(Man From U.N.C.L.E. Book: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of a Television Classic) [By: Heitland, Jon] [Dec, 1987]

by Jon Heitland

Drawing on extensive interviews with the cast and crew of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Jon Heitland has assembled an incredibly comprehensive, fully illustrated account of the show's history, program's conception in conference with Ian Fleming, creator of James BondU.N.C.L.E.'s remarkable surge in popularitythe camaraderie between Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, the show's stars the factors that led to the show's sudden cancellationa complete episode guide, including companion program The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.plus information and anecdotes on the show's production, filming, guest stars, stunts, props, merchandising, and much more.

Genres: Nonfiction, Tv, Reference, Media Tie In, Espionage

Paperback

First published December 15, 1987

Reviews

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Man From U.N.C.L.E first aired on television back in the mid 1960’s, before my time, and it wasn’t until decades later that I became interested in the series. It had taken on an almost mythical quality for me even though I really didn’t know much about it. So over the last year or so, in this age of readily available streaming and DVDs, I took the plunge and managed to watch all 4 seasons of the original show as well as the spin-off “Girl From U.N.C.L.E.” season. After that I discovered this book existed and was curious to know the history and behind-the-scenes tidbits of the show.

This book provided a thorough background on all things UNCLE. It is divided into logical sections including topics on how it was conceived, developed, and produced, as well as plenty of information on the people involved from directors, producers, cast, writers, and even down to camera operators, key grips, etc. Short bios are included for all of the key players. There are chapters and/or appendices that summarize each episode as well as information on related books, magazines, comic books, merchandising, etc. In sum, this book really covers a lot of detail and I came away from it with a feeling of satisfaction that I got what I was searching for.

My favorite parts, as I suspect would be the case for most people, were the bits that provided insights on what was happening during filming, the pranks the cast played on one another, and the genuine fondness the entire cast and crew had for each other. I also learned quite a lot about how TV shows were produced in the 1960's and just how precarious the whole thing was. I came away with a full understanding of how this series not only achieved phenomenal success as a TV show (and also fell fast due to the change toward too much comedy in season three) but also how it broke a lot of new technological and innovative ground. Nice companion book.

[Michael P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A behind-the-scenes book on the making and broadcasting of the TV series (plural) marred only by the stiffness of the author's personality, his tendency to over-praise a sometimes bad show, and his sometimes formal writing style. The book is excellent in presenting the background and facts.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written and informative. I learned a lot about how filming and producing a TV show actually worked, which was interesting but not exactly what I was looking for.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Those who tried to analyze the show in the 1960s used various adjectives–adventurous, humorous, sophisticated, ultramodern, futuristic, fast-paced, or "hip" or "cool". But if one word can sum up the appeal of this incredible show, it is perhaps a word favored by Norman Felton himself: The Man from U.N.C.L.E had "dash". And it still does."

This show and its characters are very dear to my heart and to discover and read this book has been such a gift. I think it's written with a lot of care and love for the show and my favourite parts were of course all the anectodes and behind-the-scenes-details. Also, to learn that everyone working on this show apparently really enjoyed it, is the best take-away from this book.

[Spiderorchid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed and enjoyable account of the making of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." that gives credit to everyone involved: from the stars, writers and producers to the prop- and set-designers. Heitland's work explains very well why the show had such an impact at the time and why it is still popular among fans today. The fact that the book was written in the mid-1980s, when most of the participants were still alive and available for interviews, is a definite plus since there is very little speculation and a lot of first-hand information. The author obviously loves the show but is also able to objectively explain what went wrong or why the reunion tv-movie while not bad is not as good as it could have been.

Apart from everything "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." there is a lot of general information on how networks work, how a show gets made, what kind of considerations (or lucky accidents) are behind casting decisions etc. While this is about tv-shows in the 1960s there are still many points that really haven't changed that much over the years.

The only minor drawback is that some sections like the chapter about what the cast and crew are doing now or the speculation about a second attempt at a reunion movie are of course by now completely outdated. But I think this doesn't matter at all since these are literally only a few sentences in a book that manages to give an amazing amount of information and analysis on a show that was groundbreaking in its day.

Highly recommended for fans of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and everyone interested in 1960s tv-shows.

[Phair · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't say the writing style in this was much above the term paper level- as another reviewer mentions there are an awful lot of names listed and not a lot of in-depth interpretation of the show and the times. Each chapter covers a different aspect of the production- writers, music, sets, guest stars, stunts, merchandising- all these topics and more are covered.

What I liked best were the occasional gem of an anecdote (but again they felt like they came right off the stack of 3x5 file cards from the author's research) and the many photographs- mostly production stills but also a goodly bunch of candid behind-the-scenes shots. Girl from U.N.C.L.E. was also covered- I watched that one for Noel Harrison but had no recollection that it lasted only one season! There is also an episode guide for each series and it was fun picking out the names of all the guest stars that were familiar.

Not terrible but also not a particularly good study of a series I recall with fondness from my late high school & early college years and was happy to revisit for a while.

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book by Heitland , have reread it many times . Covers the origin of the show till its cancellation and more . Includes an episode synopsis , the cars , the guns , the books , everything .plus some nice photos .

[Jest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some chapters in this book are no better than a list of names but other chapters contain a few anecdotes that are interesting.

I liked reading about David McCallum's stunt double.

[Peggi Warner-Lalonde · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting reference book for a true fan's library.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

read some time in 1991

[Bill Donhiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good history of the show. I have read this book twice and use it as a reference for collectables from the show. A must for The Fans from U.N.C.L.E.