# Why remake "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2015, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548 "2015-08-11T14:17:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/41 "2015-08-11T18:29:20Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Hell, I had a nuclear submarine lunchbox! > :dubious: I had “The Munsters,” then later, “The Wild, Wild West.” ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/42 "2015-08-11T18:35:01Z")
Hmmm… a movie starring [Armie Hammer](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2309517/?ref_=tt_cl_t2) that is a remake of a TV show? That sure worked the last time we tried it with [The Lone Ranger](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210819/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_10)! 😕 :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/43 "2015-08-11T19:09:30Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > They still re-make Dracula, Frankenstein, and Sherlock Holmes after over a century. And Shakespeare and Greek mythology after multiple centuries. This is why I never understand some people’s aversion to remakes/reboots/reimaginations. It’s as old as the history of storytelling. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/44 "2015-08-11T19:12:05Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I loved _The Man From U.N.C.L.E._ - watched it as a junior high school student. We’d walk around talking into our pens “Open Channel D.” But Iliya has grown up and become a medical examiner for NCIS, and Napoleon Solo is the pitchman for an ambulance chaser. > > I may watch it when it comes to cable or Netflix, but it can’t possibly match the magic it held for 13-y/o me. . . . I’m thinking it might. There’s hope. The trailer looked promising. They had the wisdom to set it in the 1960s, and that shows much promise. I, too, adored the original, although I was just a little too young to grok the structure: “Perfectly ordinary person gets caught up in spy affairs.” Housewife, schoolteacher, ad exec, accountant: suddenly bad guys with guns are asking, “What is the frequency, Kenneth?” Cute motif! Anyway, I’ll be in the theater! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/45 "2015-08-11T19:36:32Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Families of killed IMF agents likely got pensions, but it was low key. Most likely they only hired people without families (orphans, maladjusted young men, who give little thought to sacrificing others in order to protect country). Less problem with dealing with mission failures, and no none to use as leverage against the agents. In the original concept, the IMF seemed to made up of freelancers. Dan Briggs would go through folders to pick the people they’d use for that mission. Of course, he always picked the same people, but there were more that he’d look at an discard, implying that they’d call in experts as needed. Indeed, Rolin Hand was one of those experts. They eventually went with headshots (the original folders were mostly clippings) and picked the same group each time. That was eventually dropped, too. The first season of M:I, with Stephen Hill, was by far the best; it jumped the shark when Peter Graves joined it. They fired Hill because they wanted the leader to get into the action (and also because he was an orthodox Jew and wouldn’t work on the Sabbath), but that’s what made Dan Briggs great: he was the mastermind. I watched the original **U.N.C.L.E.** I was the only person in my school to watch it at all – it was on a UHF channel and this was before UHF was required. I still think “The Never Never Affair” – with Barbara Feldon – is a wonderful piece of 60s TV. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/46 "2015-08-11T20:18:30Z")
> [@planetcory](#): > > This is why I never understand some people’s aversion to remakes/reboots/reimaginations. It’s as old as the history of storytelling. There is a huge - large as a planet - difference between remaking a print or oral story and remaking a visual one. Beyond that, there is a huge difference between a good story that has depth enough to be continually reinterpreted, and a program that was lucky enough to capture the times with a set of people who defined the roles. Most movie or tv remakes today are about capturing reflected glory, a prize exactly as insubstantial as it sounds. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/47 "2015-08-11T20:22:29Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > In the original concept, the IMF seemed to made up of freelancers. Dan Briggs would go through folders to pick the people they’d use for that mission. Of course, he always picked the same people, but there were more that he’d look at an discard, implying that they’d call in experts as needed. Indeed, Rolin Hand was one of those experts. I always wondered about that. Were they ex-government operatives, maybe left over from the OSS? Were they superpatriots who volunteered their services to the US government for love of country? Were they all staunch anti-Communists? Or were they just bored rich people who did espionage on the side for a thrill? They must have been independently wealthy, considering they could be called in at the drop of a hat. You can’t just vanish for days at at time and then suddenly reappear if you have a nine-to-five job. Did the governement ever offer, you know, _compensation_ for carrying out all those dangerous, potentially deadly missions? Or did they render their services _gratis_? Seems an awful lot to do for an institution ready to disavow them as soon as things go tits up. Didn’t that ever _bother_ them? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![mortal\_wombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@mortal\_wombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mortal_wombat)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/48 "2015-08-11T20:32:27Z")
I swear I migha read all that too quick but - Hawaii 5-0? Everyone loves nostalgia and its always interesting to see why somebody would dig up some old forgotten relic as U.N.C.L.E.- a show I never saw but always heard mentioned in my 25 year old existence. But after seeing the trailers and hearing my Mum’s recollections, it seems like something to obviously invest some time and interest in because it is here and it beats ‘reality’ television tbh imo ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/49 "2015-08-11T20:34:06Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I don’t recall Illya ever working for the Russians - he and Solo worked for UNCLE. > > I loved the show. My wife loved the show. Then we got the first season on DVD and discovered that our memories failed us. Unlike Danger Man/Secret Agent, which was even better than I remembered. The later color episodes are better. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/50 "2015-08-11T21:44:07Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I’m just disappointed that Robert Vaughn and David McCallum aren’t doing cameos in the new movie… Yeah, that’s a shame. I took little Banjo to see **My Favorite Martian** when he was small. The movie sucked, but it was worth seeing for the three-minute Ray Walston cameo. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/51 "2015-08-11T22:02:11Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > One of the big selling points of the original series was Ilya Kuryakin. He was the opposite of a stupid Russian thug, which was the stereotype. He was smallish, thoughtful, brainy (did you know he had a Ph.D. in quantum mechanics?), and cute. Try to imagine Armie Hammer with those adjectives. He’s a Russian thug who’s forced to team up with the enemy… Except for smallish, yeah I don’t see why he couldn’t act thoughtful and brainy and I’m sure enough ladies would find him cute. When has he ever played a thug character? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/52 "2015-08-11T22:22:26Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > . . . I don’t recall Illya ever working for the Russians - he and Solo worked for UNCLE. . . . There was one episode where a satellite had crashed and might unleash a crop plague on Russia. Illya was shown in Russian (Soviet) uniform, and made some threats about what Russia would do if the crops failed. The concept essentially is that U.N.C.L.E. is multi-national, with assets donated or seconded from the contributing nations. The U.N. is a big hint, as well as the view over the U.N. building in the establishing scenes. Illya works for Russia…but they’ve told him to go work for U.N.C.L.E. and Mr. Waverly. Subcontracting! There were later episodes that hinted at the organization: a committee of leaders, who held secret meetings, etc. The producers were wise enough to keep most of the details carefully foggy. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/53 "2015-08-12T00:03:50Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > The U.N. is a big hint, as well as the view over the U.N. building in the establishing scenes. Perhaps. What I’ve read is that Sam Rolf had to retro the acronym he’d created, once the show went into production. The “N” stands for “Network,” not “Nations.” I don’t know if an explicit connection was ever made between UNCLE and the UN on the show. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/54 "2015-08-12T00:11:09Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Perhaps. What I’ve read is that Sam Rolf had to retro the acronym he’d created, once the show went into production. The “N” stands for “Network,” not “Nations.” I don’t know if an explicit connection was ever made between UNCLE and the UN on the show. I agree, showing the UN building meant that is who UNCLE worked for. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/55 "2015-08-12T00:12:00Z")
Well, originally, Solo and Kuryakin were just going to collect money for children’s charities, but “The Man from U.N.I.C.E.F.” didn’t test well. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/56 "2015-08-12T00:49:40Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Hmmm… a movie starring [Armie Hammer](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2309517/?ref_=tt_cl_t2) that is a remake of a TV show? That sure worked the last time we tried it with [The Lone Ranger](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210819/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_10)! > > 😕 > > :dubious: I liked The Lone Ranger. In any case, you can hardly put the blame on Armie Hammer for its failure. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/57 "2015-08-12T02:20:31Z")
I was a huge U.NC.L.E. fan in the 60s. In the sixth grade we had a spy network, complete with our very own secret code for sending notes across the room. I wrote to Robert Vaughn asking for a photo and the studio sent me this [“autographed” 8x10](https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nvRZnJJo4UKwQSQrkyvVWdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink). ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/58 "2015-08-12T02:38:51Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I wrote to Robert Vaughn asking for a photo and the studio sent me this [“autographed” 8x10](https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nvRZnJJo4UKwQSQrkyvVWdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink). Something like I got from NASA in 1969. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/59 "2015-08-12T03:19:54Z")
[Pardon a brief hijack please] > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Something like I got from NASA in 1969. 🙂 You mean like [these](https://picasaweb.google.com/109588081293702443159/Astronauts?authuser=0&feat=directlink)? 🆒 [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548/60 "2015-08-12T05:30:05Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Perhaps. What I’ve read is that Sam Rolf had to retro the acronym he’d created, once the show went into production. The “N” stands for “Network,” not “Nations.” I don’t know if an explicit connection was ever made between UNCLE and the UN on the show. > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I agree, showing the UN building meant that is who UNCLE worked for. Never explicit (although it might have been that way in pre-production.) It’s just hinted at pretty darn broadly, in the focus on the UN building. [This is mentioned in the U.N.C.L.E. Wikipedia entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.N.C.L.E.): “Other sources credit producer Sam Rolfe as originally intending that U.N.C.L.E. be identified as an arm of the United Nations (“Behind that door is a man who reports only to the Secretariat of the United Nations!” supposedly was part of his network pitch). As noted above, this idea was discarded for reasons still debated.” (At one point in this entry it suggests that the U.N. themselves asked not to be linked with the fictional spy agency.) Also, in the “background” or “series bible” it suggests there is a tunnel from U.N.C.L.E. HQ to the U.N. building. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-remake-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/727548.md?page=4)