I Spy (1965–1968)

A pair of American agents faces espionage adventures with skill, humor and some serious questions about their work. Robinson's cover is as a former Princeton law student and Davis Cup ... See full summary »

Stars:

Robert Culp, Bill Cosby, Kenneth Tobey

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Robert Culp	...	Kelly Robinson (82 episodes, 1965-1968)
Bill Cosby	...	Alexander Scott (82 episodes, 1965-1968)

Storyline

A pair of American agents faces espionage adventures with skill, humor and some serious questions about their work. Robinson's cover is as a former Princeton law student and Davis Cup tennis player; Rhodes scholar Scott is his trainer as well as being a language expert.

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Plot Keywords:

travel | tennis | spy | rhodes scholar | secret agent | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Danny Doyle

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

3F Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

51 min 51 min (82 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first American dramatic TV series to feature a black actor in a lead role. Scripts were peppered with unique lingo. One catchphrase, "wonderfulness," became popular and was later used by Bill Cosby for the title of one of his comedy albums.

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Quotes

[Commentary on Kelly's receiving a blown kiss.]
Alexander Scott: The wonderfulness of your charm.

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Crazy Credits

During the opening credits sequence of many early episodes, scenes from that episode are shown underneath a closeup of Robert Culp's eyes. If you look closely, Culp's facial expressions (concerned, happy, etc.) almost always match the action happening on the screen. Later in the series, a standard set of action/romance/humor scenes was used.

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Connections

Referenced in The Boondocks: It's Goin' Down (2010)

User Reviews

The Anti-Spy Show

This show was very unique when it comes to spy shows that were on television at the same time. Of course, the fact that it was one of the first shows to feature an African-American in a non-demeaning role made it unique as well as the humor, but there were other factors that helped make this show one of the most memorable of the 1960's. First, it was probably the only spy show that didn't rely on any special gadgetry as was the norm on shows like Mission: Impossible, The Man From Uncle and even the Wild Wild West. The two spies had to rely on their wits in order to take on their weekly antagonists. The second thing that was very unique about the show was that it relied on heavily on characterization. The characters of Kelly and Scottie were probably the most fleshed out characters on not just shows dealing with international intrigue, but of any show in that era. However, the most interesting aspect of this show was the fact that the characters actually questioned why they were in the business. Of course, this was in the middle of the Cold War, where loyalty was never an issue on the various spy shows, but this was probably the first one where the characters actually would question why they were being sent on these missions.