ramsfan
A truly outstanding show, Mission Impossible featured a handful of government agents, each with a special talent, who used their skills to solve crimes too difficult for conventional law enforcement. Usually, these crimes involved rogue nations, corrupt officials and later in the series Organized Crime, referred to as "The Syndicate". Peter Graves (Mr. Phelps) portrayed the calm, cool leader of the IMF, or Impossible Missions Force and would report to a taped message in some isolated, non-descript location outlining the task or "mission" to be performed. From there, the team would meet and collaborate on the execution of their plan.This show was impressive in every way, from the intricate plots to the acting to the production values, which were unparalleled in 1960's television. The attention to detail was phenomenal and allowed the viewer to sit totally engrossed on just how the villain/s would get their comeuppance. Such detail and the straightforward approach by the characters also made every mission- however far-fetched- believable. Great, too, were some of the show's episodic villains- John Vernon, Anthony Zerbe, Fritz Weaver, and others- whose performances were both convincing and enjoyable during "Mission's" run.Creator Bruce Geller once said he wanted "Mission" to be worth the time of an intelligent person. He succeeded in that regard, but it would be interesting to see if a detail-oriented show like this would fly today, as the average TV viewer's attention span lasts about 10 minutes. "Mission Impossible" is as good a show that ever ran on network television and a unique entry into CBS's fine programming over the years.
DKosty123
This show was at the top of the heap when it ran on CBS. As the number 1 show in the ratings, it was the crown Jewel of CBS prime-time line up starting in 1966 & moving on into the late 1960's. There actually is an obscure factual basis the series was based upon which did not come out until years later.The Impossible Mission Force (IMF) team concept was actually based upon a real team which was operating prior to the series. Amazingly, this is another of the top shows(including Star Trek)produced originally by Desilu in the 1960's. I discovered in the 1990's that as members of CREEP (The Committee to Re-Elect The President) started to die, in their obituaries were references to the fact they had started working for their boss (Richard M Nixon) in 1952.It is from this team that the concept of the IMF was created. To use a little more imagination, before this bungled Watergate caper in 1972, it is very possible that they pull off the JFK caper in 1963. The facts around Kennedy's death read very much like an IMF job. Especially all the loose ends that were left in Dallas in 1963.Steven Hill's Daniel Briggs started this show strong. The story goes that he quit the show after the first season because his religion required him to be off one day a week. Bruce Geller & the production team arrived at an impasse with Hill & he left the show. Purists of the IMF think this first season is the best one because of Hill.Peter Graves took over as Jim Phelps leading the team in 1967 & until the series ended years later. The show didn't lose much. The folks who composed the team most of the time, Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, & Peter Lupus were very believable in their roles. Nice thing about the format is they could slip in guest stars on the IMF team to keep it from getting boring.This show was very high tech as it had lots of gadgets. Most plots center around brutal dictators doing bad things & the IMF going in to set things right in a variety of ways. Sometimes the plots would go for more than 1 episode.The trademark of every show is the burning fuse on the screen with little teasers of the action in the episode to come. Then the tape with the mission, the black & white rooms where Briggs/Phelps would select that week's team. Another hallmark of the show were the complexity of the plots & how split second timing was required to make each mission a success."As always, if any of your team are caught or killed, the secretary will dis-avow any knowledge of their actions." Good Luck Impossible Mission team fans.
rcj5365
Forget the makeup and flashy stagecraft deployed by the members of the Impossible Missions Force in their quest to bring justice to merciless dictators in South America and iron-fisted rulers behind the Iron Curtain. What's really impressive is that no matter what country they infiltrate,they speak the native language flawlessly..that would be English of course,with a dusting of a Latin or Balkan accent even to scoop down to the level of their enemies to save the world. Impossible indeed. Such suspension of credibility is necessary to appreciate by any means one of the most interesting and outrageously clever shows ever to grace the mid-1960's and would continue that streak toward the early 1970's...."Mission:Impossible"....which aired for seven seasons on CBS-TV from September 17,1966-March 30,1973,and produced an astounding 171 episodes all shown in brilliant color under the head creator and executive producer of this series Bruce Geller under the supervision of Herb Solow and the head of Desilu/Paramount Lucille Ball. Credit Lalo Schifrin's unforgettable,pulsating theme(one of the all time great television themes)with turbocharging each episode. And its a kick to see what cold war anxieties the show's writers exploited in a TV era that was fraught with espionage series("The Man From U.N.C.L.E., "I Spy","Secret Agent","The Saint","The Avengers","The Wild,Wild West", "It Takes A Thief"). "Mission:Impossible" was a show that went beyond the norm of the espionage thriller and basically took it to heights never before witness,and it shows in some of the episodes. The I.M.F. encounters villains armed with nuclear warheads,plague and vials of deadly bacteria capable of contaminating a city's water supply-fears that sound depressingly plausible today but at the time this show premiered in 1966,it was something that really kept viewers on edge to see what would happen next. Not only Tom Cruise saw the movie potential in the series,but also Kiefer Sutherland who saw the potential in the series for the basics of his own espionage show "24"(which in fact dethrone the show's 171 episodes which held the record as the longest- running espionage series in television history for 35 years until 2010 when "24" surpassed it with 195 episodes). Unlike James Bond,who got his marching orders face to face from the curt but indulgent M,Dan Briggs,the I.M.F's chief,travels to the oddest places-a liquor store,a drive-in movie,and amusement arcade-to discover the mission(should he decide to accept it). Wherever the venue,there was always a tape warning Briggs that should he or any of the I.M.F. "be caught or killed,the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions"-the same tape that self destructs after its finished. The missions,if accepted,were carefully executed to the sharpest norm and split second timing to take care of any situation that comes up and to save the world from any and all that would commit to sabotage. During the show's first season the role of Briggs was played with sly intelligence by Steven Hill(the estimable actor who later portrayed District Attorney Adam Schiff on "Law and Order"),Briggs of course,accepts all assignments. Briggs's ensemble includes Martin Landau as Rollin Hand,an actor and master of disguise(a man of million faces);Barbara Bain(who was then married to Mr. Landau)as the sultry model Cinnamon Carter;Greg Morris as Barney Collier,whose electronic wizardry powers much of the I.M.F.'s chicanery;and Peter Lupus as Willy Armitage,the thinking person's muscleman. Other cast members that came onboard the IMF force later on during the series were Leonard Nimoy, Barbara Anderson,Lesley Anne-Warren,Sam Elliott and in the last two seasons of the series Lynda Day-George. As far as the actors are concerned,only actors Greg Morris and Peter Lupus remained throughout the series during the show's entire seven-year run. However,actor Steven Hill(who appeared in 28 episodes of Season One only of 1966-1967),left at the end of season one,and was replaced by Peter Graves as Jim Phelps(the new chief of command)who led the I.M.F. from Seasons 2 thru 7 appearing in 143 episodes from 1967- 1973. More interesting at the end of the show's third season actors Martin Landau and Barbara Bain left the series and were replaced by Leonard Nimoy during the fourth season. Nimoy appeared in 49 episodes from Seasons 4 thru 6 from 1969-1971. Nimoy left at the end of season 6 and was replaced by Sam Elliott(season 5 for 13 episodes),Lesley Anne- Warren(Season 5 for 13 episodes),Lynda-Day George(in the final 2 seasons of the series for 44 episodes),and Barbara Anderson for seven episodes of Season 6. "Mission:Impossible" was nominated for an impressive 15 Prime-Time Emmys winning seven Prime-Time Emmys during its run for Best Dramatic Series, Best Actress in a Dramatic Series, Best Actor in a Dramatic Series, Best Outstanding Achievement in Writing,and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor/Actress in a Dramatic Series. Nominated for five Golden Globes winning three Golden Globes for Best Television Series,Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series,and Best Actor in a Television Series wins for actors Peter Graves and Martin Landau. In 1967 it won the Edgar Award for Best Episode in a Television Series.Big time writers for some of the great episodes came from the show's creator Bruce Geller along with Allan Balter,Laurence Heath,to William Read-Woodfield,Paul Playdon, Kenneth Pettus, Stephen Kandel, Jackson Gillis, Chester Krumholz, Arthur Weiss, Edward J. Lakso, Norman Katkov and top-notch direction from Tom Gries, Barry Crane, Paul Krasny, Alexander Singer, Murray Golden, Marc Daniels, Alf Kjellin, Robert Totten, Joesph Pevney, Leslie H. Martinson to Sutton Roley, Lee H. Katzin, Virgil W. Vogel, Leonard Horn and Sutton Roley with top-notch guest stars each week ranging from Ricardo Montalban, Cicely Tyson, William Marshall, Fritz Weaver, Anthony Zerbe, Pernell Roberts, Lee Meriwether,Edward Asner, Joan Collins, William Windom, Robert Conrad, Ed Nelson, James Daly, Nehemiah Persoff, Lloyd Bridges, Joesph Campanella, Eartha Kitt, Malachi Throne, Wally Cox, Bradford Dillman, and William Shatner, George Takei,and Carroll O'Connor just to name a few whose performances were convincing and outstanding during the show's seven season run on CBS.*Original commentary written on September 13, 2007 but was revised on September 17,2016 to commemorate the series' golden 50th anniversary.
