KOOL TV CLASSIC IMAGE: "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE"

The original and best MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE team. Top L-R: Barbara Bain, Peter Graves. Bottom: Peter Lupus, Greg Morris and Martin Landau. Image: CBS PARAMOUNT.

As Tom Cruise returns to the big screen for more incredible stunts and fast paced action as the almost superhero-like agent Ethan Hunt (and working with a strong supporting cast including Jeremy Renner, Tom Wilkinson and LOST's Josh Holloway) for the fourth MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movie, intriguingly sub-titled GHOST PROTOCOL (check out the great teaser trailer here: Tom Cruise dangles from world's tallest building in new 'Mission: Impossible' trailer - Movies News - Digital Spy), KOOL TV thought it'd be nice to pay a special tribute/nostalgic look back to the original long running TV series that started it all, which, alongside sci-fi series STAR TREK (coming into production existence at a similar time from the DESILU colour filming studios), has been a hit for PARAMOUNT STUDIOS ever since it first appeared in 1966, created with flair and originality for television by the talented Bruce Geller (who also wrote the superb pilot episode, but, realising what a daunting and difficult series to plot and script it would be on a regular basis, decided to leave that area of creative expertise to other equally fine and capable writers to fully realise, namely in its first nearly four years by the acclaimed duo of William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter, whose tightly exerted plots were densely packed with high stakes drama, dangerous maneuverings, unexpected shocks and clever subterfuge-a classic episode of MISSION was almost like watching the perfect chess match unfold, backed up with a superbly cast series of main characters who undertook such high stakes risks and adrenaline fuelled challenges: the CIA-like Impossible Missions Force, would comprise, in its most beloved early seasons, Peter Graves as tactician leader for Years 2-7, Jim Phelps (usually given his assignment briefings via an unknown authority (voiced by an uncredited Bob Johnson) talking on special combustible tape, and normally played at the most unusual and unexpected locations across Los Angeles or New York), the very cool Greg Morris as Barney Collier, a brilliant, daring and highly adaptive technician/engineer, with his own successful electronics company, character actor Martin Landau as magician/showman Rollin Hand, who's also a master of the long con and a man of many faces (via his incredible make-ups and acting abilities), the lovely model/actress Barbara Bain bringing a lot of her own classy and cool demeanour to the role of ex-model Cinamon Carter, primarily used as the gangsters moll-type, the decoy/distraction/infiltrator always at her best using her womanly wiles and possessing wide-ranging talents as an actress/singer, and, rounding the team off, the likable Peter Lupus as Willy Armitage, the weight-lifter/strongman, technician and heroic heavy who often saves the day with his brute force. Special mention must also be made to the fine character actor Steven Hill, who, for sadly one season only (primarily due to his religious beliefs interfering with the series set-in-stone filming schedules), was the little seen original and much liked IMF leader, Dan Briggs, who brought an intriguing and dangerous edge to his portrayal in its premiere year.

With such a fine group of main cast members in the series, the nemeses they took on had to be equally strong and memorable, with quality scripting and direction soon luring quality names like Anthony Zerbe (who appeared in numerous episodes over the series run), William Shatner, Barbara Luna, Robert Conrad, Fritz Weaver, John Vernon, William Smithers, Ricardo Montalban, Darren McGavin, Madlyn Rhue, George Saunders, Vic Morrow and many, many more, into playing baddies both domestic and foreign based (the later almost always filmed on the DESILU backlot or with the help of stock footage, alongside occasional areas of Los Angeles that might look more world ethnic to the camera lense), ranging from Gangsters, war criminals, corrupt politicians, unscrupulous businessmen, assassins, terrorists, political despots, kidnappers and extortionists, all of whom think they're clever or more in control than anyone else around them, and all regretting the day the IMF come knocking at their door-using their vices and greed against them as they are soon framed, arrested or killing themselves, or their own kind, as their plans and ambitions flounder, resulting in the audiences, feeling just as clever as the IMF as they manipulate events, laughing out loud and cheering them on as they gather together and depart with the knowledge of a job well done, and the world being just a little bit better for it!

Pilot episode main titles:YouTube - Mission Impossible opening titles
Series titles:YouTube - Mission Impossible - Original Intro ( 1966 - 1973 )

Lasting an incredible seven seasons on US television (these days anything that survives to that kind of  run is either made on cable, in syndication or has the words CSI in its main titles!), as well as proving itself as a quickly established worldwide hit, the sixties MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE-which would also spawn a two season revival in the mid-eighties filmed in Australia (with the return of Peter Graves and Greg Morris, as well as V's Jane Badler)- may not have had the huge budgets of rival film blockbusters, but it was nevertheless always exciting and ingenious, backed up with intelligent and marvellous plots (fresh and inventive for the majority of its run, and in some stories it wasn't always a clear win for the team-sometimes outside elements would come into play which would disrupt their plans, forcing them to quickly improvise), whilst the series leads enjoyed the challenging multi faceted roles they'd get to play (which often gave them greater to scope to work with than playing the same regular roles in and out-don't forget, for the most part the IMF team only really appeared as themselves in the beginning and end of the episodes), alongside good stunt work and classy visuals, backed up with a truly memorable theme tune from Lalo Schifrin (iconically linked and recognised to anything spy-like on television right up to the present day). All of these fine elements made a great cohesive whole, resulting in it deservedly becoming one of the coolest shows around: an enduring favourite with fans of the genre, and a series which is still being discovered and enjoyed by new audiences today...

Jim Phelps tape recorded assignment monologues may have self destructed and gone to ashes on a weekly basis, but MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE overall endures as a solid and well crafted entertainment legacy...

The entire seven season run of the original MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE is available to buy on DVD.