CBS Press Release: Mission Impossible: The Original TV Series (1 Viewer)

[jcroy]

Back in the day, I watched the original shows in reruns whenever they were on. When I watched the revived version in its first run in the late 80s, I actually really liked it at the time.

Over the years, I watched the original in reruns more often than the revived show. The revived show rarely ever showed up in reruns in the places I lived in over the years.

With the passage of time, I found I liked the original more than the revived. What confirmed this for me, was when I finally purchased the two dvd sets of the revived show and found it didn't live up to my expectations. (Not even for "nostalgia" type reasons).

 

[Nelson Au]

I didn’t know about the blu ray release of Mission Impossible TOS on blu ray. This is a pleasant surprise. I’d collected most of the season on DVD and was planning to complete the collection. But this is better, hopefully better and not have any changes to the episodes. In some ways this series is like a sister show to Star Trek TOS.

 

[jcroy]

In some ways this series is like a sister show to Star Trek TOS.

Whenever I do a partial rewatch of this show, I like watching through the Nimoy episodes.

 

[The Drifter]

In some ways this series is like a sister show to Star Trek TOS.

Though they're two completely different shows, there were some connections between ST: TOS & the original M:I show:

Nine Odd Connections between Star Trek and Mission: Impossible | Cassava Films

cassavafilms.com

 

[Harry-N]

As I recall, the casting director for both shows would sign a guest star in a two-fer deal. That way a guest star would sign on to do both shows. And it applied to MANNIX too, once it got started.

 

[BobO'Link]

Just like all mid-late 80s cut on tape shows, Mission: Impossible '88 looks perfectly acceptable on a CRT and nothing else. The show itself is pretty terrible as a result of being rushed to air as a means to break the Writer's Strike and there's no incentive to doing a remaster anyway.

It's been a while since I read about that series but the main thing I remember is they recycled many (most? - all?) of the series' scripts from the original show due to that strike.

I own a copy but have yet to watch it. I didn't watch it during its original airings and have never seen it in syndication.

 

[Blimpoy06]

As I recall, the casting director for both shows would sign a guest star in a two-fer deal. That way a guest star would sign on to do both shows. And it applied to MANNIX too, once it got started.

Joseph D'Agosta was the casting director for Star Trek, Mission:Impossible and Mannix (In their early years). Desilu was a small studio and money was tight. D'Agosta would sign actors to multi-show deals that would cost the studio less than if they were paid for a single appearance. He is also the husband of actress Barbara Baldavin who appeared on Star Trek multiple times. I'm pretty certain she was in an episode of Mannix, but i don't recall seeing her in Mission.

 

[BobO'Link]

Joseph D'Agosta was the casting director for Star Trek, Mission:Impossible and Mannix (In their early years). Desilu was a small studio and money was tight. D'Agosta would sign actors to multi-show deals that would cost the studio less than if they were paid for a single appearance. He is also the husband of actress Barbara Baldavin who appeared on Star Trek multiple times. I'm pretty certain she was in an episode of Mannix, but i don't recall seeing her in Mission.
View attachment 78175

IMDB says 3 times for Trek, 2 for Mannix and none for Mission...

 

[bmasters9]

It's been a while since I read about that series but the main thing I remember is they recycled many (most? - all?) of the series' scripts from the original show due to that strike.

That would be the second time that Paramount did that (once for a CBS show [M:I], once for an ABC show)-- the other time was for The New Odd Couple in '82 (Black version w/Glass and Wilson); quite a few of the scripts were recycled from the 70s Randall/Klugman show for the same reason (strike).

 

[Reed Grele]

Good lord... See on Amazon

I watched most of the series first run. Always been a favorite. I'm pre-ordering mainly to show CBS my support for physical media, and perhaps if this set sells well, they might consider releasing a PERRY MASON (1957 - 1966) BD set!

 

[Harry-N]

The original plan for the 88 series was that it would be 13 direct remakes of scripts from the earlier series. This was during a writers' strike, The actors' union was supporting the writers so filming in Hollywood would have been difficult, so it was decided to move the whole thing to Australia. The actors that WERE hired, were originally supposed to be the new incarnations of Barney, Rollin, Cinnamon, and Willy.

The initial four scripts chosen to film were: "The Killer", "The System", "The Condemned", and "The Legacy". Then the writers settled in time for new scripts to be commissioned, so some episodes had echoes of earlier ones, rather than direct remakes. The settlement also allowed the new show to become a direct sequel to the old one, with the operatives taking on new names. Ties to the old series were Graves as Phelps, and Phil Morris, the son of Greg Morris, playing the son of Barney Collier.

The only really direct script re-use was the first episode, "The Killer". They re-wrote the earlier part of the episode to show why Jim Phelps was being thrust back to the IMF. From then on it's a near carbon copy of the episode that was originally guested by Robert Conrad, with STAR TREK's "Q", John De Lancie tapped to play the key role.

There were cast changes that allowed one of the team members to be killed (Teri Markwell was replaced by Jane Badler), and Lynda Day George got to reprise her old character.

There were 19 episodes in the first season. It had originally been placed on the Sunday night schedule and early episodes did pretty well in the ratings. Then ABC first moved the show to Saturdays for the rest of the first season where it did just OK. For the second season they placed the show opposite COSBY on Thursday nights and it floundered. From there it got preempted frequently and ultimately aired its final episodes back on Sunday night, but by then it had lost its way with the irregular scheduling. After 16 episodes, it was cancelled.

I loved the show and remembered how difficult it was to try to follow it around on the schedule. It always seemed to be up against something else I wanted to watch. I'm happy to have the DVDs in spite of the way the show looks.

 

[Neil Brock]

Did anyone ever figure out why the episode The Contender, Part one, runs so short and if it was ever corrected anywhere?

 

[Desslar]

The original plan for the 88 series was that it would be 13 direct remakes of scripts from the earlier series. This was during a writers' strike, The actors' union was supporting the writers so filming in Hollywood would have been difficult, so it was decided to move the whole thing to Australia. The actors that WERE hired, were originally supposed to be the new incarnations of Barney, Rollin, Cinnamon, and Willy.

The initial four scripts chosen to film were: "The Killer", "The System", "The Condemned", and "The Legacy". Then the writers settled in time for new scripts to be commissioned, so some episodes had echoes of earlier ones, rather than direct remakes. The settlement also allowed the new show to become a direct sequel to the old one, with the operatives taking on new names. Ties to the old series were Graves as Phelps, and Phil Morris, the son of Greg Morris, playing the son of Barney Collier.

The only really direct script re-use was the first episode, "The Killer". They re-wrote the earlier part of the episode to show why Jim Phelps was being thrust back to the IMF. From then on it's a near carbon copy of the episode that was originally guested by Robert Conrad, with STAR TREK's "Q", John De Lancie tapped to play the key role.

There were cast changes that allowed one of the team members to be killed (Teri Markwell was replaced by Jane Badler), and Lynda Day George got to reprise her old character.

There were 19 episodes in the first season. It had originally been placed on the Sunday night schedule and early episodes did pretty well in the ratings. Then ABC first moved the show to Saturdays for the rest of the first season where it did just OK. For the second season they placed the show opposite COSBY on Thursday nights and it floundered. From there it got preempted frequently and ultimately aired its final episodes back on Sunday night, but by then it had lost its way with the irregular scheduling. After 16 episodes, it was cancelled.

I loved the show and remembered how difficult it was to try to follow it around on the schedule. It always seemed to be up against something else I wanted to watch. I'm happy to have the DVDs in spite of the way the show looks.

I was so excited when this show began, but it lost its luster after a few episodes. I guess they were trying to hide the fact that they were filming in Australia, so mostly they shot on sets, which bores me to tears. The cast was maybe slightly more emotive than in the original series, but not by much. Most of the team's plans seemed to revolve around the master of disguise (Thaao Penghlis) trying to con someone with a less than convincing outfit and accent. Most of the time you wonder why the villains would buy his shtick for more than a minute.

Still, fantastic credits sequence and I do have the series on DVD.

 

[Harry-N]

Did anyone ever figure out why the episode The Contender, Part one, runs so short and if it was ever corrected anywhere?

Just guesswork. It was a Sunday night when it first aired. I don't think it was anything like a football runover - those weren't all that common then. Even so, the episode was already the length it was supposed to be and wouldn't have been made shorter.

I can guess that there might have been a long promo/teaser that aired to promote the second part of the two-parter that would air the following Sunday night. Totally guesswork, but I've seen those type of promos that run pretty long.

 

[Wiseguy]

Just guesswork. It was a Sunday night when it first aired. I don't think it was anything like a football runover - those weren't all that common then. Even so, the episode was already the length it was supposed to be and wouldn't have been made shorter.

I can guess that there might have been a long promo/teaser that aired to promote the second part of the two-parter that would air the following Sunday night. Totally guesswork, but I've seen those type of promos that run pretty long.

Seems to me Paramount couldn't locate the original film so they used one that was edited for reruns, possibly the one shown on FX back in the 1990s. And both part one and part two are shorter than the other episodes by five minutes.

 

[Dan McW]

Both parts of "The Contender" were edited on a Paramount's commercial VHS release as well as on DVD and Blu.

 

[Neil Brock]

Both parts of "The Contender" were edited on a Paramount's commercial VHS release as well as on DVD and Blu.

Very strange. Even if part one had a preview of part 2 and part 2 had a recap, there would be no reason to edit those off the home video releases.

 

[Harry-N]

Just looking at Part One on my Paramount+, I notice an odd edit at the scene where Phelps is talking to "Richie". A wheelchair is being pushed up a sidewalk, we see Phelps at Richie's bench, and the Richie's very first words are: "If that's supposed to be funny, Mister it doesn't make it." to which Phelps replies "No, None of this is supposed to be funny".

I suspect there was once an introductory scene where Phelps introduces himself at least. How long that would have been? Don't know. But if there are other trims in the episode(s), they may be of a similar nature. Is it possible that CBS edited the program down to run the two episodes together as a quickie Movie Of The Week and needed some extra time for commercials? Again, all just guesswork, but not out of the realm of possibility.

At any rate, this is surely a minor problem. Not as bad as the missing HFiveO and certainly not as bad as the edited Barnaby Jones episodes.

 

[Wiseguy]

Just looking at Part One on my Paramount+, I notice an odd edit at the scene where Phelps is talking to "Richie". A wheelchair is being pushed up a sidewalk, we see Phelps at Richie's bench, and the Richie's very first words are: "If that's supposed to be funny, Mister it doesn't make it." to which Phelps replies "No, None of this is supposed to be funny".

I suspect there was once an introductory scene where Phelps introduces himself at least. How long that would have been? Don't know. But if there are other trims in the episode(s), they may be of a similar nature. Is it possible that CBS edited the program down to run the two episodes together as a quickie Movie Of The Week and needed some extra time for commercials? Again, all just guesswork, but not out of the realm of possibility.

At any rate, this is surely a minor problem. Not as bad as the missing HFiveO and certainly not as bad as the edited Barnaby Jones episodes.

I'm quite sure it's what I stated previously: for whatever reason Paramount didn't use the original version (lost? damaged?) and instead used an edited for reruns version they already had access to. The fact that BOTH parts one and two were EXACTLY five minutes short supports this. This has happened numerous times on DVDs. All this other speculation Is ridiculous. Unless there is proof otherwise, the simplest explanation Is usually the best.

 

[David Weicker]

I'm quite sure it's what I stated previously: for whatever reason Paramount didn't use the original version (lost? damaged?) and instead used an edited for reruns version they already had access to. The fact that BOTH parts one and two were EXACTLY five minutes short supports this. This has happened numerous times on DVDs. All this other speculation Is ridiculous. Unless there is proof otherwise, the simplest explanation Is usually the best.

While I don’t know what is true, I’m curious how you know they are exactly five minutes short.

Where is it documented what the precise original run-times were? (If the allegation is correct that these aren’t the originals)