Mission: Impossible (TV Series) The Brothers (1969) User Reviews

Well done episode

[Guad42 · 7/10 · 20 September 2021]

As with many of the MI outings, the method they come up with to accomplish their goals is a bit far fetched. Of course, if you let that bother you, then you shouldn't be watching in the first place. The show is almost always interesting and entertaining. The plot moves along briskly and keeps us engaged.

The goal is to rescue a king who has been imprisoned by his brother who has assumed power in the kingdom. The method to accomplish this is to force the brother to bring the king in as he is made to believe he is in need of a kidney transplant. As the operation is going on the king and evil brother are switched. As often happens in this show, there is a head henchman who must be accounted for. In this case it is Colonel Hatafis (Joseph Ruskin). The team pulls off the switch and the colonel will face the wrath of the sheiks and the newly re-installed king.

The cast are veterans and perform well. Michele Carey is the female guest star joining the team for this mission. She is more than up for the challenge. This rotating group of women guests who are filling in for Barbara Bain have all done well. Quite frankly, it makes me wonder how Leslie Ann Warren ended up with the job. I realize she would be nominated for an Oscar for "Victor/Victoria" in the future but she is absolutely painful to watch at times on MI.

Also on hand for this outing is Lloyd Battista and Lee Bergere. Ruskin is making one of his many appearances on the show. With his physical appearance and manner, he was born to play a bad guy and did it about a million times in his long career.

This is a typical episode for this series which means it is well done and worth viewing.

Why Jim dropped a dime in the quarter slot

[jonjax71 · 2 October 2008]

hhbooker asked why Jim dropped a dime in the quarter slot? This was done as a protection procedure, it avoids a passerby causing a malfunction. The coin box would not open, perhaps even explode if Jim would not drop a dime in the quarter slot before hand. He rec'd the proper technique on how to get to the recorder along with its location when receiving his orders and the key

The question should be how does Jim get instructions on obtaining each mission's information?, where is the recorder?, how does he get the key for wherever the recording device and accompanying portfolio is.

By the way, many sources cite the use of a car 8-track player giving instructions when in reality they never used an 8-track player, the many opening sequences with instructions on a car tape player always used a 4-track player or cart machine, the short lived predecessor to the 8-track

Why did Jim Phelps deposit a dime in the phone's quarter slot?

[hhbooker2-1 · 10/10 · 17 August 2006]

When Peter Graves goes to a telephone booth with an Out Of Order sign on the pay telephone, after he removes the temporary sign, there are three coin slots for 5-cents, 10-cents, and 25-cents. He deposits a dime into the quarter slot and unlocks the coin box with a key to start the tape record with Bob Johnson's usual message along with a large envelope of photographs. The story is about an Arab prince who made the King a prisoner, supposedly on a religious pilgrimage for the past six months. The Impossible Mission Force trick the plotters by faking an emergency operation when they convince the Prince's henchman, Colonel Hatafis that Prince Samandal needs a kidney from his brother, King Selim. The story is well constructed and plausible as usual!