I picked up this little gem at a Library Sale. I SPY: Message From Moscow is in great shape for a book published in 1966. These Whitman books were aimed at the youth market. This book was part of the TV series where popular TV programs provided the raw material for these novels. I found another Whitman, Bonanza, a couple years ago. I had never seen this I Spy book before. Do you remember I Spy? Have you found any of these Whitman books?
It sure seemed cool & funny back in the 1960s. Wonder how it would look now?
Dan, it will probably not surprise you to learn I have the I SPY TV series on DVD. And, yes, it was cool Back In The Day. Now, not so much.
I still love this show and think it holds up really well, especially the episodes writen by Robert Culp.
Sergio, I totally agree. The Culp episodes are the best.
Not to be a Debbie Downer or anything but as more and more information is emerging about Bill Cosby’s, um, extra-curricular activities, the less I can bring myself to watch (or, in this instance, read) anything he’s associated with. Sorry, but no, just no.
/However, if you have any “Man from UNCLE,” I’ll read those!
Deb, I completely understand your position on Cosby. At the AMC Theater there’s a big poster hying the new THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. movie that opens in a few weeks. I can’t wait!
I think the episodes hold up well today. My favorite has always been HOME TO JUDGEMENT where Kelly and Scott are on the run from thugs and seek asylum at Kelly’s family member farm, where he hadn’t been since he was a child. Will Geer was Uncle Harry and Una Merkel was his aunt. The four make a stand against the thugs.
Oh, I have a copy of that book bought all those years ago.
Randy, I’n going to have to go back and watch “Home to Judgement.” I vaguely remember it. I knew I wasn’t the only guy with a copy of I SPY: MESSAGE FROM MOSCOW.
I have most of the Whitmans based on series.
Randy, I rarely find Whitman books. But, when I find them I buy them.
I have a few Whitman books. Naturally I have the BONANZA one because of the author.
Bill, I almost never see any Whitman books up here. I would have guessed you had a copy of BONANZA!
No Whitmans but I did pick up – and yes, read – several of the paperback original novelizations of the series by “John Tiger” (Walter Wager) – I Spy, Masterstroke, Superkill, Countertrap, and Death-Twist. I’m sure Bill has all of them. They weren’t bad either, if extremely dated of course.
Jeff, I had some of those “John Tiger” I SPY novelizations, too.
The ones I’ve read are #s 1-2-3-5-7. I just ordered #4 (Wipeout).
Jeff, I’m a fan of Walter Wager’s other suspense novels, too.
The series was ground-breaking at the time, a black actor as a co-lead in a TV series. It was smart, funny and had action. I’m not one to apply an actor’s behavior decades after (or before, as in the case of Herbert Von Karajan) a performance to my opinion of that actor or performance at the time. Cosby and Culp were good, the show was good. I wonder about the books, though, were they written down to the young audience?
Rick, the Whitman I SPY book was written on the level of a HARDY BOYS book. The “John Tiger” I SPY paperbacks were aimed at adults.
I have the John Tiger novelizations too. I think I had outgrown the Whitman editions.
I still enjoy the TV show but agree with Deb that my feelings for Scotty have shifted since all the rape “allegations.” BET pulled I Spy from the rotation locally. I never did see the movie remake.
Beth, I read a copy of the “John Tiger” novelizations back in the Sixties. And I’ve always been a Robert Culp fan. He’s an underrated actor. Thanks for the offer but I’m sure I have the series around here somewhere. The trick is finding them.
Rick, the “John Tiger” books were definitely for adults. They fly around the world, have sex with beautiful women, get beat up, kill evil Chinese Communists, have sex with beautiful women, etc. If you want to try one let me know.
Jeff, I see those “John Tiger” I SPY novelizations now and again. They’re still around.
The show came on an obscure station that I got at work about six years ago. I noticed that they were padded to fill the hour with a lot of local color and touristy trips around whatever city they were in. But they were still fun to watch. As for Whitmans, I have some including Combat, F Troop, and The Rebel.
Bob, I’ve seen some beat-up copies of COMBAT and F-TROOP but I’ve never seen THE REBEL Whitman.
Bob, that travel stuff pulled in viewers. I know my Mom watched the show as much for location as plot.
Rick, you’re right! My Mom loved the exotic locales, too.