Here's some facts and trivia about the eps in Sunday's first...
...group of shows...
10pm (ET)
Man from U.N.C.L.E.
"The Vulcan Affair" is both the first episode of the series and a b/w re-edit of the never-aired color pilot for Solo (the original title for the show.)
The color footage for Solo was reused (along with some new footage featuring Luciana Paluzzi as a WASP agent trying to seduce and kill Napoleon Solo) as the color movie To Trap a Spy, released theatrically after the end of the 1964-65 tv season.
You'll note I said Palluzi was a WASP agent.
In To Trap a Spy, the enemy was not THRUSH...but WASP!
But, in both the Solo and U.N.C.L.E. versions of "The Vulcan Affair" the evil organization is THRUSH.
In a major difference in both Solo and To Trap a Spy, Napoleon's boss at U.N.C.L.E. was not Mr Waverly, but Mr Allison, played by Will Kuluva.
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| Will Kuluva, David McCallum, and Robert Vaughn |
When NBC execs saw the Solo pilot, they said "Get rid of the guy whose name begins with 'K' ".
They meant Kuryakin, David McCallum's Russian character!
But the producers replaced Kuluva, whom they weren't happy with, saying they did as the network asked.
The scenes with Kuluva were reshot with his successor, Leo G Carroll as Alexander Waverly for the aired version of "The Vulcan Affair".
BTW, both Solo & To Trap a Spy are available on DVD!
As to the guest stars:
Fritz Weaver has a long history in genre media including the original Twilight Zone, Martian Chronicles, and playing Sherlock Holmes on Broadway!
William Marshall was Dr Richard Daystrom, the Bill Gates of the Star Trek universe in "The Ultimate Computer", played the King of Cartoons on Pee-Wee's Playhouse, and portrayed Blacula in two successful feature films!
11pm (ET)
Mission: Impossible
"The Cardinal" is a typical third-season episode featuring noted Broadway actor Theodore Bikel (Fiddler on the Roof) as the villain with Barbara Babcock (Star Trek, Green Hornet, Hill Street Blues) as his henchwoman.
Midnight (ET)
Get Smart
"A Ship of Spies" Parts 1 & 2 is one of the last episodes of the first season, and won the 1967 Emmy for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy.
It also features the final appearance of Victor French as supporting character Agent 44 (The CONTROL agent who's always hidden in lockers, mailboxes, and other odd places.
When the character reappears several seasons later, he's played by Al Molinaro.
1am (ET)
The Saint
"The Art Collectors" is one of the few episodes to be made into a novella (rather than a novella or novel becoming the basis of an episode).
It was published in the anthology The Saint Abroad by Fleming Lee ghost-writing for Leslie Charteris.
The scriptwriter, Michael Pertwee was the older brother of Jon Pertwee (the Third Doctor on the long-running Doctor Who) and uncle of Sean Pertwee (Alfred in the new tv series Gotham)!
A genre veteran leads the guest cast:
Peter Bowles, who's now known for his comedic skills, played numerous villains during the 60s-70s on Space: 1999, Sherlock Holmes, and, (in four different roles in four episodes) The Avengers!
