The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was a popular American television series that ran on NBC from September 22 1964 to January 15 1968 for 104 episodes. The series, though fictional, achieved such notability as to have artifacts (props, costumes and documents, and a video clip) from the show included in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library's exhibit on spies and counterspies.

Spin-offs

The series was popular enough that a spin-off series, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., ran for one season, starring Stefanie Powers as agent "April Dancer" (a character name credited to Ian Fleming). There was some crossover between the two shows, and Leo G. Carroll played Waverley in both programs, becoming one of the first actors in American television to star in two separate series (a feat later repeated by Richard Anderson and Martin E. Brooks on The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman).

Related Topics:
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. - Stefanie Powers - Richard Anderson - Martin E. Brooks - The Six Million Dollar Man - The Bionic Woman

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Each two-part episode of Man from U.N.C.L.E. was later re-edited into a series of theatrical films which were initially released in Europe, and then to American TV. In each case, additional footage was shot. Among the films in this series: To Trap a Spy (1964); The Spy with My Face (1965); One Spy Too Many (1966); One of Our Spies is Missing (1966); The Spy in the Green Hat (1966); The Karate Killers (1967); The Helicopter Spies (1968) (TV); How to Steal the World (1968). The U.N.C.L.E. fad also inspired a related series of books - many written by David McDaniel and Peter Leslie. See below for a listing.

Related Topics:
David McDaniel - Peter Leslie

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The theme music was written by Jerry Goldsmith and changed slightly each season. Goldsmith only provided four original scores and was replaced by Morton Stevens who also did four scores for the series. After Stevens, Walter Scharf did six scores, Lalo Schifrin did two. Season two saw Gerald Fried as composer and he lasted into the beginning of season four. The last composers were Robert Drasnin, Nelson Riddle, and Richard Shores.

Related Topics:
Jerry Goldsmith - Walter Scharf - Lalo Schifrin - Gerald Fried - Robert Drasnin - Nelson Riddle - Richard Shores

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Other spin-offs included a Man from U.N.C.L.E. digest-sized story magazine, two Gold Key comic book series (one based on the show which ran for about a dozen issues, the other a one-shot spinoff called Jet Dream based upon characters introduced in the comic book but not featured in the TV series), board games, action-figures, and toy pistols. The show also inspired the naming of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. In the 1990s, another Man from U.N.C.L.E. comic book was published for a few issues, with the characters transplanted into the modern day.

Related Topics:
Gold Key - T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents

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A reunion television movie, The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E., subtitled The Fifteen Years Later Affair was broadcast on CBS April 5, 1983, with Vaughn and McCallum reprising their original roles, and Patrick Macnee replacing the now-deceased Leo G. Carroll as the head of U.N.C.L.E. The movie included a tribute to Ian Fleming via a cameo appearance by an unidentified secret agent with the initials "J.B." The part was played by one-time Bond, George Lazenby.

Related Topics:
CBS - April 5 - 1983 - Patrick Macnee - Leo G. Carroll - George Lazenby

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In recent years there have been occasional reports of a Man from U.N.C.L.E. motion picture being planned, but as of 2004 nothing has been announced.

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Trivia

• Napoleon Solo was originally to have been Canadian, but it was decided that a series on an American network needed an American lead character.