To Trap a Spy

It was 1965, the height of the Bond craze, and my friend Chuck and I couldn't get enough 'Man From Uncle'. So Chuck's parents dropped us off at a local theater to see a DOUBLE BILL of 'Uncle' movies! Wow!! (To Trap a Spy and The Spy With My Face.) But before the movies began there was a Japanese cartoon shown. We thought it was just a regular old 5-minute cartoon, but soon realized it was feature-length 90-MINUTE CARTOON. With every passing minute my heart sank as I realized I would be home that Sunday much later than I'd promised- long after dinner. No matter, I was sent to my room without it. Ah, memories. Loved seeing 'Man From Uncle' in color on the big screen, though. Especially the high-speed transitions between scenes. Cool!!!

At the height of "spy mania" in the mid- 1960's, MGM sought to exploit their phenomenally successful "Man From UNCLE" TV series with low-budget, big screen adaptations of episodes that had been edited together. The admittedly cheap tactic was nevertheless effective. "To Trap A Spy" was released in the US in early 1966 as part of a double feature with "The Spy With My Face". Unlike the other adapted films that followed, this one wasn't based on a two-part TV epidode. It was derived from the pilot episode "The Vulcan Affair", that was broadcast in b&w, though shot in color for possible theatrical release. As with several of the UNCLE films that followed, certain sequences were shot especially for the theatrical version, most relating to sexual references that were deemed to hot for TV.

The film is more effective than one would think, and illustrates the origins of what was to be the weekly basis for UNCLE episodes: an innocent citizen (a la Hitchcock) is drawn into a caper of international intrigue involving UNCLE. In this case, Patricia Crowley is an everyday housewife who is recruited to thwart her old high school flame (Fritz Weaver), of late a millionaire megalomaniac. This formula of utilizing everday citizens was quickly abandoned. Purists will note the limited presence of David McCallum's Illya Kuryakin. As this was the pilot show, no one had forseen his eventual popularity with audiences, thus the lion's share of footage goes to Robert Vaughn's dapper and suave Napoleon Solo. Wil Kuluva appears as the UNCLE boss Mr. Allison, but in the actual series the character was replaced by Leo G. Carroll as the wonderfully eccentric Alexander Waverly. James Bond's "Thunderball" femme fatale, Luciana Paluzzi has some extended screen time as another bad girl, and keep an eye out for a blink-or-you'll-miss-him appearance by future Bond villain Richard ("Jaws") Kiel in the climax. All in all, a very enjoyable and nostalgic experience. Available only in the UK on Region 2 DVD.

As an UNCLE fan I've seen this as a TV episode and the pilot. But as I watch this movie on Amazon Prime (no plug intended) I'm very impressed by the plot and the writing. The extra Lancer footage at the beginning is draggy but later dialogue is snappy and witty. Sam Rolfe is listed as the writer.

Pat Crowley is excellent as the housewife-turned-socialite. Though it stretches credulity to think they would put her in mortal danger, there's a nice scene near the end when she admits she likes the glamour.

The photography is well done. And I just realized that I'm watching it in widescreen format, unlike the 4:3 television aspect ratio. It works quite well - I didn't notice anything being chopped off. I presume they planned for widescreen when filming.

As a kid I got my father to take me to see this in the theater. It was well worth it, since it was in color and had more scenes. It was a double-feature with "The Spy With My Face". I'm sure I was puzzled by the minor differences from TV. It would take many years before I learned the backstory. (Thank you Jon Heitland for your book on the series).

Dynamic U. N. C. L. E. Agent Napoleon Solo has an explosive job to do. The evil scientific genius, Vulcan, head of the worldwide crime syndicate WASP, is determined to wreak havoc; Solo is equally determined to reach a fatal experimental reactor at the Vulcan chemical plant where menace is inescapable....

A witty and inventive the Man from UNCLE feature film mainly focuses on Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo who is out to stop a scientific genius named Vulcan. Though tongue-in-cheek, it's grittier than the other UNCLE feature films, and it's an exciting entry, which has some good action - and if that is not enough, there's Lucianna Palluzzi, guest starring as a villainess. Like in Thunderball, she's just as deadly and ravishing.

I first saw "To Trap A Spy" at the ABC in Dundee in June 1965 when I was 14. I shouldn't have seen it because it was the b movie to the X rated "The Americanization Of Emily", but my grandmother lied to the commissionaire about my age saying I was a youthful looking 17 (but still tried to negotiate half price for my admission). I was glad she took me because this colourful spy romp which introduced Napoleon Solo and U.N.C.L.E. to Britain was and is first class entertainment with good guys, bad guys, good spies and bad girls with a plot involving an innocent housewife (Pat Crowley) being used as a pawn in a dangerous game of espionage by Napoleon Solo. I was amazed when I settled down in front of the TV the following Thursday (24th June 1965) at 8 o'clock and saw one of the scenes from the movie being used as the opening to a (then) brand new to UK TV show called 'The Man From UNCLE' which was basically James Bond in your living room and this show soon became the talk of the playground every Friday morning.

What I liked about "To Trap A Spy" and the early UNCLE stuff is that the Solo character is tougher and the stories grittier and people get slapped around and threatened. Hard to believe within a season or so they had David McCallum dressing up as the Abominable Snowman and having plots that were too stupid to be true. In this though, Fritz Weaver is a worthy and believable villain and William Marshall with that superb voice of his convinces as the leader of an African nation. Lots of good dialogue e.g. Lucianna Paluzzi starts to take her dress off and says 'What would you like me to change into?' Napoleon replies 'Anything..... but a boy'.

Filmed in November 1963 including location filming at the Lever Brothers plant near Los Angeles, it only gives David McCallum a small part, and Will Kuluva plays what would become the Leo G Carroll role. When the TV episode shows up nowadays it is re-edited so that Mr Waverley appears. Filming was halted on 22nd November when news of the assassination of John F Kennedy was announced.

Even in 2015 every time this film shows up on TV I still watch it and still enjoy it – and look out for Richard Kiel (later to be Jaws on "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker") in a small non speaking part.

Here's what I wrote about it in my book "What We Watched In The 1960s (In The Cinema)" when it arrived in Glasgow during week commencing 25 July 1965.

What many may have come to the La Scala and Bedford for was the b movie, "To Trap A Spy", which was the pilot for the TV series 'The Man From UNCLE' which was now gaining a young and loyal following on BBC every Thursday night. Napoleon Solo (played by Robert Vaughn) has to stop an attempt on the life of an African premiere and find out why spy organization WASP wants to assassinate him. Based on 'The Vulcan Affair' and 'The Four Steps Affair', neither of which was shown on TV, and neatly edited together, and of course it was in colour at the time all British TV transmissions were in black and white.

Soon after, "To Trap A Spy" started picking up bookings as the top feature supported by more family friendly films and on 16 October 1966 it was reissued as a double bill with "The Spy With My Face".

Jim Doyle is the author of 'What We Watched In The 1960s (In The Cinema)', 'What We Watched In The 1970s (In The Cinema)" and 'What We Watched In The 1980s (In The Cinema And On Video)'