Post by mikef6 on Mar 25, 2017 2:41:51 GMT
Mission: Impossible Season Two. Many people who fondly remember this great TV series may not realize that Peter Graves, as the IM Force leader Jim Phelps, didn’t join the cast until the beginning of this, the second season. This season and the third are usually considered the most consistently good of the seven season run (1962-1973) even though there are classic stories in every year. Martin Landau and wife Barbara Bain also join as regular cast members (they were billed as guest stars during Season 1). The fun part of watching was to follow the rituals. The opening credits started with the justly famous theme tune (one of the greatest TV themes ever) and a burning fuse over flash cuts from that night’s episode. Then Phelps would get his assignment from a hidden tape recorder (“Good morning, Mr. Phelps”) which would end with “As always, should any member of the IM Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim.” Lordy, how many jokes, parodies and pop culture references have been made to that self-destructing tape? Maybe even more than to Bergman’s knight playing chess with death. This is followed by Phelps selecting his team for the mission and then the Apartment Scene where the team talks over some of the tricks they are going to use but without revealing to the viewers how they will be used. Even though most would describe the show as spy or thriller, I always took it as straight-faced, perfectly timed comedy. How else do you explain the convoluted plots, the outrageous gadgets and the uncanny ability to perfectly predict how the bad guys will react to anything the IMF says or does? Marvelous.
Episode One: “The Widow” (Sept 10, 1967). Actually the sixth hour to be filmed, Graves as Phelps plays a rather minor part in his own scheme and so is introduced as the new leader in a low key. Guest star William Windom is a major drug dealer who gets the ultimate comeuppance. This also features one of the show’s most memorable elevator tricks.
Episode Two: “Trek” (Sept 17, 1967). A sprawling adventure over a searing desert landscape with set-up situations designed to trick evil Dan O’Herlihy into leading Jim to a cache of stolen treasure. Mark Lenard plays a corrupt military officer. Lenard is a well-known actor to fans of the original “Star Trek” series. There are many parallels to the two shows. “Star Trek” and “M:I” were both shot on adjoining sound stages, Martin Landau was briefly considered for the role of Spock and Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, replaced Landau in the fourth “Mission” season.
Episode Three: “The Survivors” (Sept 24, 1967). A bit of a disappointment because Our Heroes seem to go to a lot of unnecessary trouble, but this is one of the first episodes where they manage to create a massive illusion. Evil doer Albert Paulsen’s hideout is in the basement of a building in San Francisco so the IMF convinces him that a massive earthquake has struck and he is trapped under tons of rubble with no help of rescue. Later in this season, they will make a terrorist think that he has started a nuclear war.
Episode Eight: “The Seal” (Nov 5, 1967). Multi-billionaire Darrin McGavin has a priceless art collection in a penthouse. The collection’s room has electrified doors, pressure sensitive floors, and sound detectors. Of course, Phelps’ mission is to steal an item from the collection for the sake of national security. This story contains what is probably the series’ most well-remembered set-piece. The sequence involves a cat. ‘Nuff said. Also, Landau gets to put on some vague Asian-looking makeup and use a silly accent. One of the high points of this – or any other – TV series. Priceless.
Episode 16: “The Emerald” (Jan 21, 1968). William Smithers and Michael Strong play two formidable villains; Barbara Bain gives one of her best performances. The IMF uses high tech to cheat at poker, fleece a bad guy and retrieve an emerald holding a microdot with enemy plans on it. Nicely done. This one deserves multiple viewings.
Episode 17: “The Condemned” (Jan 28, 1968). This story steps outside the format. An old friend of Phelps’ is condemned to be executed for murder in a foreign country. Phelps, certain of the man’s innocence, has only a few hours to find the real killer and bring in new evidence. Unforgettable.
These are just a few of the great stories in Season 2. This, along with Season 3, is probably the most consistent in high quality adventure of the show's seven seasons.
Episode One: “The Widow” (Sept 10, 1967). Actually the sixth hour to be filmed, Graves as Phelps plays a rather minor part in his own scheme and so is introduced as the new leader in a low key. Guest star William Windom is a major drug dealer who gets the ultimate comeuppance. This also features one of the show’s most memorable elevator tricks.
Episode Two: “Trek” (Sept 17, 1967). A sprawling adventure over a searing desert landscape with set-up situations designed to trick evil Dan O’Herlihy into leading Jim to a cache of stolen treasure. Mark Lenard plays a corrupt military officer. Lenard is a well-known actor to fans of the original “Star Trek” series. There are many parallels to the two shows. “Star Trek” and “M:I” were both shot on adjoining sound stages, Martin Landau was briefly considered for the role of Spock and Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, replaced Landau in the fourth “Mission” season.
Episode Three: “The Survivors” (Sept 24, 1967). A bit of a disappointment because Our Heroes seem to go to a lot of unnecessary trouble, but this is one of the first episodes where they manage to create a massive illusion. Evil doer Albert Paulsen’s hideout is in the basement of a building in San Francisco so the IMF convinces him that a massive earthquake has struck and he is trapped under tons of rubble with no help of rescue. Later in this season, they will make a terrorist think that he has started a nuclear war.
Episode Eight: “The Seal” (Nov 5, 1967). Multi-billionaire Darrin McGavin has a priceless art collection in a penthouse. The collection’s room has electrified doors, pressure sensitive floors, and sound detectors. Of course, Phelps’ mission is to steal an item from the collection for the sake of national security. This story contains what is probably the series’ most well-remembered set-piece. The sequence involves a cat. ‘Nuff said. Also, Landau gets to put on some vague Asian-looking makeup and use a silly accent. One of the high points of this – or any other – TV series. Priceless.
Episode 16: “The Emerald” (Jan 21, 1968). William Smithers and Michael Strong play two formidable villains; Barbara Bain gives one of her best performances. The IMF uses high tech to cheat at poker, fleece a bad guy and retrieve an emerald holding a microdot with enemy plans on it. Nicely done. This one deserves multiple viewings.
Episode 17: “The Condemned” (Jan 28, 1968). This story steps outside the format. An old friend of Phelps’ is condemned to be executed for murder in a foreign country. Phelps, certain of the man’s innocence, has only a few hours to find the real killer and bring in new evidence. Unforgettable.
These are just a few of the great stories in Season 2. This, along with Season 3, is probably the most consistent in high quality adventure of the show's seven seasons.