The Complete "Mission Impossible" Dossier

by Patrick White

"Good morning, Mr. Phelps...."

Week after week, those four words would herald the start of another pulse-pounding episode of Mission: Impossible. Explosive, innovative and unconventional, this remarkable television landmark created by Bruce Geller endured for seven spectacular seasons -- outlasting scores of imitations that would often "self-destruct in 5 seconds". Now Jim Phelps and his IMF team are back in a complete illustrated history of the TV phenomenon that broke all the rules...and wrote new ones.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Tv, History

464 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[Cashmere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding -- meticulously researched, thorough, and very insightful.

I grew up watching the original series and picked up this book around the time that it was first published. Recently, I read everything but the episode summaries again and I still loved it.

What sets this apart from the many books about TV series is that the author did his research. Not only did he chase down articles and interviews published that touched on the show, but he conducted what seems like countless interviews with not only the show's stars and guest stars, but who knows how many production personal who made it all happen behind the scenes. The result is an excellent and thorough history of a fine TV series.

[Robert Greenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been on the shelf since it came out in 1991 and I finally worked my way through it over the last few months. I'm glad I did considering the parallel development the series had with Star Trek at Paramount. Comparing and contrasting the two it seems like CBS showed this show more love than NBC did for Gene Roddenberry's creation, which forgave many of Bruce Gellar's financial sins.

Desilu had to swallow a lot of cost averages from both dramas but the critics adored this one from the outset. While lead actor Steven Hill's attitude and work habits quickly wore out his welcome, the show had a stable ensemble so Peter Graves slipped right in. Other cast changes were less smooth, notably young Lesley Ann Warren and Sam Elliot at the beginning of their careers.

This book introduces each season in depth then provides us with episode by episode recorded intros, cast lists, and annotations (which I wish were a little more in depth). There are some pictures, more would have been welcome.

At the time of publication, it was able to include shorter listings for the two-season ABC revival, prompted by the 1987 writers' strike.

Clearly, the producers and writers were running out of gas by the seventh season and the shift from global to domestic cases hurt. So did the strict limitations toward characterization and interpersonal connections.

Patrick J. White does a nice job overall.

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book begins so well, but the author seems to lose interest once has favorite episodes are written about. He does a perfunctory job thereafter. If you doubt this, just count the number of pages per chapter. The chapters about the creation of the program and the first three series are rich in detail and I was impressed by the depth of coverage and the access White had to people who created all facets of the show. Later chapters about later seasons, however, do not tell readers much about the writers, directors, and guest stars, though these people are no less interesting. The two-season revival does not even get synopsis or comments about their contents. It is as if the author became bored and went half-assed a little more than half-way through the book. His editor deserves some of the blame for letting him get away with it. The book design is likewise disappointing. It looks entirely desktop despite coming from one of the major paperback publishers of that time. I do credit White with writing in a very readable style and for organizing his material well. He should have kept his energy up.

[Rich Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great look at a classic TV series, which did a lot, at least for a few seasons, to make television a tad more intelligent. The book covers all seven seasons of the original MI, along with the eighties revamp. Lots of good interviews and background information from and about all the actors, creators, and the various situations that kept this on the air for seven years. It's also a look at the other side of the Desilu/Paramount lot, when was alluded to in many Star Trek memoirs. A good read for media history fans!

[Julio The Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruce Geller, the young genius behind MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, pitched the idea for the show to DESILU head Lucille Ball in 1966. Luci's reaction? "Bruce, I don't understand it, but if you think it's good, run with it". A year later, with the show climbing up fast in the ratings Luci called Bruce and told him, "I still don't understand it, but you were right". That's show biz. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE was a Cold War American dream. The U.S. could interfere in the internal affairs of other nations without appearing to do so, "if any of your IMF force is caught or killed the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions" Mr. Phelps was told by the tape recorder voice every week, and always for the good. For seven solid seasons the IMF brought down Iron Curtain spies, anti-U.S. monarchs, Middle Eastern terrorists, Latin America guerrillas, particularly in one episode where Leonard Nimoy impersonated Che Guevara, international drug smugglers, double agents and defectors to the East. Then in 1970, something awful happened. Bruce walked in on the cast and told them, "The American public can't stand us intervening in world affairs, on account of Vietnam. The format must be changed". After that the IMF battled mafia bosses, corrupt politicians and mendacious media moguls in what fans call "the syndicate episodes". We Americans had become our own worse enemy. THE COMPLETE MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE DOSSIER is the place to begin if you've never seen the show, and for others a lovely exercise in pure nostalgia. As for the Tom Cruise films, Gregory Morris (Barney) said it best, "an abomination".

[Liedzeit Liedzeit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the series. And how can I not love this book? All episodes are described. And I want to see them all. Now again. Some valuable information about the actors, of course. Best the parody out of Mad Magazine.

[Daniel Cornwall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent. Gave me ideas for episodes to rewatch.

[Mark Singer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for all fans of the original MI TV series. This was well researched and written by a true fan. I first read this back in 1991, and just reread as the series is now streaming.

[Ronald]

actually started this a few years ago, contains background information on series and each episode, including recaps

[David R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mostly unsatisfactory treatment of the 1966-72 series. The episode guide is fairly decent, although the liner notes are uneven and generally irrelevant, often focusing on trivial incidents. The background story (i.e. how the series came to be) is much stronger, but the season interludes go downhill from there and the material on 1973-90 is entirely so-so. White also has an unfortunate prejudice towards Season 1-3 stars Martin Landau and Barbara Bain and unfairly discounts later arrivals as well as the production High Command who endured Landau's monumental ego. Enlightening, yes. "Complete"...not so sure.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read for fans of the original Mission:Impossible TV series. The show was a little before my time (I only saw it in re-runs), so I enjoyed finding out how the show was created and then evolved over it's 7 year run. There is also a short section at the end of the book covering the two season revival of Mission that ran from 1988-1990 (only Peter Graves from the original series was a regular in the re-launch).

[Charles Pearce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good reference book.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great look at the show and what went on behind the scenes.