I've always wondered what viewers reactions were the first time they saw the Mission Impossible pilot.
I didn't see it until I bought the season one DVD collection in 2013. After I recovered from having my jaw drop, I wondered, "How did they get that scene where Cinnamon comes in wearing nothing but a towel past the censors?"
I'd like to hear from my fellow honorary IMF agents about this.
I was totally blown away. I was lucky enough to see The Pilot when it was first broadcast on CBS in 1966. I watched the series from the beginning. I had no idea what to expect when the opening credits started on the first episode.
I had been a lukewarm fan of The Man From UNCLE and Secret Agent (Danger Man in Europe?) and even less of a fan of I Spy, although I watched them all. I was hoping for a more satisfying spy-based TV show when Mission: Impossible hit me like a punch in the stomach.
I didn't know any of the actors in The Pilot, at the time, other than Wally Cox. He always played a wishy-washy character in other roles and I was surprised at his sinewy, muscular physique while wearing his tank shirt.
I recognized Martin Landau (but not by name) from his appearances in The Outer Limits. It was the first time that the mask gimmick was used, and it showed the preparation that Rollin put into his "performance." I was surprised how often other writers picked up on that and overused it to the point of triteness. I thought maybe Geller intended it for a one-time use in his pilot.
If I remember correctly, the "towel" scene was mentioned in TV Guide magazine at the time. It passed the censors as long as the camera (or camera-MAN) didn't linger too long on her.
I have a question for you Lima, since you're the MI guru around here, was Wally Cox suppose to be a regular on the series?
Spenser with an "S", like the poet.
LOL cind5. To show you how much of a guru I am (NOT), I had to go in search of my copy of the "Dossier" book. Here goes from their explanation. No, I can never make anything short!
Before The Pilot was filmed (December, 1965) only three regulars would be in the cast, Steven Hill as Dan Briggs, Barbara Bain as Cinnamon Carter, and Greg Morris as Barney Collier. A pre-Mod Squad! The concept was to have a rotating guest cast of topic-area experts as potential future scripts would require.
Three guest stars were hired for The Pilot. Martin Landau as Rollin Hand night club magician, Peter Lupus as strong man Willy Armitage, and Wally Cox as safe cracker Terry Targo.
Desilu didn't sell The Pilot to CBS until March, 1966. The scramble was on to hire at least one more regular cast member for the first season. Martin Landau was hired as a continuing "guest star" for the remainder of Season One.
The question came up, "Who would be more useful to continuing scripts, a strong man or a safe cracker?" It was decided by Geller, Desilu, and CBS that a strong man would fit better into future scripts. Lupus was hired full time. Wally Cox as Terry Targo was considered as a recurring character, but none of the writers Geller hired for subsequent episodes ever wrote a part for him.
Trek Trivia! Eddie Paskey has an IMDB credit in The Pilot: Man Taking Suitcase from Safe.
Paskey portrayed LT Leslie in Star Trek the original series, and was William Shatner's stunt double.