Mission:Impossible! & TOS

[Botany Bay]

For those that don't know, M:I was the sister production of TOS, produced side by side after both were given the green light by studio boss Herb Solow at Desilu in the mid 60's.

I found Season 4 of M:I in a bargain bin and thought I'd give it a go, mainly out of curiosity about Leonard Nimoy's acting in some rare non-Trek work.

I have to say this show is actually quite clever, if a bit repetitive. Some episodes are actually quite suspenseful, others had me reaching for the remote out of boredom.

Nimoy's character is a magician named Paris who is skilled in the art of vocal impersonations and disguise - in some episodes the villain he impersonates is played by Nimoy under clever (and sometimes not-so-clever) makeup. Some of his work is hilarious - particularly his attempted accents (still not sure if he was supposed to be a British or Australian sailor in one episode, but god it was funny). In one episode he sports a giant wig while off duty, sitting around at IMF headquarters for some unknown reason.

The TOS connections are everywhere in casting and locations. Vasquez Rocks and the Paramount backlot appear regularly. In just the dozen episodes I've seen, I've noticed the actors who played Commodores Mendez and Stone, The Proconsul, Salish, The male Scalosian, Anan 7, Losira, Sylvia, and others. In one episode Paris is given an agent of similar appearance to help him out on a mission, and it is none other than his stand-in from TOS (Frank Da Vinci, aka Lt. Brent)! "Ah...excellent..a similar bone structure", Paris notes.

M:I Season 4 was made in '69/'70, and gives a glimpse of how TOS may have looked in the early 70's had it gone on for a fourth season, and is worth a look for playing spot-the-ex-TOS-actor if you can pick it up on the cheap.

 

[Michael]

I have nothing to add, but the suggestion that you should really watch the first and second season of the show, as I think the quality of the episodes was much better in the early phase of the series.

 

[Capt_Pickirk]

I think there's one episode where Nimoy's character is talking to mark Lenard. It was pretty cool

 

[Christopher]

My favorite M:I/Trek connection is in the first-season episode "The Ransom," where one of the "guest" team members of the week was played by perennial Trek stand-in/stuntman Eddie Paskey (aka Mr. Leslie). His character's whole role in the mission... was to be a stand-in! So since his character ("Steve" in the script, I think) wasn't named onscreen, I like to imagine that he was playing himself, recruited by the IMF team to do what he did best.

It's also remarkable how often M:I used the Culver City backlot that was often used in TOS episodes like "Miri," "Errand of Mercy," and "City on the Edge of Forever." A lot of familiar settings. They used the fortress from "Arena" once or twice too. And a number of episodes in the first couple of seasons were scored by TOS composer Gerald Fried. Indeed, most of the music in the early seasons was probably performed by the same studio musicians as TOS's music, so it has a similar sound to it even though most of it is from different composers.

And yes, the first season of M:I is by far the best.

 

[Forbin]

Frequent visitors my have noted the threads I've been posting over the last couple of years, as I watch my favorote 60s/70s shows every weekend, with screen grabs of Trek actors appearing in said shows, including M:I.

Shatner and Anderson, together again:

Marianne hill in blond mode:

 

[Myko]

In one episode Paris is given an agent of similar appearance to help him out on a mission, and it is none other than his stand-in from TOS (Frank Da Vinci, aka Lt. Brent)! "Ah...excellent..a similar bone structure", Paris notes.

Do you know the name or number of this episode? I'd like to see that.

 

[Christopher]

I can't find any listing for M:I in Frank da Vinci's IMDb page. Was it a non-speaking role?

 

[fljaweiu]

Hope will be better, always support

 

[T'Bonz]

^
Grr. How dare a spammer invade my forum.

Link and spammer gone. Jerk.

 

[Steve67]

I think there's one episode where Nimoy's character is talking to Mark Lenard. It was pretty cool

There's another season four episode, Terror, which has an "almost reunion" of Nimoy and Arlene Martel--but the two don't share any screen time.

Also in S4, look in the background of some interior scenes for the Saurian Brandy bottle! I can't remember which episode exactly, but it's clearly seen.

 

[Christopher]

Also in S4, look in the background of some interior scenes for the Saurian Brandy bottle! I can't remember which episode exactly, but it's clearly seen.

I recall seeing it in the foreground of a scene where Paris is talking on the phone. I think maybe Nimoy even handles it.

 

[GSchnitzer]

I think there's one episode where Nimoy's character is talking to Mark Lenard. It was pretty cool

There's another season four episode, Terror, which has an "almost reunion" of Nimoy and Arlene Martel--but the two don't share any screen time.

Also in S4, look in the background of some interior scenes for the Saurian Brandy bottle! I can't remember which episode exactly, but it's clearly seen.

Here's a shot from the fifth season Mission: Impossible episode "The Field:"

And here's a shot from the fifth season Mission: Impossible episode "The Missile:"

I can't recollect any appearances of the Saurian Brandy bottle in any 4th season episodes, but there might be some.

 

[Christopher]

That one from "The Missile" is the one I was recalling.

 

[Steve67]

Okay, the fifth season. Haven't watched the "Leonard Years" in quite some time. I'm one of those who actually prefers the sixth and seventh seasons!

 

[froot]

This is so odd I found this thread! I was just watching Season 1 of Mission: Impossible today, and there was an episode where George Takei was a guest star, and I swear to Q there was a scene where they were in the Enterprise corridors. The only difference was that the doors were painted green and had rivets. I thought I was just crazy.

I am very fond of Mission: Impossible, so it's pretty cool to learn the two were basically sister shows.

It's too bad TOS didn't go on to seven seasons as well, but that's an age-old lament.

 

[Christopher]

^No, I remember the episode you're talking about, and I noticed that they used that corridor set several times in M:I episodes around that part of the first season -- in particular, the elevator at the end of the hall showed up week after week. It was often used as a hospital corridor, an office building corridor, a hotel corridor, etc., repainted appropriately each time. Given how extensively it was used, it had to be a standing set on the M:I soundstages, not a redress of a set on the ST soundstages next door.

 

[Maurice]

This is so odd I found this thread! I was just watching Season 1 of Mission: Impossible today, and there was an episode where George Takei was a guest star, and I swear to Q there was a scene where they were in the Enterprise corridors. The only difference was that the doors were painted green and had rivets. I thought I was just crazy.

The episode in question is Season 1, Episode 10: "The Carriers". It's on YouTube and the corridors you mention are in this segment starting about 6:40 in. I don't think they are Trek sets, but the arches are probably stock from the scenery dock and doubtless appeared in some Trek episodes.

 

[Kirk here]

There's one episode, from Season 3 I think, that takes place in a redress of Stalag 13 (Hogan's Heroes). Talk about taking you out of the story! In this case, that wasn't so bad. This was one of the few earlier episodes that pretty much stunk.

 

[Steve67]

My favorite M:I/Trek connection is in the first-season episode "The Ransom," where one of the "guest" team members of the week was played by perennial Trek stand-in/stuntman Eddie Paskey (aka Mr. Leslie). His character's whole role in the mission... was to be a stand-in! So since his character ("Steve" in the script, I think) wasn't named onscreen, I like to imagine that he was playing himself, recruited by the IMF team to do what he did best.

I'm pretty sure that "Mr. Leslie" appears in the series pilot; he's in one of the hotel vault scenes.

 

[Myko]

So, any idea which episode is the one with Frank da Vinci?