The MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. Image Library
Another group of ACE singles, aimed at jumping on the bandwagon for a popular television series. Although I have fond memories of Illya Kuryakin and Napoleon Solo in the TV show, these are another subgenre on which I have not spent a great deal of time. My uncle thought they were interesting, which is why I have most of them.
The television shows of the 1960's often took the Cold War and the intelligence wars either seriously (e.g., Secret Agent Man) or comically (e.g., Maxwell Smart). The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was more 'tongue in cheek" in the story lines and the dialogue. The ACE The Man From U.N.C.L.E. stories
represent the spin-off concept and may be one of the first
moderately successful ways of spanning the gap between the boob
tube to the written page.
The ACE series code for these volumes is the
G-letter series from 1965 to 1969 and the five digit numerical
series that started in 1969. I will give both the letter-number
series as well as the volume number (for example: G-564 (MFU-002)
indicates the second The Man From U.N.C.L.E. adventure).
A very good reference
(well-indexed and written) on TV Tie-In volumes such as The
Man From U.N.C.L.E. is by Kurt Peers (1999, 2nd edition) TV
Tie-Ins: A bibliography of American TV tie-in paperbacks. TV Books, NY, 364 pp.
Have fun!
MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. G-LETTER NUMBER SERIES
STORIES
G-553 MICHAEL AVALLONE The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The Thousand Coffins Affair (1965:
PBO)
This volume is the original concept ACE paperback television spin-off story. Note that the photo cover images are derived from the television series.
G-560 (MFU-002)
HARRY WHITTINGTON The Doomsday Affair (1965)
Harry Whittington was a popular ACE
mystery double and single author.
MFU-002 (back
cover)
G-564 (MFU-003)
JOHN ORAM (aka JOHN ORAM THOMAS) The Copenhagen
Affair (1965)
MFU-003 (back
cover)
G-571 (MFU-004)
DAVID McDANIEL The Dagger Affair (1965)
MFU-004 (back
cover)
G-581 (MFU-005)
JOHN T. PHILLIFENT The Mad Scientist Affair (1966)
John T. Phillifent wrote SF from the mid-1950's to the early-1970's, and died in 1976. Most of his work was published under the pen-name "John Rackham" (over a dozen Ace-Double halves under this name.) He claimed to reserve his best work for publication under his own name, some of those starting appear in the mid-1960's in Analog, and finally a half-dozen books under his name in the 1970's (including 2 Ace Double-halves.) It is not too surprising that Phillifent followed the inventor of the Ace Double (Donald A. Wollheim) to the new company he formed in 1972 when he left Ace Books.
G-590 (MFU-006)
DAVID McDANIEL The Vampire Affair (1966)
MFU-006 (back
cover)
G-600 (MFU-007)
PETER LESLIE The Radioactive Camel Affair (1966)
G-613 (MFU-008)
DAVID McDANIEL The Monster Wheel Affair (1967)
G-617 (MFU-009)
PETER LESLIE The Diving Dames Affair (1967)
G-636 (MFU-010) J. HUNTER HOLLY (aka JOAN C. HOLLY) The Assassination
Affair (1967)
J. Hunter Holly is another ACE double science fiction author who dabbled in this genre.
G-645 (MFU-011)
THOMAS STRATTON (aka GENE DeWEESE & ROBERT COULSON) The
Invisibility Affair (1967)
G-663 (MFU-012)
THOMAS STRATTON (aka GENE DeWEESE & ROBERT COULSON) The
Mind-Twisters Affair (1967)
G-670 (MFU-013)
DAVID McDANIEL The Rainbow Affair (1967)
G-689 (MFU-014)
FREDRIC DAVIES (aka RON ELLIK & FREDRIC LANGLEY) The
Cross of Gold Affair (1968)
G-729 (MFU-015)
DAVID McDANIEL The Utopia Affair (1968)
G-752 (MFU-016)
PETER LESLIE The Splintered Sunglasses Affair (1968)
MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. FIVE-DIGIT NUMBER SERIES
STORIES
Remember that the five-digit series has it own UNIQUE publishing schedule. Thus, I have placed these stories in the order of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. story number and not chronologically as per the number series. If you are interested in how ACE set up this strange numbering sequence, please click here.
51700 (MFU-017)
DAVID McDANIEL The Hollow Crown Affair (1969)
MFU-017 (back
cover)
51701 (MFU-018)
PETER LESLIE The Unfair Fare Affair (1968)
51702 (MFU-019)
JOHN T. PHILLIFENT The Power Cube Affair
51703 (MFU-020)
JOHN T. PHILLIFENT The Corfu Affair (1967)
51704 (MFU-021)
JOEL BERNARD The Thinking Machine Affair (1967)
51705 (MFU-022)
JOHN ORAM (aka JOHN ORAM THOMAS) The Stone-Cold Dead
In The Market Affair
51706 (MFU-023)
PETER LESLIE The Finger in the Spy Affair (1966)
In addition to The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
television series, a later spin-off was The Girl From
U.N.C.L.E. series. Alas, the paperbacks were published by Signet Books. But, for completeness sake (and because I always had an appreciation of both Diana Rigg and Stephanie Powers in the AVENGERS and THE GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E. TV series) here are the images of the photo covers of the first two volumes.
Signet
D3012 The Birds of a Feather Affair by MICHAEL
AVALLONE (1966; PBO) and Signet 3042 The Blazing Affair by
MICHAEL AVALLONE (1966; PBO)
Another venue The Man From U.N.C.L.E took was the silver screen. There were (at least) three (3) movies based (very loosely) on these books and the television show (there appears to be more, but I am having a bit of difficulty determining if they are the same film, with different titles).
One-Sheet Movie Poster (measures 27" x 41"; ; international theatre release; image courtesy of EMOVIEPOSTER.COM)
Insert movie poster (measures 14" x 36")
(1966) Don Medford spy espionage crime spoof ("America's favorite U.N.C.L.E.s have a date with danger!"; "there are a thousand thrilling ways 'To Trap a Spy'!"). Adapted from the episodes The Vulcan Affair and The Four Steps Affair of the TV series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." The two episodes were joined together and re-edited to make a single feature movie) starring Robert Vaughn ("as Mr. Solo"), David McCallum, Luciana Paluzzi (billed as "Special Guest Star Luciana Paluzzi"), Pat Crowley, Fritz Weaver, and William Marshall.
One-Sheet Movie Poster (measures 27" x 41"; image courtesy of EMOVIEPOSTER.COM)
Three-Sheet Movie Poster (image courtesy of EMOVIEPOSTER.COM)
Australian Daybill (measures 14" x 30"; personal copy)
(1966) Joseph Sargent spy espionage comedy spoof ("The man from U.N.C.L.E. is sensational on the BIG screen"). Written by Dean Hargrove and adapted from the two part episode The Alexander The Greater Affair from the TV series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." Starring Robert Vaughn ("as Napoleon Solo"), David McCallum ("as Illya Kuryakin"), Rip Torn, and Dorothy Provine.
Argentina one sheet (measures 27" x 41"; appears to be similar to US edition; personal copy)
(1966) John Newland spy espionage crime action comedy spoof (adapted from the TV series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." - so if anyone knows which episode, let me know) starring Robert Vaughn ("as Mr. Solo"), Senta Berger, David McCallum ("as Illya Kuryakin"), Dona Michele, and Sharon Farrell. One sheet movie poster (27" x 41"). This is an "international style" that does not have the NSS printing information. This indicates that it was printed in the U.S. for use overseas.
I have also found that the Man From U.N.C.L.E. appears to have been very popular in Australia. Here are the four Australian daybill movie posters (similar to inserts) used to promote these films. I have not been able to determine if these films have any connection with the ACE volumes.
Lobby Card (11" x 14") for Helicopter Spies. 1967 Boris Sagal spy espionage action comedy spoof (adapted from the TV series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."); starring Robert Vaughn (as Napoleon Solo), David McCallum (as Ilya Kuryakin), Carol Lynley, Bradford Dillman, Julie London (billed as "Special Guest Appearance Julie London"), Leo G. Carrol, John Dehner, and John Carradine.
The "Spy in the Green Hat" (1966) starred Robert Vaughn ("as Napoleon Solo"), David McCallum ("as Illya Kuryakin"), Jack Palance, Leo G. Carroll, Ludwig Donath, Joan Blondell, Letitia Roman, Will Kuluva, Eduardo Ciannelli, Allen Jenkins, and Janet Leigh as the lesbian villainess Miss Dykes.
Australian Daybill (measures 14" x 30"; personal copies)
It appears that the Man From U.N.C.L.E. was also popular in Argentina (see "One Spy Too Many"). Here are a few more that I have found.
1966 E. Darrell Hallenback film. Starred Robert Vaughn ("as Napoleon Solo"), David McCallum ("as Illya Kuryakin"), Vera Miles, Maurice Evans, and Leo G. Carroll.
Argentina one sheet (measures 27" x 41"; personal copy)
If anyone has further information on these films and whether they fit into the ACE novels, please let me know. Otherwise, enjoy.
Last Update 13 May 2008
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