"I Spy" (1965) TV series 1965-1968

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Writers:

Michael Kandel (writer)
Paul Wendkos (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

15 September 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Plot:

A pair of American agents face espionage adventures with skill, humor and some serious questions about their work...

Plot Keywords:

Buddy | Friendship | Secret Agent | Spy | Tennis

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Robert Culp	...	Kelly Robinson / ... (82 episodes, 1965-1968)
Bill Cosby	...	Alexander Scott (82 episodes, 1965-1968)

Also Known As:

Danny Doyle (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

60 min (82 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:12 (season 1)

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Company:

3F Productions

Trivia:

Bill Cosby's character, Alexander Scott, was originally intended to be an older mentor to Robert Culp's trainee agent, Kelly Robinson. Executive producer Sheldon Leonard cast Cosby in the role after seeing one of his routines (Scott was originally intended to be a Caucasian). Due to this casting change, the writers thought an occasional reference to Cosby's race would be a necessity, given the tumult of the times. In an early episode, "Danny Was a Million Laughs", guest star Martin Landau's character makes a racial joke at Scott's expense. Culp and Cosby demanded that no more racial jokes be done, and none were for the run of the series.

Quotes:

[Contemplating a solid gold stove]
Kelly Robinson: I can just imagine the look on their faces when we unload a million dollars worth of stove on them. 875 pounds worth.
Alexander Scott: Yeah.
Kelly Robinson: Suppose by the time it got to Internal Revenue it only weighed 800 pounds?
Alexander Scott: See what you mean. Well the lid's loose, maybe the damper door?
Kelly Robinson: 75 lbs of gold must be worth a lot of money.
Alexander Scott: Seventy-two thousand.
Kelly Robinson: Already figured it out, huh?
Alexander Scott: Yeah. $60 an ounce on the Chinese black market. I think I can get $70 an ounce. I know a guy...
Kelly Robinson: $70 an ounce! Whew. A couple of one-way tickets to Tahiti would scarcely put a dent in it!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Get Smart: Die, Spy (#3.25)" (1968)

One of the best series ever on so many levels

Robert Culp didn't "phone in" his performances. One throw-away shot had him discover a dead body just before a commercial break, and the expression on his face was genuinely intense.

The show was ground-breaking for showcasing black talent. Yes. And huzzah for that! But it was a cracking good show regardless of racial issues. Among the many reasons already mentioned, the heroes were vulnerable. They were not stronger, better-armed or backed up by SWAT teams ready to rappel from helicopters. They often got into situations where they elected to run ... yes, RUN! Like intelligent, realistic men when facing superior odds. They were beaten (temporarily) more than a few times, and sometimes were close to death. And they weren't the only heroes in the program, as secondary characters appearing only in that episode would step in and prove useful.

"I, Spy" turns out to be superior Cold War fodder in that it showed perhaps the most realistic (although certainly still unreal, being it was early television) depiction of the stalwart American intelligence operatives trying to keep a lid on a shifting world of mayhem, out on the edge, largely alone.

And the friends, with humor and intelligence, leveraged each other into a team more formidable than three independent agents could ever muster.

These fellows showed a healthy appreciation for good things and fine women, but when the chips were down they were quick to be Boy Scouts ... and made it look convincing and even "cool." It is childishly acceptable and common to make fun of the mores of those days, but having grown up on Norman Rockwell I can tell you that the concept of being a "good guy" was serious in those days, and many men behaved with a genuine courtesy and courage that seems unrealistic today.

Cosby deserved his Emmies ... but Culp really supplied better performance than almost anyone else in those years.

Looking for a new favorite? Something you haven't already memorized and become slightly tired of? Get these DVD's and make your acquaintance with two of the coolest, yet still "upright" heroes fictional America ever produced.