Apart from Lalo Schifrin’s two urban scores (“The Killer” and “Takeover”: see the link of my first article below) and the re-orchestration of the main theme with a harder-faster and hip funky leaning—except in four episodes: “The Killer”, “Flip Side”, “Homecoming” and “Butterfly”—, new composers pop up and one veteran from the show renew his style to fit the updated and subversive format. Moreover, two music supervisors share the season: composer Leith Stevens who is in charge of only three episodes (“Homecoming”, “Butterfly”, “The Rebel”) and Kenyon Hopkins who will remain on duty until the end of the series. To conclude with Schifrin, his two season 5 scores were never presented in their complete form during the 1992 GNP Crescendo Records release: “The Best of Mission: Impossible – Then and Now” (GNPD 8029)—“The Killer” had three short cues and “Takeover” only two cues in the CD.

Read my first article:

Lalo SCHIFRIN on Mission: Impossible Season 5 (1970-1971)

http://schifrin-mission5.notlong.com

Season 5 other composers and scores:
• Robert Drasnin (2): “Butterfly”, “My Friend My Enemy”
• Harry Geller (1): “The Innocent”
• Benny Golson (2): “Flip Side”, “A Ghost Story”
• Richard Hazard (1): “Kitara”
• Hugo Montenegro (1): “The Rebel”
• Robert Prince (1): “Homecoming”

Robert Drasnin
We will deal with the  series’ alumnus from the second season and start with Robert Drasnin who lets two scores for this season that are tracked over and over: the Japanese-oriented “Butterfly” (first in the production order) and the most ambitious and most tormented “My Friend, My Enemy” which integrates bits and fragments from “Butterfly”. To give you an idea, you find cues of “My Friend, My Enemy” in the following episodes: “Flight”, “Decoy”, “The Amateur” (perhaps, the best use of the score due to the national flavor), “Squeeze Play”, “The Hostage”, “The Missile”, “The Catafalque”, “The Merchant”.

Drasnin’s scores for “Mission: Impossible”
"The Slave, Part I" (season 2)
“The Mercenaries” and "The Play" (season 3)
"Butterfly" and "My Friend, My Enemy" (season 5)
"Run for the Money" and "Nerves" (season 6)

Composer Robert Drasnin is a musician playing the flute, the clarinet, and the saxophone. Drasnin worked on America's best spy shows of the 1960's. He was a very prolific "Man from U.N.C.L.E." composers from its season 2. He also did a lot of Quinn Martin series. After Richard Markowitz, and especially in the genesis, he was the other dominant composer of the series “The Wild Wild West” for which he created the theme of the arch-character Dr. Loveless (played by Michael Dunn) in the season 1 "The Night The Wizard Shook the Earth" and during the third season of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", he composed an oddball episode entitled “The Wax Men”, with, again, Michael Dunn—the arrangements of this score made references to two “Wild Wild West” scores: "The Night The Wizard Shook the Earth" and “The Night of the Man-Eating House”. Drasnin wrote a lot of ABC Movie of the Week scores as “Daughter of the Mind” (1969), “The Old Man Who Cried Wolf” (1970), “Crowhaven Farm” (1970), “Dr. Cook’s Garden” (1971), “A Taste of Evil” (1971), “Night of Terror” (1972), “The Heist” (1972).

 

 

110-MY FRIEND, MY ENEMY

(produced by Laurence Heath)

 

Quote:
“The emotions in man are more complex. That is the only difference.”

—Dr. Tabor.

 

Prologue:
After stopping to read a sign-post (Arldenz 4 km - Zurich 129 km - Geneva 488 km), Paris is on a red bike followed closely by Karl Maur’s black Mercedes. The car pushes Paris on the side which sends him into the ditch. He is ejected out of his bike (seen in slow speed “slow-motion”) and rolls down to the bottom of the hill when a hidden henchman, dressed in grey overall and with a beret, shoots a drugged dart at him. Maur gets down and orders his second and the shooter to move the body to the car. Maur grabs “a” broken headlight, examines it and throws it out.

 

Tape scene:

No scene.

 

Summary:
After finishing an assignment in Vienna, Paris rides his cross moto on a tight country road to return to Geneva when he is kidnapped by red agent Karl Maur, an old enemy that he used to lock up. Noticing his absence, his IMF friends must proove his innocence through a standard clearance procedure. Paris undergoes a brainwashing in order to lead Dr. Tabor and assassin Bandar to his control: Jim Phelps, and kill him. 

 

Cast and details:
• Austrian communist spy (member of the CFD Security Police) and Security chief of the East European Trade Commission Karl Maur played by Wesley Lau
• The sadistic red doctor Paul Tabor played by Peter Mark Richman (returning from the season 4 “Gitano”)

• Dr. Tabor’s attendant played by Walter Davis
• Dr. Tabor’s assistant killer Ernst Bandar (with a goatee) played by Bruce Glover (returning from the season 4 “Orpheus”)
• Brussels double agent Enid Brugge/Marla Kassel played by Jill Haworth
• Amsterdam magician Meerghan played by actor-magician Tony Giorgio (this is his best part; friend of creator Bruce Geller and writer-producer-magician William Read Woodfield; returning from the season 4 “The Falcon” and “Lover’s Knot” and already appeared in “The System”)
• Meerghan’s female assistant Inga played by Chris Holter

 

Actor’s Note:
Bruce Glover appears in the  James Bond’s 1971 "Diamonds are Forever" as a hitman as well as in Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown” and he is the father of excentric actor Crispin Glover.

 

Paris

Character’s summary:
Paris poses as Fred Stark from New York City to Enid but confessed from Cleveland, Ohio, to Dr. Tabor, dressed with a “young” black leathered jacket and a white turtleneck. He is trained like a Pavlov's dog by Dr. Tabor; he is questioned under truth serum by Dr. Tabor which later conditions his mind to break his inhibitions and release his death impulse: drug’s injection, colored lights, suggestions through the father figure to drive him angry and an implant of electrode in the upper palate; Dr. Tabor exploits a past love affair with Inga gunned down by her boss magician Meerghan in order to force Paris to kill his control and avenge Inga; Dr. Tabor shows Maur a proof of his behavior experiment on a German Shepherd that is mastered by a remote control.

From the left to the right: Paris rides his bike on the Austrian road - Paris brainwashed by Dr. Tabor.

Dr. Tabor explains to Maur his medical methodology and orders to put an X-Rays machine in the direction of Paris’ head in order to implant a markless electrode through the palate and says: “The kill center is located here in the lateral hypothalamus. Because we are dealing with a man, not a dog, we will activate in three phases, meanwhile setting up the specific emotional situation designed to reinforce and direct the kill reflex”.

From the left to the right: Dr. Tabor shows Paris’ brain region to Karl Maur - Paris is about to undergo an operation in the palate.

Character’s details:
Maur brings Paris to the lab of Dr. Tabor who injects him a truth drug and asks him six personal questions (name, traveling name, nature of the mission, birthplace, mother’s name, mother’s appearance). We learn that Paris has never known his mother who died. Dr. Tabor conditions Paris to hate his father. As a proof of efficiency, in front of skeptical Maur, Dr. Tabor gives an Soviet Corporal back his dog named Max who used to be treated and attacks his master inside his cage when Dr. Tabor presses the button of his remote control. He conditions Paris to hate magician Meerghan (quick cut on Inga’s face) and concludes that two father figures were responsible for the death of two women he loved: his mother and his girlfriend Inga. Dr. Tabor explains to Maur his medical methodology and orders to put an X-Rays machine in the direction of Paris’ head in order to implant a markless electrode through the palate and says: “The kill center is located here in the lateral hypothalamus. Because we are dealing with a man, not a dog, we will activate in three phases, meanwhile setting up the specific emotional situation designed to reinforce and direct the kill reflex”. Freshly released and with no recollections, Paris phones Jim at the Maldorf Inn while Dr. Tabor and Bandar take a room. Inside his room (cabin 16), Paris is tired. Dr. Tabor activates Phase 1 of the killing stimulation via his psyche remote control (producing a high-pitched sound) and Paris feels a sudden neck pain. Paris has a nightmare and sees Inga and Meerghan during an act and then Meerghan guns down Inga at point blank range in front of him. He wakes up screaming. Bandar informs Dr. Tabor  that there are eight new guests at the Maldorf Inn. At the hotel’s bar, Paris is sat on a table and takes a look at Enid Brugge. Jim makes some Morse code with his walking stick to contact Paris who follows him to cabin 2 along with Bandar. Jim analyzes insignicant details (dirt, German Shepherd’s hairs) from Paris while Doug checks out his physical health. Back at the bar, Paris meets Enid and have a drink together and dance the Polka to the sound of the traditional Austrian band. Dr. Tabor and Bandar and also Jim keep an eye on Paris. All of sudden, he sees the face of Inga instead of Enid who leaves him and returns to her cabin to make her report to Dr. Tabor. Paris and Enid lie down on the grass of the woods and have a lover chat. Paris suddenly sees Inga’s face instead of Enid who tells him the sad story of his life, including her communist agent status (off camera). She reports again to Dr. Tabor at her cabin. Jim waits for Paris in an old shack up the hillside. Paris briefly explains to Jim his inner conflicts. Jim reveals to Paris two bad news: he used to be a prisoner of the enemy at the fourth floor of the East European Trade Center in Vienna and that Enid is a communist agent. Paris already knows Enid’s political situation and believes she plans to defect to go with him. Dr. Tabor meets Bandar at the cabin and activates Phase 2 of his remote control. Paris is struck by a sudden neck pain, makes a jealous scene in front of Jim that he sees as Meerghan and accuses him of casting him away in order to keep Enid for himself: “Can’t you understand real emotion? Or have you become some kind of a machine?” Paris follows Enid to her cabin and kiss each other. Enid lets enter Dr. Tabor and Bandar in her cabin, believes they plan to do a simulacrum of an assassination attempt and shows her fake bullet wound skin and calls Paris on the phone. While talking, Enid is gunned down for real by Bandar. Paris runs to her cabin and witnesses her dead body. Dr. Tabor activates Phase 3 of the remote control and Paris has a violent headhache. Paris holds her and sees the face of Inga and cries. Paris grabs Bandar’s silencer near Enid, gets out of the cabin, meets Jim outside, sees him as Meerghan and fires at him like a lunatic. They get down the stair and fight. Jim tries to awake Paris’ troubled spirit. Dr. Tabor and Bandar popup. Bandar is about to kill Jim when Paris guns him down first and recovers consciousness and recognizes Jim who points the pistol at Dr. Tabor. The morning after, coming out of a Vienna’s hospital, Doug and Jim escort Paris to the car to join in Dana and Barney and caresses the healed German Shepherd, carrying a bandage.

 

Jim Phelps

Character’s summary:
Jim poses as Scottish scientist (birdwatcher) MacPherson (with little austere spectacles carried by Dana in “The Innocent”) on vacation at the Maldorf Inn.

 

Character’s details:
At the Geneva’s hotel room, Jim briefs the team for Paris’ standard clearance procedure: Doug and Jim will check alone in the Maldorf Inn and Barney and Dana will investigate in the scene of the accident. Barney asks to get a facsimile setup to communicate with a computer control. Jim calls Doug via his portable radio transmitter and orders him to join in Barney and Dana in Vienna.

 

Doug Robert

Character’s summary:
Doug only does his job of doctor to help Paris and some burglar nightly activity along with Barney (in the tradition of cat burglars from Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief”) into the medical section of the East European Trade Center: this particular scene reminds a “Wild Wild West” episode entitled “The Night of the Camera” (see the hook launched by a rifle and the opening of the glass window).

 

Character’s details:
Doug injects a sedative to the dog and Barney help him to put it on a table. Doug examines the cerebral region (the kill center) of the dog’s implant through an X-Rays plate and a monitor. Doug and Barney discover the palate electrode used on Paris and warns Jim by radio.

 

Barney Collier

Character’s summary:
Barney uses a computer to send Jim a fax containing a brief profile of Karl Maur.

 

Character’s details:
Barney goes getting Doug at his work (the hospital) to travel to Geneva. We learn from Barney that Doug is the head of the medical end for the Department. Barney and Dana put Paris’ bike inside a truck where Barney takes a fingerprint from the bike and feeds the computer with it which finds no identification. Barney is worried and notices the missing headlight. Barney and Dana returns to the scene of the accident to find out the headlight. Barney feeds the computer with the newly-found fingerprints from the headlight and gets a positive result: Karl Maur. He sends back this fax to Jim’s portable computer. Dana contacts Jim with the radio transmitter of the truck and Barney is told to check the East European Trade Commission along with Dana. At night, out of the car, Barney and Doug come out a rifle connected to an air compressed bottle that fires a hook and a yellow rope to the rooftop. Barney and Doug reach the fourth floor of the rooftop window. Barney uses an electric pistol that removes the putty that protects the edge of the window, sticks a portable suction pad and opens the window. He places an anti-alarm system box in the electric unit. They jump to the operating table of the medical section and go to the guinea pig room to verify a German Shepherd who barks. They see a visible electrode up on his head.

 

Dana Lambert

Character’s summary:
Dana poses as Toronto representative Betty Williamson (carrying thin rounded metallic spectacles), buyer for an investment company called Northern Hemisphere Industries, Ltd. to meet Karl Maur at the Trade Center; she uses an ultrasonic whistle cigarette-holder to excite the guinea pig dog and, later asks for her pills to trigger the alarm that helps our two burglar spies.

 

Character’s details:
Barney drives Dana to the Trade Commission where she signs a registry as Toronto buyer Betty Williamson and shows her credentials to a military clerk. A guard escorts her up to the “secret  and locked” fourth floor by elevator, unfolds and blows her ultrasonic sound whistle/telescopic cigarette holder to test the reactions of the dog and installs a cigarette that Karl Maur lights. She steps into his office, shows him her passport and letter of introduction and takes a quick look at the alarm system: a metal plate of the window. She lets on purpose her purse in the armchair and follows Maur to watch the products of the display that he sells. Dana asks Maur to obtain the asthma pills of her purse that she has forgotten in the office so that she will avoid the hospital. She plants her purse in the metal plate of the window that triggers the alarm. Maur is furious and rushes to cut the alarm. Dana apologizes to Maur and leaves.

 

Willy is absent.

 

Comments:
This is the second “intimist” episode, after “Homecoming”, in which Paris, as Jim, has mind visions but rather traumatic ones bred by Dr. Tabor’s remote control: first the German Expressionist nightmare of the magician act, shot tilted with a wide angle lense and lit lowkey with psychedelic colors and then, a series of five subliminal/quick cuts delusions (accompanied by the sound of the accordion, Paris dances with Enid and sees Inga instead; lying in the grass, Paris sees again Inga through Enid; Paris meets Jim in a secret shack, feels anger and sees Meerghan instead; after the assassination of Enid, Paris sees Inga again; armed with a silencer, Paris is on the verge of killing Jim that he sees as Meerghan). The episode features two dreamlike characters. The methodology of Dr. Tabor borrows from the behaviorists combined with Freud, especially when he tries to stir up an “Oedipus complex” from Paris. The sets of the hotel rooms are very cheap. Both portraits of Paris and Doug from this episode are used for the character vignettes of  the season 5 opening titles.

 

Review:
A bizarre brainwashing and European episode a la “The Prisoner” (Cf. “The Schizoid Man”) where we learn more about Paris' background as a magician (see his season 4 part for “The Falcon”) but unfortunately, the pathos is much too heavy. Don’t miss the prologue. This is the first episode produced by Laurence Heath that he also re-writes and paves the way for psychological shockers to come. This is the best of the two Paris’ love story, both penned by Heath, and they share some similarities in the relationship of the couple: “Lover’s Knot” was rather routine unlike this last offering which is more complex and far out by combining many orientions: a deep character’s study, a Soviet plot, a departure from the series’ format and a caught up agent interrogated to know his leader framework in the vein of the template “The Exchange”. The interrogation-brainwashing scene remind two season 4 episodes “The Amnesiac” and “Orpheus”. The cottage setting is already used in a season 1 episode of “Mannix” entitled: “Then the Drink Takes the Man”. Composer Robert Drasnin scores a very atonal, twisted, melancolic and electronic music to emphasize Paris' distorted psyche combined with a rendering of the sentimental Russian mood from “The Play”. It also integrates traditional Austrian accordion tunes.

 

The Nightmare Scene:

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=l4fV9tTNyv4


111-BUTTERFLY
(First Produced) 

 

Quote:
“I find her mixed blood offensive, but we shall try to redeem her.”
—Tycoon Toshio Masaki about Nobu.

 

Prologue:
The estate of tycoon Mr. Masaki, a walled fortress guarded by a private police: a Jujitsu fight occurs watched by guests, the local police and family members. Mioshi Kellem talks to her brother Toshio Masaki: she argues about her American husband that he hates. Harry Kellem keeps an eye on his wife. Toshio pretends to be indifferent to the topic and leads his sister to another part of the garden to show her something private: he comes out a knife and stabs her. Toshio returns to see the fight next to Shiki. Kellem worries not to catch a glimpse of his wife, goes searching her and witnesses her dead body lying on the grass when Inspector Akita puts him under a rest: the scene is shot in a cheap little studio set.

Tape scene:
On a sunny Californian embankment, Jim, dressed casual with fancy Rayban sunglasses, walks to the end and stops. A little speedboat comes closes and the driver takes a look at Jim who tells him: “Nice looking boat”, the driver replies: “It’s for sale”, Jim continues: “I’ll give you $4,500 cash, but I’ll have to try it right now”, the driver moves his head to agree. Jim gets down to the boat via the ladder of the embankment and switches places with the driver. Jim drives the boat through the ocean, then cuts the engine and grasps a little tools box under the hood which contains a little kraft envelop and a mini reel player.

Summary:
Japan: American business man Harry Kellem is held in detention in the police precinct and falsely accused for the murder of his Japenese wife which was stabbed by her brother Toshio Masaki in his garden. The IMF leads Masaki-san to convict himself because of a blackmail executed by the use of a phony 16 mm film which proves Kellem's innocence.

Cast and details:
• The diehard industrialist and American-hater Toshio Masaki with a scar on his arm played by Khigh Dhiegh (returning from the season 3 “Doomsday”)
• Masaki’s right-hand man Shiki played by James Shigeta (he used to star in Samuel Fuller’s 1959 thriller “The Crimson Kimono”)
• Corrupted policeman/Masaki’s henchman Saburi played by Dale Ishimoto
• Jujitsu fighter Osaki played by Fuji
• Businessman Harry Kellem played by Russ Conway (returning from the season 3 “The Diplomat”)
• Kellem’s wife Mioshi played by Lisa Lu
• Kellem’s daughter Nobu played by Helen Funai
• Untouchable Inspector Akita played by Benson Fong

The Japanese Characters
Nobu visits her father in his cell and ceases to trust him and takes refuge at the house of Masaki who hates her. Masaki orders corrupted cop Saburi to pose as a warder to the precinct to poison Kellem’s tray-meal by inserting a death pill. Masaki phones Akita to announce the fight and to trace the calls from his private number. Much later, Masaki receivs a call from Dana and then phones Akita to obtain her number (583-7591) and related adress (26 - Marunovchi Chiyoda bu). Shiki brings back all the cans of film and projects the half film to Masaki who asks him to enlarge and blow up one piece of frame depicting his arm. Later on, Shiki forges the writing of Kellem to fashion a confession letter explaining the killing of his wife that Saburi will plant in Kellem‘s cell. Masaki is forced to roll the “hot” film in front of Inspector Akita, Paris and Nobu, the guilt makes him loose his mind and asserts that he murders his sister. He cuts the film and notices the rest of the film is blank. Feeling trapped, he tries to bribe Akita with money but he turns down the crooked deal and calls the police’s squad.

 

Paris
Paris replaces and disguises as Japanese Kabuki performer Nakamura Taizo; he makes his recital in front of Masaki, Shiki and Nobu who has a crush on him (zoom in on her face). Paris has a drink of Sake with Nobu and asks her to be his friend: meaning his confidant. Shiki summons him to the desk of Masaki. He refers to an American Jujitsu wrestler willing to compete for 3,6 million Yens ($10,000) one contest fight whom he read an article in the newspaper while taking three pictures of reading Masaki with his wristwatch. Masaki orders Shiki to arrange the fight. Paris prepares the plaster mold of Masaki’s latex mask in his room and goes searching a black kimono with a white flower pattern in it and a black haori in he wardrobe room of Masaki’s house. He joins in Dana in the garden, gets dressed (a false belly, the mask and the black outfit) and inserts an earphone plug to communicate with Barney. Later, Paris talks to Nobu about Masaki near a fountain. He has lunch with Nobu in an outdoor restaurant and leaves because of Barney’s arrival. After Dana’s departure, he enters Nobu’s apartment and advises her to go see Inspector Akita at the police precinct where she tells the blackmail story. Akita compares two identical phone numbers from different sources (Nobu/Masaki) and realizes that Masaki is also involved. Paris, Nobu and Akita come in the office of Masaki which is reluctant to watch the second half of the film. Saburi intrudes, armed with a gun, and on his way to shoot Akita, Paris hits him hard to cool him off. The morning after, at the office of Akita, Paris lets Nobu joins her free father. Aboard a blue car, he rides to a restaurant and picks up the team drinking a glass of Sake (as Jim in “Homecoming”). During the apartment scene, he still wears his season 4 grey sweater.

Dana Lambert
Dana poses as a blackmailer-paparazzo photographer and calls Masaki about “hot” pictures taking during the killing so Masaki gives her his private phone number for business. She also disguises as Kellem’s wife and tries the mask in front Jim who gives his approval; she climbs up a wall with Barney’s ladder and meets Paris in the scene of the crime. Dana phones at Masaki’s private number for the blackmail deal. Shiki and his two men break in her flat to steal the compromising copies: one can of film is found hidden under a table. Wearing a short purple hippie dress, she walks down the street and a car stops where Shiki comes out to abduct her and bring her to Masaki who shows her his arm’s scar, proving that the film is tricked. She states the wound is on the grainy enlarged picture, Masaki demands to watch the second half of the film and she asks him $500,000: “Don’t worry. I’m greedy but not foolish”. She projects the first half of the film to Nobu in her apartment, offers her a bidding to buy the second half and a phone number to call in one hour. Dana leaves her and signals Paris in the stairway. She calls a cab that is followed by Akita’s police car along with Paris and Nobu: “As you can see, there is an element of theatricality in our business, too”, says Inspector Akita