ALL SCI-FI

Pow · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 3:20 pm Post subject: Espionage TV series of the 1960s

Spy TV shows are another fav of mine. Always check out any new spy shows whenever they premiere

Favs over the years. As a kid I loved The Man From Uncle, huge fav with all of my friends.

Have to say though that I have seen recent episodes on MeTv. The show has not dated well at all. Have the communicator pen prop though. That's still cool.

The Avengers was a fun, campy, humorous spy show with the classy John Steed & beautiful Emma Peel. One of the earliest TV series to have a woman a powerhouse martial arts fighter & do action scenes.

No damsel in distress for Emma.

Mission: Impossible was my very favorite spy show.
Fantastic concept, suspense, gadgets galore, wonderful cast.

These agents were going to outwit, out think, & out con the enemy. Physical force was used here & there but not as a weekly conceit. The 80s reboot was quite good.

Have liked but not loved the M:I films. Original concept was all about a team effort. Films are too much Cruise & not enough supporting players. Gizmos are still top notch though.

Get Smart was a funny send up of the genre. I know you've written that you were not a fan of GS, Bud. Humor is indeed subjective.

Would you believe objective?

A number of espionage series have come & gone since these series that I have mentioned.

Some attempt to recapture the fun & adventure of these shows. While others have gone to a very dark & gritty atmosphere. Whatever works is fine with me.

Bud Brewster · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 3:54 pm Post subject:

Tried to get into Danger Man aka Secret Agent Man after buying the box set, but it was dull.

The only series less interesting would be The Prisoner, which is dull AND flaky — in my exceedingly humble opinion.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Pow · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 4:44 pm Post subject:

I was no Prisoner fan either, Bud. I have a friend who loves the series & everything about it.

The village was rather cool where they filmed it, as well as the bouncy ball thingy that would capture escapees. Other than that it was a complex, confusing show that I never "got."

My favorite Patrick McGoohan roles are Ice Station Zebra & Scarecrow of Romney Marsh.

Krel · Guest

Patrick McGoohan was the first choice to play Bond. But he turned the role down, as he felt the character was immoral. But "Ice Station Zebra" proves that he would have been THE Bond.

The "Mission Impossible" movies are not really "Mission Impossible". The tv series was like a spy version of "The Sting". If it worked as planned, then the bad guys would never know they were there or what happened. My Mom used to think they were horrible, because in the beginning, the show would end with the team gathered around a speaker, as they listen to the bad guy get killed by his own people. The movies are just quasi Bond films.

I have read that "The Avengers" was a serious show until part way through the Honor Blackman episodes. Then it started getting, different?

The "Man From U.N.C.L.E." was a low budget show, that was only possible due to the backlot and resources of the MGM Studios. The show was popular, because in the beginning Sam Rolfe kept the show in line, and the three stars worked so well together.

NBC was embarrassed that the low budget MFU was more popular than their big budget spy series, "I Spy". Which was also a great series.

David.

ralfy · Mission Specialist Joined: 23 Sep 2014 Posts: 473

The Prisoner is remarkable, especially the ending, because I think it was meant to challenge mainstream entertainment and modern life.

I also like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley's People from the '70s and '80s.

Bud Brewster · Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:55 am Post subject:

While watching Ice Station Zebra and few years ago for the fourth or fifth time I was impressed anew by Patrick McGoohan's cool spy character, so I just up and bought (on-line) the Danger Man aka Secret Agent Man box set.

As I mentioned above, big mistake. Couldn't get through more than three episodes. Dull stuff, old chap. Very disappointing. It was like watching a version of Get Smart in which Max wasn't clumsy, didn't screw up, didn't say funny things, and didn't have a lovely colleague.
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

ralfy · Mission Specialist Joined: 23 Sep 2014 Posts: 473

In order to understand the ending of The Prisoner, try the interview linked here:

https://stuffnobodycaresabout.com/2018/06/14/meaning-of-the-prisoner/

Spoiler alert: don't watch it if you haven't seen the series and want to do so. Also, I can't offer my own views because I can't find a spoiler tag for the forum.