The Secret Agent Men (And Women) Of Sixties Television

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The sixties were one of the most creative decades for the arts in recent history. Mostly known for innovative rock n’ roll, now called “classic rock,” the decade also broke ground in the areas of pop culture, dress, movies and more. The sixties to this journalist were the fertile twenties in literature with the “lost generation” of American writers including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck.

Last time, we discussed the conic and sometimes outrageous comedy series born in that decade (link below). But it wasn’t just comedy. The Cold War inspired many television spy series, too, some from Great Britain and some from the U.S. Following are four of the more memorable ones.

(1) “Secret Agent”: Perhaps the best of the genre was “Secret Agent,” starring actor Patrick McGoohan. Originally the series was titled “Danger Man” in Great Britain, but was given a new name and catchy theme song for the U.S. market (“Secret Agent Man” by Johnny Rivers).

McGoohan as mI-6 agent John Drake travelled the world helping the west in its fight against the “evil” former Soviet Union and other bad actors. Drake never kissed a woman on screen, and never killed anyone with a gun. He wanted Drake essentially to be a “moral man,” as he said, a role model for impressionable kids and teens. Interestingly, McGoohan turned down the movie role of James Bond because of all the sex and violence.

“Secret Agent” ran in the U.S. (CBS) from 1964 to 1967, in Great Britain (ITV) from 1960-1962 and 1964-1968. It eventually spawned “The Prisoner,” a sci-fy spy series in which Drake has resigned from mI-6 and is banished to a remote island with other spies who know too much. There, he is known as No. 6. In each episode, McGoohan tries to escape, but to no avail. “The Prisoner” ran for only 17 episodes (ITV, 1967-1968), but is considered a solid cult classic today.

(2) “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”: Napoleon Solo (actor Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) act as western spies much in the vein of “Secret Agent,” fighting bad actors all over the globe. In this series, the KGB is known as THRUSH, and, unlike “Secret Agent,” the two men do use guns and have their share of romantic dalliances onscreen, particularly Vaughn.

McCallum, also an accomplished singer, much later became a character in the “NCIS” series, playing medical examiner Ducky Mallard. Vaughn starred in a number of well-known movies, including “Bullitt” with Steve McQueen, and “The Magnificent Seven” with Yul Brenner. “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” ran on NBC from 1964-1968.

(3) “Get Smart”: For comic relief, there was the spy spoof “Get Smart,” starring Don Adams as Agent 86 Maxwell Smart, and Barbara Feldon as Agent 99. Unlike the three spy series above, much more serious, “Get Smart” focused on bumbling secret agents on both sides – and the chemistry between Adams and Feldon. In her quiet way, Feldon played Adam’s sensible sidekick, subtley trying to keep him in line without him knowing he was acting like an idiot. The KGB was known as KAOS, and the CIA CONTROL. Interestingly, the two “acronyms” stood for nothing.

The series is also known famously for pioneering hokey gadgets like the shoe phone (cellphone of the sixties) and the cone of silence (look it up), and Max’s catchphrase, “Missed it by that much,” and 99’s,”Oh Max.” “Get Smart” ran on NBC from 1965-1969, and on CBS from 1969-1970.

Feldon, now 92, remembers her late series co-star fondly, once telling this reporter, “Don’s energy would just lift me up. He had the most wonderful timing and delivery, which made it easy for me to be infected by that. I’m very, very grateful.”

(4) “Mission Impossible”: Originally starring Martin Landau, Barbara Bain and Steven Hill (later in “Law & Order”), “Mission Impossible” was a thinkers’ spy show. The IMF (Impossible Missions Force) was routinely given nearly impossible tasks of infiltrating a bad actor’s organization, then using trickery and ruses to convince it to turn over information and/or to alter its dangerous schemes. The use of human masks was a big part of the series.

The famous instructions tape at the beginning of each episode, which self- destructed after five seconds, made it clear that if “they were caught or killed, the Secretary would disavow any knowledge of their actions.” In other words, the team was on its own if something went wrong.

Later, of course, movies based on the series starring Tom Cruise became blockbusters, but were never as clever as the original television series, relying more on outlandish stunts and special effects. “Mission Impossible” originally ran on CBS from 1966-1973, then was revived in 1988 for two seasons at ABC.

There were more spy series in the sixties other than the four above, of course. Honorable mentions go out to “The Avengers,” “I Spy” and “The Saint.”