The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (TV Series) The Come with Me to the Casbah Affair (1966) User Reviews

Brutal

[gordonl56 · 5/10 · 1 February 2015]

THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. - The Come with Me to the Casbah Affair - 1966

This is the 68th episode of 1964 to 1968 spy series, THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. The series ran for a total of 105 episodes. The first season was filmed in black and with the remainder shot in colour. Robert Vaughn plays agent Napoleon Solo while David McCallum plays Illya Kuryakin. Leo G Carroll plays Mister Waverly, the boss of the secret agency known as U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law & Enforcement) UNCLE's main enemy is THRUSH, an organization out to take over the planet.

This episode takes place in Algiers. UNCLE agents Robert Vaughn and David McCallum are sent to pay one million francs for a THRUSH code book. The man selling said code book, Pat Harrington, wants the cash so he can romance the love of his life, Danielle DeMetz. (DeMetz, is the by now mandatory blonde that shows up in every episode) Of course the local THRUSH boss, Jacques Aubuchon, wants the book back and Harrington disposed of. Aubuchon and his henchman, Peter Barone, interrupt the transfer forcing Harrington to hotfoot it into the Casbah district to hide. UNCLE agent McCallum gets hurt in the fight and ends up in hospital.

Barone, disguised as a doctor, is sent to get what info he can from McCallum. As it so happens, he is in luck, and overhears McCallum and Vaughn discussing plans to retrieve the code book. (Barone spends the whole episode channelling his inner Peter Lorre) Anyways, there are a couple of fist-fights and a gun battle or two before the THRUSH types have their hash settled. The one bright spot in this otherwise terrible episode is the appearance of singer, Abbe Lane. The stunning, red-headed Lane, a singer and sometimes actress, does a bit as a somewhat under attired belly dancer. She also does a little "honey trap" work for THRUSH. (Lane was more than once considered "too racy" for television)

This one is not a keeper. It was like watching a Three Stooges film. One of the problems with season three is the rather out of place music. Each season had a new composer make a new arrangement for the great Jerry Goldsmith theme. This season's composer, Gerald Fried, ramped up the beat way too far.

Cas-BAH!

[ShadeGrenade · 1/10 · 17 August 2009]

In Algiers, Pierrot ( Pat Harrington ) has obtained a rare book of poetry which THRUSH use as a code book, and tries to sell it to U.N.C.L.E., intending to settle down with the girl of his dreams, the lovely Jeannine ( Danielle DeMetz ). The evil organisation naturally wants the book back, and dispatches Colonel Hamid ( Jacques Aubuchon ) to recover it. After lots of running around and fighting, Solo and Kuryakin are successful in their mission, only to learn that the book is worthless.

As 'Pierrot', Pat Harrington Junior makes the first of two appearances this season ( the other was as 'Peter Sweet' in the superior 'The Hula Doll Affair' ). Harrington was the voice of 'The Inspector' in a series of cartoons loosely based on Peter Sellers' 'Inspector Clouseau' character ( which later became part of 'The Pink Panther Show' television series ). He employs the same pseudo-French voice here. Danielle DeMetz also reappeared later in Season 3, in the two-parter 'The Five Daughters Affair'.

One could forgive this episode if there was something - anything - of merit, but there is not. The excitement and humour levels stay at nil throughout. The villains are a bunch of fez-wearing idiots. Its almost as though Solo and Kuryakin have strayed by accident into a grand meeting of the Tommy Cooper Appreciation Society.

Amazingly, this was included on the early V.H.S. releases at the start of the 1990's. I can remember watching it and thinking 'why?'. It beggars belief that M.G.M. Home Video thought this superior to other instalments such as 'The Mad, MAD Tea Party Affair' and others.

According to U.N.C.L.E. historian C.W. Walker, the main villain was supposed to have been 'Colonel Hubris' from Season 2's ' The Deadly Goddess Affair' but actor Victor Buono proved unavailable. Not even he could have saved this. That it took no less than three people to create this inane storyline is nothing short of astonishing!