The Man from UNCLE. The Stam Fine Review Affair

#ManFromUNCLE #RetroTV
Stam Fine Reviews looks at a 60’s TV classic The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964-68) even though it’s really about two Men from U.N.C.L.E, Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum), two agents for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. Man from UNCLE started off as a spy series with the occasional wry remark, to a full on slapstick comedy and then became a show without any jokes at all. There was also a spin-off series- The Girl From U.N.C.L.E- that ran alongside Man From U.N.C.L.E for one season. That series starred Stefanie Powers as agent April Dancer, alongside Noel Harrison as Mark Slate. More recently, there was Guy Ritchie's big screen version in 2015.
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0:00 Introduction
0:36 Origins
3:06 Men from UNCLE
5:30 Civilians
7:25 The Pilot
9:54 Touring and Ratings Boost
10:56 Second Season
13:04 Spin-off talk
13:39 Third Season
15:46 Competition
16:24 Girl from UNCLE
19:12 Pirahna
19:37 UNCLE movies
21:06 Action
21:19 Music
22:27 Fourth Season
24:11 Guests
24:38 Return of the Man from UNCLE
25:58 After UNCLE
26:43 Man from UNCLE (2015)
27:28 Summary

[@langleymneely]

RIP DAVID MCCALLUM… 💔🥺 The man was a legend. 🫡

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

DUCKY!!!! 🥲

[@jimsaldana2302]

To his credit, Robert Vaughn never resented David McCallum’s popularity and was a team player and both of them remained friends for years. Robert Vaughn also was correct when he said the series featured the most beautiful women in Hollywood.

[@bigstuff52]

amen to the best looking women..

[@kibblenbits]

On the YT channel 'FoundationInterviews' there are many interviews with David McCallum. In one, David stated they worked well together, but that they had completely different personalities, had nothing in common, and only went to dinner together once. Robert was vegetarian, into politic's, and academia, while David was not. They were not friends off set, just co-workers during the time the show was on air. David was friend's with Charles Bronson, who ran off with David's first wife, Jill Ireland. Jill leaving him was good for David, in the long run, as he was married to his second wife for 56 years, until his death. RIP David

[@gravelydon7072]

@@bigstuff52 And Stefanie Powers ( Girl from U.N.C.L.E. ) both back then and now still is.

[@williamhoole2065]

Robert Vaughn was an accomplished and serious academic ...

[@muzmason3064]

They both carried the show and the chemistry was there until the scripts died a slow death.

[@carollido8742]

David died today and I am putting tributes up on LinkedIn and we are celebrating his life and his extraordinary acting. Thank you for this. I am amazed at how great big grown men are crying because they were so in love with him in the Man from U. N C.L E. One of the toughest guys I know dropped me a personal note and said I just love this man and had a terrible crush on him Thank you this is a wonderful and informative and fun video ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️ 9:26

[@esthergarcia1373]

So glad to hear so many wonderful stories of David Macallum. He was one of my first movie star crushes. My condolences to his family. ❤🙏🌹🌟

[@virginiaconnor8350]

I'm glad I met David McCallum 2x. He was so warm, friendly, and I could tell he cared about me as a fan. I thanked him for making me so happy as I was growing up and appreciated his work. I also told him that my parents liked him too and the story how my dad got me to watching "MFU". I think my parents and he were alike in some ways and I miss them as I'll miss David too.

[@FromSagansStardust]

I got to meet him once, backstage when he was doing Agatha Christie's 'the Mousetrap' in Millburn, NJ! We had the same birthday, September 19, 25 years apart.

[@verasmith4767]

Both of our favorite spys are gone now. 😢 Fighting the bad guys together again.

[@margaretford1011]

Leo G Carroll was a well beloved actor already when he was cast in this show, because of the hilarious role he had played in “Topper”- a banker who lived in a stuffy world but who was plagued by mischievous ghosts who created absurd situations for him that he had to somehow explain away lest normal people thought him looney- a very lovable character.g

[@garryferrington811]

Based on the Hal Roach movie which starred Cary Grant.

[@johnlavery6116]

Takes me back to my school days,..great memories.....Ireland.

[@daviddorward7684]

Always loved this TV classic and the two subsequent movies.

[@specialandroid1603]

RIP to Robert Vaughn and David McCallum

[@jerrywood4508]

I loved the show in the first two seasons. I watched every episode and the repeats, too. I thought it was the height of sophistication. But, of course, I was in 5th grade when it premiered.

[@Primus54]

My late sister was a flight attendant in the ‘60s based out of JFK and had Stefanie Powers on her L.A. flights several times. She said Stefanie was very sweet not at all “Hollywood”. Because of low resolution television at the time and the makeup, few people knew that Stefanie was absolutely covered in freckles.

[@thomasthomas2418]

My favorite episode was in the first season. Barbara Felton played the bored translator who yearned for adventure. Cesar Romero played the suave THRUSH agent and their scenes together were so charming. Felton and Romero had great chemistry. When Felton is hit with knock-out gas while with Romero, she slumps over onto his shoulder and he playfully kisses her nose. Loved it!

[@lalkayy.9541]

The Episode was Entitled " The Never - Never Affair " From 1965 . Barbara Feldon Played Mandy Stevenson Agent 23 .

[@gregberke6772]

One of my favorite shows. Got the complete Man from Uncle kit for Xmas one year I wore a black turtle neck sweater pants and sport jacket with my yellow Uncle badge and machine gun brief case. I was extremely cool at 7.

[@cathleanjohnson675]

Forever apart of my 60s childhood viewing, just wish channels like TVLand or Me TV would show the series from beginning to end, there will never be another duo like them-Solo handsome and so cool and Kuryakin that voice and he was objectively so smoking hot, RIP Robert you are missed and so glad David is still here and on "NCIS" if you weren't around when this show ran it was truly unique the likes of which we won't see again sadly..

[@paulholley8138]

Bought the complete seires on line Amazon!

[@nigeh5326]

Thanks again for another video that brings back memories 👍 As a kid I loved Sean Connery’s Bond but the man from uncle was a tv favourite. David Macallum and Robert Vaughan were both great casting for a tv spy show with a good blend of humour and action and a sprinkling of gadgets all adding up to a family show that appealed to mom dad and the kids.

[@speedracer1945]

The 60s gave us many tongue in cheek as this and comedy Get Smart even Bullwinkle was an adult / kid cartoon series .

[@onlythewise1]

its so sad they all gone world is different now

[@SJKPJR007]

"You knew the show was in trouble once the composer had to bust out the kazoos" - another Stam Fine classic. Love this channel!

[@mikavirtanen7029]

Damn...U.N.C.L.E sure had lots of good actors as guest stars. Angela Lansbury, Jack Palance, William Shatner, Edward Albert, Kurt Russell, Ricardo Montalban, Cesar Romero, Martin Balsam etc...It's also one of the few classic series that had a decent reboot with 2015 Guy Ritchie film...and of course nobody went to see it, cause it had no superheroes and it was set in the 1960's.

[@patriciajrs46]

They just weren't smart enough to know what they were missing.

[@greendeane1]

you missed lenard nemoy and cher

[@railtrolley]

@@greendeane1 It's a long guest list, add these: William Shatner, (as well as Leonard Nimoy) Werner Klemperer, John Banner, Leon Askin (Hogans Heroes), Barbara Feldon (99 get smart), Edward Mulhare (The ghost and Mrs Muir, Von Ryans Express, Knight Rider), Michael Pate (Matlock Police), Martin Landau (Space 1999), Terry Thomas (lots of UK comedies), Telly Savalas (Kojak, 007 OHMSS), Vincent Price. Probably missed noticing some.

[@jeffturnbull9661]

That wasn't the reason, those of us who stayed away did so because there was very little U.N.C.L.E. in it, as mentioned in the video, the paradigm of 2 ordinary looking men who would blend into any crowd was replaced by behemoths who stand out in a crowd, Solo went from an army officer to a skilled thief and Kuryakin a giant with anger issues, no U.N.C.L.E. gadgets, no U.N.C.L.E. weapons, no U.N.C.L.E. music (almost), we all got that the U.N.C.L.E. organization didn't exist yet, this was meant as an origins movie, but some kind of bone of concession should have been offered to fans of the show, otherwise why even call it that?

[@redd605]

That was the mistake setting in the 1960s,

[@Polarcutter]

I watched this all the time when I was a kid, it was my favorite.

[@geneobrien8907]

I just turned 14 when the first episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E aired. I lived in Brooklyn and I'd go upstairs to my grandparents apartment every Friday night to watch it. I saw every episode as it first aired except for The Vulcan Affair. My father sent me to the pharmacy minutes before the show started and I rode my skateboard there as fast as I could. Unluckily, on my way home I ran over a very small piece of loose asphalt*, I went flying forward and broke my wrist. It was much later, when the show was in reruns that I was able to watch the episode. *The early versions of skateboards had wheels that, if anything was in your path, like a pebble, it would stop as if you slammed on the breaks! Manufacturers later corrected that flaw, too late for me unfortunately!

[@daverage4729]

Wonderful campy fun. The phrase 'Open channel 'D' will always make me smile. Love this show, right down to the fantastic theme tune.

[@FromSagansStardust]

My ringtone is 'open channel D', followed by the theme.

[@antrava]

Just watched this after David McCallum passed away rest in peace

[@JimboB-rh5td]

Thanks for putting this together, it was a great trip down memory Lane. Learnt a few things I didn’t know about the series too.

[@tomsenior7405]

Wow! This one really caught me off guard. I was not expecting the sudden rush of Nostalgia, accompanied by that warm, fuzzy feeling. It is bit bit like waking up in a puddle of your own pee, after being Tasered. Nice one Stam. Cheers.

[@speedracer1945]

Your showing your age talking about laying in your own pee . Kidding. I dug this show as a kid. I had the first season on disc but boxed with many others at a friend's house up north. The first episode was cool as Thrush agent breach Uncles station as the scene where the Thrush guy shoots at Solo but he's behind the bullets glass . Also the show was called Solo but changed.

[@tomsenior7405]

@@speedracer1945 Excellent. You got me. It has been so long since I watched the Show, I had actually forgotten just how much fun it was.

[@virginiaconnor8350]

Stefanie Powers was better in "Hart to Hart". Is she the last of the UNCLE actors alive?

[@Kaden10]

Rest in Peace David Mccallum.

[@jaysinha0]

I was a big fan when I was a kid. I still remember talking into my pen, pretending that it was a communicator. 🙂

[@SwitchMonkey]

I loved this show when I was a child, I even had the lunchbox, I also had the get smart lunchbox so there is that. I lived in a time where we carried metal lunch boxes to school and a bag of marbles. Good times!

[@FromSagansStardust]

I had one too! One of the reasons (I believe) we didn't get in trouble going to/coming from school is that our hands were full, bookbag in one hand, lunchbox in the other! Backpacks were only for hiking/camping!

[@maxinefreeman8858]

One of my favorite tv shows when I was young.. My best friend and I were big fans. R.I. P.

[@avantegarde7797]

I remember this series most fondly.

[@arthurcrunden6107]

I’ve knew David since I was a kid and am friends with his son Peter he was a very nice person and believed in keeping his kids out of the spotlight he was not only an actor but musician author and designed the house they built in the early 80’s. And as I said before a super nice guy

[@originaluddite]

Part of Kuryakin's appeal is that the character is of another culture. Contrary to our sometime prejudices, we often find difference interesting and attractive. In that sense, he's the Spock of the show.

[@virginiaconnor8350]

My dad introduced me to "Star Trek" by asking me "why the UNCLE agent in 'The Project Strigas Affair' was now a starship captain and the THRUSH agent in the same episode was his pointy-earred First Officer. We were both hooked on "Star Trek". I was reading the Ace "MFU" PB and James Blish "ST" PB books just about every day!

[@margaretford1011]

That is true. But there are also a lot of fans who are more attracted to the quieter, less showy, non- womanizing character in a cast. It was like - “let the other girls fight over Napoleon- I’ll take the quiet one with the deadly wit.“

[@brucegoatly]

A fun summary - thanks! The Jon Heitland book is the definitive work on the series. An excellent read for fans of the series. Myself, I was also a fan of the music - at least from the first season and some of the second (some of Gerald Fried's was fine but some was ... not; Robert Drasnin's was classic; Richard Shores's music in the fourth season was amazing). Farewell, David McCallum; your memory lives on.

[@JameJames-pt6zp]

The Jon Heitland book "The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Book" published in 1987. With an introduction by the late Robert Vaughan. Apparently contains quite a number of small and not so small mistakes. A pity because it's an interesting and entertaining read.

[@rollotomassi6374]

UNCLE had some big stars in it……thank you for this.

[@paulforder591]

From the early episodes I've seen, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was unique in its own right, with its action sequences, gadgetry, and wry humour. It toed the fine line between drama and light entertainment. In other words, it was at times serio--comic without getting too heavy. 😅😎😆

[@georgekerr8804]

I was about 9 years old during that 1st season in 1964. It was the best show I had ever seen.

[@PhantomBoomer]

I was 12.

[@James-dt7ky]

I was 6.

[@waltergiles86]

Same here😃

[@verasmith4767]

I was 10. We were ready for this show. After President Kennedy's death the country was sad. Only natural for this show and the Beatles to take off. And a lot of little boomer girls to have crushes on Illya. It was a time.

[@brianhaskard1042]

As a kid in 60's England this along with The Avengers (UK) was my favourite show. My friend's sister even made us all triangular yellow badges with numbers on, I was #3.

[@thebasementfilmgroup]

The BBC showed a lot of the edited episode/movies back in the 80s - it was a few years before the full episodes were shown (I think it was picked up by Channel 4 in their early days) so I remember it fondly..... Vaughan went on to be in the brilliant BBC show "Hustle" where he really did feel at home. Tha ks for the trip down memory lane :)

[@jg-ec6iz]

i’m just finishing college, so unlike most people in the comments i didn’t watch this as a kid but just last week! this video was fantastic, it was a great summary and review of the show and sleek in its humor and editing. You so succinctly describe why i’m digging into nearly 70 year old archives in a time when most people my age are watching Euphoria or Tiktok. It’s just a silly fun old show and i had a great time watching it.

[@amanzeihedioha]

👊🏿Respect👊🏿

[@papadopp3870]

Much respect here, too! Seasons 1 & 2 are superb. Season 3 fell victim to Batmania and isn’t worth watching except for completist. Season 4 tried to save the series by going back to the original premise- too little, too late.

[@pauld6967]

​@@papadopp3870 I have said almost the exact same thing to people, word for word. :-) I grew up watching the shows and have the DVDs, so I am one of those "completists" who watches season 3. :-)

[@papadopp3870]

@@pauld6967 lol! Yeah, I own them, but they are sooo painful. I wanted to introduce my son to how cool the show was. Unfortunately, the one that came on was an S03 episode with a 60s bubblegum/surf version of “Pop Goes the Weasel” as the background mu of every action scene! GAK! If he hadn’t known better, he would’ve consigned me to the file of the terminally uncool.

[@pauld6967]

@@papadopp3870 Murphy's Law strikes again. At least now you know, you can only depend upon your own DVD/Blu-ray collection. Streaming services can alter or drop from the 'available list' or favorite movies and shows when they decide we shouldn't be able to share things with the next generation.

[@socoman99]

I read somewhere that Leo G. Carroll was cast as the head of U.N.C.L.E. because the producers wanted a character like the one he played as the "Professor" in the Alfred Hitchcock film, "North by Northwest", starring Cary Grant. If you look at Carroll's portrayal of the "Professor", he very well could have been a younger Alexander Waverly. Carroll actually appeared in eight Hitchcock films.

[@lalkayy.9541]

Leo G Carroll Appeared in Rebecca 1940 Suspicion 1941 Spellbound 1945 The Paradine Case 1947 Strangers on a Train 1951 North by Northwest 1959

[@garywonggaryyh2039]

One of my "must watch" TV shows those days, feeling nostalgia watching it again now!

[@shallendor]

I so loved this series and its female counterpart Girl from UNCLE! Having 2 likable stars as your leads really helped!

[@Crazeyfor67]

Well done video. :0). R.I.P. Robert, David and Leo. Thanks for the fun time.

[@verasmith4767]

For those of you to young to be around you missed a great time. I had all the UNCLE toys. And lunch box. And novels and digest books. And comic books. UNCLE was that big and popular. Illya was my first crush. David's passing is hitting hard. Thanks for the memories.

[@FromSagansStardust]

Same here to everything you said!

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Bubble gum cards from A & BC are collectors items now. Wish I'd kept mine..😢😢😢

[@jlovebirch]

Excellent video. Was a big fan of this series as a kid and this well-researched and edited docu really did it justice.

[@quentinmichel7581]

They did actually discuss in-show the acronym THRUSH and what it stood for, I memorized it as a kid and I still remember today: "the Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesireables and the Subjugation of Humanity" ... 😎

[@billlamont817]

The Yellow Bellied Thrush.

[@franblaye9639]

And U.N.C.L.E was, of course, the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement

[@owenmcgee8496]

When I was a kid, the colour UNCLE episodes were re-rerun on TV & I liked them. Years later, I found DVDs, but only of the 1st black&white season, which I'd never seen and are different in style. They are probably the best ones to adult eyes, but I think it a pity the 2-4 seasons aren't on DVD, to see again. Two bits of trivia: when Vaughn died, Roger Moore recalled him as a friend & that he modelled his Bond partly on Vaughn's Solo: the bemused smirks, nonchalant manner, comic elements etc. When Get Smart was invented in 1965, Mel Brooks picked Barbara Feldon for 99 because he thought she was great in the semi-comic b&w episode she did in the first season of UNCLE, which also has an episode where 80s actor Kurt Russell appears as a starring 7 year old boy. Trivia and pointless comment ends.

[@AdmiralNelson1000]

Not pointless --- thank you for that information.

[@chrischeshire6528]

My favorite tv show of all time. David McCullum was considered the "Blond Beatle" or the 5th Beatle. Between filming the two would fly city to city to promote the show, and they carried their U.N.C.L.E. guns on the planes. Different times and not forgotten.

[@susiepittman601]

I never missed an episode!

[@roberthayes9842]

Being 9 in 68 and having a Man From Uncle gun and badge, cool as fk

[@janach1305]

I remember asking for a Man From U.N.C.L.E. gun for Christmas. My parents got one for my brother. My grandmother got one for me.😏

[@James-dt7ky]

@@janach1305 I got the THRUSH rifle instead. I was bummed out but now I wish I still had it.

[@gregbolitho9775]

Still one of my favorite series.

[@scottanderson2458]

Growing up in 1960s Edinburgh, this show was a huge favourite. A neighbour claimed that McCallum was his cousin ( not as many as people who claimed that Sean Connery had been their milkman ) which seemed believable as David is from Glasgow. The movie versions ( The Karate Killers etc ) were great for summer cinema trips and later in the 70s a tv staple too. We couldn't afford a Bond Aston Martin ( from Goldfinger )matchbox toy but we did manage a Man From Uncle car. This had Solo and Ilya in opposite front car door windows and with a click top mechanism which, when pushed, caused the agent leaning from the car window to alternate between Solo to Ilya seemingly firing their guns. A pal had an UNCLE suitcase with plastic guns - so cool with silencer and stock change available. By the late 70s I was more interested in girls but the show helped here too - a coded reference to body parts e.g. Man From Uncle Badge was rhyming slang for a girls pubic region ( which worked also because the aforementioned badges were triangular - hey! don't judge it was the 70s. ) I wont go into " open channel V "😊

[@user-fu5dq7bc4g]

Saw all the spy-related stuff when it was new! That was fun.😀

[@fronk140]

I’ve been on a binge of your classic TV reviews and I was so excited when I saw this on my feed lol. I wasn’t even born when most of these shows aired but it’s fun to learn about the early days of tv imo

[@victorsvoice7978]

This show was the 1960s. I loved it as a kid. A simpler time.

[@margaretford1011]

Illya Kuriakin - my first schoolgirl crush. I loved this show!

[@doctorlolchicken7478]

Man from UNCLE, Dangerman, the Avengers, Man in a Suitcase - these are all some of my favorite shows. But I never heard of The Girl From UNCLE. And it has Stefanie Powers in it too, who I used to drool over as a kid in whatever it was she was in. So now I am on a mission to see The Girl From UNCLE.

[@lalkayy.9541]

The Girl From U.N.C.L.E Featuring Stefanie Powers as April Dancer , Her Original Name Was Cookie Fortune , and The Original Title Was The Girl From A.U.N.T.I.E. The Acronym For Associated Unified Nations Taskforce for International Enforcement . There Was Just 29 Episodes Produced Compared To 105 Episodes Of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. .

[@lalkayy.9541]

Ian Fleming Came You With The Name April Dancer , an Improvement On The Name Of Cookie Fortune .

[@robjones2408]

There was a series of books on The Girl From UNCLE. Noel Harrison and Steph Powers make a very groovy couple on the covers.

[@robjones2408]

@@lalkayy.9541 My girlfriend found all the UNCLE novels, along with the GFU books in a charity shop. They were in mint condition.

[@lalkayy.9541]

@@robjones2408 What All 23 Man From U.N.C.L.E. Novels ? .

[@masudaharris6435]

My favorite episode is the one with the girl cyborgs. The background music matched perfectly and still sends a shiver down my back when I rewatch it. I remember wearing the same type of hat as Noel Harrison in the 60s.

[@lalkayy.9541]

The Episode With The Girl Cyborgs is Entitled The Sort Of Do - it - Yourself Dreadful Affair 1966 .

[@Leslie-fc2xe]

Great Love for David Maccallum❤RIP also l met Robert Vaughn at a Chiller event and with great charm and pleasure he autographed his terrific photo which hung in my home for many years until I gave it to my daughter 💕 to cherish in her home perhaps to pass down to her daughter one day 😊 Open Channel D

[@terrywilliams7827]

Never missed an episode, when I was a kid

[@elishadrayton2041]

I love this show

[@leroystea8069]

One suggested meaning for the acronym T.H.R.U.S.H. was created in 4th novel titled - The Dagger Affair. "Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity". I had liked the movie versions of the series and some of the original season one episodes were really good. When the guns were upgraded for UNCLE agents, they shot darts that knocked the enemy out instead of killing them as an option.

[@lalkayy.9541]

Yes " The Dagger Affair " Published in 1965 by David McDaniel . The Origin of The THRUSH Meaning = Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undersirables and the Subjugation of Humanity . The Alternative Title WASP = Worldwide Authority for the Subjugation of Peaple .

[@OrdenJust]

In Harlan Ellison's spoof of the genre, "Santa Clause vs. S.P.I.D.E.R.", much mental effort is expended in trying to guess what S.P.I.D.E.R. stands for.

[@Voodoomaria]

@ 03:37 David McCallum, Ilya Kuriyanin, he "suffered" something that occurred in several TV series in the late 60's, occasionally referred to as "The Spock Effect". It was a fan reaction that was generally unexpected by writers and producers. A given series would have a hero and a "Lancer". The Lancer was the hero's devoted friend and ally, but what ended up happening was the Lancer character was made far better than the hero archetype. The hero was... well the Hero, and he ticked all the hero boxes but the lancer could be as off-beat, quirky, flawed, deep and interesting as the writers wanted because they generally had fewer boxes to tick. These characters, Kuryakin,, Mr. Spock, Alexander Scott in "I Spy", Doctor Smith in "Lost in Space", Emma Peel in "The Avengers", Agent 99 in "Get Smart", Kato in "The Green Hornet" became so popular with fans they had their own highly dedicated followings, affiliated merchandise etc. Their faces often appeared more frequently on the covers of various entertainment and fan media than the actual "Stars" of the shows. The fan demand at best elevated them a role equal to the Hero, but in the case of Doctor Smith, He, partnered with Will Robinson and The Robot ended up taking over the series from the intended leads [essentially destroying the career of series lead Guy Williams in the process]. In Hong Long, "The Green Hornet" was re-titled "The Kato show". It was the freedom the writers has with characters that were saddled with fewer tropes that allowed them to create some exceptionally interesting characters.

[@franblaye9639]

I had the joy of "babysitting" that Robot at a science fiction convention in the early 70s. Way cool.

[@deborahwilson4684]

OMG I was so in love w David McCallum as a child! I couldn't believe Jill Ireland left HIM for Bronson! Rejection is God's protection. I'm so glad his 2nd marriage lasted till he passed. RIP Mr McCallum. You were wonderful-on & off screen!

[@browngreen933]

I had the Man from Uncle pistol-carbine kit set as a kid. Loved the TV show too.

[@jeffseven2194]

Got one for Christmas back then, it was the best

[@browngreen933]

@@jeffseven2194 Yep. I don't think the pistol part was based on any real handgun, but since I also had a German Luger and other toy guns it didn't matter.

[@AB-wd1zp]

So did I! The pistol could be turned into a rifle, and there was a triangular U.N.C.L.E. badge.

[@michaelmcchesney6645]

I was too young to watch this show when it originally aired, but unlike many other 1960s shows, I never saw it in syndication. I don't recall the show ever airing in syndication when I was a kid. I do remember watching the Return Of The Man From UNCLE movie in the 1980s. My mother explained who the characters were. I purchased a DVD set of The Girl From Uncle a few months ago, but I haven't watched any of it yet. But this video has me more motivated to pop in a disc.

[@philipjarrett3487]

RIP David McCallum (1933-2023)😭

[@Spookspear]

You know a shows in trouble when the orchestra have to bust out the Kazoos, classic!

[@carlrood4457]

In the 80's, there was a short lived series that took the "roping in civilians" to spy missions to its ultimate end. The show was called Masquerade and its premise was that the list of agents that spies in movies keep stealing and recovering actually gets published in a tell all book by a former agent. The head of the agentless agency (Rod Taylor) whose budget has been cut gets the idea to recruit civilians with specific skills to accomplish each week's mission. Aiding him are two former police officers played by Kirsty Alley and Greg Evigan (BJ & the Bear, My Two Dads),

[@Mishima505]

A bit like Scarecrow & Mrs King, where suburban housewife Amanda King (Kate Jackson) gets roped into helping an unnamed government agency by Lee Stetson (Codename Scarecrow)…

[@JoyneFreedom]

One thing worth mentioning is that after TMFU was cancelled, with last episode airing on January 15, 1968, the time slot (Mondays at 8pm) was replaced with Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, which became an instant hit, premiering as a series the next week on January 22, 1968.

[@lalkayy.9541]

Interestingly Judy Carne One Of The Stars Of Rowan and Martins Laugh - In , Guest Starred in 2 Episodes Of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. . The Ultimate Computer Affair 1965 , and The Gurnias Affair 1967 .

[@AdmiralNelson1000]

If you can, check the first installment of LAUGH IN for some hilarious (yet bittersweet) Leo G. Carroll cameos. I won't spoil them here if anyone hasn't seen these.

[@franblaye9639]

I adored both TMFU and Laugh In! I was so in love with David McCallum ❤ (I was 12 when it started) that I created a huge scrapbook about him and talked my Mom into driving me to MGM studios. We lived 10-15 minutes away and she sat in the car reading while I stood outside the main gate for an hour or so hoping to somehow get the scrapbook to him. The guards were particularly unhelpful. 😊

[@OrdenJust]

I remember that...and never warmed up to Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In because of the replacement. I wrote an indignant letter to the network. They replied in a letter thanking me more my fandom, and sent me an U.N.C.L.E. membership card, which I still have. Ironic, since at the time I was a member of Thrush.

[@carlrood4457]

I know it's just do to being the same decade, but the number of guest actors who appeared in Star Trek and/or Batman is astounding.

[@IMeMineWho]

And Sonny and Cher!

[@franblaye9639]

And most of those guest stars were also in Wild, Wild West too.

[@tyrssen1]

I loved this show!

[@nalyom99]

After watching alot of crap video reviews on KZbin, and then you find the Stam Fine channel.... It's like you've been eating stale peanuts and pretzels all your life for dinner, and then find a restaurant in your town you didn't know was there that serves only your favourite foods on a silver platter, and all the waitresses were runners-up in the Scarlett Johansson lookalike contest of 2021. Subscribed my friend!

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

Fun Fact: the show was popular in Japan and so was the commonly used. That gun was the basis for Megatron's alt-mode in Transformers.

[@beatrixwickson8477]

I wondered if that was going to be mentioned explicitly but the gentle reference at 8:52 is all we get.

[@daverage4729]

Lol! They even labelled it as such in the 'Microman' line of toys that some of the Transformers like Megatron and Soundwave came from. Great stuff!

[@csjames69]

There was an episode of NCIS where Kate Todd asks Agent Gibbs what Ducky looked like when he was young. Gibbs replied, Ilya Kuryakin. One of those Easter eggs in the script which I doubt many would have understood.

[@lalkayy.9541]

The Episode was Entitled " The Meat Puzzle " From 2005 .

[@williamschultz8470]

I was watching Man from Uncle when I think I was about 8 or 9 years old it was a great series still is I've got all the DVDs but the most fond memory I have is well we were in school all the boys were talking in our pens as we're running around on the playground. I was really upset when it got replaced by laugh in

[@remmymafia3889]

In fall of '65 as a ten year old, my nine year old buddy and I, were green lighted by both of our sets of parents, to stay in the neighborhood while engaging with other kids, playing the usual neighborhood night games on a Friday night. (Hide and Seek etc.) With curfew at 10p, we had to be back home, usually at one or the other's house, as we'd be spending the night. (sleep over) Man from UNCLE came on at 10p- needless to say, we watched it every Friday night. Had to have the cool Man From UNCLE weaponry of course for Christmas,

[@peterkirgan2921]

I used to watch this show as a kid ! ❤I saw Robert Vaughn @ Roselands shopping centre waving to the crowd mid 1960s I did my apprenticeship there back in 1982 in the centre maintenance!!!

[@AllanGildea]

Always top class. Thank you.

[@richarddennis3793]

met robert vaughn at a comic con in uk i had a long day went to the bar there was robert sitting i totally geeked omg your napolean solo so he is sat doing a crossword as he is writing he go,s open channel d

[@user-ki2cl9xe8z]

WOW! What an INTENSE... EXPLOSIVE trip back through time! I feel as though I am still standing in 1964, (Rocking back and forth, like a cartoon -character with black smudge on his face and tattered clothes ready to fall down). You have just succeed in "FORCE -INFUSING" my brain with EVERY question I've ever had...(and never knew about this series). YES! I remember this series... But I never understood it. All it was to me then, was (these weird people, with funny names). Of course, at age 4 1/2 I suppose that's logical. I Understand now! McAllum was a Russian spy... that's why he had the "Funny" name. And Vaughn, was an American, (who just had a "FUNNY" name). Most of all, I now understand the meaning of the title. "U.N.C.L.E." ( United Network Command Law Enforcement). And true to your statement about just about everyone in the 1960's appeared in it is certainly true! (Even Judy Robinson)! Thanks for an invigorating "Crash-Course" in the first part of my very early life. You've filled in all the holes. Cheers mate. Jeff

[@lindanicola]

Loved this when I was very young in the late 60s.

[@RodFleming-World]

It ran from 64 to 68. I remember in 67 many of the boys in my class had fabricated shoulder holsters in which we carried toy guns, to be like Agents Solo and Kuryakin. We wore these to school and NOBODY said a word. Not one. Could you imagine that today?

[@RooneyToony]

I discovered Man from UNCLE after seeing the 2015 movie. Now it’s one of my favorite shows. I really enjoyed this video!

[@speedracer1945]

Honey West was a detective series with lovely and sexy Anne Francis who used Judo on the bad guys and the 60s British show the Avengers check out these shows.

[@dcolb121]

One of my fav shows as a kid in the 60s. Loved the theme and it's variations. Still do. I remember having scale figurines of Napoleon and Ilya.

[@UncleSam-bu9gz]

Hey it's young Dr Mallard!

[@PAUL-ej1dm]

groovy !! stefanie powers as april dancer in the GFU.

[@richardvinsen2385]

One of the books based on the series stated that THRUSH stood for the "Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity".

[@lalkayy.9541]

The Book Was Entitled " The Dagger Affair " By David McDaniel Published in 1965 .

[@MrSlitskirts]

Great TV show, I have it on DVD plus The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. Season 1 in B&W including the adapted movies in 1964 were a standout. They did unique things like creating U.N.C.L.E. which also mirrors INTERPOL. Uniforms/costume and set/props design wise they had the U.N.C.L.E. Secretaries who carried Beretta compact Pistols in a holster located on their rear right or left hip requiring them to use both arms and hands behind their back to draw their Pistol or re-holster it. They had triangular shaped Security badges (worn) which acted like a swipe card when they walked up to doors it would activate a diamond shaped sensor, opening the door. There were also T.H.R.U.S.H. Secretaries too, not to mention the U.N.C.L.E Special/Gun with it's attachments to up-gun it, a screw on barrel, longer magazine and optic sight. Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity T.H.R.U.S.H.

[@lalkayy.9541]

WASP Worldwide Authority for the Subjugation of People . Was an Alternative Title For THRUSH .

[@AdmiralNelson1000]

I wish the THRUSH acronym hadn't been "made" (it was either fan or novels based?) because an air of mystery was lost. BUT it certainly captures the very essence of what THRUSH is all about. Diabolically clever.

[@lalkayy.9541]

@@AdmiralNelson1000 The Origin of The THRUSH " Acronym " . Was a Novel Entitled " The Dagger Affair " . Published in 1965 By David McDaniel .

[@franblaye9639]

OMG! That's one of the novels I owned! As soon as I saw the title here, I saw it in my bookcase! Buttons are pushed!

[@JaniceSeagraves]

I remember enjoying the Man From Uncle as a child. I also see a lot of familiar faces; William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, June Lockhart, Barbara Feldon (the lady that played agent 99 in Get Smart), and Angela Lansbury. And was that Barbara Eden with dark hair?

[@JoyneFreedom]

To my knowledge, after checking a list of episodes and also IMDB, Barbara Eden never appeared in Man from U.N.C.L.E.

[@jchoward6451]

I didn't rewind to be sure, but believe that was Ann Francis (aka Honey West, she of the fashionable ocelot accessory); that cheek-dimple mole is distinctive.

[@onlythewise1]

those was the days, now it s like earth go blown up all gone

[@lalkayy.9541]

@@jchoward6451 Yes That Was Ann Francis , She Appeared in 2 Episodes Of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. , The Quadripartite Affair , and The Giuoco Affair . Both Episodes From 1964 .

[@timbeaton5045]

And that was a (very) young Kurt Russel, if i'm not mistaken.

[@axiomist4488]

I just found out here that David died . I'm painfully shocked. He was always dear to me and I always kept track of him. I saw him many times, first on 2 Outer Limit episodes and many times on NCSI as "DUCKY". Of all the people from my time who passed away, David was the first to make me cry. He was always my favorite UNCLE agent. Charles Bronson actually stole David's wife, Jill Ireland, from him, Shortly after, Jill married Bronson in '68. David soon met a woman and they fell madly in love. In an interview, David said he'd always be grateful to Bronson for stealing Jill, so he could meet the love of his life. They were together since '68 till he passed away on Sept.25, at 90, just 6 days after his birthday . RIP, David, Godspeed, my friend .

[@MrSwanley]

Weird. I only watched this video last night, and this morning I woke up to obits for David McCallum - a.k.a. Illya Kuryakin. R.I.P. I remember both main characters from the show, but remembered almost nothing of the show itself before watching this video: though I do remember having a Man from UNCLE Corgi toy car.

[@the5thmusketeer215]

6:09 That HAS TO BE a ridiculously young, Kurt Russell… 😳😂

[@lalkayy.9541]

Yes it is Kurt Russell at 6:09 . From an Episode Entitled " The Finny Foot Affair " 1964 .

[@the5thmusketeer215]

@@lalkayy.9541 Thanks for confirming that. 🤝 That prompted me to check out Russell’s career on Wikipedia, where his biography page includes a Black & White photograph with Robert Vaughn, credited as having been taken from “a 1964 episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” - but you have to look through his list of TV appearances to find the name of the episode, which is just as you say… 😊👍

[@James-dt7ky]

Yes, it is. He was also "jungle boy" on an episode of Gilligan's Island if I recall correctly.

[@buxycat]

Hold Me Closer April Dancer.

[@pauljames5826]

This young (6-9yo) was strongly attracted to Kuryakin throughout the run of the show. My best friend and I would watch it together - religiously

[@RighteousBrother]

Great video as always, thanks!!

[@carlrood4457]

The re-editing of TV shows into feature length "movies" became something of a thing in the late 60's/early 70's. To try and capitalize on the success of "The Dirty Dozen", they spliced together two episodes of The Virginian that guest starred Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson, respectively. The episodes were completely unrelated and were filmed years apart, which is noticeable in the ages of the series regulars.

[@iestyndavies2675]

Vaughan...Super Smooth McCallum..Super Cool I had all the gear ...gun..tyre pressure(perfect for a 'Solo' transmitter Waverley' showed 'Cubbie'..'Q' Brilliant combination...favourite jigsaw...'kuriarken' &Solo leaning out of a jeep ,chased by 'thrush' motor bikes 'showering gun fire! "Why couldn't it be now!

[@elizabethmcglothlin5406]

I had a major crush on Illya. The best night was Friday: Wild Wild West, Man From Uncle, and Star Trek. I was a fan of Mr. Spock, though my favorite character on WWW was Dr. Loveless!

[@randyacuna3248]

The man from UNCLE movie should have been made about 20 years earlier, the core of moviegoers today have no idea about it. 20 years ago , you still had generations remembering this show. No surprise with the weak box office results.

[@James-dt7ky]

I was 6 when this show came out. I loved it. I had a THRUSH toy rifle back then. No idea what happened to it unfortunately.