Wesley Britton's Blog - Posts Tagged "the-invisible-man"

If you watched much TV in the 1960s, you undoubtedly watched The Man From U.N.C.L.E.. If you were a female viewer of the show, perhaps you too were enamored with teenage heartthrob David McCallum’s portrayal of Russian agent, Illya Kuryakin, noted for popularizing black turtlenecks and being the “blond Beatle.”

But you don’t have to be a Baby Boomer to be a fan of NCIS, the popular CBS drama airing Tuesday nights since Sept. 23, 2003. For 14 seasons now, David McCallum has played Donald "Ducky" Mallard, the team’s chief medical officer spending most of his time with the bodies of murder victims, his character full of esoteric trivia.

In between these two successful shows, did you know McCallum had a short try as a leading man in one of many TV versions of The Invisible Man that ran on NBC from Sept. 8, 1975--Jan. 19, 1976?

The story went like this:

In May 1975, NBC aired a 90-minute movie written by Robert Bochco starring David McCallum as scientist Daniel Westin. Researching molecular reduction and transformation in laser experiments for a West Coast think tank called the Klae Corporation, Westin discovered the secret of invisibility. After using himself as a guinea pig, Westin learned visibility could occur at any time without advance warning. Westin was idealistic and naïve, becoming horrified when his discovery was financed and controlled by the military. Destroying his lab, Westin went underground but ultimately agreed to work as a secret agent with his wife, Dr. Kate Westin (Melinda Fee) in exchange for the Klae Corporations agreement to help him find a cure for his condition. Walter Carlson (Jackie Cooper(, the head of the sinister Klae Corp., provided Westin with gloves and a special mask of his old face so both viewers and cast members could see Westin when not on duty.

The film was a ratings success, so that fall 12 episodes followed. At first, according to McCallum, the idea of the character was total fantasy, a fusion of Superman, Mission: Impossible, and Claude Rains (the first movie invisible man). Later, he said he'd signed on to do The Fugitive and ended up doing "Topper." From the beginning, producers Bochco, Harve Bennett, Leslie Stephens, and Robert O’Neill admitted they were imitating The Six Million Dollar Man. As a result, more effort went into the gimmicks than the characters or stories. To make the series lighter than the film, Jackie Cooper was replaced by father-figure Craig Stevens, the former Peter Gunn. He gave the Klae Corporation a more benevolent flair than in Botchco’s concept.

According to Fee, the series centered on the relationship of Daniel and Kate, and that Kate Westin came along about the same time as women’s liberation. Fee’s most difficult job was playing to an invisible husband, which at that time wasn't as easy as it would become with improved special effects in subsequent decades. Shooting a simple scene in which a hypodermic needle was passed from hand to hand could take half a day to film. It was difficult for an unseen agent to express emotion. To let viewers know where he was, The Invisible Man bumped into pots and furniture so often, he seemed the clumsiest man on earth.

Despite the talent involved, including a theme by legendary composer Henry Mancini, producer O’Neill admitted, "The Invisible Man was really a one-joke show. The minute you’ve taken the wrapping off his head, you've seen the joke.” Other jokes included McCallum going undercover for a cleaning woman, and one effort had him Held in a hick town by a corrupt sheriff for bogus traffic violations. The nadir of the series was one episode titled “Pin Money” featuring bank robbers with Frankenstein monster masks. The writer, James Parriott, admitted he was asked to write the script in the mold of the Six Million Dollar Man.

In this climate, commentators were reduced to speculating about the sexual possibilities for the couple. As the invisible man had to be naked to be unseen, he was often shivering and complained about freezing in public. One odd controversy arose when representatives from America's Bible-Belt in the mid-West complained that the show was obscene because it featured a naked, if unseen, man on TV.

For most observers, the format simply didn’t jell and Harv Bennett noted networks were still uneasy about British leads on American television. Some felt McCallum was better suited to a supporting “color” character like Illya Kuryakin rather than a straight lead. More importantly, few shows could compete in the Tuesday night time-slot against MTM’s double-shot of Rhoda and Phyllis. Whatever the case, the show enjoyed great popularity in Europe, especially England, where the ratings soared after the cancellation. NBC thought enough of the concept to revamp it with an American lead, which became the equally short-lived Gemini Man.

As a quick coda, McCallum also played a supporting character in the late, lamented 1995 VR.5, playing Dr. Joseph Bloom, a neurobiolotist pioneer. In 2006, McCallum lent his voice to the gadget-laden robot car, C.A.R.T.E.R., for the Disney Channel’s cartoon, The Replacements.

In a Sept. 2006 interview, “TV's Original Invisible Man Takes On Heroes' Newcomer,”
McCallum compared his role with that of the invisible character in Heroes.
http://www.tvguide.com/news/tvs-origi...


Wes Britton’s review of McCallum’s 2016 novel, Once a Crooked man, is posted at:
goo.gl/M9HZBt

After my Monday post on David McCallum’s The Invisible Man, I revisited my discussion of the show in my 2003 Spy Television and found some points I didn’t include earlier. So here’s a bit more on the show:


According to Melinda Fee, who played Kate Weston, "The pilot was geared more to the lurking Feds scrambling to steal the formula of invisibility. It had the proverbial car chase, ending in a huge crash-and-burn sequence. The series centered on the relationship of Daniel and Kate."
Newcomer Fee was excited by her role, later claiming Kate Westin came along about the same time as women’s liberation. “She represented what women were striving for, separate professions, equality, recognition of intelligence and education.” But most U.N.C.L.E. fans, seeing a new vehicle for McCallum at last, found the attempt a missed opportunity. From the beginning, producers Bochco, Harve Bennett, Leslie Stephens, and Robert O’Neill admitted they were imitating The Six Million Dollar Man. As a result, more effort went into the gimmicks than the characters or stories. Fee’s most difficult job was playing to an invisible husband, which at that time wasn't as easy as it would become with improved special effects in subsequent decades. Shooting a simple scene in which a hypodermic needle was passed from hand to hand could take half a day to film. It was difficult for an unseen agent to express emotion. To let viewers know where he was, The Invisible Man bumped into pots and furniture so often, he seemed the clumsiest man on earth.
Ironically, like U.N.C.L.E. before it, the show quickly fell into comedy, only in a considerably shorter time. According to Robert O’Neill, "The Invisible Man was really a one-joke show. The minute you've taken the wrapping off his head, you've seen the joke.” Creator Harve Bennett had a different take. "By today's standards it was very crude, but in 1975 it allowed us tremendous opportunities. It was a very noble experiment, and I'm very proud of the series."
Some of the less satisfactory outings included McCallum going undercover for a cleaning woman, and one effort had him Held in a hick town by a corrupt sheriff for bogus traffic violations. The nadir of the series was one episode titled “Pin Money” featuring bank robbers with Frankenstein monster masks. The writer, James Parriott, admitted he was asked to write the script in the mold of the Six Million Dollar Man.
In this climate, commentators were reduced to speculating about the sexual possibilities for the couple. As the invisible man had to be naked to be unseen, he was often shivering and complained about freezing in public. Twenty-five years later, one fan recalled an episode in which Weston rode on a bicycle through a town, no doubt a most uncomfortable experience. One odd controversy arose when representatives from America's Bible-Belt in the mid-West complained that the show was obscene because it featured a naked, if unseen, man on TV. Writers tried to build sympathy for the characters by having Fee forced to seduce enemies as her husband looked on.
For most observers, the format simply didn’t jell and some attempted to rest the blame on McCallum. Harv Bennett noted networks were still uneasy about British leads on American television, and some felt McCallum was better suited to a supporting “color” character like Illya Kuryakin rather than a straight lead. Most believed the Tuesday night time-slot was McCallum’s No. 1 adversary, as MTM’s double-shot of Rhoda and Phyllis were ratings champions. Whatever the case, the show enjoyed great popularity in Europe, especially England, where the ratings soared after the cancellation.

We’ve looked at two TV series titled The Invisible Man, the 1958 British offering and David McCallum’s 1975 incarnation. Today, we’ll explore the SyFy Channel version that ran from June 10, 2000 to Feb. 1, 2002.

Created by producer Matt Greenberg and Developed by Carlton Prickett and Breck Eisner, the third version of another invisible TV spy debuted to the largest audience viewing an original program on the SyFy Channel to that date. For fans, the title was often shortened to “The I-Man.”

In the two-part pilot, French-Canadian Darien Fawkes (Vincent Ventresca) was a convicted thief forced to be a guinea pig in a secret government experiment. A synthetic gland secreting light bending quicksilver was inserted into his brain allowing him to become invisible. But it also began destroying his higher mental capabilities. A loose cannon by nature, the new chemical aggravated his stability, driving him slowly insane, dependent on counter drugs administered by Claire, “The Keeper” (Shannon Kenny). Fawke's quest in the series was to find a means to have this gland safely removed.

The personality of the mysterious organization Fawkes worked for was seen through the various supporting characters including his partner, Bobby Hobbs (Paul Ben-Victor), a bantering buddy who was streetwise but unsophisticated. A gun lover, Hobbs was noted for his intense paranoia and sense of under appreciation. Alex Monroe (Brandi Lanford) was the lead female agent. She'd transferred to the unnamed Agency after her newborn son was kidnapped and her ongoing quest was to recover him. She had considerable difficulty working with others, so Monroe typically operated alone. Albert Eberts (Michael Mccafferty) was the verbose computer nerd wishing for opportunities to perform field work. Administrating this small and under budgeted group was “The Official,” Charles Borden (Eddie Jones) who controlled all the secrets.

While rough-hewn, Faulks was clearly well read, often inserting quotes from famous authors in off-camera asides or in final moments when he commented on the meaning of his latest adventure. For example, one 2001 quote was “As Tennessee Williams once said, we have to distrust each other. It’s our only defense against betrayal.” This observation would fit many episodes as Faulks, like Number Six in The Prisoner, was on the receiving end of many biological and chemical weapons. For example, in one 2001 episode, the enemy organization, Chrysalis, infected him with a nano-bug allowing them to see and hear what he does. This was done by having the bug transported through sexual transmission.

Chrysalis was the 21st century version of THRUSH, the arch-nemesis of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Like THRUSH, Chrysalis raised many agents from birth. Fawks infiltrated a school for such children stolen from their mothers who’d been implanted with anti-aging DNA from Chrysalis masters. In one outing, Alex Monroe learned her lost son was in fact the child of the alleged head of Chrysalis, Jarod Stark (Spencer Garrett). In the series finale, viewers learned the super-children were the primary aim of Chrysalis, a technological superpower able to patiently wait its turn to take over the world.

Similarly, like The X-Files, the Agency had adversaries within the U.S. government itself. In “Insensate,” Fawkes met the leaders of the S.W.R.B. (Secret Weapons Research Branch), an agency so ruthless it intimidated and frightened the official. In that episode, Faukes learned his government was conducting illegal chemical and biological experiments on innocent civilians, resulting in a secret building of humans robbed of their senses. (“Insensate” received special promotion from the SyFy channel as it featured a rare guest appearance by Armin Shimerman, the former Ferengi bartender, Quark, on Star Trek: Deep Space 9).

The most personal theme developed as Darien uncovered both his family history and the background to why he was the chosen invisible agent. He learned his brother Kevin (David Burke) developed the Quicksilver gland and gave it to his brother to keep him out of prison before His murder by Arnaud DeFehrn (Joel Bissonnette). Appearing in nine episodes, Arnaud was the terrorist who implanted the RNA responsible for the invisibility madness. He gives himself a gland without the defect, but became permanently invisible. Later, Kevin’s memory RNA was injected into Darien in the hopes his resurrected mind could find out how to remove the gland. He declined, feeling Darrien was now a better man for it.


From the beginning, the series' producers avoided overworked science-fiction subjects like aliens or alternate universes, so the show kept close to its secret agent foundations without veering off into overused subjects on other series. Geared for a broad audience, especially 18-49 year olds, the dark themes were tempered with well-written humor, characterized by departmental bickering. In one episode, the agency tracked down stolen sperm from a Noble Prize winner’s sperm bank, re-capturing, as it were, the “crème de la crème.” One running gag was the names of continually changing cover agencies “absorbing” the department—whose budgets the Official drew from—completely unrelated to espionage. Thus Fawkes and Hobbs were rarely taken seriously when they announced they worked for the Department of Fish and Game, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or the United States Post Office.

The last four of the 45 episodes were aired in Jan. 2002, the show ending due to high costs and differences between the SyFy Channel and its parent company, USA. The cancellation inspired an on-line letter campaign including postcards and fliers ready-made for use by disappointed viewers. This led to an unusual request from the network after the 2001 anthrax scare. the network posted a note to "Invisible Maniacs" asking they not send "packages of Kool-Aid and glitter (or any other powdery substance). Due to the state of heightened security throughout the country and the U.S. Postal system, any and all questionable mail is being met with extreme scrutiny." (Powdery substances were symbolic of the gold flakes that fell off Fawkes’ body after he returned to visibility.)

Universal Studios released the first season on DVD in March 2008 with extras including commentary tracks and interviews with participants.
https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Man-...

You can see the full pilot episode at YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6904W...


You can also watch the series at Hulu:
www.hulu.com/the-invisible-man