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American espionage tv series9/25/2023 ![]() to be home before sundown, and he was not available until after dark the next day. As an Orthodox Jew, Hill had to leave on Fridays at 4:00 p.m. The IMF was initially led by Dan Briggs, played by Steven Hill. IMF agents Steven Hill and Martin Landau in the first episode In the novels, secret agent Carter receives a package from his superior which, when activated, plays a tape-recorded message that self-destructs after playing once. The tape scene is very similar to one described in the 1964 Nick Carter-Killmaster novel Saigon, published in December 1964 and repeated in the 1966 novel Danger Key (copyright registered in February 1966). Writer William Read Woodfield was a fan of David Maurer's nonfiction 1940 book about con artists, The Big Con (also an unofficial inspiration for The Sting), and many episodes are strikingly similar to cons described in the book. Geller claimed never to have seen the earlier show 21 Beacon Street 's story editor and pilot scripter, Laurence Heath, later wrote several episodes of Mission: Impossible. The producers of Mission: Impossible were sued for plagiarism by the creators of a short-lived ABC show called 21 Beacon Street. Even after Geller was removed from the show, the agents were rarely if ever seen in their "real" lives, and had only one scene where they interacted at Phelps's apartment. Geller vetoed attempts by writers to develop the main characters. Geller also insisted on minimal character development because he felt that seeing the characters as blank slates would make them more convincing in undercover work, and because he wanted to keep the focus on the caper. Several episodes show close-up shots of an agent's wristwatch to convey the suspense of working on a deadline. Geller switched the focus away from criminals, but kept Dassin's style of minimal dialogue, prominent music scoring and clockwork-precision execution by a team of diverse specialists. Inspiration Ī key inspiration for Geller was the 1964 Jules Dassin film Topkapi, innovative for its methodical depiction of an elaborate heist. ![]() Mimi Davis is the only character whose recruitment as an IMF agent was shown on screen, although such a scene was filmed for Dana Lambert ( Lesley Ann Warren) and discarded. A main character was killed in the 1980s revival, however. No main character was ever killed or disavowed in the original series, but a character could disappear between episodes or seasons without explanation or acknowledgment. This is implied by the fact that, for several years, towards the end of the taped briefing messages, the narrator states: "As always, should you or any of your IM force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions", or words to that effect. It is suggested that the IMF is an independent agency of the United States government. Only rare cryptic bits of information are ever provided, such as in the third-season mission "Nicole", where the IMF leader states that his instructions come from "Division Seven". The identity of the agency that oversees the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) is never revealed. ![]() The series was financed and filmed by Desilu Productions. The team is occasionally supplemented by other specialists. Briggs and Phelps usually assemble the same core team of agents, all of whom have careers and some degree of celebrity outside of espionage. In the first season, the team is led by Dan Briggs (played by Steven Hill) Jim Phelps (played by Peter Graves) takes charge for the six remaining seasons. It also inspired the series of theatrical motion pictures starring Tom Cruise beginning in 1996.Ĭreated and initially produced by Bruce Geller, the show chronicled the exploits of a small covert team of secret government agents, known as the Impossible Missions Force, and their sophisticated methods of deceiving, manipulating and thwarting hostile Iron Curtain governments, third world dictators, corrupt industrialists, and crime lords, among others. It was revived in 1988 for two seasons on ABC. Mission: Impossible is an American espionage television series that aired on CBS from September 1966 to March 1973. ![]() Martin Landau, Barbara Bain and Steven Hill, 1967 ![]()
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