Open Channel D: The Man From UNCLE Affair

Henry Cavill (“Man of Steel”) stars as Napoleon Solo opposite Armie Hammer (“The Social Network”) as Illya Kuryakin in director Guy Ritchie’s action adventure “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” a fresh take on the hugely popular 1960s television series.  Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB agent Kuryakin.  Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology.  The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, who is the key to infiltrating the criminal organization, and they must race against time to find him and prevent a worldwide catastrophe.

This is the first "official" image of the new The Man From UNCLE movie picture, to be released in August 2015. The scene is set in a roof somewhere in Rome, Italy. In the picture, Alicia Vikander (as Gaby Teller), Armie Hammer (as Illya Kuryakin) and Henry Cavill (as Napoleon Solo). 

In 1965 The Man From UNCLE series was such a hit that its producers decided to create a spinoff, The Girl From UNCLE . As a pilot, they used an episode of the original series called "The Moonglow Affair". In this particular episode the main characters Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) were "hospitalized" early in the action and replaced by the pair who would star in the new series - April Dancer and Mark Slate. For the role of Slate  was choosen the veteran actor Norman Fell. As April Dancer, the former Miss USA Mary Ann Mobley. Mobley had started her acting career just two years before and worked in film and TV alongside stars such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lewis and Nancy Sinatra. But his performance as The Girl From UNCLE episode ended in the pilot. For the series (which premiered in 1966) she was replaced by Stephanie Powers. Mary Ann Mobley died on December 9, 2014, due to a breast cancer. The picture below is from The Moon...

How much money you may spend to have the whole UNCLE package? Let's take the Amazon Store prices for an example: Briefcase with the complete The Man From UNCLE (1964-1968) series plus a lot of extras in 41 DVDs. Price: US$ 83.99 . The Man From UNCLE 8 movie collection in 4 DVDs. Price: US$ 27.49 . Return of the Man From UNCLE movie in 1 DVD. Price: US$ 9.47 . The Girl From UNCLE complete series in two parts (4 DVDs each). Price: US$ 27.49 each part. Total: US$ 54.98 . Total: 54 DVDs, US$175.53 (plus handling, transport and taxes).

The Man From UNCLE would not have been so successful if there were no Illya Kuryakin. Actor David McCallum turned the Soviet agent into a charming and shy intellectual with a Beatle blonde hair. This is a clip of scenes with Illya Kuryakin in The Man From UNCLE series.

The Man From UNCLE  was so successful in his second season (1966) that the producers decided to create a parallel series (or spinoff) using the same scenario of the original. And by the same boss, Mr. Alexander Waverly (Leo G. Carroll). The Girl From UNCLE was a pioneer in series starring women-spies (as Alias and Homeland) . Unfortunately it came in 1967, during the third season of The ManFrom UNCLE . And the producers of the two parallel series wanted to ride the wave of parody that made the success of Batman . It was a wrong choice for the many fans of the series. The Girl From UNCLE lasted only one season and The Man would be canceled in early 1968. The Girl From UNCLE starred the agent April Dancer (Stephanie Powers). She was baptized by Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. April had as a partner the british Mark Slater (Noel Harrison). The series was never a hit, like the original. Still watch The Girl From UNCLE today (on DVD) is a fun time travel. ...

Almost everything in the new version of The Man From UNCLE  picture is absolutely secret. But some of the cast is listed in the IMDb site. Above is Armie Hammer, in the role of Illya Kuryakin, the russian agent from UNCLE. See below more faces in the new UNCLE version: Henry Cavill (Napoleon Solo) Alicia Vikander (Gaby Teller) Christopher Sciuref (Colonel Massid) Elizabeth Debicki (Victoria Vinciguerra) Guy Potter (Race Guest) Hugh Grant (Alexander Waverly) Jared Harris (Sanders)

Every fictional spy has an authoritarian chief/father figure. James Bond has "M". Illya Kuryakin and Napoleon Solo, the men from UNCLE, works under Mr Alexander Waverly leadership.  One of the biggest hits of the series' producers was the decision to choose the actor Leo G. Carroll for the role of Waverly. Carroll gave the authority and integrity to the character . In the final year, 1968, he was already debilitated by age and illness. He died four years after the cancellation of The Man From UNCLE . Leo Gratten Carroll was born in England in 1886. He started his career on stage and became a sort of amulet for director Alfred Hitchcock. Carroll worked in six of his pictures. During the 1960s he became very popular as Alexander Waverly in two parallel series: The Man From UNCLE and The Girl From UNCLE . Hugh Grant was chosen to be the new Alexander Waverly in Guy Ritchie's feature film premiering in August 2015. Todo espião ficcional tem um chefe auto...

The music theme of The Man From UNCLE series was composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It was the coolest mix in the mid-1960s with touches of jazz, rock and the growing influence of Brazilian bossa nova. Every season had a new opening and a new theme arrangement.  This clip below shows the openings of the first episodes of each of the four seasons (1964-1968): O tema de abertura da serie O Agente da UNCLE foi composta por Jerry Goldsmith. Somava o que havia de mais cool em meado dos anos 1960: uma base de jazz, um toque de rock e a influência cada vez mais presente da bossa nova brasileira. A cada temporada o tema ganhava um novo arranjo para a abertura da série, que se modificava a cada ano. Este clipe abaixo reproduz as aberturas dos primeiros episódios de cada uma das quatro temporadas (1964-1968):

  From the TV Shows on DVD site : In 2007, TimeLife.com began exclusively selling  The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Complete Series , a collection which came in a collectible attache case package. In 2008, Warner Home Video took over the product, selling the same package wide at general retail. While you can still find copies of it around, that item has actually been discontinued for a little while, and there are still many fans out there who still haven't gotten it...or don't want it in the oversized special packaging it's been available in so far. For those fans, Warner is re-releasing  The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Complete Series  this  November 4th  in a new "unlimited" (and shelf-friendly) package, with the same 41 DVDs as previously included, but apparently without all the accompanying bells and whistles. Expect the discs to come in slimmer season sets, and a separate case for the bonus "debriefing" discs, all slid into an outer slipcase t...

In a Tuesday, Sept. 29, 1964 at 08:30 PM, the series The Man From UNCLE debuted on the American TV. The series was not an immediate hit. But soon became a global pop culture phenomenon. Today The Man From UNCLE fans celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the night that changed the history of espionage fiction forever.  This was the advertising page from NBC network announcing their new attraction:  And here the Chevrolet ad, placing Man From UNCLE to the height of two monumental TV series, Bonanza and Bewitched : Numa terça feira, dia 29 de setembro de 1964, às 20:30, a série O Agente da UNCLE estreiou oficialmente na TV dos EUA. A serie não foi um sucesso imediato. Mas em pouco tempo se transformou num fenômeno da cultura pop global. Hoje se completam 50 anos dessa noite que mudou a história da ficção de espionagem para sempre. Acima, a página de propaganda da NBC anunciando sua nova atração. E a publicidade da Chevrolet, colocando O Agente da...

Daniel Pemberton is recording the soundtrack to new UNCLE  picture at the Abbey Road studios in London. " For the entire year I have had no life and been slaving away on the soundtrack to the new film ", posted Pemberton on September, 23. " So it gives me enormous pleasure to announce that tomorrow I start recording my score to the new Guy Ritchie film,   The Man From UNCLE ." The 36 years old composer, he is already a TV and movies veteran. Last year Pemberton worked  in director Ridley Scott's The Counselor . Daniel posted this picture inside the studio made famous by the Beatles: Picture: Daniel Pemberton Daniel Pemberton está gravando a trilha sonora da nova versão em filme de O Agente da UNCLE nos estúdios Abbey Road, em Londres. " Por este ano todo eu não tive uma vida e fiquei escravizado à trilha sonora de um novo filme ", Pemberton postou no  Twitter no dia 23 de setembro. " Por isso, me dá enorme prazer anunciar que amanhã...

After two great seasons (1964-1965), The Man From UNCLE  was lost in the third trying to emulate the comic tone of Batman series. It became pretty bad. And the opinion is unanimous: the worst of 105 episodes was The My Friend the Gorilla Affair , aired on December 16, 1966. The series star, Robert Vaughn (in the role of Napoleon Solo) defined the situation well: "When I saw dancing with a man dressed as a gorilla at the top of a tree, I wondered where that series was going". Apos duas ótimas temporadas (1964-1965), a série O Agente da UNCLE se perdeu na terceira tentando imitar o tom cômico de Batman. O resultado foi bem ruim. E a opinião é unânime: o pior dos 105 episódios foi O Caso da Minha Amiga Gorila , exibido originalmente no dia 16 de dezembro de 1966. O próprio astro da série, Robert Vaughn (no papel de Napoleon Solo), definiu bem a situação: "Quando me vi dançando com um homem vestido como um gorila no alto de uma árvore, eu me perguntei para onde aquela s...

The Man From UNCLE series was created to be a spy series showing the struggle between secret organizations (and not between countries). Producer Sam Rolfe, who created the ficcional UNCLE organization, at first didn't bother to explain the meaning of the acronym. His idea was to pretend that UNCLE was a secret UN agency - which explains the initial two letters. Before the premiere, Rolfe decided that UNCLE mean United Network Command for Law Enforcement. O Agente da UNCLE foi criado para ser uma série de espionagem focada na luta entre organizações secretas, e não entre países. Foi assim que o produtor Sam Rolfe criou a fictícia organização UNCLE. A princípio, não se preocupou em explicar o significado da sigla. A sua primeira ideia era sugerir que a UNCLE era uma agência secreta da ONU (ou United Nations) - o que explica as duas letras iniciais. Com o lançamento da série, Rolfe decidiu que UNCLE significaria United Network Command for Law Enforcement. 

If you want to know the secrets of The Man From UNCLE series, do not expect to watch any episode on TV or YouTube. The best thing to do is buy the silver case with all 105 episodes produced between 1964-1968. The DVDs include 41 episodes, the pilot ("Solo") interviews, behind the scenes footage, trailers, interviews, etc. Total: 5.620 minutes, just under four days of continuous show. The case is sold at Amazon. Price: $ 125. Se você quer conhecer todos os segredos da série o Agente da UNCLE , não espere assistir nenhum episódio na TV nem procure no YouTube. O melhor a fazer é comprar a maleta prateada com todos os 105 episódios produzidos entre 1964-1968. Os 41 DVDs incluem os episódios, o piloto, entrevistas, cenas de bastidores, trailers, depoimentos, etc. No total são 5.620 minutos, o que equivale a pouco menos de 4 dias contínuos de material. A maleta está sendo vendida pela Amazon a 125 dólares (fora impostos).

From Wikipedia : "A challenge coin is a small coin or medallion, bearing an organization’s insignia or emblem and carried by the organization’s members".  Henry Cavill has posted the first image of something that he created and certainly will become a collector's item for Man From UNCLE many fans: the challenge coin with the organization's logo. The new Napoleon Solo distributed the coin among the production staff of the film that will premiere on August 14, 2015.  Henry Cavill, que vai interpretar Napoleon Solo no filme O Agente da UNCLE, criou e distribuiu a membros da produção uma "moeda de desafio" com o logo tipo da organização. Na mensagem que acompanhava a moeda, Cavill diz entre outras coisas: "Foi um autêntico prazer trabalhar com vocês, garotos e garotas. Não é sempre que uma experiência pode ser tão relaxante e ao mesmo tempo tão profissional ao mesmo tempo. Espero que a gente tenha uma experiência tão prazerosa de novo proximamente...

The premiere of The Man From UNCLE was postponed to August 2015. What the top four names in the production will be up there? Henry Cavill (Napoleon Solo) - (Pictured above) is fully involved with Superman. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice  is scheduled for release in March 2016. It was already announced another production with the super character in Justice League .  Armie Hammer (Illya Kuryakin) - working in the film Serpent Girls . Also in the telefilm Stan Lee's Mighty 7 .  Hugh Grant (Alexander Waverly) - no plans announced. Guy Ritchie (director & co-writer) - works in the pre production of King Arthur , to be released in 2016. O lançamento da nova versão de O Agente da UNCLE foi adiado para agosto de 2015. O que os quatro principais nomes da produção farão até lá?  Henry Cavill (Napoleon Solo) está totalmente envolvido com o personagem de Superman. Atualmente termina as filmagens de Batman v Superman: Dawn...

DMP is proud to present an exclusive YouTube channel for "everything" The Man From UNCLE . The channel includes documentaries, excerpts from films, musical themes, interviews, testimonials, etc. Starts with two and a half hours of material and this will be increased each day. For now, most of the videos shows the TV series (1964 - 1968).  With due time more material on the feature film (to be released in 2015) will be included. A DMP está orgulhosa de apresentar um canal exclusivo no YouTube para The Man From UNCLE. O canal inclui documentários, trechos dos filmes, temas musicais, entrevistas, depoimentos, etc. Começa com duas horas e meia e vai ser aumentado a cada dia. Por enquanto a maior parte dos vídeos mostra material relativo à série de TV apresentada entre 1964 e 1968. Mas com o tempo mais material sobre o longa metragem a ser lançado em 2015 será incluído. Para assistir o Canal D no YouTube, clique aqui.

Warner Brother Pictures announced the delay of some of its films of 2015, including The Man From UNCLE . The original release date was January 16, and has now moved to August 14. A produtora Warner Brother anunciou o adiamento de alguns dos filmes de 2015, inclusive O Agente da UNCLE. A data original de lançamento era 16 de janeiro e agora passou para 14 de agosto.

Ian Fleming died exactly 50 years ago. He became famous as the creator of James Bond, but also played a key role in the birth of the series The Man From UNCLE . Fleming was called by producer Norman Felton in 1963 to develop a series of espionage for American TV. He suggested a character named Mister Solo, a lone hero living by the beach. Felton took the character's name. But another producer, Sam Rolfe, completely changed the concept of Fleming, who in an act of chivalry has waived any right in the TV series. Ian Fleming died in England on 12 August 1964 at 56 and had not enjoyed the immense success or James Bond and  The Man From UNCLE . Ian Fleming and Sean Connery Ian Fleming morreu há exatamente 50 anos. Ele ficou famoso como o criador de James Bond, mas teve papel fundamental também no nascimento da série O Agente da UNCLE . Fleming foi chamado pelo produtor Norman Felton em 1963 para desenvolver uma série de espionagem para a TV americana. Sugeriu um personagem cha...

A big event (aptly named as The Golden Anniversary Affair) will be held in Los Angeles to commemorate the 50 years of the series The Man From UNCLE. The festival is organized by Robert Short and Jon Heitland (author of the book Behind the Scenes Story of a Television Classic ). On September 26, atendees will visit the studios of MGM (now Sony) where the series was filmed. The next day a large meeting will be held at the Doubletree Hotel with lectures, seminars and memorabilia display. Producers and technicians who worked on The Man From UNCLE (1964-1968) will be there. (But the actors Robert Vaughn and David McCallum are not on the list of attractions). The Golden Anniversary Affair is limited to  100 guests. The event official site: http://thegoldenanniversaryaffair.weebly.com/ Um grande evento (apropriadamente batizado como The Golden Anniversary Affair) será realizado em Los Angeles para comemorar os 50 anos da série O Agente da UNCLE. A festa está sendo organizada por...