I really like the ending of "A Room with a Rack," when Scotty decides to confront their boss Mr. Anderson about how unfairly Kelly was treated by the department - being tortured for an obsolete metal process. While Scotty is talking, Kelly's expressions are priceless - first a little annoyed that Scotty starts the confrontation, then resigned and actually relieved that the truth is coming out, then surprised and a little bemused when Scotty mentions how scared Kelly was, and finally p*ssed off enough to punch out his boss. And all this takes place over the course just a few seconds. Mr. Culp really is a wonderful actor in such scenes, where the most subtle changes in facial expression and body language speak volumes.
On the same DVD, I also enjoy the scene in "Blackout" when the Russian agents show up at the hotel room and discover that Zili Markova is dead. At the start of the scene, Kelly and Scotty are on opposite sides of the room - Scotty at the door and Kelly near the back bedroom. As the scene progresses, Scotty slowly, almost imperceptibly, edges closer and closer to Kelly until the two are side by side, in direct opposition to the Russians. There is an unspoken instinct that draws Scotty protectively to his partner's side without giving it any conscious thought.
I also love the look of total exasperation on Kelly's face when Ivan asks him why he was with Zili. Kelly's words say, "Because she was a beautiful woman," but his expressions says, "That is the stupidest question I've ever heard." Again, just the perfect reaction in that moment.
Anyway, just a couple of observations to stir up some chatter
I remember liking "Blackout" a lot when I watched it some 2+ years ago for the first time...well above average....I'll have to check it again, the scenes you bring up are vaguely stirring memories of the episode...I somehow still have never managed to watch "Room with a Rack" all the way through for some reason...and I've even made it through "Casanova From Canarsie," twice (!), so the stars must have been misaligned the night I tried "Rack" or something....
I remember back in the late 70s, when "I Spy" was on late nights in syndication. It was a ritual for me to watch whatever episode was on, fighting sleep to stay up. I remember seeing the opening to "Room with a Rack" and watching Kelly cry and being jolted by the drama thinking to myself, "What is this?" I had never seen or even heard of the episode before.
My two favorite scenes are Kelly singing "Man on the Flying Trapeze" while being tortured and the scene in the theater balcony. That episode, in my opinion remains in writing and acting, closest to any of the scripts that Bob wrote.
It is hard to watch Kelly sob, but a lot harder for me to watch the torture itself - especially knowing that it was all for naught. And there is such tenderness in the moment when Scotty tries to reassure Kelly with a touch on the arm that it was okay to have the "contraband" in the hospital room - and again when he gives Kelly a pat on the back for finally slugging that slimeball Anderson. I love subtle little moments like that between them.
MBF, did you ever ask Mr. Culp his feelings about the episode?
I absolutely agree .... Mr. Beardface made an excellent point. We never saw the cool spy "cry" or "breakdown" or even "break" something. I SPY made our heroes real!! Kelly and Scotty were not like the campy Men from U.N.C.L.E. or the super polished, ice-like Bond - they were flesh and blood men who reacted with emotions and relied on their intelligence and cunning - not on high-tech toys and gadgets.
And we connected with them ... Did you really care what the Mission Impossible bunch did when they were not on screen - or John Drake or John Steed? But we knew a good deal about Kelly and Scotty - their strengths and more importantly, their weaknesses. We knew their views on many things and also their insights into different situations. Kelly was always the more volatile and emotional, while Scotty provided the balance and stability.
I remember watching "So Long Patrick Henry" for the first time .... the scene where Kelly jumps off the moving airport luggage truck and actually breaks his arm!! James Bond never broke his arm, or Napoleon Solo, or Derek Flint!! I was truly surprised and taken aback - and began to realize that there was a great deal of depth to these stories and characters. In the fantasy "spy" world, Kelly and Scotty were coming across far more "real" than anything out there. (And perhaps for some, who were looking for escapism and fantasy and camp, this was the reason I SPY was not their "cup of tea.")
photo courtesy of Bulwer-Lytton
As has been mentioned in the past, Kelly (and Culp) always did "pain" so well - both in his portrayal of physical AND emotional pain - and the nuances of both.
"Room With A Rack" was the premiere offering! Our hero actually has an emotional/mental breakdown, but also the strength to overcome it!! Very, very powerful stuff .... self-doubt, weakness, strength, tears, torture, courage, betrayal, nobility, and friendship. Very, very well done! Besides the Culp-written scripts, this is one of my favorite episodes.
... and this is carried through with "It's All Done With Mirrors." Our hero is actually brain-washed!! He tries to fight it, but breaks down fairly quickly under the advanced techniques of psychopathic Dr. Karolyi. This never happens to the "main characters" - they are never the ones who break down and get brain-washed!! And Culp's torture scenes are beyond chilling - especially when he reacts by curling into a fetal position - horrific and extremely powerful. And again, the strength of friendship and trust overcome the machinations of evil - and this is accomplished with finesse and intelligence.
On the emotional side - one of my favorites is "Blackout." Beginning with that stand-out silent opening, we enter Kelly's drugged and dazed mind and state - and very slowly become aware of the situation as he does .... slowly realizing the state of events through his eyes. Excellent story and excellent job by both Culp and Cosby in this one.
And finally, when talking about the emotional side of our characters and their vulnerability, we can't leave out "Magic Mirror." This is one episode that has grown in my admiration more and more every time I see it. The subtleties and complexities and interplay of characters in this story are extremely well done and extremely well-written.
The ending scene in the steam bath is one of the best in the entire series - when Kelly has a moment of adult introspection brought on by the comments of his best friend, who understands him better than he does himself.
I always enjoy digging into the characterization and psychological studies of Kelly. (Okay, I admit it, not much of a Scotty fan, but love their interaction). Kelly is a much more complicated and complex character than Scotty, I think, and Culp presents him that way.
The stories and scenes where we see Kelly in difficult situations, both physically and mental/emotionally, are quite daring and magnificent; Culp made them palpably believable. I heartily agree that having our heroes be real people, dealing with real life, and real events, making mistakes, not willing or able to turn off their emotions for their jobs, was one of the ways the show stood out from any other show of its type. (However, off list, I'm happy to discuss the similar complexities of John Steed with you if you wish! I'm an expert on him!)
I was, however, a bit disgruntled with the one day brainwashing scenario. While I believe that the torture in Room With A Rack was really plausible, and Kelly's resultant mental/emotional problems fascinatingly portrayed given the episode aired YEARS before "post traumatic stress disorder" was even an inkling in our national psyche, having Kelly brain-washed in one day did hurt the pride of my fandom. I mean, one day? I understand it was all done under the necessity of the plot, not having Scotty concerned about the length of Kelly's disappearance, but that did push the flawed hero angle just a little too much for me. Oh, well. One can't complain too much. The ending, with Kelly simply not being able to shoot his spy brother--which Scotty knew Kelly couldn't do--made up for it, although I will always wonder if any of those errant bullets landed in someone down there on the street...
Crying Spies, Mirrors, Forbidden Love and Brussels Sprouts
September 2 2007, 7:07 PM
I really like the opening of Blackout as well. It’s one of the strongest and most atypical sequences in the whole series. Very stylish. (Cushman and LaRosa describe the feel as “very much that of a European art film”—and they imply that this is why the director Alf Kjellin wasn’t asked back—too artsy-fartsy and too slow.). Kelly is really in a bad spot, and we’re all sweating it out with him. I said everything I could think of on the subject of Blackout back when it was fresher in my mind, so for more, follow this link:
A couple of weeks ago I said I was going to watch The War Lord as penance for not recognizing a quote from it (in the hope that Tatia may one day speak to me again). You can pretty much discount anything else I may say, but if I say I’m going to watch an I Spy episode, you can bet your ass that I will. I watched The War Lord, and then, in a fevered state, Magic Mirror and Home to Judgment. Then (metaphorically) I rewound the DVD and watched the episodes again with Mr. Culp’s commentary. I hadn’t listened to his commentary in a few years and it was like hearing it for the first time (which is the upside of having neither short nor long term memory). It is by far the most insightful and honest DVD commentary I have ever heard.
I agree with Tatia that Magic Mirror is an episode which continues to grow on one. As I watched Magic Mirror and The War Lord, I couldn’t help but meditate on how different my reaction to them is now in my “mature” (?) years, than when I first saw them barely into my teens. Unlike Home to Judgment which I loved instantly (and still think is one of the greatest hours of TV ever) I was quite cool to War Lord and Magic Mirror. I thought Culp’s War Lord accent “funky” and as far as Magic Mirror goes, I didn’t know what the hell was going on between Kelly and Sam. It made absolutely no sense to me. However, nearly forty years can change ones perspective. For one thing I like Brussels sprouts now. For another I don’t mind Chuang-Tzu’s accent. The subtle love story between Chuang-Tzu and Katherine is quite moving, as is the inevitable end to it. As far as Magic Mirror…yeoow!, watching it the other night, it just blew me away. When Kelly looks into the mirror and says, “looks all right to me,” all I could say was…yeah. That’s a very cool moment. The performances are all so great. I love France Nuyen in this. And Ricardo Montalban. And Ken Tobey (as Gabe, not Russ) is wonderful in the opening. He’s at his sarcastic best, and you wish that he had been in more episodes, making Kelly and Scotty seem like little boys.
As far as Kelly’s crying/sobbing moments, I am most in tune with the one in Home to Judgment, when he reveals who he is to his aunt and uncle, and expresses regret at having returned. No matter how many times I see it, that one gets to me.
It's amazing that so much comes through Culp's few explanatory sentences in this scene and his choked cry of sorrow. Absolutely that moment is hardcore emotions straight from Kelly's heart and gets me "right here" every time. We get to see a very deep wound in Kelly that one could truly believe had never healed; the early death of his mother and the wreck of a somewhat idyllic family life that never really, we are made to intuit, was repaired. The loss of his mother struck Kelly deeply and lead to the shattering of his childhood innocence; his never returning to the farm and his aunt and uncle compounded his youthful grief. Now he returns, bringing the risk of death that has become a continual shadow in his life--death caused him to leave the farm and death has now caused him to return. His beating death this time and the renewal of his relationship with his aunt and uncle offers up a kind of redemption which Kelly desperately needed.
There are so many powerfully intense and emotional scenes in "Home to Judgment" - which is, of course, everyone's favorite episode, including Messrs. Culp and Cosby. (O.K. O.K. - so there may be a few of us "War Lord" lovers out there, who rank "Home to Judgment" a few paces behind the General and Catherine (but just a few ... )
I've mentioned before that I was delighted that "Home to Judgment" was placed as the last episode in the DVD sets ... in its rightful place. It was the story that completed "I SPY" with Kelly and Scotty renewed - in mind and body and spirit - walking off into the sunset together - the way of all true heroes!!
You have all mentioned amazing moments in "Home to Judgment" - from the wonderful, exquisite script of Robert Culp's ... as when Uncle Harry quietly says "Kelly...???", when Kelly reveals himself to his Aunt and Uncle after so many years, when Kelly talks about being contaminated and contaminating everything they touch while feverish in the barn, when Kelly breaks into that heart-wrenching half-sob when he talks about his mother dying and never returning to the farm (THAT's the scene that always does me in!!). Culp's creation of Aunty Alta and Uncle Harry as the perfect, noble, strong and nurturing relatives is beautifully written. Who wouldn't want to be part of their family and spend time in their world?? Who wouldn't become a better person for just having known them.
Will Geer and Una Merkel seem so ideally suited to their roles, that I can't imagine Walter Brennan and Beulah Bondi for a moment, which were Culp's original choices for the parts. It was truly serendipitous that Mr. Geer and Ms. Merkel became the Uncle Harry and Aunty Alta we hold dear to our hearts. And for Will Geer, perhaps it was this role that opened up Grandpa Walton for him!!
I also found Bob's commentaries on the DVDs and Marc and Linda's section in their book on "Home to Judgment" to be downright fascinating, especially all the personal, auto-biographical touches that Bob included - the rifle, the photos, the family history .....
I'll stop here - and go with a "Picture is Worth A Thousand Words" for the rest of this posting!!
"We were supposed to keep it away, man - but we brought it with us - we brought it right into the house ..."
"KELLY ... ???"
Sweet Aunty Alta
Kelly Revealed ....
"You're Burning Up ..."
Caring Nurturing Aunty Alta and Uncle Harry
Kelly talking about his Mom dying and never returning to the farm ... and that heart-wrenching half sob!
And the strength of Uncle Harry listening .....
and his reassurance that "We'll get through this, son!"
A totally superb episode - in every aspect - the writing, acting, directing, plus Earle Hagen's truly amazing score - perfection!!!
Bill Cosby, who puts in one of his better performances as well. Scotty is the strong, steadfast, ever-present buoy of support who keeps Kelly afloat both physically and spiritually when Kelly is on the verge of giving in to exhaustion and despair. Despite having run for as long and hard as Kelly did trying to escape, Scotty still manages to go out and spend the day digging ditches. It's Scotty who let's Kelly know, with a simple hand gesture and nod of the head, that this is indeed his aunt and uncle's place, allowing Kelly to get his first real rest in days. He sneaks Kelly food, and ointment for his wounds. He covers Kelly with his jacket at night. When Kelly says, "Funny, the fever just won't go away," Scotty reassures him, "It will." When Kelly's spirits wane, Scotty says, "Hang in there, sport. We're in good shape." It's Scotty who exhorts Kelly to admit to his aunt and uncle who he is, and of course, none of them could have survived the enemy onslaught without Scotty's ingenuity and physical prowess. In his commentary, Mr. Culp talks about the intimate understanding he had of the relationship between Kelly and Scotty, and this episode makes that case pretty well.
Absolutely, Becca! I totally agree .... Scotty and Kelly's partnership shine in "Home to Judgment." Scotty's strength and determination and brotherhood are the keys to Kelly's survival. I think Culp used an excellent device in having Kelly suffer from a prolonged fever. It enables him to say some things he would never normally talk about - and it also allowed his dark side to have an open canvas - and enables him to vent about the murky side of their profession and their lives.
When Kelly goes on about how contaminated they are and how they contaminate everything they touch, Scotty shoots back with "they were born lucky and they will continue to be lucky"!! Scotty, as has been shown many times, is the balance in Kelly's life - and in this episode, it is powerfully highlighted!
I remember discussing the episode with him once. For the most part, he thought it was pretty good. I do know that he and Jason ordered a print of it, back in the 80's when he had the opportunity to order prints, because we told him he really should have one. He ordered that one and "Mainly On The Plains".
We watched "Room" and he said, "Well, that's a solid drama, isn't it?" I know he liked Salome Jens, even though he used to joke about the time they did "Corpus Earthling" on Outer Limits and how heavy she was when he had to carry her.
As for the big crying scene, he didn't really want to rehearse it. Instead, he marked it in camera rehearsal and David Friedkin kept saying, "But what are you going to do...?" and Bob said, "Just roll the camera and let me do it..." Afterwards everyone was kind of dumbstruck by the intensity of the emotion and Bob said, "Well, I hope you got it..."
As a side note, when Jason played Thurio in a production of "Two Gentlemen of Verona", he said he was basing his accent on "The Patron" -- the ridiculous actor who played the owner of the hacienda ... "Bulls arre easierr to worrk weeth, really...."
