Sheldon Leonard had turned from acting to producing in the 60's, turning out one hit after another, as he shepherded the successes of Dick Van Dyke & Andy Griffith's self-titled sitcoms, among others. In 1965, Leonard decided to give drama a try, and, in turn, made his first splash at NBC.
I Spy was filmed on location at a number of different, exotic locations around the world. The authenticity of the locales is something you rarely see in scripted television anymore, aside from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which still films in New York, where the show is set. Leonard must've known he had something special, pairing comedian Bill Cosby with veteran Robert Culp (ex-Trackdown). Cosby won the Emmy awards for his work, then opted against any future nominations for himself in The Cosby Show, nearly two decades later, feeling it would be better to share the glory. Then again, when you factor in the accolades Cosby earned for the Saturday morning legend, Fat Albert & The Cosby Kids (1972-85), he might not have had any room in his trophy case. Culp played Kelly Robinson, tennis pro by day, secret agent by night. Cosby was Alexander Scott, Robinson's partner in peril, whose quiet, understated manner fit like a glove.
What kicked it all off, however, was the kick-ass theme, composed by Leonard's ace composer, Earle Hagen:
I Spy lasted three seasons. Culp & Cosby would reunite on The Cosby Show years later, and the chemistry was still there. The same could not be said for a feature film version years later with Eddie Murphy & Owen Wilson. In this version, Robinson (Murphy) is a boxer instead of a tennis pro----like, couldn't the producers have let Murphy model the character after Arthur Ashe instead?----and the reviews were just B. R. Utal. El bombarino, you know.
As of last year, I Spy was airing on Retro (check your listings). Not sure about now, and it is available on DVD.
Rating: A-.
4 comments:
They (Culp and Cosby) were the epitome of cool. Watching them even today, they have *it*.
They're the gold standard for all the "buddy" crime dramas that followed (i.e. Starsky & Hutch). It's just too bad Hollywood can't leave well enough alone with the old classics and try tweaking them needlessly for a new audience.
Cosby & Culp were great no doubt! From what I'd heard, the studio was uneasy about having Cosby as part of the cast - and Culp was the one who fought for him to stay.
I also remember they reteamed for an I Spy reunion TV movie in which their kids were spies. They still had it - even if the movie itself wasn't all that great!
The movie I think came around the same time that Culp did the Cosby Show, right or wrong? May have to look that one up.
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