David McCallum 1933-2023

[Raykv423]

Man, this really breaks my heart Really loved seeing him in NCIS. He seems a lovely guy to be around from what I heard. Godspeed and sweet dreams, David.

[NotthatRick]

Always liked him. Rest in Peace.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Yep he was a fine actor and probably the best thing about NCIS.

But I never understood McCallum’s appeal on THE MAN FROM UNCLE and his becoming a sex symbol in the 60s. As far as his acting he was very wooden on that show and in the looks department Robert Vaughn had him beat dead to right. Yet he became an overnight sensation. Really mind boggling to me. Vaughn was the suave super spy with the looks, quips, bravado, and charm. Basically a James Bond for the small screen. In contrast McCallum was the dour looking man of few words and zero emotion and a haircut that didn’t do him any favors. Yet the girls went crazy for him. Go figure…

[Laohu]

I think I first saw him in the movie The Great Escape . Wonderful movie if any of you have not seen it .

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Yep he was a fine actor and probably the best thing about NCIS.

But I never understood McCallum’s appeal on THE MAN FROM UNCLE and his becoming a sex symbol in the 60s. As far as his acting he was very wooden on that show and in the looks department Robert Vaughn had him beat dead to right. Yet he became an overnight sensation. Really mind boggling to me. Vaughn was the suave super spy with the looks, quips, bravado, and charm. Basically a James Bond for the small screen. In contrast McCallum was the dour looking man of few words and zero emotion and a haircut that didn’t do him any favors. Yet the girls went crazy for him. Go figure…

Ivan, I agree with you 100%.
He elected as an actor to so painfully underplay his role as a Russian agent assigned to UNCLE - a international police organisation - that I can only wonder now if he was deliberately trying to convey
that as a KGB agent he didn't trust Solo and Waverly and was there to warily observe and soak up any information he could for Moscow while helping to defeat criminals that were a threat to all nations.
Maybe that was a supposed given at the time - deepest Cold War - but if so it went over my head and I dare say most others.

I am just spit balling here, but from the audience and Solo's point of view were we supposed to look at McCallum as a bad guy/temporary ally hence Solo not exactly showing warmth towards him?
That would put a very different spin on how one watches the series, one that hadn't occurred to me before your post got me thinking, so I would like to see the series again as it's been years.

I saw McCallum at the Paper Mill Playhouse(Millburn, NJ) in Run For Your Wife in the 1980's, he was hilarious. I couldn't understand at the time why he was so dour on Man From Uncle when he had this
flair in him. And yes the women in the audience loved him, they were audibly sighing and whistling when he first came on stage, whatever he's got he should bottle it, but frankly it escapes me as well.

I also saw Vaughn at the Paper Mill, absolutely brilliant in Inherit The Wind, he put on a acting clinic. The Paper Mill is every bit as good as Broadway, draws top stars, and you pay 50% less.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rodney Dangerfield -
"I told my doctor the new pills she prescribed me gave me suicidal thoughts. Now she wants me to pay in advance."
"My history teacher flunked me. He asked me why Washington crossed the Delaware, I told him he had a broad stashed in Jersey."

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Yep he was a fine actor and probably the best thing about NCIS.

But I never understood McCallum’s appeal on THE MAN FROM UNCLE and his becoming a sex symbol in the 60s. As far as his acting he was very wooden on that show and in the looks department Robert Vaughn had him beat dead to right. Yet he became an overnight sensation. Really mind boggling to me. Vaughn was the suave super spy with the looks, quips, bravado, and charm. Basically a James Bond for the small screen. In contrast McCallum was the dour looking man of few words and zero emotion and a haircut that didn’t do him any favors. Yet the girls went crazy for him. Go figure…

Ivan, I agree with you 100%.
He elected as an actor to so painfully underplay his role as a Russian agent assigned to UNCLE - a international police organisation - that I can only wonder now if he was deliberately trying to convey
that as a KGB agent he didn't trust Solo and Waverly and was there to warily observe and soak up any information he could for Moscow while helping to defeat criminals that were a threat to all nations.
Maybe that was a supposed given at the time - deepest Cold War - but if so it went over my head and I dare say most others.

I am just spit balling here, but from the audience and Solo's point of view were we supposed to look at McCallum as a bad guy/temporary ally hence Solo not exactly showing warmth towards him?
That would put a very different spin on how one watches the series, one that hadn't occurred to me before your post got me thinking, so I would like to see the series again as it's been years.

I saw McCallum at the Paper Mill Playhouse(Millburn, NJ) in Run For Your Wife in the 1980's, he was hilarious. I couldn't understand at the time why he was so dour on Man From Uncle when he had this
flair in him. And yes the women in the audience loved him, they were audibly sighing and whistling when he first came on stage, whatever he's got he should bottle it, but frankly it escapes me as well.

I also saw Vaughn at the Paper Mill, absolutely brilliant in Inherit The Wind, he put on a acting clinic. The Paper Mill is every bit as good as Broadway, draws top stars, and you pay 50% less.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rodney Dangerfield -
"I told my doctor the new pills she prescribed me gave me suicidal thoughts. Now she wants me to pay in advance."
"My history teacher flunked me. He asked me why Washington crossed the Delaware, I told him he had a broad stashed in Jersey."

Dobie, what you say is interesting and it does make sense. However, given that this was a pretty fantastical spy-fi show (not something more cerebral like Bruce Geller's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE) somehow I doubt they thought this deeply into it. To me it just seems like they needed the Russian to be very stoic and serious (aren't they all?) to show that this guy really is a Russkie. Not allowed to crack a smile or show emotion. You get sent to the gulag for stuff like that. So you end up with a very boring dude. Typical Russkie.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I think I first saw him in the movie The Great Escape . Wonderful movie if any of you have not seen it .

THE GREAT ESCAPE is a classic! One of the best films of the 60s and one of the best WWII adventure films. But to me the all-time greatest in this genre has to be WHERE EAGLES DARE!!! WWII, espionage, action, adventure, dizzying heights, snow-capped mountain-top fortresses, cable cars, double agents, triple agents, snow and more snow, Richard Burton, snow, Clint Eastwood, snow, evil Nazis, more snow - what more could you ask for!!?? And a rousing score by Ron Goodwin - one of the all-time best!

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Yep he was a fine actor and probably the best thing about NCIS.

But I never understood McCallum’s appeal on THE MAN FROM UNCLE and his becoming a sex symbol in the 60s. As far as his acting he was very wooden on that show and in the looks department Robert Vaughn had him beat dead to right. Yet he became an overnight sensation. Really mind boggling to me. Vaughn was the suave super spy with the looks, quips, bravado, and charm. Basically a James Bond for the small screen. In contrast McCallum was the dour looking man of few words and zero emotion and a haircut that didn’t do him any favors. Yet the girls went crazy for him. Go figure…

Ivan, I agree with you 100%.
He elected as an actor to so painfully underplay his role as a Russian agent assigned to UNCLE - a international police organisation - that I can only wonder now if he was deliberately trying to convey
that as a KGB agent he didn't trust Solo and Waverly and was there to warily observe and soak up any information he could for Moscow while helping to defeat criminals that were a threat to all nations.
Maybe that was a supposed given at the time - deepest Cold War - but if so it went over my head and I dare say most others.

I am just spit balling here, but from the audience and Solo's point of view were we supposed to look at McCallum as a bad guy/temporary ally hence Solo not exactly showing warmth towards him?
That would put a very different spin on how one watches the series, one that hadn't occurred to me before your post got me thinking, so I would like to see the series again as it's been years.

I saw McCallum at the Paper Mill Playhouse(Millburn, NJ) in Run For Your Wife in the 1980's, he was hilarious. I couldn't understand at the time why he was so dour on Man From Uncle when he had this
flair in him. And yes the women in the audience loved him, they were audibly sighing and whistling when he first came on stage, whatever he's got he should bottle it, but frankly it escapes me as well.

I also saw Vaughn at the Paper Mill, absolutely brilliant in Inherit The Wind, he put on a acting clinic. The Paper Mill is every bit as good as Broadway, draws top stars, and you pay 50% less.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rodney Dangerfield -
"I told my doctor the new pills she prescribed me gave me suicidal thoughts. Now she wants me to pay in advance."
"My history teacher flunked me. He asked me why Washington crossed the Delaware, I told him he had a broad stashed in Jersey."

Dobie, what you say is interesting and it does make sense. However, given that this was a pretty fantastical spy-fi show (not something more cerebral like Bruce Geller's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE) somehow I doubt they thought this deeply into it. To me it just seems like they needed the Russian to be very stoic and serious (aren't they all?) to show that this guy really is a Russkie. Not allowed to crack a smile or show emotion. You get sent to the gulag for stuff like that. So you end up with a very boring dude. Typical Russkie.

Ivan,
Well, your point of view makes sense as well. It's been a long time since I saw the series, I need to watch it again to see if you are right. I do remember they used the same country road over
and over, it was striking with the trees on both sides, so I noticed when it repeatedly popped up on COMBAT! episodes, even as a kid. Now there is a criminally overlooked series, I read the
Vietnam War backlash really hurt it in syndication, so instead of getting new fans as the years rolled by it was almost forgotten. It was the only WW2 show my father and his veteran brothers liked.
Vic Morrow, guest star on Magnum, was good in whatever role he did, supposedly if it wasn't for huge studio pressure Landis would have gotten some jail time for his death, at least according to
people online, I know nothing about it myself.

[Laohu]

I think I first saw him in the movie The Great Escape . Wonderful movie if any of you have not seen it .

THE GREAT ESCAPE is a classic! One of the best films of the 60s and one of the best WWII adventure films. But to me the all-time greatest in this genre has to be WHERE EAGLES DARE!!! WWII, espionage, action, adventure, dizzying heights, snow-capped mountain-top fortresses, cable cars, double agents, triple agents, snow and more snow, Richard Burton, snow, Clint Eastwood, snow, evil Nazis, more snow - what more could you ask for!!?? And a rousing score by Ron Goodwin - one of the all-time best!

Well if you are going to talk Clint Eastwood and WW2 films you can’t leave out Kelly Heroes.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I think I first saw him in the movie The Great Escape . Wonderful movie if any of you have not seen it .

THE GREAT ESCAPE is a classic! One of the best films of the 60s and one of the best WWII adventure films. But to me the all-time greatest in this genre has to be WHERE EAGLES DARE!!! WWII, espionage, action, adventure, dizzying heights, snow-capped mountain-top fortresses, cable cars, double agents, triple agents, snow and more snow, Richard Burton, snow, Clint Eastwood, snow, evil Nazis, more snow - what more could you ask for!!?? And a rousing score by Ron Goodwin - one of the all-time best!

Well if you are going to talk Clint Eastwood and WW2 films you can’t leave out Kelly Heroes.

I may have to check that one out some time soon. I only saw it once many years back and I remember liking it but not loving it. WHERE EAGLES DARE is easily the superior film for me.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

I think I first saw him in the movie The Great Escape . Wonderful movie if any of you have not seen it .

THE GREAT ESCAPE is a classic! One of the best films of the 60s and one of the best WWII adventure films. But to me the all-time greatest in this genre has to be WHERE EAGLES DARE!!! WWII, espionage, action, adventure, dizzying heights, snow-capped mountain-top fortresses, cable cars, double agents, triple agents, snow and more snow, Richard Burton, snow, Clint Eastwood, snow, evil Nazis, more snow - what more could you ask for!!?? And a rousing score by Ron Goodwin - one of the all-time best!

Well if you are going to talk Clint Eastwood and WW2 films you can’t leave out Kelly Heroes.

I may have to check that one out some time soon. I only saw it once many years back and I remember liking it but not loving it. WHERE EAGLES DARE is easily the superior film for me.

My two cents is Kelly's Heroes is a fun and very entertaining flick, but the serious Where Eagles Dare is the better and almost flawless film. The Great Escape with it's giant budget and cast of international
stars is a cinematic experience that is also hard to beat.
Alistair MacLean wrote cracking good novels turned into war films, like The Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, Ice Station Zebra plus the overlooked germ warfare film The Satan Bug.
MGM issued a high quality DVD release of Where Eagles Dare, Kelley's Heroes and Battleground, that I found for $2 in a bargain bin. The black and white Battleground is a gem, a five star WW 2
flick about the Battle of the Bulge that doesn't seem to get much play anymore. The last scene will grab your heart with the survivors of a platoon marching away while Sgt. James Whitmore barks
out the classic cadence song about Jody. Other than the stars, all the marching extras in the scene were actual veterans, note one swinging his leg way out as he had lost a leg in the war and had a fake one.
There is also some risque humor with a French girl's breasts that surprisingly got past the censors, Van Johnson's reaction as she unthinkingly almost harms them is priceless.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I think I first saw him in the movie The Great Escape . Wonderful movie if any of you have not seen it .

THE GREAT ESCAPE is a classic! One of the best films of the 60s and one of the best WWII adventure films. But to me the all-time greatest in this genre has to be WHERE EAGLES DARE!!! WWII, espionage, action, adventure, dizzying heights, snow-capped mountain-top fortresses, cable cars, double agents, triple agents, snow and more snow, Richard Burton, snow, Clint Eastwood, snow, evil Nazis, more snow - what more could you ask for!!?? And a rousing score by Ron Goodwin - one of the all-time best!

Well if you are going to talk Clint Eastwood and WW2 films you can’t leave out Kelly Heroes.

I may have to check that one out some time soon. I only saw it once many years back and I remember liking it but not loving it. WHERE EAGLES DARE is easily the superior film for me.

My two cents is Kelly's Heroes is a fun and very entertaining flick, but the serious Where Eagles Dare is the better and almost flawless film. The Great Escape with it's giant budget and cast of international
stars is a cinematic experience that is also hard to beat.
Alistair MacLean wrote cracking good novels turned into war films, like The Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, Ice Station Zebra plus the overlooked germ warfare film The Satan Bug.
MGM issued a high quality DVD release of Where Eagles Dare, Kelley's Heroes and Battleground, that I found for $2 in a bargain bin. The black and white Battleground is a gem, a five star WW 2
flick about the Battle of the Bulge that doesn't seem to get much play anymore. The last scene will grab your heart with the survivors of a platoon marching away while Sgt. James Whitmore barks
out the classic cadence song about Jody. Other than the stars, all the marching extras in the scene were actual veterans, note one swinging his leg way out as he had lost a leg in the war and had a fake one.
There is also some risque humor with a French girl's breasts that surprisingly got past the censors, Van Johnson's reaction as she unthinkingly almost harms them is priceless.

Agreed! Alistair MacLean's stuff is some of the most entertaining films that were made in the 60s! The guy sure knew how to write "boys own" adventures. Of course you gotta give special credit to the boys who actually put that stuff up on the screen for us boys to enjoy.

[Laohu]

I enjoyed The Guns of Navarone but did not realize it was written by Alistair MacLean .

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote:
Agreed! Alistair MacLean's stuff is some of the most entertaining films that were made in the 60s! The guy sure knew how to write "boys own" adventures. Of course you gotta give special credit to the boys who actually put that stuff up on the screen for us boys to enjoy.

Ivan,
"Boys Own" is spot on and I agree with you, good on the people with the inner adventure seeking boy creating such entertaining flicks.
When I was 14 I read every Alistair MacLean book I could get my hands on. I always felt sorry for the kids who didn't read, while I was immersed with a team trying to take out
the Guns of Navarone or hanging with Long John Silver on Treasure Island guys like my friend Joel would debate who was the cooler alien, The Great Kazoo or the alien human veggies
in The Great Vegetable Rebellion on Lost in Space. To this day he will tell, nay brag, to people that he has easily watched that episode 40 times.
Joel is still single, ladies, the line starts to the left.