KOOL TV WANTS ON UK DVD: "RETURN OF THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E."

Back to save the day: Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) and Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) in RETURN OF THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. Images: CBS. 

In 1983 it wasn't just Sean Connery returning to the world of spy-dom in the role that made him a worldwide name: James Bond. There was also Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, too, making their way back into TV households as those inimitable and indomitable men from U.N.C.L.E. in the fun and nostalgia packed reunion movie RETURN OF THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. - The Fifteen Years Later Affair. Savilly re-imagined as a potential series pilot re-launch by US TV writer/producer Michael Sloan, later creator of the mega-hit series THE EQUALIZER, who had always loved the TV spy series fad of the early to late sixties spawned from Bond's success across both the UK and US, his likable and ambitious script for the feature length reprisal sees a long retired from U.N.C.L.E. Napoleon Solo (Vaughn) now a successful but bored business man in the computer industry, and his fellow adventurer, Illya Kuryakin (McCallum)- now a wealthy clothes designer following his departure from the agency under a cloud of smoke: due to the death of a girl on a mission gone wrong in Yugoslavia- returning back to the action fold when their nemeses at the THRUSH organisation are re-activated into evil-dom, led by the villainous Justin Sepheran (Anthony Zerbe-a fine casting choice, and one I don't believe had ever appeared in the original sixties version of the series), as they capture a one-of-a-kind nuclear bomb and then hold the world to ransom once again. Lacking agents of the finesse and experience of Solo and Kuryakin, the current U.N.C.L.E., and indeed the world, need the remarkable ex-agents more than ever before.

The new look U.N.C.L.E. organisation headed by Sir John Raleigh (Patrick Macnee).

Despite their fifteen year absence away from the series (and there are some cute jokes referencing their ages and how it was much easier to be spies when they were younger!), both lead film stars slip quickly and effortlessly back into their original roles. He may look older, but Robert Vaughn knows how to throw a punch at the stuntmen and deliver the quirky one liners with the usual charm, whilst McCallum looks so youthful I swear he'd been preserved in limbo since the original series ended in January 1968! Adding further additional style to the series is the presence of ex-AVENGER/John Steed, Patrick Macnee as Sir John Raleigh (related to Sir Walter no less!), taking over the command reins of U.N.C.L.E. following the sad passing of its previous leader, Alexander Waverley (played by Leo G. Carroll). Macnee proves a fine addition to the movie, presumably cast in the role by the TV movies British director Ray Austin (who also worked on the sixties and seventies THE AVENGERS series with the lead star).


RETURN OF THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. titles: THE RETURN OF THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. - YouTube


Clips and news footage of the time: CBS-SYN Return of the Man from UNCLE Movie intro and ET, WCCO-CBS, 4/5&6/1983 - YouTube


1982 McCallum/Vaughn interview: 1982 GMA interview - RV/DMc - YouTube


Along the action and adventure path of the re-imagined film, there's some fun nostalgia referencing and in-joke celebrations of the original U.N.C.L.E. series here and there (of which, helping to add a little bit of the classic series style, are several of its key creative veterans from the sixties, including director of photography Fred Koenekamp, as well as music by one of its most prolific composers, Gerald Fried), good Art Direction from STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION's Herman Zimmerman, whilst the aforementioned Ray Austin's direction is brisk and efficient. Additional well chosen guest stars adding some quality to the production include UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS Simon Williams as Nigel Pennington-Smythe (another ridiculous name for a British character in a US series!), captured by THRUSH for his photographic memory linked to bomb making, Gayle Hunnicutt as a Russian defector/love interest for Napoleon, and the excellent Geoffrey Lewis as U.N.C.L.E. double agent Janus, who has an old score to settle with Kuryakin. Keeping up the fun referencing to James Bond, there's even a lively cameo from ex-Bond actor George Lazenby who, from his comfortable Aston Martin interior, which bears the licence plate JB no less!, helps Napoleon out in a car chase across the Las Vegas strip (clip: George Lazenby in The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. - YouTube). Continuing the Bond tributes, the film ends with a great big action sequence of the likes of the late Sean Connery/mid Roger Moore films, as Solo leads his U.N.C.L.E. soldiers in a race against time battle against THRUSH at their new water dam base/facility in Tripoli: a sequence, filmed in Nevada, that is very well choreographed and cinematically executed for its time. 

George Lazenby returns to play JB (James Bond) in a fun cameo.

Its impossible to recreate the unique magic of a series from fifteen years earlier, especially one so beloved as the original and iconic MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., but RETURN certainly possessed enough warmth and overall likability to make it a well-deserved ratings success for the US CBS channel in its original premiere airing, flattening the competition in its important Sunday night time slot, though everyone-cast, crew and viewers- were surprised, nay dumbstruck, when the channel declared its disinterest in doing any more UNCLE reunion films or even a new series (perhaps because of expense-this effort alone cost two million dollars), of which both Vaughn and McCallum, despite later unhappiness with the TV film's finished results, had been more than happy and ready to commit to. 

Illya and Napoleon wish they could point their guns at CBS network executives!

Eventually premiering a year or two later on British television, the pilot TV film was a modest success on the LWT/ITV channel on its holiday screening, and was repeated one more time before it was eventually released as a poor quality VHS video tape release. So far, it has only been released on official DVD in the US, though, with the eventual newly re-imagined U.N.C.L.E. film coming in the next year or so (we hope!) from WARNER BROTHERS, lets hope its not too long before a restored and cleaned up UK release for RETURN is deemed worthy and profitable.

The US DVD sleeve for the sadly one-off TV movie.

Classic sixties MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E movies are available on UK DVD from WARNER BROTHERS.