Legal wrangling with Fleming’s Bond publishers forced changes, but the DNA remained. Felton partnered with producer Sam Rolfe ( Gunsmoke ), and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was born.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was as much about the aesthetic as it was about the action. The show popularized the use of "spy gadgets," most famously the "U.N.C.L.E. Special"—a modular weapon that could be transformed from a pistol into a carbine rifle. The agents used fountain pen communicators (pre-dating the flip phone) and navigated secret entrances hidden in dry-cleaning shops. The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Every great hero needs a formidable foe, and for U.N.C.L.E., that was THRUSH. An acronym for the Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity, THRUSH was a vast, secret organization bent on world domination. Unlike the political enemies of the day, THRUSH was an apolitical, corporate entity of evil, allowing the show to focus on high-stakes adventure rather than specific real-world politics. Gadgets, Fashion, and Flair The Man from U