> I've only seen the original Mission: Impossible series a couple of > times, and it was a while ago -- do we have any TV buffs who could > explain? Did the episodes of the old series really concentrate on > Phelps the whole time, or were they more of an ensemble series? Dude, you are in luck since I am a majorly crusty MI original series goon! This is scary, but at sci-fi cons, there are geeks that are into TV like mad bastards and sit around eating pizza, droning on about MI, The Prisoner, Dr. Who, etc., so jump back as I proceed. (warning: contains spoilers re: original MI series) Mission: Impossible (original series) is consistently rated as one of the top 10 television shows ever made. The high quality of the writing of the series helped to make that true, which was why many people were disappointed with the unimaginative cop-out ("surprise") ending to the first MI movie and the sub-par writing of the MI1 and MI2 movies. Greg Morris of the original TV series cast, walked out on MI1, calling it a 'blasphemy'. Right on! The original MI TV series is an ensemble gig;. In fact, the original MI leader was Steven Hill playing Daniel Briggs (1966-1967). He quit the show since he became an Orthodox Jew during the series and shooting MI conflicted with the Jewish weekend observance parameters poobah thing. I hate it when that happens. So enter Peter Graves as Jim Phelps (1967-1973). Theoretically, the MI leader selects his team to match the mission at hand and he has a huge file of people from which he can select. The original series is cool because each show starts out with the leader listening to the self-destruct mission tape and then selecting the members of his team from the batch, tossing the dossier for each team member on the table. Then, cut in with the groovy music. The most memorable characters: Barbara Bain as Cinnamon Carter: a model and socialite on the surface, crafty and cool underneath, can get in places where the less- charming men cannot Marting Landau as Rollin Hand: master of disguise (Bain and Landau were married back then and were with the show from 1966-1969) Greg Morris as Barney Collier: a black engineer dude that MI recruited from MIT. Is good at wiring gizmos. Peter Lupus as Willy Armitage: an extremely large white dude who is good at moving heavy objects, picking locks, driving like a mad bastard, and planting bombs. Looks like a delivery/worker dude, so uses that disguise often. Leonard Nimoy as Paris the Great: master illusionist and expert sleight of hand artist Also on the show for a few episodes: Lesley Ann Warren, Lynda Day George, Barbara Anderson, Sam Elliot. Fun fact: Desilu (DESI Arnaz, Jr., LUcille Ball) Studios produced MI. Nimoy and Anderson had done work for Desilu studios before on the Star Trek set. Desilu was known for its tiny budgets and would use its contracted actors on as many of its productions as possible. Each episode is an individual masterwork of an intricate mind-fuck. The scheme usually involves some elaborate plan to get the target to believe that some event has happened and involves a seamless interworking of 20 different interwoven and precisely-timed ploys (increasingly tightening the suspense and tension at each turn), and always a couple of cool gizmos. The goal of the scheme can be to draw a criminal into the open, rescue a hostage, or to get a scientist to stop their work, or to get a scientist to continue their work, etc. In one episode, they convince a man that the world has been destroyed by a nuclear war and that he is one of the few remaining humans. In another, they convince a scientist that her husband is trying to communicate with her from beyond the grave. In another, they convince an army that a stash of gold has been ripped off, when in reality it has been melted and spray-painted over grey to look like the concrete stash floor. haha! Each plan is concocted for the individual target, utilizing their individual beliefs, susceptibilities, weaknesses, and paranoia. Another cool thing about the series is that the team members are not perfect zen studs. In one episode, the enemy discovers and exploits Cinnamon's fear of enclosed spaces to get her to talk. There are always some snafus in the plan which add to the tension as you wonder how they can possibly recover the plan in only a few seconds. Check out: The internet movie database for more info: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0060009 FX (cable) used to show original MI re-runs, but I don't know if they still do. There are a few episodes available on videotape (amazon.com, Suncoast, video rental, etc.) There is a good book: The Complete Mission: Impossible Dossier which has a listing of all the characters and a run-down of every episode and descriptions of gizmos used. I think the book is out of print now, but you can still find copies at cons and used bookstores, online, etc. The TV show was recycled in 1988 and ran for two years. That also starred Peter Graves. Greg Morris' son, Phil, played Barney Collier's son, Grant. I haven't seen any of these episodes, so don't know if they are any good. None are out on videotape. Here is a good user comment from IMDB which pretty much sums it up: Thomas Rucki (filigrane@hotmail.com) Paris, France Date: 24 April 1999 Summary: The theater of the manipulation "Mission : impossible" is the most complex espionage series ever conceived. What makes this show so unique ? It is its storyline, its characters, its visual style and its music : a real trade mark. What I like the most is first the ritual : the tape, the dossier and the apartment briefing, then the fast-paced clips as credits, the character of Martin Landau with his masks and gimmicks, the cinematography (very quick cuts, extreme close ups as inserts, the use of special lenses, pan-and-tilt shots, upside-down camera shots, hand-held camera shots, optical zoom shots as dramatic effects), the skillful montage, and finally, the music and its various themes. The show is an impeccable and Machiavellian play. Every details are planned in advance to fool and get rid of the enemy. Each scheming is tight and shocking. I like the use of the time warp concept in "Operation Rogosh" and the role of Fritz Weaver as the paranoid Soviet Union spy trapped in a fake Russian prison which is in California. I like the tension and the suspense created by silent actions. Anyway, the whole show is about simulacrum. The devious methods of the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) agents are always delightful and clever. Don't miss the best episodes : "The mind of Stephan Miklos", "Live bait" and "The interrogator". This tape will self-destruct in five seconds, good luck. ! --- From: Larry Briggs I have some vague memories of watching the series on TV with my folks. That was at the early fringe of my existence, so I only have a few grainy recollections. The things I remember about Mission Impossible are: 1. Watching the fuse burn across the bottom of the screen during the intro. 2. The show came on after my bedtime, but I was allowed to stay up long enough to watch the tape self-destruct. 3. The general disappointment felt in our household with the departure of the Daniel Briggs character. :)