Man from U.N.C.L.E turns 60

[Tiki Tom]

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was launched on this day in 1964.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcbe...ic-spy-thriller-launched-on-this-day-in-1964/

Hitching a ride on the popularity of the James Bond franchise, it featured a multinational team of spies going after a nefarious clandestine criminal enterprise bent on world domination. The show’s particular hook was that (during those dark days of the Cold War) an American Agent was teamed up with a Russian Agent.

Some trivia:

1. U.N.C.L.E. was originally supposed to be The United Nations Command for Law and Enforcement, however the U.N. balked at this, and so it became the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.

2. The evil organization they were up against was T.H.R.U.S.H, which stood for the “Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity.” Man! I think they are still Around.

As a kid, how I loved that U.N.C.L.E. television show. From the secret headquarters beneath NYCity, to the badges and highly advanced weapons, to all that international travel, it was just the thing to spark a young boys imagination. How I wanted to be Napoleon Solo (odd name for an American.)

Best of all, the Man from U.N.C.L.E. had a jazzy up-tempo opening number that is still hard to beat…

The 2015 movie of the same name was pretty good, but it didn’t quite capture the spirit or the flavor of the U.N.C.L.E. Organization.

I wish the spy genre would come back into style.

 

[Worf]

Tried watching some old episodes once. Didn't realize how silly the show became in it's second season. Time was NOT kind to this series. Still I remember it fondly! Ah the spy craze of the 60's.

Worf

 

[Doctor Strange]

I just noticed this month-old comment and I absolutely agree, Worf! I loved U.N.C.L.E. during its run, but the times I've seen bits of episodes since then, I have found them to be pretty poor. I mean, Star Trek it's not.

Back then, I recall once watching an episode of U.N.C.L.E. after having read a magazine or newspaper article about the making of the show and proudly telling my dad, who was half-watching over his reading, that they sometimes didn't know how an episode would end and had to improvise. His response was, "Yeah, and it looks it."!



And as I said here back in 2015, I absolutely hated the Guy Ritchie film. I thought every single decision that it made about how to honor the series was wrong. But then, I hate ALL of Guy Ritchie's films.

 

[Worf]

Yeah, you can't reheat soufflé! There were a great many shows of the 60's and 70's that, if watched today, would either illicit gasps of "did they really think that this was entertaining?" Or shouts of rage. Some how I ran across an episode of "Hong Kong Phooey" the other day and I wanted to gouge my eyes out.

Worf

 

[Zombie_61]

Still, nice to see Illya Kuryakin get a new identity and a job with NCIS.

 

[steve u]

I keep this running on my work computer so it doesn't lock up...

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy + Smiley's People​

I love a Good spy story. Maybe this is where what started.

 

[steve u]

I had the "Man from Uncle" plastic models I glued together.