The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: Season 03 (1965)

Although it started out as a relatively serious espionage series with satirical undertones, by the time its third season rolled around The Man From U.N.C.L.E. had gone over the bend and was indulging in pure, unadulterated "camp," with outlandish storylines (one involving a deadly "hiccup" gas, another featuring exploding ice-cream bars!), shamelessly overacting villains, and cloyingly "cute" dialogue. Credit -- or blame -- for this metamorphosis can be attributed to the enormous popularity of the ABC series Batman, which ... Read More

Although it started out as a relatively serious espionage series with satirical undertones, by the time its third season rolled around The Man From U.N.C.L.E. had gone over the bend and was indulging in pure, unadulterated "camp," with outlandish storylines (one involving a deadly "hiccup" gas, another featuring exploding ice-cream bars!), shamelessly overacting villains, and cloyingly "cute" dialogue. Credit -- or blame -- for this metamorphosis can be attributed to the enormous popularity of the ABC series Batman, which in "honor" of its comic-book origins trafficked almost exclusively in exaggeration and hyperbole. However, what worked on Batman did not always work on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and viewers began to grow tired of the series during its third season. (The show's new spin-off, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., proved to be even more out of control than its parent show -- and as result, it wore out its welcome almost immediately!) To their credit, series stars Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, respectively cast as U.N.C.L.E. agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, do their best to keep a straight face throughout the ridiculous proceedings; the same can be said for Leo G. Carroll, still a tower of strength in the role of U.N.C.L.E. chieftain Alexander Waverly. And, on a few rare occasions, the series' new absurdist tone paid off, notably in the two-part "The Concrete Overcoat Affair," which at the very least offered a veritable rogue's gallery of veteran gangster-movie actors, including Jack Palance, Joan Blondell, Allen Jenkins, and Jack LaRue. Incidentally, "The Concrete Overcoat Affair" was one of two multipart season-three episodes that would ultimately be released theatrically as "feature films" (its title in this capacity was The Spy in the Green Hat). The other "recycled" effort was the two-part "The Five Daughters Affair," which boasted the guest-star talents of Joan Crawford, Terry-Thomas, Kim Darby, Telly Savalas, Curt Jurgens, and Jill Ireland, and which would hit the theater screens under the title The Karate Killers. And while we're on the subject of guest stars, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'s third season features the "dramatic" TV debuts of Nancy Sinatra and Sonny & Cher, as well as acting appearances by future syndicated newspaper astrologer Joyce Jillson and soon-to-be Hollywood studio executive Lynn Loring. Hal Erickson, Rovi Read Less

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1998, UPC: 027616239433 VHS See All	1998, UPC: 027616247834 VHS See All
1998, UPC: 027616239532 VHS See All	1998, UPC: 027616239730 VHS See All
1998, UPC: 027616239631 VHS See All