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Okay, I have a request:
Someone PLEASE post a frame grab of Stephanie Powers, from the end credits of "The Girl from UNCLE," where she's in her fencing outfit holding the foil, and looking at you with a "bring it on" expression...
(Goes weak at the knees...)
-- Jon
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Well, this burst of enthusiasm for Stefanie has moved up the spotlight for her!  (albeit one that must draw from other source material since she never graced the original Man From UNCLE series itself).
Although always the initial choice for the part of April Dancer, as will be noted later, a film committment kept her out of the initial pilot episode for the series done on MFU, and so Mary Ann Mobley (who will be profiled in the near-future) did the part. But once free for the series, they wasted no time casting her in the part, with her ability to project a sophisticated chic glamour, and a hint of European sophistication (drawing from her Polish roots).
That air of European sophistication also complemented well with co-star Noel Harrison, with whom April had more of a brother-sister type relationship, and which had echoes of a sort of the Steed-Mrs. Peel banter (though April's general lack of physical prowess and need for being rescued by her partner, made her more of a brainier Tara King).
In "The Prisoner of Zalamar Affair", April must take the place of a kidnapped Arab princess (also played by her) to prevent the princess's evil uncle from gaining control of a rich oil region of the mid-East.
Ultimately, April goes out to rescue her partner, Mark Slate and the princess from their imprisonment.
In "The Mata Hari Affair", April again must take the place of a look-alike (who this time has been killed), and gets to show off her own dancing skills (and like Abbe Lane in the MFU episode, don an exotic Mid-east dancing outfit).
After the demise of GFU, Stefanie could mostly be seen making the TV guest star circuit, such as "McCloud" (1971).
Or in minor movies like "Escape To Athena" (1979).
But in 1979, she received greater TV immortality in the role those of my age will always know her best for, that of jet-setting Jennifer Hart in "Hart To Hart" and looking even more beautiful than she did two decades before!
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Next spotlight is another Trek alumnus.
Arlene Martel (and all the other lovely ladies being discussed here) is an U.N.C.L.E. alumna, unless she's undergone a sex-change operation between her appearance and now (perish the thought!).
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While Stefanie Powers made the role of April Dancer her own in "Girl From UNCLE" she was not the first to play the role. April Dancer actually made her debut in a late S2 episode of MFU, "The Moonglow Affair" intended as a pilot for the spinoff series. Because Stefanie was at the time unable to appear, the producers instead cast 1959 Miss America, Mary Ann Mobley.
Whereas Stefanie would play an April who had an air of intelligent sophistication, Mary Ann's April was the innocent young rookie, full of bubbling enthusiasm.
And the other big difference with the GFU series that followed was the character of Mark Slate. Here, Slate was a past-his-prime over 40 agent played by Norman Fell, who'd be breaking in the new, eager agent.
The plot involves April and Slate infiltrating a cosmetics company run by THRUSH operative Kevin McCarthy and his even more wicked (and decidedly unfeminine) sister.
April herself makes a big enough impression on McCarthy to become "Miss Moonglow". Putting her in better position to eventually expose the sinister doings of THRUSH.
Once it was clear Stefanie Powers would be available for the series, the producers didn't hesitate to go back to their first choice. And that also meant replacing Fell, since while Fell (implausible as it is to see him as a spy having to engage in physical activity) would have meshed with a bubbling, rookie agent, Powers' air of sophistication and experience pared off better with Noel Harrison.
While Mary Ann never played April Dancer again, it wasn't her last time as a spy, as a year later she guested in the S1 "Mission: Impossible" two-part episode "Old Man Out" as circus aerialist Crystal Walker.
Being an old flame of first IM leader Dan Briggs, she isn't happy when Briggs is calling on her for pure business reasons, but eventually relents and joins the team for the mission to free an imprisoned Cardinal.
Ironically, not getting the role of April Dancer, wasn't the last time Mary Ann would lose out on a big TV role. Two years later, she was the first choice for the role of Batgirl in "Batman's" third season, but Fox instead wanted her for their short-lived "Custer" series, and the part instead went to Yvonne Craig.
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Spectacularly lovely. There's also more than a hint of the late-70s Raquel Welch in this particular picture of Stefanie.
-- Jon
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Whereas Nancy Sinatra fit in with the mood of the late 60s, Solo's romantic interest for that same episode was someone best associated with an earlier part of the decade, Whitney Blake, who for four years had been perfect wife and mother Dorothy Baxter on the sitcom "Hazel."
Here, Whitney, the disenchanted wife of THRUSH baddie Paul Lambert, first saves Solo after his helicopter is brought down.
Later, Whitney saves Solo again, this time from a wind tunnel trap, and helps him thwart her husband's nefarious scheme (which also aids in the rescue of Nancy and Ilya).
Whitney was also the mother of Meredith Baxter, who would earn her own TV Yum status on "Family" and "Family Ties".
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Belated thanks for the CASBAH Yum! I can only access the log-in for this board two or three times a week at the library, so sorry for the delay.
Eric, I know you keep getting several requests, so no big hurry on this one -- Judi West in THE DISCOTHEQUE AFFAIR. 
Mark
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Thanks! And you can expect some action on that within a week. (I've taken care of most of the episodes I've actually watched on the set so far).
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And, where the Powers that's Stefanie's concerned, one of her greatest parts was the profoundly pivotal one she played in bringing a significant measure of love and affection to the anguished life of William Holden.
The awards don't exist for THAT kind of transcendently treasured commitment ...
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Holden had an amusing unbilled cameo in Powers' film "Escape To Athena" in which the joke was that he was supposed to be his "Stalag 17" character, enjoying the easy life in yet another POW setting!
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) 
