• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Classic Trek and the U.N.C.L.E. connection

Danger Ace

Danger Ace

Commander
Red Shirt
This is turning into such a fun day. I decided, on the spur of the moment, to have a season one The Man from U.N.C.L.E. mini-marathon. Everyone, I'm sure, knows of The Project Strigas Affair episode which featured both Shatner and Nimoy, but the shared talent pool between both programs goes so much deeper than that.

I just finished, for example, episode 4 of TMfU (The Shark Affair) which had James Doohan in a bit part and was directed by Trek alum Marc Daniels. Prior to that was The Quadripartite Affair which had both Jill Ireland and Roger C. Carmel (both CST guest-stars).

If anyone else gets the opportunity I would humbly suggest revisiting The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (at least the first two-seasons). I would also recommend Jon Heitland's excellent behind-the-scenes book on the series (which I've just started re-reading).
 
I tried watching some TMFU ahile ago while I've been watching Danger Man. I used to like TMFU back in the day, but it hasn't aged well. Compared with Danger Man, especially second season, TMFU comes off as fluff. Danger Man still works I think and I don't find it dated much in terms of storytelling.
 
Gerald Fried composed music for a number of episodes of UNCLE and Star Trek. His music for Catspaw is particularly reminiscent of his UNCLE work.
 
Also, Jerry Goldsmith wrote the first-season TMFU main title theme (which was rearranged into a much less interesting version by Lalo Schifrin in seasons 2-4). Fried scored a whole bunch of episodes as well as the reunion movie The Return of the Man from UNCLE: The Fifteen Years Later Affair.

The first season of TMFU has some good episodes, but I didn't care for the second. In contrast to contemporary shows like Trek, I Spy, and Mission: Impossible, TMFU was quite backwards in its value system, fraught with misogyny and racist portrayals of non-Western cultures. They seemed to go out of their way to pick new and different cultures to portray as superstitious savages -- they even did one about Eskimos. In the two seasons I've seen, the only non-Western culture they portrayed in anything like a realistic and respectful manner was Japan. (Oh, and France Nuyen was in that episode, "The Cherry Blossom Affair.")
 
Warped9 said:
I tried watching some TMFU ahile ago while I've been watching Danger Man. I used to like TMFU back in the day, but it hasn't aged well. Compared with Danger Man, especially second season, TMFU comes off as fluff. Danger Man still works I think and I don't find it dated much in terms of storytelling.
Click to expand...

Haven't seen Danger Man though I am a fan of McGoohan's The Prisoner. I have no doubt, based on the folks involved and articles I've read that Danger Man was a very good series. Fortunately there can be more than one very good show per genre. :)

To each their own, but I find the first two seasons of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. hold up especially well. The motivation of Captain Shark (Robert Culp), for example, is still relatable and valid today. The chemistry between Robert Vaughn and David McCallum is timeless with the storytelling being well-crafted and skillfully told. Fred J. Koenekamp's handheld camerawork was amazing. Season three and four started leaning towards too much humor, in my opinion, but still superior to most of the other shows produced at the time.

Again, no slight to Danger Man as I'm sure it was also quite good. :)
 
James Doohan also shows up briefly in part one of "The Bridge of Lions Affair", and Roger C. Carmel is in "The Ultimate Computer Affair". William Marshall is in the pilot, reworked as "The Vulcan Affair".

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was the first show where I was a true fan, buying novels, model kits, and a bi-monthly magazine of short stories. It was one of those shows, like The Outer Limits and Star Trek, that came along when I was starting to become aware of actors by name.
 
Last edited:
Christopher said:
The first season of TMFU has some good episodes, but I didn't care for the second. In contrast to contemporary shows like Trek, I Spy, and Mission: Impossible, TMFU was quite backwards in its value system, fraught with misogyny and racist portrayals of non-Western cultures.
Click to expand...

Well, despite your contradictory tone, you seem to make the point of yet another connection TMFU may have to Classic Trek. Don't be fooled by Ispy casting an African-American (Bill Cosby) in a co-lead role, it still conformed to the conventions of the genre and times. And to somehow hold Mission: Impossible (another good series) up as holding some sort of moral high-ground is humorous to me.

I happen to like all the shows you've mentioned and would add the Wild, Wild West.

Again, I have to say blasting TMFU for being "misogynistic" has me LMAO. To say, or in anyway suggest, that somehow the other series mentioned weren't saturated with male-chauvinism is mission:impossible in terms of taking seriously.

Once more, I greatly enjoy all the programs mentioned here with their warts and all (Danger Man excluded as I haven't seen it). I also embrace the various viewpoints but am not going to try and shame anyone for liking what they like regarding this topic or programs cited.
 
If you saw the McGoohan series Secret Agent in the U.S., aired between 1964-66, with the title song "Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers, you've seen the hour long Danger Man with a different title. The original theme (Livewire?) was usually heard under the opening episode credits after the main title.
 
The Project Strigas Affair also had the great Werner Klemperer.

Kirk, Spock, and Klink. It just doesn't get any better than that.
 
Let's not forget that Norman Felton, the executive producer of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., also executive produced Gene Roddenberry's first series, The Lieutenant, and was an important mentor to the Star Trek creator.

When Nimoy wanted to shadow a director, Roddenberry called Felton and sent him to watch The Man from U.N.C.L.E. being filmed. When Roddenberry wanted a phaser rifle like the famous gun on Felton's show, he got Reuben Klamer, who designed it, to come (briefly) aboard Star Trek.
 
Melakon said:
If you saw the McGoohan series Secret Agent in the U.S., aired between 1964-66, with the title song "Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers, you've seen the hour long Danger Man with a different title. The original theme (Livewire?) was usually heard under the opening episode credits after the main title.
Click to expand...

The original "Danger Man" version of the theme of the hour long episodes is on the A&E DVD prints. The "Secret Agent" credits and song are included as a bonus feature.
 
I don't really care for the actual Danger Man theme in second season. The Johnny Rivers Secret Agent Man theme is better. And the first season Danger Man theme was acceptable as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top