Fleming and The Man from UNCLE
Napoleon Plural
LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent
I've been reading an amazing feature on Fleming's involvement in The Man from UNCLE series. He came up with the name Napoleon Solo, and was in discussion on the origins of the series from the start. However, with the success of Bond, EON tried to scupper it for fear of his lending too much involvement to it, and for similarities.
He didn't come up with the Uncle name, which was supposed to suggest ties to the United Nations. Not that they're very effective these days.
Nor did he devise the Russian agent played by David McCallum.
Fleming did come up with the name of April Dancer, for the short-lived Girl from UNCLE starring Stefanie Powers.
Too much humour did for the UNCLE series, as it tried to be like the Batman series, too campy etc.
He didn't come up with the Uncle name, which was supposed to suggest ties to the United Nations. Not that they're very effective these days.
Nor did he devise the Russian agent played by David McCallum.
Fleming did come up with the name of April Dancer, for the short-lived Girl from UNCLE starring Stefanie Powers.
Too much humour did for the UNCLE series, as it tried to be like the Batman series, too campy etc.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Comments
The world seemed similar to Bond's world in Thunderball. It's amazing how much mileage everyone got out of that and GF. The first two films weren't quite the same.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
You were lucky you had a telly !
Interesting, Mr Plural. Can you link us to the article or is it a hard copy?
Aye, you had it soft. We used t'live in shoebox in middle of t'road...
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Pitty about Tom Cruise
Sod off.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I think I may have been unclear (UNCLEar?)- I'm comparing Cruise with Napoleon Bonaparte (generally reckoned to be short and dark, like Cruise). Not any other Napoleons!
Remembered this from the Special features of my The Man From UNCLE movie Box set.
( Strangely Five films in the set But Eight made ? ) and for some reason the Extras are PDFs
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Many times, Late night after closing time.
Played a Heavy but it was uncredited.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Originally UNCLE wasn't campy in season 1, but towards the end of season 2 it was influenced by the massive success of Batman so some episodes veered towards camp. The whole of season 3 was spectaculars campy, but they brought it back to earth for season 4 when the fans started leaving... But by then it was too late.
The missing three films then were "To Trap a Spy" - the first film in the series, an excellent spy adventure; "One of our Spies is Missing" which was a little, umm, flamboyant being from I think the third season; and "the Spy in the Green Hat" from the excellent fourth season.
Sadly not. - you can onl get the 5 double-length tv episodes which were theatrically released as movies, on R2 DVD... Plus the 'return of the Man from UNCLE' TV movie.
Now to save up!
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
'Lone Ranger' Armie Hammer To Star With Tom Cruise In 'Man From U.N.C.L.E.'
http://www.deadline.com/2013/04/lone-ranger-armie-hammer-to-star-with-tom-cruise-in-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/themanfromuncle/
Where I live, during the late 80's and early 90's reruns of the show were broadcast in the wee early hours and though I could have taped it on the VCR, I sometimes stayed awake from the night before, or got up early before dawn just to watch it. Interestingly enough, The Saint was also shown during the same pre-dawn time slots but on a different channel and for some fortunate happenstance, the two shows were not broadcast on the same days so I never experienced a viewing conflict!
I have mixed feelings about the upcoming film. I'm not a huge fan of Henry Cavill, who always looks like he's sneering to me and should be the guy kicking sand in the face of the 98-pound weakling in comic book advertisements, and I don't really know who Armie Hammer is except he seems to be an albatross for big budget movies succeeding. Robert Vaughn and David McCallum were so wonderfully cast and gave the show a combination of panache and intelligence that I can't see these other two doing justice to the roles. However, with Guy Ritchie directing and the film being set in the 1960s, the production itself may take on enough of a life that who is playing the roles is really no big deal. I will say, though, that publicity for this movie has been very tightlipped . . . and that doesn't always suggest a studio thinks it has a hit.
I just completed season 1 of the Man from UNCLE.
I know season 3 is supposed to be the campy one, but this first season was pretty silly too, with Solo continuously smirking and winking while Ilya plays it deadpan but very witty. They seem to mess up their missions as often as they succeed, and often rely on luck, so its hard to say this show is that much more serious than Get Smart, which it resembles except without the catchphrases.
The secret entrance to UNCLE headquarters through the tailor shop was a concept recycled in Kingsmen. But is UNCLE headquarters actually the U.N. building itself or another building on a nearby block? Establishing shots frequently show the U.N. building, and the episode Mad Mad Tea Party Affair establishes their headquarters is a midrise building with access to the roof, not all underground as I had been assuming up til that point.
Episodes heavily featuring UNCLE boss Mr Waverly are good because they tend to give us more inside info on the UNCLE organisation. Waverly is played by Leo G. Carroll, a veteran of several Hitchcock films, including North by Northwest where he also played the head of a spy organisation. In The Bow Wow Affair, Carroll also plays the part of Mr Waverly's cousin.
the Man from UNCLE tends to feature a whole different galaxy of guest stars than the ITV adventure series, thus not so many faces familiar from our Bond films. Richard Kiel (The Hong Kong Shilling Affair) and Luciana Paluzzi (The Four Steps Affair) were the only Bond veterans I spotted.
Earliest episodes follow a Notorious plot structure with Solo recruiting various naïve sheltered innocent women to infiltrate the villains operation. This formula starts to vary towards the middle of the season, but there is almost always an innocent for a guest star to play, as well as the villain. in some episodes Solo and Ilya are relegated to supporting roles themselves as the guest stars are getting so many lines!
Many of the earliest episodes are directed by Richard Donner, who later made the first Superman film.
Listing some memorable episodes with guest stars who were notable to me:
(I expect somebody who watched this show in real time in the 1960s would recognise a lot more of these actors than I could)
-second episode The Iowa Scuba Affair stars Slim Pickens (Dr Strangelove, Blazing Saddles, 1941), playing it relatively straight.
-The Shark Affair features James Doohan (Scotty from Star Trek) but I think he's only in the opening scene. Not surprised I didn't recognise him, as Doohan has the reputation as a chameleon-like voice actor.
-The Green Opal Affair stars an unrecognisable Carroll O'Connor as the villain. This performance really increased my respect for his acting chops!
-The Giuoco Piano Affair is notable for a party scene where four of the partiers doing silly things are the behind-the-scenes creators of the show.
-The Project Strigas Affair is perhaps most significant for guest stars of any episode as it features both William Shatner as the innocent, and Leonard Nimoy as the villains underling, two years before Star Trek!
-The Finny Foot Affair has thirteen year old Kurt Russell as the innocent, and Tura Satana (Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!) as the evil henchwoman
-The Dove Affair Ricardo Montalbán plays a rival spychief in an unnamed east European country, and is excellent in this one. He and Solo have a great rapport as they stab each other in the back yet are repeatedly stuck together, and the episode in general has a more serious cold war vibe.
-The Four Steps Affair as noted features Luciana Paluzzi (Fiona Volpe) as the bad girl, Solo has to frisk her for weapons and she loves it. Also Don Harron as a fellow UNCLE agent. Harron was a Canadian comedian best known for his character Charlie Farquarson, who appeared regularly both on HeeHaw as well as doing satirical editorials Canadian radio throughout the 1970s.
-The Brain-Killer Affair has Yvonne Craig (Batgirl) as the innocent and Elsa Lanchester (the Bride of Frankenstein herself) as a Mengele type villain.
-The Hong Kong Shilling Affair as noted above has Richard Kiel (Jaws) as a villain, and he gets more to do than both his Bond films combined. Also Gavin Mcleod (Murray Slaughter from Mary Tyler Moore, Captain Stubing from the Love Boat) as the big baddy.
Kiel is also supposed to be somewhere in the very first episode The Vulcan Affair, but he must have been crouching because I didn't spot him.
-The Never-Never Affair is even better, with Barbara Feldon (Agent 99) as an aspiring UNCLE agent a year before Get Smart . It could almost be Agent 99's origin story, damn is she a charmer. And... Cesar Romero (the Joker) as the villain. These two are so good, and get so much screen time, Solo and Ilya are relegated to bit parts in their own show.
-The Gazebo in the Maze Affair features George Sanders (a onetime Saint as well as appearing in many other great movies) playing the charming villain.
-The Odd Man Affair features Marty Balsam (Psycho, Catch-22) as a retired UNCLE agent, another episode where Solo and Ilya are relegated to bit parts. This is the season closer, and almost seems to be setting up Balsam's character for his own series.
As I watched this show, I found the blog Preppies Of The Apocalypse to be a most useful fan site. Blogger Morgan Richter is a screenwriter who understands how teevee shows are made, and makes lots of hilarious observations as well as giving us trivia and context. She repeatedly points out that Solo and Ilya are terrible spies, but also argues they share a homoerotic bromance: constantly flirting with each other, then Ilya pouting every time Solo finds a new ladyfriend.
It also follows the North by Northwest plot structure, in which the naive, sheltered innocent caught up in the intrigue and espionage was Roger Thornhill rather than a young woman. There are many similarities between them as you admirably point out, CP! -{
I did think it was quite a good idea to call one of the continuation novels 'Solo' as it's obviously a word Fleming was keen on, although it perhaps needed a little bit more.
He must've had some more thoughts beyond just the character's name though?