Oh how i remember as a kid in the 60s and 70s on Sunday nights for 9 pm to come so i could post myself in front of the TV and get ready for the opening sequence of "Mission: Impossible" --- the quavering flute as the lit match ignites the wick and then the music gradually increases in tempo as the sequences of the show are montaged, and then the actors are shown....i literally lived and breathed "Mission: Impossible" -- i loved the plots of the stories and how the IMF team maneuvered amongst the villains, sometimes pitting them one against the other, the master of disguise Rollin Hand (played by Martin Landau), the femme fatale of Cinnamon Carter (Barbara Bain and Landau's wife in real life), the electronic genius of Barney Collier (Greg Morris -- who to me was SO fine!), the calm, levelheaded, don't-let-em-see-you-sweat Jim Phelps (Peter Graves, James Arness'["Gunsmoke"] brother) and Peter Lupus (Willy) these guys worked in perfect harmony with each other to outwit the villains and it was such a high for me to see them all reunite in an odd location getting in the IMF truck and speed off into the sunset...
1995 (a good 36 years later)...Tom Cruise plays in the movie version of "Mission: Impossible"....WHY? if anyone who is old enough to know about the MI series, the IMF were all a part of a TEAM, each person contributing to the success of the mission...yet "Mr Scientology-who-thinks-psychiatry-isn't-a-science-Tom Cruise" goes it alone and i have read here on the IMDb message boards that Greg Morris (one of the original MI actors) walked off the MI movie set saying to wit "this is a disgrace" --- i agree. and then to have the nerve to follow up with "Mission: Impossible 2"????? wtf? both were duds and should have self-destructed too! "your mission -- should you decide to accept it --- is to pray a box set of the original series can be purchased somewhere and never watch the movie versions of this classic espionage series ever again... if after viewing the classic series any viewer becomes happy and/or highly interested, the Secretary will disavow any of your actions...and Tom Cruise should self-destruct within ten seconds.....good luck...."
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