The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: original series & films

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  • Posts: 11,425
    I thought the film was okay. Cavill is undoubtedly a poor leading man - more wooden than a tree trunk - but overall i rather liked it.

    Particularly enjoyed the commando assault montage - would have loved to see something like that in a Craig Bond film.

    I still think Ritchie could do a decent Bokd film, given the right material.
  • Luciana Paluzzi was also in the pilot episode. The one where the series was called Ian Fleming's Solo. Or just Solo.

    Technically not the pilot episode. It's a little more complicated.

    After production of the pilot wrapped, the idea was hatched to do additional scenes. If the series wasn't picked up, they could get a movie for international release out of it.

    Luciana Paluzzi's scenes were part of that additional footage.

    In the second half of the first season, the production company took that extra footage and some of the extra footage shot for The Double Affair (to turn it into the movie The Spy With My Face) were combined into an episode called The Four-Steps Affair. Some new TV footage was shot to have a story to incorporate all the scenes.

    One problem: When the pilot was shot, Robert Vaughn parted his hair on one side. By the time The Double Affair/The Spy With My Face was made, Robert Vaughn had a different hairstyle and parted his hair on the other side.

    In the middle of the episode (after Vaughn has gotten away from the Luciana Paluzzi death trap), there's a scene where Solo is combing his hair -- and changing his part so it will match the upcoming footage.

    So to sum up, Luciana Paluzzi is not in the TV pilot version. On TV, she was on The Four-Steps Affair, the 21st episode of the show.

    In theaters, however, she is in To Trap a Spy, the movie that takes the pilot and had additional footage.

    Confusing? Well, it's the best I can do.
  • The Four-Steps Affair (you know because it's in black and white even though it was filmed in color)


    fours056.jpg


    Solo having almost finished changing the part in his hair.

    fours101.jpg


    Solo now with different hairstyle than in the first half of the episode.

    fours112.jpg
  • Related: In The Four-Steps Affair, we see Kitt Kittridge, an Australian UNCLE agent. He is wounded but survives the episode.

    He appears in The Spy With My Face. But he is *killed* by Solo's double from Thrush.

    See the 0:50 mark of this trailer.

  • Posts: 4,622
    @waverly how much did Paluzzi's work in the Uncle film or even the tv episode she was in, influence the Bond producers decision to hire her for TB?
  • Posts: 820
    I do hope a Man From U.N.C.LE sequel come before 2020. But hows Henry Cavil going to be in the next U.NC.L.E when he in Mission Impossible 6? Tom Cruise was going to be the Man From U.N.C.L.E movie but he pulled for Mission Impossible 5. I glad about that.
  • Posts: 11,425
    Cruise would have made a much better Solo
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 6,760
    Question for all you U.N.C.L.E. die hards, if I watch the eight feature length movies (expanded tv episodes) do I have a clear view of what the show was about or should I watch the whole series?
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    I'm not a fan of The Saint in general, but I did like the Val Kilmer film. I'd like to see the original longer cut. Although dubbed, the original ending is on youtube:



    So why no alternate cut? It celebrates it's 20th birthday this earlier, now would be a good time to release it.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Question for all you U.N.C.L.E. die hards, if I watch the eight feature length movies (expanded tv episodes) do I have a clear view of what the show was about or should I watch the whole series?
    That's how I started. Yes, it pretty much it. You'd get a vision of the entire series.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited April 2017 Posts: 23,883
    Getafix wrote: »
    Cruise would have made a much better Solo
    Definitely, but I'm glad he didn't waste his time with this. He was correct to focus on MI and the Mummy reboot.

    Looking forward to seeing Cavill playing against Cruise in the upcoming MI-6. It should be fun.
  • Posts: 1,879
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Question for all you U.N.C.L.E. die hards, if I watch the eight feature length movies (expanded tv episodes) do I have a clear view of what the show was about or should I watch the whole series?

    Hard to answer. I first saw a couple of the movies in the early '80s when the series wasn't around and wasn't much impressed with the ones I saw. Liked it better when it finally came to national cable in the mid '80s.

    The movies do give tastes of the four distinctive years of the show, which all varied, but feature as much bad as good, IMO. The bad parts are Kuriyakin isn't in much of the first two films, which are Solo-heavy as he was the series' primary focus early on; One of Our Spies is Missing is made from a fairly weak two-parter; Karate Killers is among the worst of the third season and indicative of why the show lost viewers; and How To Steal the World was badly padded to accommodate two episodes/feature length.

    A lot of libraries have entire seasons of shows or if you can stream some it may give a better idea of the best of UNCLE. I'm sure fans on here would give suggestions as to what they think are the best to check out. The majority say the first season is the best. I'm partial to the second season as it seems to have the best balance before the silliness and then the too serious side set in.

  • timmer wrote: »
    @waverly how much did Paluzzi's work in the Uncle film or even the tv episode she was in, influence the Bond producers decision to hire her for TB?

    I don't know for sure, but I'm sure they had to have seen at least a bit of her performance. You're looking for a femme fatale, here's a pretty good femme fatale.
  • GoldenGun wrote: »
    Question for all you U.N.C.L.E. die hards, if I watch the eight feature length movies (expanded tv episodes) do I have a clear view of what the show was about or should I watch the whole series?

    You get a pretty good sense of the show. To Trap a Spy (No. 1) is an expanded version of the pilot (retaining the original head of the organization, Mr. Allison). Also there were two movies done each season. Watching the movies gives you a sense of the changing direction and tone.

    If you have questions about individual episodes, go here:

    https://uncleepisodeguide.wordpress.com/
  • Agent7F wrote: »
    I do hope a Man From U.N.C.LE sequel come before 2020. But hows Henry Cavil going to be in the next U.NC.L.E when he in Mission Impossible 6? Tom Cruise was going to be the Man From U.N.C.L.E movie but he pulled for Mission Impossible 5. I glad about that.

    They're filming Mission: Impossible 6 now while an UNCLE sequel is only in preliminary scripting.
  • If you were interested in UNCLE, but you only want to sample *one* episode, I would recommend The Never-Never Affair (25th episode, first season).

    It was the first UNCLE script by Dean Hargrove, who'd be among the more prolific UNCLE scribes. It was directed by Joseph Sargent.

    If you were willing to watch two, I'd recommend The Quadripartite Affair (episode 3) and The Giuoco Piano Affair (episode 7). They were written as a two-parter but ultimately presented as separate, but related, stories. (Same villains, but no cliffhanger ending for Quadripartite.)

    They were written by Alan Caillou, who had been a spy for the British in World War II. They're directed by Richard Donner. Quadriparite was the first episode to give David McCallum's Illya significant air time.

    More details here on the Season One page of the episode guide.

    https://uncleepisodeguide.wordpress.com/about/season-one-1964-1965/

  • Posts: 19,339
    I'm giving the latest UNCLE film one last try,as it is still on SKY Cinema...lets see...
  • Posts: 19,339
    25 mins in and NO UNCLE tunes of any kind...
  • Posts: 4,622
    I recently burned thru complete Uncle
    I watched the complete series in order starting with the colour pilot and the first season b&w episodes, which were real good.
    But peak Uncle is really Season 2. The series moves to colour and is in full swing.
    Season 3 ups the camp some, but it's still quite good.
    Season 4 is a little darker but solid.
    I really enjoyed burning thru the 100 plus episodes in order and then watching the original 8 cinema movies in order, followed by Return of the Man From Uncle (1983) with Laz as Bond cameo and MacNee playing the new Chief.

    That's how I'd do it.
    If you are purchasing.
    The complete TV series can be bought in one batch
    The 8 cinema movies are sold in another set.
    The Return of TMFU is a separate dvd purchase.
  • There was also an UNCLE crossover with the comedy Please Don't Eat the Daisies.

    Start of the episode:




    End of the episode, including end titles. Vaughn and McCallum are billed as their characters.

  • Posts: 19,339
    Well I gave the new film a second chance yesterday and no ,I don't like it at all...I wont be buying that again,and watch it only if I have no choice (and I always have a choice ).
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,099
    If you were interested in UNCLE, but you only want to sample *one* episode, I would recommend The Never-Never Affair (25th episode, first season).

    Oh, this is my absolute favourite episode, largely for the performance turned in by pre-Get Smart Barbara Feldon.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,099
    Watching The Deadly Toys Affair right now on True Entertainment and it is a masterpiece of campy delight. I have not stopped grinning since it opened with some serious scenery-chewing by Leo G.
  • Posts: 19,339
    I record them every day so i can take the ads out...have about 11 episodes banked so far !
  • Posts: 170
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    Watching The Deadly Toys Affair right now on True Entertainment and it is a masterpiece of campy delight.

    That's probably one of the worst episodes, thanks to Angela Lansbury. Luckily, the show got back on track with The Cherry Blossom Affair.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,099
    Robertson wrote: »
    That's probably one of the worst episodes, thanks to Angela Lansbury. Luckily, the show got back on track with The Cherry Blossom Affair.

    I did enjoy that one too. Thanks to many years of karate lessons, I can even confirm that the Japanese numbers in the countdown were correct!
  • edited June 2017 Posts: 170
    @Agent_99 Enjoyed "The Adriatic Express Affair". Disliked "The Yukon Affair". Couldn't finish "The Very Important Zombie Affair".
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,099
    I rather liked Yukon, but I'm a big fan of snowy settings. True Entertainment's run seems to have ended with the two-part Bridge of Lions, which I find a pretty good blend of serious spy stuff and total nonsense.
  • Posts: 170
    I might try to finish "The Very Important Zombie Affair" to get to episode 16. Maybe.
  • edited June 2017 Posts: 170
    @Agent_99 The show seems to make a comeback with episode 16 and stays strong all the way through to "The Bridge of Lions Affair, Pt. 2". I'll be watching "The Foreign Legion Affair" tonight.
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