ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

The TV series Mission: Impossible is available as a streaming video from Netflix!

I have very fond memories of this show. It was all about a team of intelligent and highly trained professionals who followed an elaborate plan designed to defeat the enemies of the free world.

Hi-tech devices were often used, and sometime they were more hi-tech than what actually existed, so I figured we could sneak this show in as borderline science fiction.

Each episode of the series was skillfully written, masterfully directed, artfully filmed, and beautifully edited. The music is a huge plus for this series. The title theme is a classic, and it's basic melody is used at key moments during the show -- the same way the James Bond theme is used during those dramatic moments when Bond is being especially cool.

Just a quick word to the guys: Barbara Bain is insanely hot in this series. In one scene she appears wearing nothing but a small, tightly-wrapped bath towel, a pair of high heels, and a flirtatious smile. This scene and others like it in the pilot episode require the presence of a fire extinguisher near the TV to deal with the threat of spontaneous combustion.

Forewarned is forearmed, gentlemen.

Concerning Martin Landau's famous face masks: in the pilot we see him painstakingly creating a mask by applying it carefully in pieces -- the way Hollywood make-up artist do when they spend hours preparing for a single day's shooting for a major motion picture. The process is extremely believable because it is so elaborate and time consuming.

This scene alone caused me to have renewed respect for this popular series. The big-budget Tom Cruise movies have nothing on the pilot episode of this TV series. It's so far ahead of it's time that I consider it equal to Star Trek (TOS) in many ways.

If you have Netflix, I strongly recommend you watch this show. It's an amazing piece of work, especially in view of the fact that it was made as a TV series back in the 1960s. When compared to trendy and unrealistic shows like The Man from Uncle, this series is a work of art.

On a personal note, I saw the first few seasons of this show (when Steven Hill was the leader of the group) on my family's old black & white TV. Later I saw the Peter Graves episodes on our color TV. Because of this, I thought the first few seasons were in B&W and the later ones were in color.

Imagine my surprise and delight today when I discovered that this series began in color and offered beautiful photography, even in the pilot episode!

Amazon offers box sets of this show, but each season is about $30.00 -- and there are six seasons!

Worse yet, none of them are in Blu-ray, and Brent would chew me out royally if I didn't wait for the Blu-ray version of this show. (He'd be right, of course.) The streaming videos from Netflix look wonderful, so if I watch them for a year or two while I wait for the Blu-ray discs to come, I'm sure I won't die too bad (as a friend of mine used to say).
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bongopete]

When 'Space 1999' aired, it was Landau and Bain from Mission Impossible that I was expecting. Wrong.

[Bud Brewster]

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No sir, we never saw this in Space: 1999.



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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bongopete]

She really changed over a couple of years didnt she?

[Pow]

Jonnie Burke was the head of the special effects department on M:I.

He was approached & offered a job on one of 2 brand new tv shows debuting that fall of '66. One was M:I & the other was Star Trek. He thought that ST would be way too much work as it was a sf show & would require original & exotic props for each episode.

So he chose M:I instead figuring how demanding would an espionage series be? You can't blame him. The M:I pilot has few gadgets & even Bruce Geller, creator of M:I, never envisioned it as a show that would have new gizmos each week. However, as the series first season progressed, writers began incorporating wild new mechanical devices for each show.

In the end ST was less work & M:I was daunting with their prop requirements for each new episode.

But Mr.Burke was more than up to the task.

The Complete Mission: Impossible Dossier by Patrick J. White

[Pow]

I see that MeTV will be airing the first of a 2-part episode from season one this weekend.

Its entitled Old Man Out & by coincidence the guest star is the lovely Mary Ann Mobley who passed away earlier this week.

Great ep by the way.

[Pye-Rate]

I recently watched MI:III. Only two things save it, the toys and the ending was filmed in Seattle. Ivar's Acres of Clams oh yum!

[scotpens]

The genius of Mission: Impossible was getting viewers to tune in week after week to watch essentially the same story: The IM Force's mission is to make the bad guys do what we want them to do (reveal the location of the MacGuffin, turn against each other to end a corrupt dictatorship, whatever). They accomplish this by carrying out an elaborate ruse, often involving amazingly realistic rubber masks and cheesy fake accents. But the charades were so intricate and well-plotted that we stayed glued to our TV sets, wondering just how they were going to pull this one off.

It's worth noting that the multitalented Bruce Geller, creator of M.I., died tragically in the crash of his small private plane at the age of 47.

[Bud Brewster]

Thanks for the correction about Mr. Hill, Scotspen. As for Miss Bain, it was mostly a teenage fixation — except for that scene with the teeny tiny towel.

Rrrruuff!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

[Pow]

Somewhat along these lines I saw an interview with Robert Conrad about TWWW tv series.

They had a group of stuntmen that the series kept on as regulars, which was unusual for that time. The Stuntman's Association felt that was unfair & did not allow for other stunt people to appear on the show.

Conrad's contention was that they had a well oiled machine with their stuntmen & why mess up the formula?

In any event, he said that often they'd try to match their guest stars looks to one of the regular stuntmen for continuity.

[Bud Brewster]

Krel: I don't remember that aspect of the show, but mothers pick up on motherly things that leave their young sons scratching their heads and thinking grumpy thoughts about what party poopers their moms can be.
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Pow: I'm surprised to hear the Royal Order of Stunt Dudes would interfere that way with the director's decisions about which stuntmen to use. I thought the selection of stunt people was the exclusive right of the director.

Not that I know a back flip from a butt kick when it comes to the wild world of professional stunts . . .
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

[Pow]

Probably a combo of what Conrad said & the info from TWWW book, I should imagine.

Yeah, Red West, Elvis's high school buddy & former bodyguard, was one of the intrepid part of the stunt company for TWWW.

Dick Cangey was another one. Former boxer who got Conrad interested in learning the manly art of self defense.

In season one of TWWW you see Conrad do more judo/karate type moves during his fights.

After Cangey got him into boxing you see West do more boxing moves in his elaborate fight scenes on the show.

[Bud Brewster]

Great discussion, guys.

I get funny mental images from the phrase "stuntman school". Big burly guys sitting in undersized desk while the teacher draws a stick figure of a man falling from a building.

A mother in the kitchen calling out, "Hey, boys! What's all that racket coming from your room?'

"We're just doing our homework, Mom!"

A school bus stops on the corner, and a plump mother hands a lunchbox to her 6 foot tall, 220 pound son, kisses him on the cheek, and tells him she hopes his first day at school will be nice. A dozen rugged-looking guys hang out the windows along the side of the bus while they jeer and laugh and tease the new kid.

Chuck Lorre should consider this for a sitcom.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)