Good Evening, Mr. Briggs...

[RookieBatman]

I've been watching Mission: Impossible, the original series, on DVD (it's great, by the way), and today I watched "The Apple." If it weren't for the fact that I already checked IMDB, I would practically be willing to swear on my life right now that the guy who plays Akuta was the "Voice on Tape" that gave the IMF team leader his missions every episode. But I did check IMDB, and it says that the Voice on Tape was another guy, who, coincidentally, also was on Star Trek (as a Talosian and a Provider). Of course, I saw the Cage, and I don't remember any of those Talosians sounding like the Voice on Tape. (Unless they're talking about the spokesman for the shipwrecked crew on the planet, I don't remember what he sounded like.) But I like to think I have a pretty good ear for voices, and like I said, I would swear. I don't usually doubt IMDB, but it is open-source, so mistakes could be made. So why is this in the TOS forum and not the general TV one? Because I'm begging those of you who are familiar with M:I to watch The Apple again and tell me that you don't think I'm crazy. Otherwise I might have to go look into hearing aids.

 

[Kagan]

The voices of the Talosians were modified/distorted technically. The Keeper's voice was actually that of Malachi Throne aka Commodore Jose' Mendez of The Menagerie.

 

[Therin of Andor]

"Mission: Impossible" was filmed next door to the "Star Trek" soundstages.

 

[Mister_Atoz]

I've always wondered, were the voices of the Talosians distorted in the original pilot, or was that done later for the Menagerie. I do distinctly recall that in the original video release of the Cage, the aliens sounded different in the Black and White footage than they did in the color footage.

 

[Kryton]

Bruce Gellar sort of "appropriated" Nimoy from Trek once it shut down...they "thumbtacked" him into the M:I fold quite nicely. (BTW and FWIW, I reject ALL M:I movies. They are worthless dross and not even worth discussion, IMO.)

 

[Therin of Andor]

Mister_Atoz said:
I do distinctly recall that in the original video release of the Cage, the aliens sounded different in the Black and White footage than they did in the color footage.

IIRC, Malachi Throne used closer to his real voice for "The Cage", but after he was cast as a human in "The Menagerie", the Talosian magistrate's voice was further tampered with electronically.

 

[Mallory]

^ That's my recollection as well.

 

[Anthony]

Mission: Impossible: The Original Series?

Excuse me?

When did they make another one?

 

[Kagan]

Anthony said:
Mission: Impossible: The Original Series?

Excuse me?

When did they make another one?

Two series

Series One: 1966-1972
Series Two: 1988-1989

Then, there are three worthless movies.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Anthony said:
When did they make another one?

The pilot of the remake was made right here in Australia - the one with John deLancie, IIRC - and the whole first season, too. It was during the big LA writers' strike, so they simply dug up some M:I scripts from the 60s and started shooting them with minor name changes only. Phil Morris (TOS, ST III, VOY, etc), whose real-life Dad was in the original M:I, played Barney's son in the remake.

 

[Forbin]

Appropos of nothing, I've always found it interesting that Phil Morris and Barry Van Dyke, sons of two very talented and charismatic actors, are both (imho), bland-looking, boring and talentless fellas.

Anyhoo, I've been watching M;I seasons 1 & 2 as well, and I very much enjoy picking out the Trek paralleles. I recently watched an ep filmed on location in the Cestus III fort and Vasquez rocks area, featuring Mark Leonard and Subcommander Tal.

 

[Christopher]

Therin of Andor said:
It was during the big LA writers' strike, so they simply dug up some M:I scripts from the 60s and started shooting them with minor name changes only.

That was the original intent, but the writers' strike was resolved fairly early in the revival's production, so actually only the first four episodes (I think) of the '80s M:I were remakes of original-series episodes. In all, the revival series ran for two seasons. It was notable, I gather, for showing the only time in the series' history when a member of the IM force was killed and the secretary disavowed knowledge of her actions. (The original female team member, played by Terry Markwell, was killed off toward the end of the first season; her replacement was played by V's Jane Badler.)


I always thought that the voice on the tape was Bart LaRue, the perennial TOS voiceover guy. I've subsequently learned it was someone else, but they do sound pretty similar.

 

[paustin]

Forbin said:
Anyhoo, I've been watching M;I seasons 1 & 2 as well, and I very much enjoy picking out the Trek paralleles. I recently watched an ep filmed on location in the Cestus III fort and Vasquez rocks area, featuring Mark Leonard and Subcommander Tal.

yep me too and it's a real blast, I just watched one featuring Natira from "for the world is hollow.....etc etc"...whoa, i never realized how babe-a-rific she was. As Natira they kind of downplayed her hotness.

 

[Doug Otte]

paustin said:

yep me too and it's a real blast, I just watched one featuring Natira from "for the world is hollow.....etc etc"...whoa, i never realized how babe-a-rific she was. As Natira they kind of downplayed her hotness.

Really? I always thought she was incredibly gorgeous in "For the World..." but have never seen her in anything else. If she's even more gorgeous in MI, I'll have to seek out that episode.

Doug

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Forbin said:
Appropos of nothing, I've always found it interesting that Phil Morris and Barry Van Dyke, sons of two very talented and charismatic actors, are both (imho), bland-looking, boring and talentless fellas.

Phil Morris has done a lot of Trek work, and all of it was good. For instance, he was in one of my favorite Voyager eps (One Small Step) - he played a Mars astronaut. And he was in that excellent DS9 ep (Rocks and Shoals) as a Jem'Hadar.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Christopher said:
her replacement was played by V's Jane Badler.

Who loved Australia so much... she stayed here!

 

[EnsignHarper]

Therin of Andor said:

Mister_Atoz said:
I do distinctly recall that in the original video release of the Cage, the aliens sounded different in the Black and White footage than they did in the color footage.

IIRC, Malachi Throne used closer to his real voice for "The Cage", but after he was cast as a human in "The Menagerie", the Talosian magistrate's voice was further tampered with electronically.

They actually substituted Vic ('Nomad') Perrin's voice for Throne's...

 

[Christopher]

Forbin said:
Appropos of nothing, I've always found it interesting that Phil Morris and Barry Van Dyke, sons of two very talented and charismatic actors, are both (imho), bland-looking, boring and talentless fellas.

You're kidding. I'll grant you Van Dyke, but Phil Morris is a terrific actor with a ton of charisma.

Lou said:

Therin of Andor said:
IIRC, Malachi Throne used closer to his real voice for "The Cage", but after he was cast as a human in "The Menagerie", the Talosian magistrate's voice was further tampered with electronically.

They actually substituted Vic ('Nomad') Perrin's voice for Throne's...

That's a bit of misinformation that's cropped up somehow in a couple of reference works, but it must've originated with someone who couldn't hear very well or couldn't remember very well, because it's easy to tell that the Keeper's voice doesn't sound a bloody thing like Vic Perrin, and does have the distinct timbre of a voice electronically processed to sound higher-pitched.

 

[Hofner]

Forbin said:
Appropos of nothing, I've always found it interesting that Phil Morris and Barry Van Dyke, sons of two very talented and charismatic actors, are both (imho), bland-looking, boring and talentless fellas.

Anyhoo, I've been watching M;I seasons 1 & 2 as well, and I very much enjoy picking out the Trek paralleles. I recently watched an ep filmed on location in the Cestus III fort and Vasquez rocks area, featuring Mark Leonard and Subcommander Tal.

Funny you should mention Barry Van Dyke and Phil Morris together, although maybe this made you think of them. Remember the Dick Van Dyke episode where Rob thinks his son was switched for another baby in the hospital when he was born?

Robert

 

[Sir Rhosis]

The voice on Briggs' and Phelps' tapes was Robert Johnson, who actually worked in the payroll department of Daystar, the production company behind "The Outer Limits." He had worked in theater previously, and took a degree in accounting to support his "hobby" of voicework. He did dub the voice of the transporter chief (the burly crewcut fellow) in "The Cage," if memory serves.

It was Robert Justman, who had worked on "The Outer Limits," who recommended Johnson to M:I producer Bruce Geller.

Sir Rhosis

EDIT: Drastically edited my original post after referring to my copy of David J. Schow and Jeffrey Frentzman's "The Outer Limits: The Official Companion," which contains a two-page bio of Johnson.