Deal Alert: The complete It Takes a Thief series is on sale at Amazon Canada today for a low US $56.91. The collection was finally released in 2011 and often hovers around $135, so this is a good time to add it to your spy library. It's listed as "temporarily out of stock" already, but I believe you can still order to lock in the sale price and they will ship when new stock arrives. The set includes all 66 episodes, the feature-length pilot, interviews with star Robert Wagner and producer Glen Larson, a 35mm film senitype, coaster set, and booklet. Details here. It Takes a Thief(1968-1970) "Alexander Mundy - smooth, suave, sophisticated - is the
world's greatest cat burglar. After he is arrested, he strikes a deal with
American agent Noah Bain which will grant Mundy a full pardon if Mundy agrees
to use his skills to steal for the SIA, an American espionage agency.
Technically under house arrest, Mundy travels all over the world performing
daring acts of thievery in the name of Uncle Sam."
Happy Thanksgiving from Spy Vibe! Open Channel D to send a toast to all Spy Vibers around the globe with this original card ala The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Also on the web today, I launched a new blog called Art Pioneers, which includes the vintage holiday image below- but with a very different twist! Check it out. I hope everyone is having a great week. And to those agents racing away from diabolical masterminds in the snow, please do drive carefully!
New release: If hard-hitting detective stories are your vibe, check out the new Blu-ray limited-edition of The Girl Hunters. Released in 1963, the movie was based on the seventh Mike Hammer book by Mickey Spillane. Spillane himself appeared in the film as Hammer! Reviewers have said he was a bit wooden, but that it was fun to see the author (and screenwriter) portray his own character. Maybe that's just a thrill for fans, but wouldn't you love to see Ian Fleming dispatch Professor Dent in that famous scene in Dr No? I can just imagine the dialog whistling through Fleming's cigarette holder, "That's a Smith and Wesson, and you've had your six." The Girl Hunters also starred Bond Girl, Shirley Eaton (Goldfinger), and was filmed by DAP Kenneth Talbot (Hammerhead, Countess Dracula, Tarzan, The Saint, Born Free, New Adventures of Charlie Chan). Spillane adapted some of his early comic book stories to create Mike Hammer for the 1947 novel, I. the Jury. Many Mike Hammer stories followed and the series spawned a number of radio and television shows, movies, and comics. Spillane passed away in 2006 at the age of 88. The new Blu-ray is currently listed at the discount price of $12.69 on Amazon. Link here. They also have the film streaming on-line. Learn more: Thrilling Detective, Spillane IMDB, Amazon author page, New York Timesobituary.
Happy Birthday to Robert Vaughn! The original Man From U.N.C.L.E. was born on this day in 1932. His career began in the 1950s with work on television and in films, including The Young Philadelphians (1959), for which he received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. He joined the all-star cast of leading men in The Magnificent Seven (1960), playing a dashing gunslinger who had lost his nerve. Although I was impressed by the many noble and heroic characters in the film as a kid, it was Vaughn's ability to express vulnerability that evoked empathy and it's his image that has stuck with me all these years. After appearing in The Lieutenant (1963-1964), Vaughn was cast to play Napoleon Solo (Ian Fleming contributed the name) in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (1964-1968). As a kid, I was taken with Vaughn's suave image, but it's been fun to re-explore the series as an adult and appreciate his ability to also bring subtle humor to the character. He had a funny habit of gesturing with his U.N.C.L.E. gun when he spoke, as if it were a cigarette, which gave the character a nonchalance that was both appealing and absurd. Other major highlights in Vaughn's career include Bullitt (1968), Gerry Anderson's The Protectors (1972-1974), Superman III (1983), and contemporary dramas like Law & Order, Coronation Street, and Hustle. He has also done some great Shakespeare, which I spotlighted in the Spy Vibe posts, Shakespeare SpiesI and II. I grew up admiring Robert Vaughn both for his expression and presence as an actor and for his commitment to political activism. Learn more: Official fan site, Fans From UNCLE, IMDB. Related Spy Vibe posts: Japanese UNCLE editions, UNCLE Gun, UNCLE Turns 50, UK Comics, UNCLE Manga. Vaughn as Napoleon Solo below from Getty Images.
