TVSquad

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was one of the more successful spy shows/movies inspired by the James Bond craze of the 1960s. It was a fun show (with a great theme song!), and the complete series has just been released on DVD.

Some people might see the show as a "spoof," and one could take it that way, but it holds up really well as a straightforward spy drama too. Personally, I prefer I Spy, but The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is right up there too. And this set should make fans of the show (you are probably in your 30s at least, maybe older) very happy.

Mention The Man From U.N.C.L.E. to a younger, casual TV fan, and they'll probably look at you with a tilted head, the ways dogs often look at people. But to people of a certain age, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (side note: that's a really hard title to type out) brings back a lot of cool memories. It was a spy spoof that debuted in 1964, in the height of the James Bond craze, but unlike a lot of 007 spoofs that didn't make it or were just plain lousy, U.N.C.L.E. stood on its own and still does today as a really fun light adventure show.

I had a chance to talk with U.N.C.L.E. star Robert Vaughn in conjunction with the release of the massive Time-Life Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Collection set.

Lots of Robert Vaughn-oriented news today: not only is Hustle returning to AMC tonight at 10pm, but it looks like the legal fight over The Man From U.N.C.L.E. DVDs might finally be over.

Vaughn tells the Akron Beacon Journal that he is getting together with NCIS star David McCallum (he played Ilya Kuryakin on the 60s spy show, the partner to Vaughn's Napoleon Solo) to record commentaries and extras for the set, which should be out by the end of this year.

Oddly, Vaughn had already recorded four hours of extras for the show, but then the legal fight delayed the release of those DVDs, so it looks like those extras will be lost forever.

[via TVShowsOnDVD]

I have to say this right off the bat ... I love con jobs. Anything about 'em from movies like David Mamet's House of Games to books like 'Bringing Down the House'. Seeing a really deserving 'mark' getting hooked by 'the lure,' then getting drawn in by 'the roper' and to have the whole plan come together (a la Hannibal from The A-Team) is really satisfying. See how I know all the lingo? That's how cool I am, thus making me the biggest mark of all, because I'm arrogant and annoying -- although not rich, so maybe I'm safe.

Anyhow, AMC's continuing original series Hustle comes to Las Vegas this season (April 18th to be exact) and picks up Robert Wagner as a special guest star along the way. He stars as a collector of Hollywood memorabilia, and thus the con is on as Danny promises to bring him the Hollywood sign. Whoops.

Quotes of the panel:

• Someone asked the cast if they had ever been conned, to which Robert Wagner replied "Well, we're here ... aren't we?" Zing! Unfortunately I can't stop picturing him with an eyepatch and reporting to Dr. Evil.
• Robert Wagner was asked about clashing egos when working on a tv series, and he said he wished his was bigger so that he could impress co-star Jaime Murray. So calmly replied, "I told you darling, it's not the size of the trailer ..."

(S03E04) The episode started in the middle of a con, while the gang was having lunch with the mark. Stacie appeared in a traditional Indian dress, quite the vision. There was talk about a movie investment. The mark was an Indian fellow named Samar. He was extremely unkind and, as he left, Mickey remarked that he never wanted to take anyone's money so badly. Samar rode away in a limo, chaffeured by Danny. Suddenly, he said that everything was too perfect... "You're all con artists!" Danny turned around to try and make some excuse, but ended up driving into a stationary car. Crap.

(S03E03) The episode started quite abruptly with three different people (Stacie and two guys we haven't seen before) giving Danny a whippng and his voice-over saying that he wishes that he never heard the name James Whittaker Wright III. Um. What? Jump back to Danny and Stacie working a short con. Stacie was inside a store, roping in the mark, Danny was sitting outside, watching and waiting for his moment. All of a sudden, some random American guy (played by the legendary Robert Richard Chamberlain -- but he's not quite as legendary as my inability to read my own notes, it seems) sat down in front of him and started talking to Danny about the old ring scam he was presently working on with Stacie. Then, the mysterious man said, "I bet you I can bite my own eye." Of course, Danny jumped at the chance and bet. The man popped out his glass eye, struck his teeth on it a few times, and replaced it. What. In. The. Hell. Before leaving, the man handed Danny his business card. James Whittaker Wright III from Lea Park.

(S03E02) This season is still going beautifully, with creative stories and fantastic visuals. However, I've noticed a recent change and it's driving me absolutely insane... They've completely strayed from their supposed Number 1 rule: You can't cheat an honest man.

As of late, they seem to be conning (stealing from, really) even the most innocent people... Like, ordinary people just going about their jobs, who haven't done anything wrong. I'd normally have no problem seeing good people getting screwed over on a program about con artists, but the characters of Hustle have been absolutely preaching their "honest man" rule since the beginning. Why is it okay for them to suddenly turn around and go against such an important part of what made them superior to the "dirty" grifters in their world? It must be difficult having to write up sleazy characters all the time, but, I've gotta admit, the change is a bit disappointing.

Our friends at Cinematical recently posted that FOX has picked up the rights to create a feature-length version of the BBC/AMC show Hustle. The original minds behind the series are going to work on the film, so that's good news. This is nice and all (Hustle really is a fantastic program), but each episode already runs over an hour. I hope they figure out something really exciting to do, because I'm not sure I'd be willing to fork over $10 to just watch what is essentially an extended episode.

Meanwhile, the third season starts June 28 at 10:00 PM EST for the Americans, with a fourth season in the works.

Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. This is the DVD release equivalent to a tennis match.

First it looked like The Man From U.N.C.L.E., the 60s spy spoof show starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, was coming to DVD this year. Then TVShowsonDVD reported that it wasn't coming after all. Now it looks like Amazon has the first season set listed as coming in July, but the DVD site called Anchor Bay and found out that it's still not coming after all, and might not come until 2007.

Though you might be in luck if you live in Australia...

I really enjoy this show. The stories are entertaining, the cast is great, and it's good to see Robert Vaughn doing something besides those commercials. And now season one of the show is coming to DVD on September 5.

It's only 6 episodes, but there are going to be two DVDs for some reason. I guess the "Assembling The Team" featurette is a little longer than I thought it would be.

The episode started right in the middle of the gang's latest cons. Stacie was just about to work her "sex kitten" act when she stopped dead in her tracks. She just spotted someone that she recognized... her ex-husband, Jake. A crazy twist within the first two minutes? Bravo, Hustle. Anyway, Stacie's ex-husband ran out on her years and years ago, taking all their savings with him. To exact revenge on this jerk that betrayed their beloved Stacie, the gang decided to make her ex the new mark. Stacie explained some of his background to the group and they decided that, by working off his love for poker, they would fool him with a bent Hold 'Em competition.

This episode started at an auction house, where a bidding war over some prized comic book artwork was reaching its climax. It was down to two gentlemen, who brought the price up to £100,000. Ash, disguised in some cool glasses and a little facial hair, jumped in at the last minute and offered £110,000. The two other gentlemen looked crushed as the auctioneer finally banged his gavel. The team looked slightly worried about their new investment as well. What could they possibly do with £110,000 comic book artwork?

Whoo... Lots of stuff to cover. Let's get started... The episode started with Mickey and Danny wrapping up a con in which they tricked a man named Arthur Bond into thinking that they had just helped him purchase the London Eye. Before Mickey and Danny slip out, Arthur laughed with great satisfaction over his new "purchase", puffing his cigar and saying, "I usually get what I want". Another con successfully completed.

While Danny grumbled over the fact that the hotel's new receptionist won't go out with him (he keeps insisting that she's either a lesbian or totally frigid because no straight woman in her right mind would turn down Danny Blue), the group moved on to a new con. This time, they planned on taking advantage of Sir Anthony Reeves, utility company CEO, and his gambling habits.