#Eyespy spy gear series#

#Eyespy spy gear series#

This was unique for a television show, especially since the series actually filmed its lead actors at locations ranging from Spain to Japan, rather than relying on stock footage. I Spy was a trailblazer in its use of exotic international locations in an attempt to emulate the James Bond film series. His partner was the athlete and playboy who lived by his wits.Д¬ulp as Kelly Robinson with Jeanette Nolan, 1966 (Culp revealed in his audio commentary on the DVD release that he and Cosby agreed early on that 'Our statement is a non-statement' regarding race, and the subject was never discussed again.) As a strait-laced Rhodes Scholar fluent in many languages, Cosby's 'Scotty' was really the brains of the team. Nor was his character in any way subservient to Culp's, with the exception that Culp's 'Kelly Robinson' was a more experienced agent. It was also notable that Cosby's race was never an issue in any of the stories, though on occasion oblique references surfaced (such as in the second-season episode 'One Of Our Bombs Is Missing,' in which Scott jokingly said that he would 'join the Klan,' if it would help them recover a lost atomic bomb). The concept was changed from a mentor-protГ©gГ© relationship to same-age partners who were equals. After seeing Cosby performing stand-up comedy on a talk-show, Sheldon Leonard decided to take a chance on hiring him to play opposite Culp. Originally an older actor was slated to play a fatherly mentor to Culp's character. I Spy broke ground in that it was the first American television drama to feature a black actor (Cosby) in a lead role. ( April 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. In addition, he directed one episode and served as occasional second-unit director throughout the series. He also played a gangster-villain role in two episodes and appeared in a third show as himself in a humorous cameo. Friedkin also dabbled in acting and appeared in two episodes in the first season.ДЄctor-producer Sheldon Leonard, known for playing gangster roles in the 1940s and 1950s, was the executive producer (receiving top billing before the title in the series' opening title sequence). Fine and Friedkin (who previously wrote scripts for radio's Broadway Is My Beat and Crime Classics under producer-director Elliott Lewis) were co-producers and head writers, and wrote the scripts for 16 episodes, one of which Friedkin directed. Together they formed Triple F Productions under the aegis of Desilu Productions where the show was produced. The creative forces behind the show were writers David Friedkin and Morton Fine and cinematographer Fouad Said. Their work involved chasing villains, spies, and beautiful women. Robinson poses as an amateur with Scott as his trainer, playing against wealthy opponents in return for food and lodging.

I Spy is an American secret-agent adventure television series that ran for three seasons on NBC from September 15, 1965, to April 15, 1968, and teamed US intelligence agents Kelly Robinson ( Robert Culp) and Alexander 'Scotty' Scott ( Bill Cosby), traveling undercover as international ' tennis bums'.