Leonard Nimoy…on Mission: Impossible
- Thread starter Warped9
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Sure, but in season 1 they managed to strike a good balance of having regulars who appeared in the majority of episodes while still having an interesting amount of variety in the team composition week by week, featuring guest agents or just tailoring the team size to the particular mission. Heck, in "Elena," Rollin was the only main character on the mission, and he wasn't even technically a regular. They achieved the illusion of the team being tailored to each mission while still keeping the main cast steadily employed. Since there were candidates that Dan or Jim rejected in the opening dossier scenes, we could imagine there were other, unseen missions where those other candidates got picked instead.
If you look at the very earliest episodes, it's clear that they were trying to do a Wagon Train-type format that centered on the featured guest star of the week, usually as a team member -- Landau in the pilot, Albert Paulsen in episode 2, Fritz Weaver in episode 3 (a villain rather than an agent), Mary Ann Mobley in 4-5, etc. But by the back half of the first season, they'd downplayed the guest agents and focused more on the regulars in various combinations vs. the villains-of-the-week. It parallels Star Trek, which was also originally meant to be guest star-driven (the real meaning of the "Wagon Train to the stars" pitch that everyone misinterprets as just meaning "space Western") but ended up centering heavily on its leads.
The first three films were so disconnected from each other, feeling more like three unrelated spy films with only a title and lead character in common, that I actually liked it when the subsequent films started building a continuing cast and a consistent style. Although it's annoying that they haven't managed to keep a female lead around for more than three films, and usually no more than one.
To understand the reasons for Martin Landau's departure and Leonard Nimoy replacing him one must go back to the first season of 'M:I'.
Landau's contract for the pilot with Desilu granted them an option "to render services for (three or four) additional episodes" for "no less than $5000 for a one-hour episode." To fill the void left by (Steven) Hill, Landau was called back more and more often and always as an expensive guest star. Studio Chief (Herb) Solow remembers that "when it came time to negotiate, he and I walked the lot and came to terms, always on the basis that he could leave the show on two weeks' notice." Ultimately, Landau agreed to do all of the shows for the remainder of the season, but always as a guest star. "That way I wouldn't cause them any grief if I left on the two-week clause to do a feature," says Landau. When the show was renewed at the end of the first year, Landau and Solow again walked around the lot, and Landau became a series regular - on a year-to-year basis only, in contrast to the long-term contracts preferred by the studio.
Landau's contract for the pilot with Desilu granted them an option "to render services for (three or four) additional episodes" for "no less than $5000 for a one-hour episode." To fill the void left by (Steven) Hill, Landau was called back more and more often and always as an expensive guest star. Studio Chief (Herb) Solow remembers that "when it came time to negotiate, he and I walked the lot and came to terms, always on the basis that he could leave the show on two weeks' notice." Ultimately, Landau agreed to do all of the shows for the remainder of the season, but always as a guest star. "That way I wouldn't cause them any grief if I left on the two-week clause to do a feature," says Landau. When the show was renewed at the end of the first year, Landau and Solow again walked around the lot, and Landau became a series regular - on a year-to-year basis only, in contrast to the long-term contracts preferred by the studio.
I don't know about the timing there, since Landau was in every season 1 episode except #12 & 14 in airing order. I thought it wasn't until midseason that Hill's refusal to work on Saturdays became a serious problem.
By the end of the third season, there had been a major shake-up at the studio. Paramount had bought Desilu and Herb Solow had been replaced by Doug Cramer.
Doug Cramer had been brought in by Paramount to control "M:I's" ballooning costs. One of his targets was Martin Landau.
"Bruce (Geller) had allowed a situation with Martin Landau which no responsible producer or production company should allow," says Cramer. "They permitted Marty to play a major role in the pilot without having a series deal. Marty was brilliant in the pilot, and they had to make a deal with him for the series. Replacing Steven Hill gave him even more negotiating strength. At the end of every year the network said, 'We gotta have him.' I was of the opinion, back by Bluhdorn and [Paramount's executive vice-president] Marty Davis, that (Landau) was not essential to the show."
When he returned from Yosemite on April 4, Landau knew that it was time to negotiate another season. But this session would be a far cry from the days when he and Herb Solow strolled around the Desilu lot, giving and taking. In fact, Landau and Cramer had not yet been introduced to each other, never met during the ensuing negotiations, and would not meet face-to-face until much dust had settled.
"My year-to-year contract disturbed Cramer," Landau explains, "and he wanted me to sign for five years. When Bruce was in charge, I would never do that." Paramount offered the actor $7000 per episode for the coming season (up from year three's $6500), matching Peter Graves's salary. Landau's counteroffer: $11,000 per show, and $12,500 for each year five episode.
Aside from the fact that this was an exorbitant figure for TV at the time, there was another obstacle in Landau's was: a "favored nations" clause in Graves's contract which specified that not series regular be paid more than Graves. "If they had given that to Martin," Graves points out, "they would have to give it to me."
The studio wasn't about to give either actor that much money, but CBS was willing to chip in to keep Landau in the series. Commercial time on Mission had risen to $6500 per minute, an all-time industry high, and the network knew that Mission was attracting an audience which didn't watch much television. CBS offered to pay Landau the additional $4000 per week for year four and $5500 per week the following season, matching his demands. This would not resolve the Graves's situation, however, and Doug Cramer had no intention of setting such an expensive and dangerous precedent. Said Cramer at the time, "We asked CBS if they would undertake to be responsible for everything that bringing Martin back on his terms would obligate us to." Obviously, CBS could not.
Cramer offered (Landau) a compromise in which the actor would appear in half of the new season's twenty-six episodes. "He would phase me out, is what it meant," says Landau. "Why should I lend my name to that?" Negotiations lumbered on through April and May. When it became clear that the matter would not be settled by year four's May 23 start date, Geller and Kallis had to find a replacement for Landau in the opening two-part episode. It was hoped that, with a little luck, Marty would only miss a few episodes. Among the actors Paramount considered as a part of a string of substitutes were former TV spies Robert Vaughn and Ross Martin. The first performer hired, however, had been literally next door to Mission for the last three years.
Doug Cramer had been brought in by Paramount to control "M:I's" ballooning costs. One of his targets was Martin Landau.
"Bruce (Geller) had allowed a situation with Martin Landau which no responsible producer or production company should allow," says Cramer. "They permitted Marty to play a major role in the pilot without having a series deal. Marty was brilliant in the pilot, and they had to make a deal with him for the series. Replacing Steven Hill gave him even more negotiating strength. At the end of every year the network said, 'We gotta have him.' I was of the opinion, back by Bluhdorn and [Paramount's executive vice-president] Marty Davis, that (Landau) was not essential to the show."
When he returned from Yosemite on April 4, Landau knew that it was time to negotiate another season. But this session would be a far cry from the days when he and Herb Solow strolled around the Desilu lot, giving and taking. In fact, Landau and Cramer had not yet been introduced to each other, never met during the ensuing negotiations, and would not meet face-to-face until much dust had settled.
"My year-to-year contract disturbed Cramer," Landau explains, "and he wanted me to sign for five years. When Bruce was in charge, I would never do that." Paramount offered the actor $7000 per episode for the coming season (up from year three's $6500), matching Peter Graves's salary. Landau's counteroffer: $11,000 per show, and $12,500 for each year five episode.
Aside from the fact that this was an exorbitant figure for TV at the time, there was another obstacle in Landau's was: a "favored nations" clause in Graves's contract which specified that not series regular be paid more than Graves. "If they had given that to Martin," Graves points out, "they would have to give it to me."
The studio wasn't about to give either actor that much money, but CBS was willing to chip in to keep Landau in the series. Commercial time on Mission had risen to $6500 per minute, an all-time industry high, and the network knew that Mission was attracting an audience which didn't watch much television. CBS offered to pay Landau the additional $4000 per week for year four and $5500 per week the following season, matching his demands. This would not resolve the Graves's situation, however, and Doug Cramer had no intention of setting such an expensive and dangerous precedent. Said Cramer at the time, "We asked CBS if they would undertake to be responsible for everything that bringing Martin back on his terms would obligate us to." Obviously, CBS could not.
Cramer offered (Landau) a compromise in which the actor would appear in half of the new season's twenty-six episodes. "He would phase me out, is what it meant," says Landau. "Why should I lend my name to that?" Negotiations lumbered on through April and May. When it became clear that the matter would not be settled by year four's May 23 start date, Geller and Kallis had to find a replacement for Landau in the opening two-part episode. It was hoped that, with a little luck, Marty would only miss a few episodes. Among the actors Paramount considered as a part of a string of substitutes were former TV spies Robert Vaughn and Ross Martin. The first performer hired, however, had been literally next door to Mission for the last three years.
Due to his scheduling demands, Steven Hill was already beginning to be written out of the series as early as the fifth season episode "Odds On Evil".
Episodes written for Steven Hill but rewritten for Landau are "A Spool There Was", "Elena", "Zubroknik's Ghost", and "The Reluctant Dragon".
After Hill acted up during the filming of episode 22 "Action!", Briggs was written out of every subsequent Mission for the remainder of the first season, with Landau and various guest actors fulfilling Hill's role.
Leonard Nimoy had recently vacated his Paramount office when he was asked to return and replace his friend, Marty Landau. A quick phone call to Landau assured Nimoy that he was not jeopardizing Landau's position on Mission. "I'm not going back," Landau told him.
Paramount offered Nimoy a deal for the first eight episodes of the season at the same salary Landay would have received: $7000 per show, parity with Peter Graves. "Theoretically," says the actor, "it was an opportunity for me to spread out from the Spock character and broaden my base as a character actor." The scripts were quickly rewritten to eliminate Rollin Hand and replace him with Nimoy's character, the Great Paris. Since there was no need, and certainly no time, to make distinctions, Paris's functions were identical to Rollin's, and the only difference was the way in which Nimoy played it. In contrast to Landau's flashy, energetic style, Nimoy chose a quieter, low-key portrayal, unless of course the script called for a flamboyant performance. In this respect, Paris was probably the more realistic of the two characters. It was Bruce Geller who provided the new character's unusual monicker. "It was a favorite of his," says Stan Kallis.
On Friday, May 30, as production was winding down on Mission's third hour with Nimoy, The New York Times reported that Martin Landau would not be returning to Mission: Impossible. Paramount then offered Nimoy a standard five-year contract. Happy with the episodes he had already filmed, he accepted.
Paramount offered Nimoy a deal for the first eight episodes of the season at the same salary Landay would have received: $7000 per show, parity with Peter Graves. "Theoretically," says the actor, "it was an opportunity for me to spread out from the Spock character and broaden my base as a character actor." The scripts were quickly rewritten to eliminate Rollin Hand and replace him with Nimoy's character, the Great Paris. Since there was no need, and certainly no time, to make distinctions, Paris's functions were identical to Rollin's, and the only difference was the way in which Nimoy played it. In contrast to Landau's flashy, energetic style, Nimoy chose a quieter, low-key portrayal, unless of course the script called for a flamboyant performance. In this respect, Paris was probably the more realistic of the two characters. It was Bruce Geller who provided the new character's unusual monicker. "It was a favorite of his," says Stan Kallis.
On Friday, May 30, as production was winding down on Mission's third hour with Nimoy, The New York Times reported that Martin Landau would not be returning to Mission: Impossible. Paramount then offered Nimoy a standard five-year contract. Happy with the episodes he had already filmed, he accepted.
"Forgetting about the performers," Douglas Cramer told TV Guide early in the season, "the viewer watching Mission this year will a show in no way different from what he has seen in the past. There are no fewer sets, no fewer extras, no fewer cuts. If anything, there's more. . . I think we'll get along very well without (the Landau's)."
Cramer was wrong.
Mission's ratings had dropped disastrously from last season's Number 11 to Number 53, its lowest average to date. Several reasons were offered for the drop in viewership. An outside one was the controversial cancellation of Mission's lead-in, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in June 1969. "The Smothers Brothers had a young, hip audience which would also look at our show," said Bruce Geller. The Smothers replacements were not as popular.
Despite the fact that Mission was a "concept" series, the loss of Martin Landau and Barbara Bain did hurt the show. Leonard Nimoy was effective, but many simply felt that Mission was spiceless without Cinnamon. Viewers accustomed to watching one actress playing a variety of roles every week saw little fun in watching several actresses playing different parts. But the most damaging aspect of all was the distressing sameness of look. Far too much was filmed on Paramount's backstreets this year. At least ten episodes were shot entirely on the lot, and it showed. The studio's Administration Building continued a visibility so constant that it almost deserved a co-star billing.
Leonard Nimoy was disappointed by the work he was given. "I was not extraordinarily impressed with the show and felt that it did not have the edge that I admired during the first three seasons." Nimoy began to wonder how much the departure of Woodfield and Balter (whom he'd never met) had damaged the series. "I got to do what I came to do, a wide variety of characters and that was successful, but not to the extent I was hoping." Nimoy also felt unwanted by CBS. "I was in the middle of a political morass. I felt like the odd man out. I think the network was very upset with everybody involved with letting go of Marty and Barbara and felt that the studio should have negotiated with them. So, I came on and I think I was something that was forced down the network's throat in a sense. I felt that I didn't deserve the kind of treatment I got; I was literally ignored." His suspicions seemed proven on the evening of that season's Emmy Awards. "The head of the network was giving a private party. Other people on Mission had been invited, and I hadn't," Nimoy recalls with a laugh. "I think I just represented a bad incident."
In addition, Nimoy felt no personal involvement in the series. "I wasn't able to sit down with the guys and get a real interaction going, and that was one of the empty aspects for me. The show was what it was, and they were working very hard to make them the best they could. Since I came in as a replacement rather than as an organic part of the growth and experience, I felt like an implant. I was trying to work as an implant and was partially but not terribly successful." His dissatisfaction would become more acute during the following season.
Where's an industrial-grade rice picker when you need one?
In production order, no doubt. Of the seven episodes where Dan led the initial briefing but didn’t participate actively in the mission, five were aired before “Action!” So they must've shuffled the broadcast order to spread out the Dan-light episodes and make his sidelining less obvious, much like they would do in season 7 with Lynda Day George's maternity leave.
Interesting description, since what struck me about Paris was how lively and expressive he was, as if Nimoy was distancing himself from Spock as much as possible. I'd call Paris more insouciant and relaxed than Rollin, but not quiet or low-key. If anything, he seemed like a gregarious, party-loving guy.
I was watching a episode the other day with Mark Leonard, were the team pretended to blow up a government building while the King of the country was making a speech, with stolen nitro, that would force one of the traitors to squeal and give the game away of the attempted coup, and while the King was making a speech, behind him on the wall was what looked like either the mold they used to make the neural nutralizer prop from Dagger of the mind, or the actual prop itself painted gold.........give it a look next time you see the episode.
Mission: Impossible Season One Production Order
1) Pilot – 9-17-1966 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Terry Targo
2a & 2b) Old Man Out Parts 1 & 2 – 10-8-1966 & 10-16-1966 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Crystal Walker
3) Memory – 9-24-1966 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Joseph Baresh
4) Operation Rogosh – 10-1-1966 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Dr. Ira Green M.D., The Horizon Repertory Players, stunt driver Sonny Allison
5) Odds On Evil – 10-22-1966 - Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Andre Malif (in a role written for Briggs)
6) A Spool There Was – 11-22-1966 - Rollin (in a role written for Briggs), Cinnamon
7) Fakeout – 12-3-1966 - Briggs, Cinnamon, Barney
8) Wheels - 10-29-1966 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy
9) The Ransom - 11-5-1966 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Dr. Ira Green M.D., Steve (who resembles Augie Gorman)
10) Elena – 12-10-1966 - Rollin (in a role written for Briggs), Dr. Carlos Enero
11) Zubrovnik’s Ghost – 11-26-1966 - Rollin (in a role written for Briggs), Barney, Ariana Domi
12) The Trial – 1-28-1967 - Briggs, Rollin, Willy
13) The Carriers – 11-19-1966 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Roger Lee
14) The Short Tail Spy – 12-17-1966 - Briggs, Cinnamon, Barney
15) The Legacy - 1-7-1967 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy
16) The Reluctant Dragon – 1-14-1967 - Rollin (in a role written for Briggs), Barney
17) The Frame - 1-21-1967 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Tino
18) The Diamond - 2-4-1967 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Hans Van Meer, Ian McCloud
19) The Legend – 2-11-1967 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney
20) The Confession - 2-25-1967 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy
21) Snowball In Hell - 2-18-1967 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy
22) Action! – 3-4-1967 - Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, David Day (in a role written for Briggs)
Steven Hill Suspended
_______________________________________________________________________________
23) The Train – 3-18-1967 - Rollin (in a role written for Briggs), Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Dr. Harrison Selby, Art Director Oliver Donovan and crew
24) Shock - 3-25-1967 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Dr. Ira Drake
25) A Cube Of Sugar – 4-1-1967 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy
26) The Traitor – 4-15-1967 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Tina Mara
27) The Psychic – 4-22-1967 - Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Judge William Chase, Actor Byron Miller (in a role written for Briggs)
Mission: Impossible Season One Airdate Order
1) Pilot – 9-17-1966 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Terry Targo
3) Memory – 9-24-1966 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Joseph Baresh
4) Operation Rogosh – 10-1-1966 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Dr. Ira Green M.D.,
2a) Old Man Out Part 1 – 10-8-1966 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Crystal Walker
2b) Old Man Out Part 2 – 10-16-1966 - Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Crystal Walker
5) Odds On Evil – 10-22-1966 – Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Andre Malif (in a role written for Briggs)
8) Wheels – 10-29-1966 – Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy
9) The Ransom – 11-5-1966 – Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Dr. Ira Green M.D., Steve (who resembles Augie Gorman)
6) A Spool There Was – 11-12-1966 – Rollin (in a role written for Briggs), Cinnamon
13) The Carriers – 11-19-1966 – Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Roger Lee
11) Zubrovnik’s Ghost – 11-26-1966 – Rollin (in a role written for Briggs), Barney, Ariana Domi
7) Fakeout – 12-3-1966 - Briggs, Cinnamon, Barney
10) Elena – 12-10-1966 – Rollin (in a role written for Briggs), Dr. Carlos Enero
14) The Short Tail Spy – 12-17-1966 – Briggs, Cinnamon, Barney
15) The Legacy – 1-7-1967 – Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy
16) The Reluctant Dragon – 1-14-1967 – Rollin (in a role written for Briggs), Barney
17) The Frame – 1-21-1967 – Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Tino
12) The Trial – 1-28-1967 – Briggs, Rollin, Willy
18) The Diamond – 2-4-1967 – Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Hans Van Meer, Ian McCloud
19) The Legend – 2-11-1967 – Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney
21) Snowball In Hell – 2-18-1967 – Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy
20) The Confession – 2-25-1967 – Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy
22) Action! – 3-4-1967 – Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, David Day (in a role written for Briggs)
23) The Train – 3-18-1967 – Rollin (in a role written for Briggs), Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Dr. Harrison Selby, Art Director Oliver Donovan and crew
24) Shock - 3-25-1967 – Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Dr. Ira Drake
25) A Cube Of Sugar – 4-1-1967 – Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy
26) The Traitor – 4-15-1967 – Briggs, Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Tina Mara
27) The Psychic – 4-22-1967 – Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, Willy, Judge William Chase, Actor Byron Miller (in a role written for Briggs)
Hm, that's weird. The impression I'd gotten was that they only started phasing Dan out after the "Action!" kerfuffle. Apparently it was more on-and-off than that.
I read this as you watching an episode the other day with Mark Lenard, which I found quite impressive.
Okay here's a question - the first eight episodes of 'M:I' season four were written with Landau and Bain in the roles of Rollin and Cinnamon.
They are - The Controllers, The Code, Mastermind, The Numbers Game, Commandante, Robot, and Fool's Gold.
Knowing that the parts were hurriedly rewritten for Nimoy and various guest actresses, with Geller and Kallis simply crossing out Rollin and Cinnamon's names on the script and replacing them with Paris and whatever the guest actresses name was; upon rewatching them, how do you think Landau and Bain would have played the roles.
They are - The Controllers, The Code, Mastermind, The Numbers Game, Commandante, Robot, and Fool's Gold.
Knowing that the parts were hurriedly rewritten for Nimoy and various guest actresses, with Geller and Kallis simply crossing out Rollin and Cinnamon's names on the script and replacing them with Paris and whatever the guest actresses name was; upon rewatching them, how do you think Landau and Bain would have played the roles.
Although Nimoy wanted to land another series--which happened with Mission:Impossible, his post TOS work was at its best as a character actor, which is easy to see in series such as Rod Serling's Night Gallery (1972's "She'll Be Company for You"), Columbo (1973's "A Stitch in Crime"), or Rex Harrison Presents Stories of Love (1974's "Kiss Me Again, Stranger"), where he was allowed to stretch beyond any expectations of the fantastic, or being "Spock-ish".
I Spy (NBC, 1965-68) explored that issue, by having Cosby's Alexander Scott in the part of a tennis coach, but he would take on other identities when necessary, arguably more than anything seen with the Collier character on M:I, and it must be remembered that I Spy utilized NBC's Far East Division to film a wealth of location scenes, since the main characters usually had overseas missions, yet the Scott character was able to fit among cultures where black people were an extreme minority among the population.
While Jones' race was not a factor in his being cast as Ben in Night of the Living Dead, the character & film's effect on late 1960s audiences--particularly American audiences (and film critics) ultimately influenced Romero to attempt to replicate Ben's impact in the two Living Dead sequels, with a type of black character some black audiences derided as the "Noble Negro" stereotype--the philosophizing, near-perfect character ethically standing far above his companions. In short, Romero bought into public perception of Ben's contrast to his white housemates, and tried to replicate that kind of character (each with different motives) in the Living Dead sequels.
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I vote for moving the thread to TV & Media, since there's some really interesting M:I discussion going on here.
