We’ve all seen the social media posts mourning the passing of actor David McCallum, and it was easy to surmise the age of the poster by whether McCallum was associated with The Man From U.N.C.L.E. or NCIS. Not many stars from the classic TV era were still turning up on a weekly network series 40 years after a breakthrough role, so that alone is an impressive achievement.
Let’s honor a fine actor with a closer look at more of his memorable TV moments.
The Rose and the Ring (1953)
McCallum’s television debut came in this adaptation of a William Thackeray novel that was produced and aired in Britain. He was fifth billed as Prince Giglio. Getting top billing was Jacqueline Hill, who ten years later would become one of the Doctor’s first companions in the first incarnation of Doctor Who.
The Outer Limits (1963)
David McCallum appeared in two episodes, one of which ranks among the series’ best. In “The Sixth Finger” he plays a coal miner who volunteers for a genetic scientist’s experiment in accelerating human evolution. After the treatment his brain gets bigger, his hair disappears (so that’s what happened to mine), and he takes on the appearance of a creature from another planet (in one of the show’s better makeup jobs).
He also develops the powers of telepathy and telekinesis, as well as a sixth finger (“for extra dexterity”). What could possibly go wrong?
Perry Mason (1964)
Phillipe Bertain (McCallum) loves a married woman. But when her husband dies in a plane crash with a deadly dose of barbiturates in his system, Phillipe needs a good attorney to prove he didn’t spike his rival’s coffee. “The Case of the Fifty Millionth Frenchman” is typical Perry Mason, which certainly qualifies as a recommendation. Glasgow, Scotland native David McCallum would play multiple nationalities throughout his career, but his French accent here is hit-and-miss.
Profiles in Courage (1964)
William Daniels’ iconic performance as John Adams in the musical 1776 is something I treasure every year around the Fourth of July. So I was certainly intrigued to check out a different take on Adams, as played by David McCallum, in the historical anthology series Profiles in Courage.
Its story takes place before the events of 1776, when Adams reluctantly agrees to serve as legal counsel for British soldiers accused of murder in what history would call the Boston Massacre. As drama it is earnest and sincere, but it also sometimes plays as stiff as a high school play sponsored by the History Club.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (1964)
The 1960s box-office success of James Bond inspired a wave of secret agent facsimiles, including this hugely popular series starring the suave Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo. The twist was having Solo partner with a Russian (McCallum) at the height of the Cold War, inspiring millions of teenage girls to ponder how Communism could be bad when Illya Kuryakin was so dreamy.
In its first season, the only one in black-and-white, the show deftly walked the line between serious and tongue-in-cheek. Audiences loved watching Solo and Kuryakin foil the schemes of THRUSH with a droll bemusement, especially when they drafted bewildered civilians (usually beautiful young women) into their plans.
The series switched to color for the remainder of its run, and just like Lost in Space the stories became sillier when that happened, though thankfully never as farcical as Dean Martin’s Matt Helm.
Vaughn and McCallum reunited in 1983 for The Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. Like so many classic TV encores it fell short of expectations, but I liked the scene in which James Bond (George Lazenby, billed only as “JB” to avoid a lawsuit) comes to Solo’s aid. If only Hart to Hart could have loaned out Stefanie Powers so she could appear as April Dancer.
Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1964)
The appearance of Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as their Man From U.N.C.L.E. characters in this short-lived sitcom surely ranks as one of the most bizarre classic TV crossovers. In “Say U.N.C.L.E. ” Jim Nash’s sons become convinced that their English professor dad is actually a secret agent. Of course that’s not true, but then why are Napoleon and Illya visiting their house?
Teacher, Teacher (1969)
Long before Hallmark became known for releasing 300 Christmas movies every year, it bestowed its brand to the Hallmark Hall of Fame, a prestige designation suggesting quality works that were more distinguished than your standard made-for-TV movie.
“Teacher, Teacher” doesn’t begin like one of their typical tales; as David McCallum drives up a long, winding road to an isolated estate to the strains of ominous music, opening credits play over creepy slow motion footage of a boy jumping on a trampoline. What was I getting myself into?
But then the tone shifts completely, as we learn that McCallum’s character, previously a teacher at prestigious private schools, is six months removed from a nervous breakdown, and has been hired to teach the retarded teenage son of a man who will be away for the next month.
While he struggles to reach the boy, he discovers that the property’s handyman, played by Ossie Davis, has no trouble communicating with him.
Normally this type of story would not be something I’d enjoy, but the conversations between McCallum and Davis (who frankly steals the show) feature two fine actors at the top of their games.
The Invisible Man (1975)
There have been at least a dozen films and television series inspired by the H.G. Wells story of a man who finds a formula for becoming invisible. In this version, McCallum plays Dr. Daniel Westin, whose experiments are successful – until he discovers he can’t find a way to become visible again. It lasted just 13 episodes but had its moments – though with the haircut they saddled its star with, he was fortunate to be unseen most of the time.
Sapphire and Steel (1979)
There were just six stories (called “assignments”), aired between 1979 and 1982, but this British sci-fi series still retains a loyal cult following.
David McCallum (Steel) and Joanna Lumley (Sapphire) play inter-dimensional agents assigned to correct unnatural breaks in the timeline. In the atmospheric first episode, they arrive at a remote 18th century farmhouse to help two children whose parents have disappeared. The story unfolds over six half-hour episodes in which the two leads remain stubbornly enigmatic, and even brusque with the frightened kids they are ostensibly there to aid.
It’s a show that requires focus and patience, but if you allow yourself to sink into its languid pace it will draw you under its spell. McCallum’s character is as cold and unyielding as his name – Steel is callous to the fate of humans as long as the timeline is secured, and he shows not a hint of remorse in their necessary sacrifice.
The A-Team (1986)
Is there room for one more U.N.C.L.E.-related appearance on this list? Why not? Especially as it’s the last on-screen pairing of McCallum with Robert Vaughn, who joined the A-Team in its fifth and final season as General Stockwell. McCallum plays Ivan Trigorin, an Oxford professor and Soviet agent. What’s it about? It doesn’t matter – never really did with this show – but when the two first meet and embrace in “The Say UNCLE Affair,” viewers of a certain age sighed with that warm glow of nostalgia that keeps us all coming back to our favorite shows.
