Hollywood Flashback: Igniting the Fuse on the Original Mission Impossible

It might have lacked Tom Cruise, but the ‘Mission: Impossible’ TV series on CBS sparked one of Hollywood’s biggest action franchises 60 years ago.

From left: Greg Morris, Steven Hill, Barbara Bain and Peter Lupus on the first season of CBS’ Mission: Impossible. Courtesy Everett Collection

It didn’t have Tom Cruise dangling from an airplane — it didn’t even have Peter Graves thumbing through IMF dossiers in his apartment — but the Mission: Impossible TV pilot still managed to light the fuse on one of Hollywood’s biggest action franchises.

The brainchild of Rawhide alum Bruce Geller, the 1966–73 CBS series blended two of the era’s favorite movie genres — spy thrillers and heist dramas — into a precisely executed hour of espionage, complete with self-destructing tape recorders, necktie cameras and rubber masks that somehow made Martin Landau look like whichever fictional Eastern European despot needed toppling that week.

→ Swipe to see more articles

Related Posts

Anthony Joshua Faces Setback: Return to Boxing Ring Delayed Due to Elbow Surgery

How Poker Face Season 2 Star Found “The Humanness” Of Episode 4’s Killer Character: “It’s In There Somewhere”

“HE’S PLANNING TO CHEAT!” Gervonta Davis’ SHOCKING CONFESSION After Confirming Lamont Roach Rematch

The Wheel of Time’s Renewal Fate at Prime Video Revealed Following Season 3 Finale

Jon Voight Strongly Criticizes Oprah Winfrey: “Oprah Winfrey Is Not a Role Model for Women”.

Sydney Sweeney’s Christy Martin Boxing Biopic Has Hollywood Buzzing About the Release Date

Each Impossible Mission Force member brought a specific expertise and just enough cool to leave a mark: Landau’s chameleonic Rollin Hand (replaced by Leonard Nimoy in season four), Greg Morris as gadget genius Barney Collier, Peter Lupus as strongman Willy Armitage and Barbara Bain as Cinnamon Carter, an ex-fashion model whose stylish poise made spying look like a photo shoot.

The team’s first leader, Daniel Briggs, was played by Steven Hill, who left after season one when Friday night reshoots conflicted with his Orthodox Jewish observance. Graves, as Jim Phelps, took over. But the show’s breakout star might have been its theme song, that jazzy, bongo-driven earworm by Lalo Schifrin. Because really, what’s a mission without that music?