At its best "I Spy" was too serious for my taste. Shows like "The Wild Wild West" and "The Man From Uncle," more tongue in cheek espionage shows, were less realistic but shot in studios and kept to the scripts. In Studios all conditions were carefully controlled, whether on sets or outside in the lots. This might have less verisimilitude but it allowed a smoother product.
Furthermore, since "I Spy" occasionally wandered from the scripts (Bill Cosby was a professional comedian so he knew how to ad lib while Robert Culp was an occasional script writer) they felt free with the material, which meant scenes were occasionally sloppy, sounding less tidy. Rule of thumb: when the actors seem to be enjoying themselves (except in the case of Groucho Marx) the audience will not.
This episode is the second of two parts where the two spies were supposed to be guarding a Leonardo da Vinci that nevertheless got swapped under their noses. I think they chose Leonardo because he's an artist everyone has heard of, but that's unrealistic.
So in this episode they concoct a stupid plan Napoleon Solo would be ashamed of and if it works it's only because the story demands it. But will it work?
The story was shot in Florence. Big deal. So here and there we see genuine sights rather than the actors. Small loss. But the control is lost and it doesn't look too spiffy.
Guest star Joey Heatherton isn't the world's greatest actress. Neither Robert Culp nor the Cos do much to ingratiate themselves to the audience.
The shooting and editing are poor. Frankly, it looks like something thrown together by amateurs less clever than they think they are.
Sloppy. Very sloppy.
Furthermore, since "I Spy" occasionally wandered from the scripts (Bill Cosby was a professional comedian so he knew how to ad lib while Robert Culp was an occasional script writer) they felt free with the material, which meant scenes were occasionally sloppy, sounding less tidy. Rule of thumb: when the actors seem to be enjoying themselves (except in the case of Groucho Marx) the audience will not.
This episode is the second of two parts where the two spies were supposed to be guarding a Leonardo da Vinci that nevertheless got swapped under their noses. I think they chose Leonardo because he's an artist everyone has heard of, but that's unrealistic.
So in this episode they concoct a stupid plan Napoleon Solo would be ashamed of and if it works it's only because the story demands it. But will it work?
The story was shot in Florence. Big deal. So here and there we see genuine sights rather than the actors. Small loss. But the control is lost and it doesn't look too spiffy.
Guest star Joey Heatherton isn't the world's greatest actress. Neither Robert Culp nor the Cos do much to ingratiate themselves to the audience.
The shooting and editing are poor. Frankly, it looks like something thrown together by amateurs less clever than they think they are.
Sloppy. Very sloppy.