User Reviews

A refreshing switch from the usual evil genius seeking to take over the world, in "The Night Of The Big Blackmail" West and Gordon smuggle a 19th century version of a motion picture film out of the embassy of an unnamed European country. The film in question shows a staged act of treachery in which a dead ringer for president Ulysses S. Grant appears to sign a defense agreement with an "unsavoury foreign nation". Since copies have undoubtedly been made, West and Gordon hatch a plan to sneak back inside the embassy, this time with a little movie of their own.

With the sort of plot you'd expect to from an episode "Mission: Impossible" (but done a lot more entertainingly than that series was ever capable of pulling off), "...Black Mail" features all kinds of elaborate action including an opening sequence that finds West dangling precariously outside of embassy windows and later evading patrolling guard dogs. To keep watchful henchmen from realizing they're not on board the train, Artie creates the illusion of silhouettes moving in the window with a pair of cut-outs riding a toy train (much like what Kevin did to fool the burglars in "Home Alone"). However, Artie goes one step further here than Macauley Culkin by leaving a trip wire for the snooping bad guys that releases a cloud of neutralizing gas.

Once inside the embassy, the two agents discover an awesome security device designed to protect the kinetiscope: a huge piston acting as a vault door and powered by thousands of pounds of steam pressure to keep what's on the other side safely locked within.

Next, in one of the season's most thrilling extended sequences, West subdues the crew in the steam room while Gordon works to switch the contents of the box inside the vault. A neat touch here is that the door is designed to stay open only as long as someone keeps their hand on the locking lever, forcing Gordon to move out of the way of the crushing piston whenever an unconscious steam room worker comes to. Especially great is the moment when two henchmen awaken at the same time presenting West with the tricky task of fighting off both thugs while trying to keep one hand on the vault lever.

The late, great Harvey Korman does a nice job here as Baron Hinterstoisser, the mastermind behind the plot to discredit Grant. Though his casting might now seem an odd choice, we have to remember this was 1968 when the Carol Burnett Show was still new to the airwaves, and it would be several years before Korman's appearances in screen parodies like "Blazing Saddles" made him most closely identified as a comedic actor. Also, it's just nice to see him get to play a role so different in tone from the kinds of things he was usually offered.

As for little problems here and there, well, the hoaxed film sequence isn't entirely believable thanks to the obviously hand-held motion of the camera. After all, why would Grant do something so incriminating when he'd have to be blind not to be aware of it's presence? A scene where the agents become trapped in a room with a disappearing floor seems pretty much lifted from an earlier "Man From U.N.C.L.E." episode in which Illya Kuryakin faces a similar peril and, if truth be told, the "U.N.C.L.E." version worked a lot better.

On a whole though, with it's nifty storyline, some well-executed action sequences, terrific art direction as well as Richard Shore's compellingly cool music, "The Night Of The Big Blackmail" is one mission that's well accomplished.

While its nice to see the boys back in Washington for a change and a rare appearance by their boss, General Grant, this episode is a bit dissatisfying, mostly due to the problem with the story--the idea of creating an international incident over a silent movie of Grant purportedly signing an agreement with a despised Asian dictator. Of course silent films had not been invented yet and nor is it shot in the static one-shot style of the films of the time. Instead the scene is well lit, and the camera position shifts from shot to shot, despite the idea it was shot secretly.

Grant shows up at an embassy without secret service protection until West and Gordon walk up behind him--seemingly very unlikely since it had only been years since the Lincoln assassination.

And sorry, but seeing Harvey Korman do parody roles just like this one for years kind of makes it difficult to take his villainy seriously. Not Harvey's fault really, but watch this episode and see--he is just a hair away from another parody character.

Still its always good to see Conrad (nobody did better fighting than him, I'm convinced) and Ross Martin go through another adventure, though this hardly seems worthy of being the season four opener.