The Frame

This was the only episode Allen Miner directed for the series, best known for tv westerns and several PERRY MASON episodes. He did a great job in bringing out the characters here, particularly Simon Oakland, as a ruthless crime boss called Wellman. He gets fairly nasty here, and you'd love to punch him out.

Oakland portrays a very dangerous man, his latest project killing government agents who stand in the way of his growing criminal empire. The interesting part of this adventure is that the "mission" is set at Wellman's house, where a special meeting is set. Accordingly, the IMF team suits up as caterers this time, and between servings, steal millions from a safe that is his insurance money.

I do agree with the last reviewer that it would have been easier just to bump the bossy SOB off, but that would be too easy. The intricate plan to remove the cash from a basement safe and watching the team go the extra mile --and almost get caught in the process -- is worth every minute.

The ending with Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) is one clever trick, not to be missed, though it's a play that was used in later episodes.

Wellman's house would be used as Jonathan Hart's house in HART TO HART. Recommended from SEASON 1 CBS restored dvd box set.

"The Frame" is the sort of mission on "Mission: Impossible" that is enjoyable to watch but which doesn't make a lot of sense if you think about it--and the same was true of all the mobster missions. The team wants to destroy a mob boss, Jack Wellman (Simon Oakland), as Wellman has recently had some congressmen killed! So why don't they just shoot Wellman?! A bullet to the head and there would be no need for more of a mission--and all the mobster missions could have been handled this way. However, in typical fashion, they construct an extremely difficult to execute plan and arrange it so that the mobster is killed by his own. All in all, quite enjoyable if you don't question the need for this sort of mission in the first place.

By the way, Arthur Batanides was very nice in his role as 'Tino'. He sure looked scared--which was very appropriate for his character. Plus, it was nice to see him play a good guy as most of the time in the 60s and 70s, he played baddies.

Love these old episodes but wondering why Mr. Briggs failed the aptitude test in the opening scene or if that was intentional? Guess we'll never know.

I suppose you could consider this episode the prototype for the many later crime syndicate episodes, but it's not that great due to a ludicrous plot and uninteresting characters. On the plus side, the whole team is involved (uncommon for the first season).

The team is tasked with stealing several million dollars from the head of the syndicate in the U.S., (who is making even his underling bosses nervous by knocking off government officials) and to undermine his power. The boss and his underlings are gathered for a meeting in his mansion, which has a nearly impregnable safe in the wine cellar. Here's the huge plot hole - no guards or security are in sight for a meeting of the top crime bosses with millions of dollars in the cellar. Plus the team uses muffled tools (which you'll see in later episodes) but wouldn't there still be obvious noise from the tools sawing/drilling through concrete and walls?

If you can overlook the plot holes, the fun is watching how the team accomplishes the task. You get to see Dan be a gourmet chef and Rollin act as a deaf waiter. Barney devises a fancy gizmo to help them blow the safe. There's not much else to this episode. The crime bosses are stereotypical and uninteresting. It's just your standard theft caper and setup story.