Talking shop: Sean Connery and David McCallum in 1966.

U.N.C.L.E./James Bond ties

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Ian Fleming. 007: Created James Bond, publishing his first 007 novel, "Casino Royale," in 1953. Overall wrote a dozen Bond novels and several short stories. U.N.C.L.E.: Created (with Norman Felton) the character of Napoleon Solo. (American writer Sam Rolfe devised virtually everything else about the series format). Also came up with the character name April Dancer, whom Fleming envisioned as a Miss Moneypenney-type character. The name was used for the lead character in the spinoff series "The Girl From UNCLE."

George Lazenby. 007: Played James Bond in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), first Eon Productions/Albert R. Broccoli Bond film not featuring Sean Connery as Bond. Quit series after the one film. UNCLE: Played mysterious British agent "JB" in "The Return of The Man From UNCLE" (1983 TV movie). TV film clearly seeks to imply this is Bond as he is driving an Aston Martin DB5 (the car model used in "Goldfinger"). "JB" helps NS out of a tight spot and refers to the now-retired Solo as "UNCLE's finest."

Jack Lord. 007: Played Felix Leiter, Bond's CIA friend, in "Dr. No," the first Eon Productions/Albert R. Broccoli 007 film. UNCLE: Played Mandor, a top Thrush official engaged in a brutal power struggle within the criminal organization, in Eps. 95.

Richard Mailbuam 007: Screenwriter on 12 of the first 16 James Bond movies produced by Eon Productions Ltd. Was there from the beginning of the Eon series as one of three credited screenwriters on "Dr. No." His final effort was to contribute to the plot of 1989's "Licence to Kill" (sharing screenwriting credit with Michael G. Wilson). He died in 1991. UNCLE: in the mid-1970s, he apparently proposed some ideas for a never-produced UNCLE revial, according to personal papers he donated to the University of Iowa.

Harold Jack Bloom. UNCLE: Wrote Eps. 2, "The Iowa Scuba Affair," the first episode produced after the pilot was made. Had co-authored the 1953 movie "The Naked Spur," with UNCLE developer Sam Rolfe. 007: Received an "additional story material" credit for Bond movie "You Only Live Twice." Apparently, Bloom worked on an early draft and was replaced by Roald Dahl, who received sole screenplay credit.

Luciana Paluzzi. UNCLE: Played sultry Thrush villainess in pilot for The Man From UNCLE. Footage, however, did not appear in television version aired Sept. 22, 1964. Instead, her scenes were incorporated into Eps. 21, "The Four-Steps Affair." The Paluzzi scenes were an important part of "To Trap a Spy," the theatrical version of the pilot. In "Four Steps," NS retreats discreetly into the other room while her character changes clothes. In "To Trap a Spy," he doesn't. She also appeared as a helpful hotel owner in Eps. 1 of The Girl From UNCLE. 007: Played sultry SPECTRE villainess in 1965 Bond movie "Thunderball."

Curt Jurgens. UNCLE: Rich businessman who is courting one of five daughters of a deceased scientist (Eps. 87-88). 007: Played Karl Stromberg, lead villain in "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977).

Telly Savalas. UNCLE: Played buffoonish Italian count married to one of five daughters of a deceased scientist (Eps. 87-88). 007: Played 007 arch-villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969).

Richard Kiel. UNCLE: Has one scene in Eps. 1 as a Thrush thug. In Eps. 23 ("The Hong Kong Shilling Affair"), he has a more extended role as a thug. 007: Played Jaws, initially a freightful character who evolved into Bond's version of Wile E. Coyote in "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977) and "Moonraker" (1979).

Anthony Zerbe. Veteran American character actor who normally plays villainous roles. UNCLE: Cast as Justin Sepheran, a Thrush leader who escapes prison after 15 years to revitalize the criminal organization in The Return of The Man From UNCLE. 007: Portrayed Milton Krest, a lackey of drug kingpin Franz Sanchez in Licence to Kill (1989).

Nancy Sinatra. UNCLE: Played Coco, daughter of scientist Adrian Cool in "The Take Me to Your Leader Affair." 007: Performed the John Barry-Leslie Bricusse title song for "You Only Live Twice" (1967)

Paul Baxley. UNCLE: Stuntman and stunt arranger. Also second unit director for Eps. 93-94 ("The Prince of Darkness Affair"). Was one of the "Karate Killers" in Eps. 87-88. 007: Was stunt arranger for Bond movie "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971). Most likely, Baxley only worked on sequences filmed in the United States; credits for the film indicate there were dual crews for the U.K. and U.S. Veteran Bond stunt arranger Bob Simmons also worked on the film with Baxley.

Eddie Saeta. UNCLE: Assistant director, second unit director and, finally in Season Three, director. 007: Was an assistant director for Bond movie "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971).

Antony Ellis. 007: Co-scripter of 1954 CBS television adaptation of "Casino Royale." The hour-long, live show took many liberties with Ian Fleming's first novel. Bond is an American (Barry Nelson), while Felix Leiter is British. The show was long thought lost until early 1980s when a filmed copy showed in a warehouse. UNCLE: Plotted and co-scripted Eps. 27, "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair."

"Bon appetit." UNCLE: Witticism uttered by IK after thug gets chewed on by a wolf in Eps. 27 (original airdate 4/5/65). 007: Witticism uttered by James Bond (Sean Connery) after thug falls into pool of man-eating fish ("You Only Live Twice"). Witticism uttered by James Bond (Timothy Dalton) after leaving a thug in a container of maggots ("Licence to Kill"). Witticism uttered by heroine Cheryl Haven as she lifts her right breast to Bond's mouth at the conclusion of "Blast From the Past," 007 short story by Raymond Benson first published in Janurary 1997 issue of "Playboy" magazine.

Janus. Roman two-faced god whose name is too good to pass up when creating villains. UNCLE: Name of a woman Thrush operative in MFU Eps. 78 (first name Jenny). Name of a traitorous UNCLE agent who joins forces with a resurgent Thrush in The Return of the Man From UNCLE. 007: Name of a Russian mobster who turns out to be James Bond's old comrade Alec Trevelyan in "GoldenEye."

Teru Shimada. UNCLE: Played Sing Mok, president of an unnamed Asian nation who is the target of an assassination plot by the mysterious billionaire Mr. Alexander in Eps. 30-31. 007: Played Mr. Osato, Japanese industrialist whose company is a front for SPECTRE in "You Only Live Twice."

Walther. German manufacturer of guns preferred by leading secret agents. 007: M. forces James Bond to give up a Baretta .25 that Bond was quite fond of in the novel "Dr. No" (1958). Bond uses the Walther PPK 7.65mm pistol for the rest of the Fleming stories. John Gardner, in the first of his 007 novels in 1981 indicates the Walther was phased out and has Bond using a variety of pistols. Raymond Benson, in the short story "Blast From the Past," has Bond again using the Walther. In the films, the switch from the Baretta to the Walther PPK was replicated in Eon's Bond film, "Dr. No" (1962), almost line for line from the book. However, according to postings by eagle-eyed viewers writing in the alt.fan.james-bond news group, the filmmakers have had Bond using the Walther P38, PP and P-9 without mentioning this fact to the audience in films including "Goldfinger," "You Only Live Twice" and "Octopussy." In "Tomorrow Never Dies," Bond (Pierce Brosnan) uses the PPK in early sequences but switches to a Walther P99 in the second half of the movie. It appears that he uses the P99 in "The World Is Not Enough," due in U.S. theaters in November 1999. UNCLE: The U.N.C.L.E. Special is a modified Walter P38. The first UNCLE gun was a modified Mauser, but producers decided it looked too small, especially with the attachments. The switch to the Walther version occurred during Season One.

Alexander Scourby. UNCLE: Played Professor Amadeus, who is really an ex-Nazi scientist who has Hitler in suspended animation in "The Deadly Games Affair" (MFU Eps. 5). 007: Narrated "The Incredible World of James Bond," a documentary directed by Jack Haley Jr. that aired Nov. 26, 1965 on NBC. "Incredible World" included information about the novels, scenes from the first three Bond films and scenes from the upcoming "Thunderball" movie. The special pre-empted "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," which normally aired in that time slot (10 p.m. ET Fridays) during the 1965-66 television season.

Al Ramrus. 007: Wrote the narration for the 1965 special "The Incredible World of James Bond." UNCLE: Co-wrote Eps. 65, The Pop Art Affair.