Norman Felton, executive producer of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., died last month at the age of 99. The news wasn't disclosed until an obituary appeared this week in Variety.
Felton originated the project and chatted up Ian Fleming in October 1962 (shortly after the Cuban Missile Crisis) in New York. Fleming contributed the name of Napoleon Solo. Sam Rolfe did the heavy lifting in terms of script and developing the concept. But, to use a James Bond analogy, Felton was like Broccoli and Saltzman combined in spearheading the project and making it a reality.
Norman Felton, UNCLE executive producer, dies at 99
Started by
Napoleon Solo
, Jul 05 2012 11:25 PM
4 replies to this topic
#2
thecasinoroyale
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Posted 06 July 2012 - 11:02 AM
That's a shame - I loved The Man From UNCLE as a child, found it very exciting, mixed in with my new discovery of James Bond, and it got me hooked!
Loved Napoleon Solo, and Robert Vaughn was so cool in my eyes - still is! Nice bit of Trivia there about Fleming contributing the name - I never knew that, but thought it was one of the best names for a spy out there.
A brilliant series, and kudos to Mr Norman Felton.
Loved Napoleon Solo, and Robert Vaughn was so cool in my eyes - still is! Nice bit of Trivia there about Fleming contributing the name - I never knew that, but thought it was one of the best names for a spy out there.
A brilliant series, and kudos to Mr Norman Felton.
#3
Napoleon Solo
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Posted 07 July 2012 - 01:22 AM
That's a shame - I loved The Man From UNCLE as a child, found it very exciting, mixed in with my new discovery of James Bond, and it got me hooked!
Loved Napoleon Solo, and Robert Vaughn was so cool in my eyes - still is! Nice bit of Trivia there about Fleming contributing the name - I never knew that, but thought it was one of the best names for a spy out there.
A brilliant series, and kudos to Mr Norman Felton.
Eon never liked UNCLE and sued to try to stop it (read Broccoli's autobiography and it's clear he held the TV show in contempt).
Still the two, at least in the U.S., benefitted from each other. Bond's surging popularity ahead of the U.S. release of Goldfinger, helped save UNCLE in its first season. In UNCLE's second season, the series was pre-empted to show The Incredible World of James Bond special (which, speaking only for myself, got me hooked on Bond). In UNCLE's third season, the show was pre-empted to show the Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond special.
#4
Von Hammerstein
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Posted 16 August 2012 - 01:51 PM
Sad. One of the great spy shows of my childhood has lost its creator. RIP Norm.
#5
PrinceKamalKhan
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Posted 06 October 2012 - 08:46 PM
Just saw this. RIP to the man who gave us Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin.