Mary Ann Mobley (1937-2014): the first Girl from UNCLE

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 Moonglow Affair episode. From left, Normal Fell (as Mark Slate), Leo G. Carroll (as Alexander Waverly) and Mary Ann Mobley as April Dancer, the first Girl From UNCLE.