successful in many parts of the world, even those where the TV show did not air, sometimes surpassing box office receipts of the most recent Bond film. The later films were not released in America, only overseas, but the first few did well in American theaters and remain one of the few times a television show has been released in paid theatrical engagements.


Among the films in this 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) (TV)
  • How to Steal the World (1968)

The U.N.C.L.E. fad also inspired a related series of books, the best of which, in most opinions, were written by David McDaniel. See below for a listing. David Edward McDaniel (1944(?)-November 1, 1977) was a US science fiction author. ...


Other spin-offs included a Man from U.N.C.L.E. digest-sized story magazine, board games, action-figures, and toy pistols. The show also inspired the naming of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. Wally Woods cover for the first issue T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is a team of comic book superheroes originally published by Tower Comics in the 1960s. ...


Several comic strips based on the series have been published. In the US, there was a Gold Key Comics comic book series (one based on the show, which ran for about a dozen issues. 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, much 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 present day. Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing cteated for comic books distributed to newstands. ... Mark Ellis is an American novelist who resides in Newport, Rhode Island with his wife of 27 years, Melissa Martin. ... Terry Collins (born May 27, 1949) is a former manager of the Houston Astros, the Anaheim Angels, and the Las Vegas 51s of the Pacific Coast League. ...


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.


Reunion TV-movie

A reunion telefilm, The 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 as the head of U.N.C.L.E. A framed picture of Carroll appeared on his desk. The movie included a tribute to Ian Fleming via a cameo appearance by an unidentified secret agent with the initials "J.B." The part was played by one-time James Bond George Lazenby who was shown driving 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, of course, Lazenby's only Bond film. A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ... This article is about the broadcast network. ... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... Patrick Macnee (born Daniel Patrick Macnee on February 6, 1922 in London) is an English born American actor. ... Leo G. Carroll (October 25, 1892–October 16, 1972) was an British character actor, best known for his roles in several Hitchcock films and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. He was born in Weedon, Buckinghamshire to a wealthy Catholic family, who named him after the reigning pope... George Robert Lazenby (born September 5, 1939) is an Australian actor best known for portraying James Bond only once in the 1969 James Bond film, On Her Majestys Secret Service. ... The 1963 Aston Martin DB5 was an improved DB4. ... For the James Bond film, see On Her Majestys Secret Service (film). ...


The movie briefly filled in the missing years. THRUSH had been put out of business, and the remaining leader was in prison (his escape begins the story). Illya had quit U.N.C.L.E. after a mission had gone sour and an innocent woman been killed, and now designed women's clothing at Vanya's in New York. Napoleon had been pushed out of U.N.C.L.E. and now sold computers, though he still carried his U.N.C.L.E. pen radio for sentimental reasons (which is how the organization is able to contact him after so many years). This article is about the state. ...


Solo and Kuryakin were recalled to recapture and defeat Thrush once and for all, but the movie misfired on a key point: instead of reuniting the agents on the mission -- and showcasing their witty interaction -- the agents were separated and paired with younger agents. Like most similar reunion films, this production was considered a trial balloon for a possible new series, but none emerged.


DVD releases

In November 2007, after coming to an agreement with Warner Home Video, Time-Life released a 41 DVD set (region 1) for direct order, with sales through stores scheduled for fall 2008.[2] An earlier release by Anchor Bay, allegedly set for 2006, was apparently scuttled because of a dispute over the rights to the series with Warner Brothers.[3] [4] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Time-Life is a book, music, and video marketer, that since 2003 has been combined with catalog reseller Lillian Vernon as a subsidiary of Direct Holdings Worldwide, and is no longer owned by its former parent Time Warner. ... Anchor Bay Entertainment: the home video/television distribution company. ... Warner Bros. ...


A region 2 DVD (PAL for Europe) release of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. movies was released on September 8, 2003. The DVD contains five of the eight movies, missing the following: To Trap a Spy (1964), The Spy in the Green Hat (1966) and One of Our Spies is Missing (1966). For other uses, see PAL (disambiguation). ...


Original novels

The first Man from U.N.C.L.E. novel, by Michael Avallone. Pictured: Robert Vaughn.
The first Man from U.N.C.L.E. novel, by Michael Avallone. Pictured: Robert Vaughn.
Rare children's storybook based upon The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Left to right: David McCallum, Robert Vaughn and Leo G. Carroll.
Rare children's storybook based upon The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Left to right: David McCallum, Robert Vaughn and Leo G. Carroll.

Two dozen original novels were based upon Man from U.N.C.L.E. and published between 1965 and 1968 (for a time, the most of any American-produced television series except for Star Trek, though there have now been more original novels published based upon Alias and Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Freed from the limitations of network television, these novels were generally grittier and more violent than the televised episodes and were very successful. Download high resolution version (1240x2092, 225 KB) The copyright status of this vintage image is undetermined; it may still be copyrighted. ... Download high resolution version (1240x2092, 225 KB) The copyright status of this vintage image is undetermined; it may still be copyrighted. ... The first novel, by Michael Avallone, one of dozens of TV tie-ins he would write. ... Robert Francis Vaughn (born November 22, 1932) is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. ... Download high resolution version (1212x1634, 160 KB) The copyright status of this vintage image is undetermined; it may still be copyrighted. ... Download high resolution version (1212x1634, 160 KB) The copyright status of this vintage image is undetermined; it may still be copyrighted. ... David Keith McCallum (born September 19, 1933) is a prolific Scottish actor and the son of concertmaster violinist David McCallum, Sr. ... Robert Francis Vaughn (born November 22, 1932) is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. ... Leo G. Carroll (October 25, 1892–October 16, 1972) was an British character actor, best known for his roles in several Hitchcock films and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. He was born in Weedon, Buckinghamshire to a wealthy Catholic family, who named him after the reigning pope... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ... Alias was an American Spy-fi television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006, spanning five seasons. ... For other uses, see Buffy the Vampire Slayer (disambiguation). ...

  1. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (a.k.a. The Thousand Coffins Affair) - Michael Avallone
  2. The Doomsday Affair - Harry Whittington
  3. The Copenhagen Affair - John Oram
  4. The Dagger Affair - David McDaniel
  5. The Mad Scientist Affair - John T. Phillifent
  6. The Vampire Affair - McDaniel
  7. The Radioactive Camel Affair - Peter Leslie
  8. The Monster Wheel Affair - McDaniel
  9. The Diving Dames Affair - Leslie
  10. The Assassination Affair - J. Hunter Holly
  11. The Invisibility Affair - Buck Coulson and Gene DeWeese (writing as "Thomas Stratton")
  12. The Mind Twisters Affair - "Stratton"
  13. The Rainbow Affair - McDaniel
  14. The Cross of Gold Affair - Ron Ellik and Fredric Langley (writing as "Fredric Davies")
  15. The Utopia Affair - McDaniel
  16. The Splintered Sunglasses Affair - Leslie
  17. The Hollow Crown Affair - McDaniel
  18. The Unfair Fare Affair - Leslie
  19. The Power Cube Affair - Phillifent
  20. The Corfu Affair - Phillifent
  21. The Thinking Machine Affair - Joel Bernard
  22. The Stone Cold Dead in the Market Affair - Oram
  23. The Finger in the Sky Affair - Leslie.

Another volume, The Final Affair, also by David McDaniel, was completed but not published. Copies of the manuscript have circulated among fans for decades. Written after the series was cancelled, it was intended to provide a definitive conclusion to Solo and Illya's adventures. At one time there were plans to publish The Final Affair in a limited deluxe edition, but the project failed. Another book, The Catacombs and Dogma Affair, has been mentioned in some sources, but it isn't listed as one of the official U.N.C.L.E. novels (it's possible it might be one of the above volumes, retitled, or it may be the unpublished second U.N.C.L.E.novel by J. Hunter Holly, which has been circulated in mimeographed form among fans). Volumes 10-15 and 17 of the series were only published in the United States. The first novel, by Michael Avallone, one of dozens of TV tie-ins he would write. ... The cover of Teen-age Jungle (originally published as Sinners Club (1954). ... David Edward McDaniel (1944(?)-November 1, 1977) was a US science fiction author. ... Robert Stratton Buck Coulson (1928 - February 19, 1999) was a science fiction writer and, with his wife, writer and filmmaker Juanita Coulson, a well-known fan, filk singer, and fanzine editor. ...


Two science-fiction novels - Genius Unlimited by John Rackham (a pseudonym used by Phillifent) and The Arsenal Out of Time by McDaniel - appear to be rewrites of "orphaned" U.N.C.L.E novel outlines or manuscripts. Jack Rackham, commonly known as Calico Jack, was a pirate captain during the 18th century. ...


The Rainbow Affair is notable for its thinly-disguised cameo appearances by The Saint, Miss Marple, John Steed, Emma Peel, Tommy Hambledon (at whose flat Solo and Ilya encounter Steed and Peel), Neddie Seagoon, Father Brown, a retired, elderly Sherlock Holmes, and Dr. Fu Manchu. The novel uses the same chapter title format that Leslie Charteris used in his Saint novels. (The title of one of the theatrical versions of UNCLE episodes, The Spy in the Green Hat, is very close to the title of The Man in the Green Hat, one of the "Hambledon" novels by "Manning Coles".) Simon Templar is a fictional character known as The Saint in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. ... Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple Jane Marple, usually known as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christies crime novels. ... John Steed is a fictional character, played by Patrick Macnee, on the British series The Avengers and The New Avengers. ... Image:AvengersBook1. ... Thomas Elphinstone Hambledon (Tommy Hambledon) is the fictional protagonist of many spy novels written by the British author Manning Coles from 1940 through 1963. ... Neddie Pugh Seagoon was a character in the British radio comedy, The Goon Show. ... The Father Brown stories by G.K. Chesterton, Penguin Books edition 1981 Father Brown is a fictional detective created by English novelist G. K. Chesterton, who stars in 52 short stories, later compiled in five books. ... This article is about Arthur Conan Doyles fictional detective. ... This article is about the fictional literature character. ... Leslie Charteris (May 12, 1907, Singapore–April 15, 1993), born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, was a half-Chinese, half English author of primarily mystery fiction, as well as a screenwriter. ... Manning Coles is the pseudonym of two British writers, Adelaide Frances Oke Manning (1891-1959) and Cyril Henry Coles (1899-1965), who wrote many spy thrillers from the early 40s through the early 60s. ...


Whitman Books also published three hardcover novels aimed at young readers and based upon the series. The first two books break the naming convention "The .... Affair" used by all other U.N.C.L.E. fiction and episodes: This is a page about the company Western Publishing. ...

  1. The Affair of the Gunrunners' Gold - Keith Brandon
  2. The Affair of the Gentle Saboteur - Brandon
  3. The Calcutta Affair - George Elrick

A children's storybook entitled The Coin of El Diablo Affair was also published.


The aforementioned digest magazine based upon Man from U.N.C.L.E. and often featured original novellas that were not published anywhere else. There were 24 issues running monthly from February 1966 till January 1968, inclusive. A novella is a narrative work of prose fiction somewhat longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. ...


Trivia

  • One of the original pen communicators now resides in the museum of the Central Intelligence Agency. Unfortunately, the museum is not accessible to the public. 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).
  • Future Star Trek stars William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy appeared together in a 1964 episode, "The Project Strigas Affair." Shatner played a heroic civilian recruited for an U.N.C.L.E. mission, and Nimoy played the villain's bumbling henchman.
  • Barbara Feldon, later to become Agent 99 on Get Smart, played an U.N.C.L.E. translator eager for field work in "The Never-Never Affair."
  • Forty years after the debut of this series, both of its main stars found themselves enjoying renewed popularity on television, Vaughn in the British caper series Hustle and McCallum in the American military crime investigation series NCIS. In the season two NCIS episode "The Meat Puzzle," Leroy Gibbs mentions that when he was younger, Ducky Mallard looked like Illya Kuryakin.
  • One episode of the 1980s adventure series The A-Team was entitled "The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair" and featured Vaughn and McCallum. Vaughn was a member of The A-Team's cast at this point, playing General Stockwell, while McCallum appeared as an enemy agent, Ivan. The episode was loaded with in-jokes referencing the series but otherwise there was no link to the original show.
  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was parodied in an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show, fittingly titled "The Man from My Uncle." In this episode, Rob Petrie (Van Dyke) allows his suburban house to be used as a stakeout for an unnamed government agency. They want to spy on one of his neighbors who has a deported nephew that may be back in the country illegally. Comedian Godfrey Cambridge guest stars as an agent whose name is Mr. Bond, a recurring joke in the episode. In the show's final scene, referred to in sitcom circles as the "tag," Rob is playing with the agent's walkie talkie and fantasizes that he is negotiating a hostage exchange with THRUSH.
  • Parodied by MGM itself on The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R., an episode of Tom and Jerry.
  • A few brief reference to U.N.C.L.E. are made in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier, along with appearances by characters from The Avengers, Danger Man, and The Prisoner. U.N.C.L.E. is never called by name in the story.
  • In his famous 1980s album "get happy!!," Elvis Costello wrote the track "man called uncle".E ven if the lyrics do not make any references to the show,the song has a Sixties upbeat feel connected with the original "Man from U.N.C.L.E" soundtrack.
  • In an episode of Tales from the Darkside titled The Impressionist, a government organization named U.N.C.L.E. hires an impersonator to talk with an alien.
  • In the video game Duke Nukem 3D, there is a secret military base, and hidden on a telephone booth it says "U.N.C.L.E." rather than the typical "PHONE." Using this phone leads to a hidden area.
  • The british TV series The Avengers featured an episode titled "The Girl from AUNTIE".
  • An Argentinian Funk duo was named Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas honoring the ficticious spy.

The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ... William Alan Shatner (born on March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor who gained fame for playing James Tiberius Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the television show Star Trek from 1966 to 1969 and in seven of the subsequent movies. ... Leonard Simon Nimoy (born March 26, 1931) is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. ... Barbara Feldon (Barbara Hall) (born March 12, 1932) is an American actress, game show panelist of the 1960s and model, known for her character-type roles. ... For the updated film based on the TV series, see Get Smart (film). ... Hustle is a British television comedy-drama series made by Kudos Film & Television for BBC One in the United Kingdom. ... NCIS is an American police procedural television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. ... Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs is a fictional Chief investigator from the NCIS television series by CBS Television, played by Mark Harmon. ... Dr. Donald Ducky Mallard is a fictional Chief Medical Examiner in the NCIS television series by CBS Television, portrayed by David McCallum. ... For the United States Army military unit, see The A-Team (military). ... The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television situation comedy which initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, created by Carl Reiner and starring Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. ... The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. is a 1967 Tom and Jerry cartoon directed by Abe Levitow and produced by Chuck Jones. ... For other uses, see Tom and Jerry (disambiguation). ... The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier is a graphic novel that is the third volume of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin ONeill. ... The Avengers is a British 1960s television series featuring secret agents in a fantasy 1960s Britain. ... This article is about the 1960s TV series which was also known as Secret Agent and shouldnt be confused with the 1990s television series Secret Agent Man. ... For other uses, see The Prisoner (disambiguation) and Prisoner. ... Tales from the Darkside is an anthology TV series from the 1980s produced by George A. Romero. ... The Avengers is a British 1960s television series featuring secret agents in a fantasy 1960s Britain. ... Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas is an Argentinian rap duet formed by Dante Spinetta and Emmanuel Horvilleur. ...

See also

Mortadelo y Filemón (Mortadelo and Filemón) is one of the most popular comic strip series in Spain, appearing for the first time in 1958 in the childrens comic-book Tío Vivo drawn by the hand of Francisco Ibáñez. ... Illyah Kuryahkin (real name: Dean Wilson) was the The Man From U.N.C.L.E.-inspired alias of New York-based singer/songwriter Dean Wilson. ...

References

  1. ^ Cover of 2004 book The Incredible World of Spy-Fi, by Danny Biederman.

  Results from FactBites:
 
  More results at FactBites »

 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your location
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.