raysond
The television series "I Spy" represented NBC at it's most daring that in 1965 actor-producer-creator Sheldon Leonard,best known behind the guiding force behind "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Danny Thomas Show aka Make Room For Daddy",and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" could offer a first-class dramatic entry as well. Certainly during the 1960's when civil rights was an explosive issue,and television series were predictable and shot exclusively on studio sound stages and back lots,a program that was the first to filmed 'on location' and to featured an African-American actor in a leading role for the first time(in a mainstream dramatic series that was totally brand new in 1965)was not only revolutionary,but potentially disastrous as well. It is to everyone's credit that the powers that be over at NBC,which was most successful network at that time was willing to take this extreme risk and introduce this remarkable series to American audiences that would be the first to be filmed on location in exotic places around the world and in full color.Robert Culp was an established television and film star when the series debuted with credentials that included his work on television Westerns( the series,"Trackdown" from 1957-1959),his work on the first major made for-TV movie ("The Hanged Man"),guest star appearances("The Outer Limits","Naked City", "The Virginian", "Rawhide", "Gunsmoke", "The Corruptors","Bonanza","Mr.Novak","The Man From UNCLE"),and strong theatrical film work("PT 109", "Sunday In New York","The Raiders"),and his credentials as gifted writer and actor. The premise for "I Spy" was the adventures of a tennis pro Kelly Robinson played by Robert Culp and his trainer Alexander Scott(A Rhodes Scholar) played by newcomer Bill Cosby,who were actually CIA agents who would use their covers on worldwide missions,was hammered out. Culp knew he had the right formula with Bill Cosby and this is where the show took off. The co-starring role became the focus of attention throughout the series with the initial focus was on Culp's flamboyant 'Kelly Robinson" and Cosby's 'Alexander Scott' relegated to the serious role of the 'contact' man with the CIA. While Cosby having a way to 'punching up' his dialog this had the potential of the actor putting in one-liners and asides that not only improve the scenes but gave the character of Scott a humanity that the scripts lacked. Not only were the episodes became funny but it also added in several good action-packed sequences that made this show stand out. Not to mention some of the best dramatic acting ever assembled. Thus it became television's most popular espionage buddy show and the result won three Prime-Time Emmys during it's sensational three year run at NBC.The creative force behind the show were writers David Friedkin and Morton Fine and cinematographer Fouad Said under there production company "Triple F Productions" under the aegis of Desilu Studios where the series was produced. Fine and Friedkin were co-producers and head writers and wrote the scripts for 16 episodes, one of which Friedkin directed. Friedkin also dabbing in acting and appeared in two episodes in the first season of "I Spy". The series aired on September 15, 1965 and was placed on NBC's Wednesday prime-time schedule opposite "Amos Burke" and "The Danny Kaye Show" that did very well in the ratings. The series lasted three seasons producing 83 episodes in color until April 15,1968. "I Spy" ran for 2 seasons on Wednesday nights,and in its third season the show moved to Monday nights. Big name writers included Jerry Belson, Stephen Kandel, Edward J. Lakso, Robert Culp, Chester Krumholz, Jackson Gillis, Earl Barret,and Oliver Crawford. Big name directors from Earl Bellamy, Christian Nyby, Paul Wendkos, Leo Penn, David Friedkin, Sheldon Leonard, Tom Gries, Mark Rydell, Anton Leader, Richard Benedict, Hal Cooper, Ralph Senensky, John Rich, Richard C. Sarafian, and Allan Reisner.Big name guest stars consisted of seasoned African-American actors ranging from Cicely Tyson, Ivan Dixon, Diana Sands, Abbey Lincoln, Brock Peters, Eartha Kitt, Godfrey Cambridge, Leslie Uggams, Beah Richards, and Raymond St. Jacques. The guest stars that appeared on "I Spy" included Carroll O'Connor, Jim Backus, Maurice Evans, Nehemiah Persoff, Victor Buono, Joey Heatherton, Lee Weaver, Julie London, Roger C. Carmel, France Nuyen, Ricardo Montalban, Gene Hackman, James Best, Nancy Wilson, Madlyn Rhue, Jay Novello, Lloyd Nolan, Kamala Devi,Boris Karloff, and Harold J.Stone. along with Martin Landau. Even Sheldon Leonard was a guest star on an episode as well as producer David Friedkin was also a guest star. Other guest stars included newcomer George Stanford-Brown,along with James Earl Jones and Roscoe Lee Browne. Even "Andy Griffith" alumnus Ronnie Howard was also a guest star in an episode.The best episodes from this Emmy winning series "Home To Judgment", "Mainly on the Plains", "The War Lord", "Bet Me A Dollar", "Trial By Treehouse", "Dragon's Teeth", "So Long, Patrick Henry", "A Cup of Kindness", "Bridge of Spies", "Danny Was A Million Laughs", "The Loser",and "It's All Done With Mirrors" and so much more. The phenomenal success of "I Spy" basically opened the doors for other African-American actors who would go on to bigger and better careers,thanks in part to Sheldon Leonard who opened the door for Bill Cosby who went on to make historical contributions to this series. And the overall achievements that the television series "I Spy" made opened the doors for other actors as Nichelle Nichols("Star Trek"),Rosey Grier("Daniel Boone"), Greg Morris("Mission:Impossible"), Don Mitchell("Ironside"),Clarence Williams III("The Mod Squad"),Diahann Carroll("Julia"), Robert Hooks ("N.Y.P.D."),Otis Young("The Outcasts"),and Raymond St. Jacques("Rawhide"),and Don Marshall("The Land of the Giants") and many more. Without the success and the launching of "I Spy" this would have not been possible. Happy Annniversary "I Spy".
foxbrick-1
I SPY arrived in the wake of Bond, and THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E's first blush of success (I don't believe that THE AVENGERS or SECRET AGENT had quite made it to the U.S., but they soon would), and while Cicely Tyson had already taken a leading non-domestic role in EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE, that series was less of a success than I SPY was. I SPY may not've had the first "interracial" kiss on U.S. television, but it certainly beat STAR TREK's much-bruited non-kiss (between William Shatner and Nichelle Nicholls's characters, and more of a pressing faces together) by several years, with the numerous appearances of France Nuyen as Sam, Robert Culp's Kelly's great love (apparently, Nuyen and Culp were an item off screen for a while; amusingly, Nuyen and Shatner may've kissed ((I don't remember clearly)) on her one STAR TREK appearance, which followed by nearly a decade Nuyen and Shatner's appearance together in the stage version of THE WORLD OF SUSIE WONG, wherein, as Nuyen told LIFE magazine, Shatner often "needed" ((sic)) a preshow massage from her). The emphasis on East-Asian settings in the first season particularly was canny, if also ethically arguable--surely Cosby would appear particularly All-American to even the most nervous viewers in distinction to these Other people, however often they were played by just as All-American actors. The politics in other ways were often simpleminded, particularly when compared to even SECRET AGENT, but the human drama was also at times remarkably present even given the flimsiness of the scripts, as noted here by others.
