The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (TV Series) The Concrete Overcoat Affair: Part II (1966) User Reviews

Maybe the series best effort.

[fredschaefer-406-623204 · 8/10 · 19 September 2012]

I was a huge fan of The Man From Uncle when I was a kid and this two part episode might well have the best of the series. They pulled out all the stops in giving Solo and Iliya some worthy foes to battle in the persons of guest actors Jack Palance and Janet Leigh, both of whom were genuine movie stars in their own right.

What is so amusing about these episodes is that while Mr. Strago and Miss Diketon are the chief villains of the story, the script writers set up their relationship as that of an overbearing boss and his put upon and long suffering secretary. The interaction between these two, all the way to the body strewn conclusion is often quite amusing and suggests that on the inside, THRUSH was just like any other big corporation. No wonder they never took over the world.

The subplot with the old gangsters was pure cornball even back in 1966, but it does give a great part to Eduardo Ciannelli, who'd been playing mobsters since the 1930's-go find Marked Woman from 1937 and watch Ciannelli and co-star Allen Jenkins in their prime. By the time The Concrete Overcoat Affair was made, Ciannelli was nearly 80 years old and still getting it done like a pro.

By the third season, The Man from Uncle had gotten lazy and there was a tendency to lace the scripts with too much comedy, but they pulled it together for this one and proved the series still had some gas in the tank.

Pretty good Pt 2

[gordonl56 · 8/10 · 6 February 2015]

THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. - The Concrete Overcoat Affair :Pt 2 - 1966

This is the 71st episode of 1964 to 1968 spy series, THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. The series ran for a total of 105 episodes. The first season was filmed in black and with the remainder shot in colour. Robert Vaughn plays agent Napoleon Solo while David McCallum plays Illya Kuryakin. Leo G Carroll plays Mister Waverly, the boss of the secret agency known as U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law & Enforcement) UNCLE's main enemy is THRUSH, an organization out to take over the planet.

This write up covers both part one and two.

UNCLE agents, Robert Vaughn and David McCallum are on the trail of a wanted ex-Nazi scientist. They follow their man to California, only to have THRUSH grab up the man first. They then trace a lead to Sicily and the business of big time wine merchant, Jack Palance. Palance, is really a THRUSH boss. He is using the ex-Nazi to help THRUSH change the direction of the Gulf Stream current. THRUSH wants to turn Greenland and Iceland into tropical regions while freezing up Europe.

The UNCLE types get mixed up with a local Italian celebration. Vaughn, due to a mix up with the locals, is forced into an arranged marriage with Leticia Roman. McCallum meanwhile has discovered that Palance is sending "heavy-heavy" water to the States in wine bottles.

Of course there is a furious gun-battle with the THRUSH types before McCallum and Vaughn can slip back to the States. The jilted bride to be, Miss Roman, is also soon on her way to the U.S. She rounds up a few of her "uncles" to help find Vaughn. The "uncles" are old time retired Chicago mobsters, played by Eduardo Ciannelli, Allen Jenkins and Jack La Rue.

The three ex-mobsters soon round up their old gang which includes the likes of Elisha Cook Jr, Vince Barnett and Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom. They get mixed up with the UNCLE agents and the THRUSH bunch. Shots and fists are exchanged with Miss Roman and David McCallum being grabbed up by THRUSH. They are taken to a small island in the Caribbean.

THRUSH has a complex on the island where they are using the "heavy-heavy" water to make atomic torpedoes. They are going to use these to change the Gulf Stream current. Needless to say that UNCLE cannot allow this to happen. They have a strike by B-52 bombers arranged to wipe out the complex. Agent Vaughn has 16 hours to rescue fellow agent, McCallum, and the pretty Miss Roman.

Vaughn is joined in this effort by the "uncles", Ciannelli, Jenkins, La Rue and their mob. The rest of the episode involves various shootouts, explosions, knife-fights and a giant tuning fork weapon. (Yes, tuning fork weapon) Well anyways, the proper people come out on top and the THRUSH plan is thwarted.

The story is as dumb as it sounds, but, having said that, the guest cast makes these two episodes well worth a look. Besides Palance doing his usual scenery chewing, there is a very nice guest turn by a 39 year old Janet Leigh. Leigh plays a THRUSH assassin who has a fondness for sharp knives. She keeps several strapped to her shapely thighs. She also enjoys dispensing a spot of torture, as Agent McCallum discovers. The interplay between Palance and Miss Leigh works quite well. Look close, and you will see Joan Blondell in a 30 second cameo.

Miss Leigh of course is well known for Hitchcock's Psycho. She was also the mother of actress, Jamie Lee Curtis. Leigh and matinée idol, Tony Curtis, were married for 11 years (1951-62)