There can be no doubt that the biggest fad in American television in the Sixties was Batman, but before it The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was a television phenomenon. And while tis success was short-lived, just as the success of Batman was, it remains remembered to this day. Among its best episodes, if not the best, was "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair."
Despite its title, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. followed the adventures of two agents for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement (the U.N.C.L.E. of the title): the suave, sophisticated Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and the quiet, intellectual Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum). As to U.N.C.L.E., it was an international law enforcement and counterespionage organization whose agents came from many different countries (for instance, Napoleon Solo was American and Illya Kuryakin was Russian). Its headquarters was in New York City and the entrance most commonly shown on the TV series was through Del Floria's Tailor Shop. While Agents Solo and Kuraykin faced a number of different opponents on the show, U.N.C.L.E.'s primary opponent was the criminal organisation THRUSH, a group bent on world domination. Each episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. would feature an "innocent," an ordinary person who becomes involved in Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin's adventures. During the run of the show, innocents ranged from a suburban housewife (in "The Vulcan Affair") to a chemical engineer (in "The Project Strigas Affair").
In "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair" begins shortly before a conference of world leaders is set to take place at U.N.C.L.E. headquarters. Unfortunately, U.N.C.L.E finds itself facing two apparent threats. The first is a mysterious older man named Mr. Hemingway (Richard Haydn), who causes minor problems at U.N.C.L.E. headquarters, including a toy remote control plane directed at its roof and tampering with the building's electrical system. The second and more serious threat (and the one they only learn about later) comes from a mole THRUSH has implanted in U.N.C.L.E., who are plotting to kill the world leaders at the conference.
"The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair" was written by Dick Nelson, who had earlier written episodes of such shows as Bonanza and Tales of Wells Fargo and later wrote episodes of such shows as Medical Center and A Man Called Sloane. It was based on one of several two and three page plot synopses written by Sam Rolfe when the show was in development. One of the things that set "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair" apart from other episodes of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is that it is set almost entirely at U.N.C.L.E. headquarters. In other words, it is the only real bottle episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The term"bottle episode" was coined by Leslie Stevens, creator of The Outer Limits, and applies to a TV show episode that is filmed in one location and using a limited cast. Historically, bottle episodes have been used as a cost-saving measure, although this does not appear to be the case with "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair." Although set entirely in U.N.C.L.E. headquarters, "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair" was clearly not meant as a cost-cutting measure.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was well-known for its big-name guest stars, and "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair" is no different. The mysterious Mr. Hemingway, who wanders around U.N.C.L.E. headquarters causing chaos, is played by Richard Haydn. who had appeared in everything from classic movies such as Ball of Fire (1941) and Forever Amber (1947) to TV shows such as Playhouse 90 and The Dick Van Dyke Show. In "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair,' the innocent was Kay Lorrison (Zohra Lampert), a shopgirl who is going to get married the next day. Mr. Hemingway "accidentally"smears mustard on her dress and then whisks her into Del Floria's Tailor Shop and then into U.N.C.L.E. headquarters. Naturally, once there Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin treat her with suspicion.
A nearly unrecognizable Lee Meriwether appears briefly as Thrush agent Dr. Egret, to whom the mole within U.N.C.L.E. reports and who provides the moles with means to commit the assassinations of the world leaders at the conference there. Not many villains appeared more than once on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., but she was one of the few who did. Dr. Egret also appears in "The Girls of Nazarone Affair," where she is played by blonde Marian McCargo. As to how two very different looking actresses played Dr. Egret, it appears Dr. Egret was a master of disguise. In "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair," she is shown removing a mask.
Taking place almost entirely in U.N.C.L.E. headquarters, "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair" required little in the way of sets and props. The laser beam defence atop U.N.C.L.E. headquarters was a recycled blaster rifle from the movie Forbidden Planet (1956). It was mounted upside down as U.N.C.L.E's laser beam defence. An exploding ashtray in the episode was done by fastening a piece of tinfoil with gunpowder onto the bottom of the ashtray and throwing it onto an electrically charged nail.
"The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair was filmed right before Christmas, from December 16 to 18, 1964, and then December 21 to 23, 1964. It aired on NBC on February 1, 1965, and was rerun that summer on June 21, 1965.
Despite being set almost entirely in U.N.C.L.E. headquarters, "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair"is a quintessential episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The series was at its best when it combined high stakes action with tongue-in-cheek humour, which "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair" does quite well. On the one hand, there are the various ways in which Mr. Hemingway disrupts things at U.N.C.L.E. headquarters, from the aforementioned toy plane to putting guppies in the building's water supply. On the other hand, there is Thrush's plot to assassinate world leaders, not to mention a fountain pen that can destroy a person's brain when pressed against their head. The climactic fight scene between Napoleon Solo and the Thrush mole is among the best in the show's run.
Sadly, the balance between exciting action and tongue-in-cheek humour that made The Man From U.N.C.L.E.a success would not last. Perhaps because of the success of Batman, the third season of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. saw a shift towards over the top camp. Along with the decline in the spy craze that had given rise to The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and similar shows, this resulted in a dramatic decline in ratings. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was renewed for a fourth season, but it was cancelled midway through.
Regardless, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. would prove to be a success in syndication and remains popular to this day. In 2015 a movie inspired by the show directed by Guy Ritchie was released, and it is available for rent on several streaming services. If The Man From U.N.C.L.E. remains popular to this day, it is largely because of episodes like "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair."
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