ALL SCI-FI

[Pow]

"The Project Strigas Affair"

Solo and Illya devise a clever scheme to discredit a Balkan intelligence chief (Werner Klemperer) with a bogus secret gas. With the help of a bankrupt exterminator (William Shatner) and his wife, Illya poses as a fellow countryman and exploits the paranoia of the chief and his bumbling assistant (Leonard Nimoy). November 24, 1964.
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Sidebar: Yep, we had an UNCLE episode that put guest stars William Shatner & Leonard Nimoy together on screen a few years before their co-starring on the legendary Star Trek TV show. Throw in Colonel Klink actor Werner Klemperer a year before his hilarious Emmy winning role on Hogan's Heroes and you've hit the trifecta.

[Pow]

"The Shark Affair" Solo and Illya investigate a series of kidnappings that lead to a modern-day pirate ship run by Captain Shark (Robert Culp), who is filling his Noah's Ark with craftsmen from all walks of life to repopulate the world after the nuclear holocaust he feels is imminent. October 13, 1964. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Book.
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Sidebar: Here's guest star Robert Culp (1930 ~ 2010) just a year before his espionage show I Spy debuts in 1965 and runs until 1968.

I recall this as being a very poignant episode for UNCLE. Shark is not your classic evil villain, and has nothing to do with THRUSH at all. He is a man who is deeply despondent about the possibility of a nuclear war. This is his attempt to at least try to save some of humanity in order to rebuild a better world. We may not agree with his methods, but we can more than sympathize with the man and the mission he's on.

[Krel]

Robert Culp was one of the actors considered for the role of Napoleon Solo, Rip Torn (The Alexander the Greater Affair) was another.

David.

[Pow]

Gerry & Sylvia Anderson considered Robert Culp for the Commander John Koenig role on their Space: 1999 TV show. Katherine Ross was their choice for Dr. Helena Russell.

Gerry told about interviewing Culp at that time and during the interview, Culp told Anderson that he would also be able to contribute to Space: 1999 as a writer besides acting in the lead role.

Gerry did not want that for some reason. I don't know if he was unsure about Culp's writing prowess, if he feared Culp would gain too much control over the series, or just wanted to work with scriptwriters that he knew and could trust. In any event, that eliminated Robert from getting the role.

That was a shame as Culp was a fine writer and wrote some wonderful scripts for his I Spy TV show. Given how the writing for Space: 1999 turned out, they really could have used Bob's talent.

[Pow]

Just finished watching "The Vulcan Affair" from September 22, 1964.

After a THRUSH attempt to kill Mr. Waverly is thwarted, Napoleon Solo is assigned to prevent the assassination of a visiting African premier (William Marshall) at the hands of Andrew Vulcan (Fritz Weaver), and with the help of a housewife (Patricia Crowley), Solo learns that the premier himself is allied with THRUSH and plans to kill his two top aides (Ivan Dixon and Rupert Crosse) in a planned explosion at one of Vulcan's facilities.

This very first episode of the series was also its pilot. So with that in mind we have to cut it some slack since the pilots of any television series reflect the early concepts and characterizations of a TV show that may well evolve as time goes on. Even the creators and writers of a TV show cannot predict what ideas will appeal to the audience, or which cast members will become more popular than others.

The episode opens with the exciting invasion of UNCLE NY Headquarters by an assassination hit team courtesy of THRUSH. Their target is the head of UNCLE: Alexander Waverly.

Del Floria's Tailor Shop is one of the fronts to UNCLE H.Q. Entrance and exit to the law enforcement organization is via the wall in one of the changing rooms in the shop. This is done by pulling downward on the right-hand hook attached to the wall.

I realize that in 1964 this may have seemed a clever gimmick and a very espionage-like idea. From a practical security standpoint it is bloody awful.

Why have such an entrance like this at all? It is a working tailor shop, so that means anyone can come into the place in business hours . . . . including enemy agents! This is just what happens in the pilot. Let's not forget that the general public has access to this shop. They could overhear or see something that they should not. They also could be killed or seriously injured in any violent crossfire.

There is only one man running the shop. He isn't ware that the supposed customers who enter Del Floria's are agents from THRUSH. They quickly take him our via a lighter that spews out a knockout gas. He has no chance to trigger an alarm.

Next we see the villainous agents pull the hook down on the changing room door and voila, they've entered UNCLE. Should it be that easy to invade the headquarters? What if someone who was merely a customer accidentally pulled on the hook? What if they hung a bunch of clothing on that particular hook? The wall panel swings inward and poof, they've just met new friends.

We see the THRUSH agents enter what is a reception area of UNCLE. One, lone woman is seated behind the security desk. She is quickly rendered unconscious via that lighter gas. Why only one agent in this room?

The THRUSH assassins then pin on the triangular UNCLE badge that will allow them to roam the halls without setting off the alarm warning claxon, or being questioned by UNCLE agents who would do so if they saw anyone without the badge.

The THRUSH agents make it down the long metal corridor to another closed metal door. Once through it though, the alarm goes off. Finally! Security that works, but I'm not clear as to why the alarm went off and what triggered it.

Inside the door we have a security room with, you guessed it, one lone man sitting behind a desk. Upon seeing the invading agents our UNCLE man gets up quickly from the desk and rushes to tackle the THRUSH agents. A gun would have been far wiser but I'm not sure if he had one on him. And UNCLE is supposed to be a highly sophisticated crack law enforcement agency? They really, really need to review and update their security protocols. Really.

[Pow]

"The Vulcan Affair" continued.

Napoleon Solo dispatches the THRUSH assassin who has been fooled by a clever mirror reflection of Solo as he fires repeatedly at it.

We next meet two key UNCLE individuals: Mr. Waverly (Leo G. Carroll) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum). Waverly exhibits the calm, cool, & collected British stiff upper lip we will come to know so well over the next 4 seasons. Nothing ever seems to harsh his mellow, which is a good quality to have if you're the man in charge.

Interestingly, we learn little about Illya. He appears at the opening of the pilot episode and is never seen again.

Kuryakin became a huge fan favorite whose popularity eclipsed Solo. That lead to some friction between Robert Vaughn & David McCallum from time to time. The series was originally designed to star just Solo, in fact, Solo was considered to be the title of the show at one time. However, Illya's supporting character evolved into being an equal to Napoleon, and David evolved into being a co-star to Vaughn.

Creators of TV series cannot always know exactly which characters may, or may not, really make a hit with the audience. In the early episodes of both The Wild, Wild West & Star Trek we saw a similar phenomenon. Ross Martin's role of secret agent Artemus Gordon was created to have someone for Jim West (Robert Conrad) to discus the plot with and give exposition to the audience. He also was there to create Jim's amazing steampunk gadgets, and show up when needed. But the show was primarily about West, at least in the early first season episodes. Artemus became more and more crucial to the show as Martin displayed his marvelous gift for disguises, as well as bringing humor to the series.

Mr. Spock was supposed to be just a supporting character to Captain Kirk, after all, Bill Shatner was the star. Spock's alien science officer caught on fire with the fans, so we saw his role substantially increased on the trek . . . much to Shatner's chagrin.

And sometimes it isn't about just the characters. Mission: Impossible creator Bruce Geller did not have any idea that his espionage show would become popular for its numerous high-tech gadgets. That just developed as the writers begin to include more and more incredible gizmos in order for the IMF agents to achieve their impossible missions.

I've found that watching the first season of a TV series, no matter the genre, can be the most fun because they have yet to nail down the exact format for their series. It's interesting to see them grope around, searching for their formula as they try different approaches.

[Bud Brewster]

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You're right, Mike! It's amazing how a series can evolve in such interesting ways. And when viewers like us rewatch the first few seasons, we marvel at the differences between the early episodes and the later ones.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

"The Vulcan Affair" pilot employs what would become an oft-used plot device for the series; the involvement of a US citizen not working for UNCLE.

Here we see UNCLE recruit the ex-girlfriend of industrialist Andrew Vulcan in order to get close to her college sweetheart in order to find up exactly what he is up to? The premise is rather unbelievable given that UNCLE would bring in untrained people to help out on a mission. It seems to me to be a dangerous practice to the success of the UNCLE 'Affairs," we seem them engage in each week, not to mention to the innocent individuals. I presume using this plot device was to make the audience feel as if they were the person that UNCLE sought out in order to help them, and in turn, their country.

At times we'd see a variation on this gimmick and we would see people become involved in UNCLE wholly by accident and not because UNCLE recruited them. One such episode saw a woman in the dressing room of Del Floria's Tailor Shop in the changing room when an unknown gent was able to remotely open the wall that revealed UNCLE headquarters. In her slip no less! Sometimes these non-agents are bemoaning their routine lives where nothing exciting ever happens. Other times the individual is content with their lifestyle but feels taken for granted by their family and friends. By the end of the episode these people are now thankful for their average lives, or somehow, they return to a now appreciative family.

The iconic UNCLE communicator pen doesn't appear in this pilot at all. Instead we see Solo use a cigarette pack that is in reality a communication device. This would eventually be replaced by the pen.

I had always thought that UNCLE became silly and outlandish after the first season which was played fairly straight and dramatic. Their third season was their worst. That took place when the Batman TV series was all the rage with its far out camp comedic episodes. The massive ratings for the show inspired other series to follow by copying Batman's unique style. Lost In Space was one such show, and UNCLE was the other. There was one scene in the pilot that was a groaner as bad as anything they did during their third year. Solo calls headquarters, we then see one of the female agents sunbathing next to her desk. Seriously?

Look for Richard Kiel in a brief scene where Napoleon has infiltrated Vulcan's factory. He plays a henchman who confronts Solo. It is a very quick scene and does not take advantage of the imposing Mr. Kiel as it should have.

In summation, I'd say that this was a pretty decent pilot. They did manage to produce a handful of cool episodes over its four-year run. It also hasn't always dated well for other episodes. It was entertaining in its time and did become a massive hit for a spell. As a kid I was a diehard fan as were all my pals in the neighborhood. As an adult I can see all too well its flaws but smile at my boyhood memories about this series.

[Krel]

Sam Rolfe wrote that there were four known entrances into U.N.C.L.E. New York. The Agents entrance in Del Floria's Tailor shop. A personnel entrance in the corner parking garage. An entrance in the Mask Club on the other corner, which is where visitors were suppose to enter. A boat channel to the East River. Mr. Waverly had his own secret entrance.

I think that they used the Mask Club in one episode. They used the garage in one episode, where they had a gun fight. It showed that U.N.C.L.E. had concealed guns in the garage.

The Agent's entrance in Del Floria's was unlocked by the steam table. The TV held a camera so the receptionist can observe the shop. The badges were activated by a chemicle on the receptionist's fingers. Originally the badges were color coded which showed which floor you were allowed on, going beyond the allowed floor would set off the alarm. In later seasons they got sloppy about who wore the badges.

In one episode they go to U.N.C.L.E. Italy where the entrance is in a Del Floria's Taylor Shop, the same set. The shop also had the same sign as the N.Y. office, "Honesty is the best policy", except in Italian. MGM had a fire that destroyed the N.Y. street set where they had had the Del Floria's entrance. They had to find a new exterior set for the show, but the stairs were oriented differently, so the shop set had to be altered.

In the pilot Mr Waverly's office had a foyer with a sheet of bullet proof glass in front of the office door. That was later turned into Mr. Waverly's Secretary's office.

I hadn't heard about any friction between Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. Everything I've read said the Vaughn was grateful to have some of the load taken off his shoulders, as he was attending college at night for his degree.

Sam Rolfe wrote histories for Solo and Kuryakin which was never stated in the show. Solo was the son of a Canadian Diplomat. He married young while in college, but soon lost his wife to an accident. He served in the Korean War, and became an American citizen.

Robert Vaughn used this in his performances. Solo was always portrayed as being protective of women, even his enemies. You can see that in "The Vulcan Affair" where he is watching the reunion between the woman and her family. He has a look of longing at what could have been but was lost to an accident.

David.

[Pow]

Just watched another first season episode and found it quite decent. U.N.C.L.E. hasn't entirely aged as poorly as I once thought. There are a handful of good episodes that were produced that were probably mostly in the series' first season which was black & white.

Episode #4. "The Shark Affair," October 13, 1964.

Solo and Illya investigate a series of kidnappings that lead to a modern-day pirate ship run by Captain Shark (Robert Culp), who is filling his Noah's Ark with craftsman from all walks of life to repopulate the world after the nuclear holocaust he feels is imminent. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This one was quite a dramatic episode. Captain Shark is a villain in the sense that he abducts individuals in order to add them to his civilization that will give birth to a new Earth after billions have died in a nuclear Armageddon that he truly is convinced is coming, given the nature of humankind. He's also a classic villain in the sense that he does not see himself at all as an evil person at all. He was a World War II hero. He sees himself as the only sane individual to realize that a nuclear war between nations is inevitable. He has a plan and is taking action to ensure that there will be survivors and they will rebuild a better future by not repeating the mistakes of the past. His character is as much a tragic one as he is the bad guy, but with more layers to him. As film director Nicholas Meyer said, "I find that the most interesting villains; the most compelling ones, are ones who actually have a point that isn't entirely wrong." That is who we have in Captain Shark.

[Pow]

In the pilot, a gold square cigarette case was modified into a radio for Napoleon Solo to use. When the flip top was opened, it appeared to be holding cigarettes, but inside was a concealed radio. This communicator was used throughout the first season and part of the second.

Producer Sam Rolfe thought the original cigarette-case communicator looked too bulky. Another cigarette-case communicator was developed in the second season, consisting of a larger, flatter leather-covered case that opened like a book to reveal several cigarettes. However, the cigarettes were phony and when they were flipped over, a radio and small reel-to-reel tape recorder was revealed. A chrome silver cigarette lighter mounted on top twisted around to serve as an antenna. A second, matching version had a .32-caliber pistol inside.

Eventually a fountain-pen communicator was developed to replace the cigarette case, and became one of the most frequently seen props on the show.

But the pen communicators served other functions on the series besides communications. They also contained an amnesia pill, were magnetic, served as a bomb detector, and emitted a knockout gas. The agent's name was printed on the barrel. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some fans don't recall that a cigarette-case was the initial communication device utilized by U.N.C.L.E. agents because it lasted only through the first black & white season and part of the second season. Fans took to the pen communicator much more.

[Krel]

The first cigarette case communicator was a Princess Gardner Cigarette case. The communicator fit inside and could hold several cigarettes. The communicator had a retractable wire with a alligator clip that had to be clipped to metal to function.

The second slim one was a Lytacase cigarette case with a built in Varaflame Adonis lighter.

The pen communicator was made by the MGM prop shop. Originally the pen communicator was just for short range communications between Agents, but it turned out to be so handy that it took over the role of the cigarette case communicator,s except in certain circumstances. The pen's microphone/speaker grill was a fuel filter from a sports car.

In the beginning they hadn't worked out how the pen communicators should be held, so you will see Robert Vaughn holding it with the antenna pointed up, which looked awkward.

David.