A subject I can really sink my teeth into! I tried posting on some other boards, but established posters don't respond well, if at all, to newcomers trying to add intelligent discussions. I know if I come back here, someone will always reply!!

I remember seeing the episode at the time, the title of which escapes me at the moment, (a quick pause and check on IMDB, tells me it was The Innocent) where Peter Lupus disappeared from the opening credits to be replaced by Sam Elliott. Who?! Never heard of the guy! Who was HE? I watched the episode. I don't recall very much about it. I was indifferent to the character. I just knew that Sam Elliott was no Peter Lupus.

That next week I read the article in TV Guide explaining that the Mission: Impossible producers were at it again. They were trying to "do" to him just what they had already done to Steven Hill, Martin Landau, and Barbara Bain, but this time without a good reason. That's when I got angry at the show. A few weeks followed, and TV Guide reported that THE FANS! were trying to save Peter Lupus' job! HOO RAH! It worked. I can't imagine that it was very tense when both Peter Lupus and Sam Elliott were in the same episodes. Both seemed to be very professional about it.

With 20/20 hindsight, knowing what became of Sam Elliott after Mission: Impossible, he is among my favorite actors. Brilliant as Travis McGee and Virgil Earp.

To respond to your question Maria, I was puzzled at the character of Doug Robert. An MD? Really?! Earlier plots called for a doctor, usually with a unique specialty that was needed to move the script forward. I could never fathom how a doctor would be needed on a recurring basis. But the script writers found a way. The last time Sam Elliott appeared was in a Lynda Day George episode, as you mentioned Maria, from season six, the William Shatner vehicle Encore. I kind of felt bad for Sam Elliott after he was booted from the show due to no fault of his own. Just studio politics. That's Paramount for you!

Great thread!! This is so reminiscent of our glory days on IMDB! The addition of Doug Roberts to the team (and his ultimate departure) was done in true Geller style. No explanations whatsoever, coming or going. I don't remember being angry with Sam Elliott or Doug Roberts, but I was furious with the show. I did write a letter to CBS demanding Peter Lupus' return. Just like I did when CBS announced the cancellation of The Equalizer (Edward Woodward). Both times I got a form letter from CBS in response, that didn't address anything about my request. But I digress.

I thought Doug Roberts the character was bland. He was just kind of there. Filling a spot in the script, vacated by Willy. But I think it forced a change in the way Paramount addressed future cast additions. Example: In Season 7, when Barbara Anderson (Mimi Davis) temporarily replaced Lynda Day (just plain Casey, then) when she went on maternity leave. The script writers went to great pains to explain, via dialog, that Casey was "on assignment" and that "the Secretary" approved the temporary addition of Mimi to the team. That was a departure from the Geller formula, of not explaining anything. Paramount execs (maybe?) wanted to ensure that the fans knew Casey would be back.

I can't comment on how I felt at the time because it was just before I was born. But watching it when I did I don't think I had strong feelings about him one way or the other. I thought he was ok I could take him or leave him. Ofcourse I knew that Willy would be back eventually so I was happy about that. But had I watched it when it aired and saw somebody else I probably wouldn't have taken too kindly to that. You can't not like Willy. It's just impossible. And Lupus as we saw in later seasons was capable of having a much larger role than he had in earlier seasons.

In a lot of ways, Willie was the heart of Mission: Impossible. The fan reaction to the news of him being replaced proved that.

The Doug situation reminded me of what happened to Paul Burke when he replaced Robert Lansing on Twelve O'Clock High. I was way too young to have watched the show when it originally aired. I had stumbled upon it one night on METV and fell in love with Robert Lansing's Gen. Frank Savage instantaneously. I was able to find a book that chronicled the show and the movie versions.

The public really liked Lansing on Twelve O'Clock High, but for some reason ABC thought that show, which was getting decent but not exactly great ratings, would be better if there was a younger lead character and less talk, more explosions kind of thing. They told Quinn Martin, the executive producer that the show would be renewed for a second season, but ONLY if Lansing was replaced.

So, in spite of a huge fan campaign to keep Lansing on the show (Robert Lansing said that for a year after he left TOH, he would get AT LEAST one hundred letters a day from his fans complaining about his firing), Paul Burke was the lead character, Col. Joe Gallagher, for seasons two and three.

I thought he was okay, but Robert Lansing had did such a teriffic job as Savage that it was hard to accept anyone else. Now, to get to the reason that I started the thread, I read in my TOH reference book that Paul Burke said that not only did he get hate mail from Robert Lansing's fans (which I'm sure didn't surprise him), he also got hate mail from his OWN fans (now as far as I'm concerned, that is just wrong)!

------------Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night-------

I really enjoyed reading that post, Maria. Yes, I was fortunate enough to watch Twelve O'Clock High when it first aired. As long as we all are cryptically revealing our respective ages via vague television history references, I was in Junior High School at the time. I think it's called Middle School, now. I believe Robert Lansing was trying to emulate or duplicate Gregory Peck's performance from the original film. It showed in his continued brilliant performances. Paul Burke was no Robert Lansing, but he didn't deserve hate mail. I can't imagine any Mission: Impossible fan sending hate mail to Sam Elliott for replacing Peter Lupus. I've always said we M:I fans are a cut above. A classy bunch of ... fanatics (?).

I will share a bit of irony related to Mission: Impossible, Robert Lansing, The Equalizer, and fan mail. When I wrote a letter to CBS to ask them not to cancel The Equalizer, of which Robert Lansing was a frequent guest star, portraying Edward Woodward's former CIA boss, Control, I made the argument that The Equalizer had higher ratings than the 1988 Mission: Impossible re-boot, which had already been renewed for a second season at the time. To no avail. Both were cancelled within a year of each other.

@lima-2 : Thanks for the complement. I have a question for you regarding the MI reboot. I remember watching the first episode of the reboot, but for some crazy reason I could have sworn the reboot aired on ABC, not CBS. Anyway, to the question: was it just me, or did the reboot look a lot cheaper than the original?

Yes, the reboot was on ABC (not the Australian Broadcasting Company), but it may as well have been. It's been a while since I've seen any of the episodes, so my recollections might not be spot-on. But no, I don't remember the reboot looking cheap. I remember some pretty spectacular Australian scenery and settings, both rural and urban, as well as the attempts to update its technology to the 1980's. I remember the taped instructions morphed into self-destructive video disk players, and the computer console in Jim's apartment... the one where he disavowed Casey Randall after she was killed.

I watched that series once. Not bad. I don't remember it looking cheap either. So many people don't like that Jane women on the show. I thought she was fine. The one they killed off I felt had the personality of cardboard cut out.

Ha ha ha ha. That was pretty funny! Because it's so true!

@lima-2 The main reason I hate the reboot is because of how the producers treated Greg Morris when he appeared in the second season two part season premiere.

In 1981, Mr. Morris was in a car accident and had reconstructed surgery to his face. That's why he looked different. And when the bad guys caught Barney, those stupid purple (WTF?), laser beams shooting into his eyes, Johnny Burke, the special effects guy for the original show must have been spinning in his grave.

The only good thing I can say about those episodes is at least Mr. Morris and his son Phil got to act in the same episodes.

--------Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night-------y

@lima-2 After the late, great Robert Lansing was fired by those morons Quinn Martin and ABC from TOH, knowing his popularity, put him in a half hour spy show The Man Who Never Was, that costarred Dana Wynter ( she and Lansing had chemistry. They'd been in two episodes together on TOH, and they were sexy together!)

The show was filmed entirely in Europe, but it only lasted for six episodes.

---------Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night-------

Wow, I never knew that about Greg Morris. I mean his accident. I knew he looked pretty bad in the re-boot, which we discussed on that board. Never knew the reason why. No wonder. Still feel so bad for him. Such a great actor and character.

Talk about blast from the past! Now that you mention it, I DO remember The Man Who Never Was, and for very odd reasons. In the Fall of 1966 it came on right after the Wednesday night showing of Batman, season 2. I liked Robert Lansing from TOH already, but, being a 14 year old with raging hormones, I thought Dana Wynter was just as hot as Diana Rigg/Emma Peel from the Avengers. Wowie!!

When Batman premiered the previous January, it was followed by another 30-minute spy show, The Blue Light, set in World War 2, with Robert Goulet and French actress Christine Carere, another hottie with a sexy accent. Double wowie!! Great memories of adolescence!

@lima-2 I'm glad to hear you share my good taste in tv spy shows! Unfortunately their is only one episode on YouTube. It's the pilot, and it was posted by someone named LansingFan1. You should watch it sometime!

As for Greg Morris, I knew that he had developed a drinking problem after MI, but I didn't know about the car accident. I happened to come across it in the Triva section of his IMDb entry. He was one of my childhood heroes. He still is. I always felt that he was one of the reason that MI was so popular.

Well, I'm off to school to learn more about Early European History!