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

Culp and Cosby improvised most of their banter. They also ended up rewriting much of their dialogue as they were often dissatisfied with the scripts.

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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 Tripping the Rift: Aliens, Guns & a Monkey (2004)

User Reviews

A Wonderful TV Show For All the Right Reasons

It so common that we like things because they help us to escape. We like things because we know they're not good for us. We like things because nobody else like them. And sometimes, we don't know why we like things, we just do.

Those of us who love and adore the 1965-1968 television series I-Spy have many reasons to like it. We can like it because it was the first, and up to this point the best, of the buddy pairings that have become so commonplace in TV and movies. Think about it. As far as drama/comedies go, who were the first evenly matched hero team? Crockett and Tubbs weren't, and don't compare. And there isn't anybody else worth mentioning. The rapport between Kelly and Scotty has never been equaled. Spenser and Hawk come the closest.

Then there's the presence of Bill Cosby, who wasn't handed charity. He was given an opportunity and made the most of it. The three Emmys on his mantel attest to his skill and his popularity.

Then there's the location filming. And the fun. And the charm. and some great guest performances along the way. This was and is a great show. Terrific and timeless.