The Fiftieth Anniversary Affair

[rusty_armour]

I first discovered The Man From U.N.C.L.E. in the nineties when surfing through channels late one night in a hotel room in Stratford, Ontario. I'd heard of the show, but had never seen an episode. It was love at first sight with a pretty intense, if brief, obsession that followed. However, it's not easy to maintain an obsession when one only has access to a limited number of episodes and a tiny bit of fanfic. There was a brief resurgence a few years later when I got hold of a pro tape collection, but even that only offered a small sampling of episodes. Then, in July, Amazon had this incredible one-day sale for the entire series. I snapped up that little attaché case of DVDs and didn't look back. I've been consuming copious episodes ever since. I don't know if Amazon had this sale because of the 50th anniversary, or if it was just fortuitous timing on their part, but it's been nifty being able to watch episodes (many of which I'd never seen before) as this important date has drawn closer, which brings me to the anniversary itself, of course. It was on this day, fifty years ago, that the very first episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., "The Vulcan Affair," was broadcast. To celebrate this amazing milestone, I thought I'd share this groovy vid made up of first season clips from the show. I think it really gives one the sense of the cool style and tongue in cheek humour of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. It also showcases the wonderful chemistry between Robert Vaughn and David McCallum.

"" (Watch on YouTube)

Okay, I lied. There are two vids. I couldn't resist including this one as well. It's a fun look at the ups and downs of the Solo/Kuryakin partnership, especially when Illya's in a mood. *g*

"" (Watch on YouTube)

Besides the songvids, I bring you three fic recs. The first one is an old favourite dealing with the early hostile days of the Solo/Kuryakin partnership: Kate D's In the Beginning. The second story also deals with the early days of the Solo/Kuryakin partnership (their first meeting, in fact), but goes on to show how Mr. Solo and Mr. Kuryakin become Napoleon and Illya and how that deep, instant friendship grows into something even more intense. Yes, this one's slash, but it's not sappy (a trait I've found in too many MFU slash stories). Actually, it was the humour that first drew me in. This passage completely sold me:

"Channel L Open."

Illya recognized the voice on the other end of the call. Denis March. Not a favorite. "Kuryakin here. I've found your missing American and will bring him in as soon as I've finished what I came here to do."

There was a moment of silence. "You mean Solo?"

Right. That was it. At the briefing he'd been so busy being appalled that any parent would saddle a child with such a ludicrous first name that the last name hadn't stuck. "Yes. Solo."

If you're an MFU fan, I strongly suggest that you check out Kellie Matthews' Lost & Found. Lastly, I found this great little gem on AO3 last week. I'm not sure, but I think it may have even been a re-discovery as I have a feeling I've read it before. Anywaaaaay, it's laceymcbain's The Two Men in a Bed Affair, and, surprisingly, it's not slash. *g*

Comments

[crimsoncorundum]

I'm not that familiar with this fandom. I haven't seen even one episode. Mom thinks she used to watch it, but when she describes the series, it sounds more like Mission Impossible, which we've all watched both the old and the new series (mainly on DVD). Are the two series similar?

[rusty_armour]

I'm at a bit of a disadvantage as I can't remember if Mission Impossible also involved an international law enforcement type network. I think both shows share a similar premise as they have secret agents going on dangerous missions. I've only seen clips from the original Mission Impossible, but I get the feeling that it was a bit more serious than The Man From U.N.C.L.E.. I believe it also aired in the seventies as opposed to the sixties. In any case, I'm guessing that if you enjoy Mission Impossible, you might like The Man From U.N.C.L.E.. There are whole episodes on YouTube if you're ever curious.

[crimsoncorundum]

Personally I remember a bit more from the 80's Mission Impossible, but both series are about a team of experts who solve international crimes and other crisis situations (actually, some members returned for the later series). They use incredibly fancy masks, for instance. In the 80's version they had self-destructing mini-CD:s with instructions, before CD:s were very common for ordinary people. I'm definitely curious about The Man From U.N.C.L.E. There weren't that many action series like that in the 60's and 70's and my parents were lucky at least some of them were aired here in Sweden. If my mom remembers correctly, she liked The Man From U.N.C.L.E (and Mission Impossible). They were also able to see The Prisoner and The Fugitive, if I'm not mistaken.