I'm sorry I was not here for Mr. Dotterer's most interesting thread on the writers of "I SPY." And since that topic is now somewhere on Page 2, I'll add my comments up here.
Fortunately, writing for "I SPY" was not a competition. Loving Culp's scripts doesn't mean we need to think any less of the other talented writers' contributions ... i.e. Zagor, Lewin, Frankel, Friedkin & Fine, etc., etc., etc. Of course, there were some very weak scripts in the mix, some downright dreadful ones, but there were also some truly excellent storylines and some masterful writing. And as pointed out in Marc and Linda's book, there was even a range of good and not quite so good stories among individual writers.
One thing we agree on is the "give & take - the bantering" between Culp and Cosby is what we, as the audience, were charmed by, what we most enjoyed. According to that article that Becca just posted from USA Today about "Spy Legends" - "I SPY" was listed with this note ....
" I SPY (NBC, 1965-68). Despite the title, the spying didn't matter much. What mattered was the comic, historic interplay between stars Robert Culp and Bill Cosby —" Yes, THAT's what is most remembered!!
On the other hand, I can fully understand Mr. Frankel's and Mr. Leonard's views. Writers work extremely hard on developing their scripts and do not appreciate having their stories changed or tampered with, or having key elements eliminated because of the "creative choices" of the performers. As someone pointed out, Mr. Culp, the writer, would certainly not have been happy to have his scripted words changed by anyone.
BUT ...
... at the end of day, we all know that the
magic was in the mix! Sheldon was the master at knowing what audiences wanted, his stellar record of successful shows attests to this. But for "I SPY," his concepts were often too light, he didn't like - as he called them - "artsy-fartsy" stories with strong substance .... Culp's excellent scripts were dark and dramatic and dynamic, but that is the same reason you could not have watched them as a steady diet every week, because they were so dark and dramatic and seriously humorless. Friedkin and Fine provided a strong middle-of-the-road anchor, but their stories were often relegated to a middle-of-the-road existence, though at times rising to the very, very good.
AND add to all this - Cosby's humor; the talented mix of the variety of writers; the assortment of gifted, and often very different, directors; plus Earle Hagen's fabulous music ...... toss them all together - and - THAT was when the magic occurred - THAT is what worked!!! The creation that we love, the "I SPY" that has captured our imaginations all this time, was the combination and subtle flavoring derived from ALL of these different elements - working in balance (and
often in counter-balance) that made the magic - that made it all work so beautifully!!
As always,
Tatia
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