The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Complete Series

Please be warned - when I placed my order for The Man From Uncle briefcase set from TimeLife I opted for the installment plan plus I received free shipping. My first installment was to be $62.49 but my account was charged $78.48. When I called to investigate I was told shipping charges etc. were added and was hung up on. Please be careful.

The first -- and in many opinions -- the best of the tv spy craze of the 1960's following in the wake of James Bond. Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo, suave & debonair; David McCallum as Illya Kuryakin, cool and mysterious. The two had terrific chemistry. An amusing incident. When NBC was shown the pilot they were enthusiastic but had one suggestion to the producers: dump the foreign guy. Now they thought the NBC execs meant actor Will Kuluva, who played the head of U.N.C.L.E. Mr. Allison. So they replaced him with Leo G. Carroll as Mr. Waverly. Turns out the execs meant McCallum's Kuryakin character! After it was done NBC contacted them to see if the change had been made and who had been hired as a replacement. When informed about Carroll the reponse was, "Gee, he's kinda old to be Vaughn's sidekick." So it goes. The series high water mark was the 1st season (helmed by HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL creator Sam Rolfe) and to an extent season 2. Season 3 brought Boris Ingster as producer and the show suddenly went camp as in BATMAN camp. When Rolfe saw some of the 3rd season episodes he told his wife, "We won't be getting many more royalty checks from this." Adding to the show's dilema was the equally abysmal THE GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E. with Stephanie Powers as April Dancer and Noel (son of Rex) Harrison as her partner Mark Slade. The show was the result of a season two episode called "The Moonglow Affair" which Mary Ann Mobley as April and Norman Fell (Mr. Roper on THREE'S COMPANY) as Slade. This led to a couple of cross over episodes ( "The Mother Muffin Affair" with Solo working with April and Boris Karloff in the lead and "The Galeta Affair" -- a weird MY FAIR LADY thing -- with Harrison appearing with McCallum and the lead played by Joan Collins) and a real diluting of U.N.C.L.E.'s appeal. Anthony Spinner (who produced THE INVADERS for Quinn Martin) was brought onboard to rescue the show. It was an attempt to return to form but the show became dark and with "The 7 Wonders of the World Affair" it came to an end. Other factors that worked against the show was the fact that every season NBC changed its time slot. Now this box set brings back all 110 episodes in a nifty package with extras like a set down with Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. Recollections of the show with director Richard Donner. Also included, the original pilot SOLO, as well as the movie version of "The Alexander the Greator Affair" and loads of other cool items. I am reminded of something Robert Vaughn said when doing the tv movie THE RETURN OF THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. . He said the minute he put on the tux it felt like 1966 all over again. If you're a fan of the show, this collection will make you feel the same.

The entire Man from U.N.C.L.E. series is now out on DVD in one case. But for some reason (?) Amazon is not selling it ! Why not ?

UNCLE fans rejoice! Time/Life has released the complete series on 41 DVDs packed in a nifty attaché case! OK, so it's about $250 a set, but hey, we've been waiting forever. Amazon, alas, hadn't got it, but it's on Time/Life's Web site now (as of Christmas 2007). It'll be in stores in the fall of 2008, their site says.

As an enthusiast of the Bond films, I appreciate Ian Fleming's input into the creation of "The Man from UNCLE." He created the names Napoleon Solo and April Dancer, as well as the acronym U.N.C.L.E., while having a meal with the series creator at a New York restaurant. The notes were allegedly scribbled on a napkin. (April Dancer, as fans know, became "The Girl from UNCLE.") Interestingly, Ilya Kuryakin was never meant to be a focal character. That, of course, was before the pilot aired and girls went gaga over David McCallum.

Though the series got increasingly silly as it wore on, I have nothing but fond memories of its stylishness and the brilliance of its color, although sometimes it took a big leap of imagination to believe California locations were elsewhere in the world. I have the 3-DVD UNCLE movie set from England, and watching the car chase at the end of "The Spy With My Face" was painful. It was supposed to be taking place in the Swiss Alps, but those scrubby little California pines were evident everywhere!

By the way, the four UNCLE soundtrack compendiums from Film Score Monthly are extremely well done and the liner notes are excellent references.

At last, Channel D is opening here in the U.S. after too many years!

Yes, UNCLE fans, this series is finally on DVD and I've got it!!! It is a wonderful set from TimeLife. The entire 4 seasons are available on 41 discs. The transfer is excellent and any MFU fan will be extremely pleased with the extras included. Great Stuff!

Oh, and those 41 discs were (I'm not sure if TimeLife is still running the special) at 199.95 plus free shipping. This show is well worth the cost of $4.88 per disc. A bargain for any real UNCLE fan who has been waiting as many years as I have to get this show on DVD!

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to www.ManFromUncleDVD.com and tell Del Floria that I sent you!