Tennis rackets and cannons
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | Tennis rackets and cannons |
| Original title | I Spy |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Year (s) | 1965-1968 |
| length | 50 minutes |
| Episodes | 82 in 3 seasons |
| genre | Action series , crime thriller |
| idea |
Morton S. Fine , David Friedkin |
| music | Earle Hagen |
| First broadcast | September 15, 1965 ( USA ) on NBC |
| German-language first broadcast |
June 11, 1968 on ZDF |
| occupation | |
| |
Tennis rackets and cannons (also: tennis rackets and cannons and tennis, rackets and cannons ; later seasons than tennis rather than cannons ) is an American television series produced by Triple F Productions under the umbrella of Desilu Studios (most recently Paramount Television ) has been. It is about secret assignments from two agents and is, as it were, a parody of the agent film genre.
action
The heartthrob Kelly Robinson, disguised as a professional tennis player, and the language genius Alexander Scott, officially his coach, are secret agents of the US Department of Defense . Together they experience adventures at home and abroad.
Title and broadcast
The working title at the start of production was initially Danny Doyle . But it then prevailed as the original title I Spy (for example "I spy"). It is derived from the children's game "I spy with my little eye ...", which corresponds to the German "I see what you do not see".
Tennis rackets and cannons was broadcast in Germany for the first time with selected 26 episodes between June 1968 and June 1969 on ZDF . Another 29 episodes were broadcast from October 1977 to December 1978 in the early evening programs of the ARD under the now used series title Tennis rather than cannons . Several repetitions followed on the private channels Sat.1 (also as tennis rather than cannons ) and ProSieben . The latter broadcast seven episodes of the series in 1991 and five more in 1993, now premiering under the title Tennis, Rackets and Cannons . The pay-TV broadcaster Krimi & Co. from the DF1 bouquet finally showed the remaining episodes in 1996, in addition to the complete repetition of the series. The series was also repeated on kabel eins .
Cast and dubbing
Tennis player Robinson is played by a white (Robert Culp), his coach Scott by an African-American actor (Bill Cosby). This combination was a first on US television. It was the first time ever that an African-American had a leading role in a television series on the US major evening programs. For the stand-up comedian Bill Cosby, the series was the entry into US television. The series producer, Sheldon Leonard, appears on the series as a guest in the role of Sorgi. Series inventor David Friedkin also made two guest appearances.
Karlheinz Brunnemann and Rainer Brandt were responsible for the German synchronization . Similar to their synchronous success Die 2 , they put flippant sayings in the mouths of the protagonists.
| role | actor | Voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Kelly Robinson | Robert Culp |
Gert Günther Hoffmann (1st synchro) Christian Rode (2nd synchro) |
| Alexander Scott | Bill Cosby | Edgar Ott |
Merchandising, film projects and spin-offs
Parallel to the television series, I Spy appeared in the USA as a novel series (1965–1968) and as a comic series, which was published from 1966 to 1968 by Gold Key Comics . In the agent comedy series Mini-Max , tennis racket ... 1968 was parodied. Secret agent Maxwell Smart ( Don Adams ) subsequently mimed Mit Ping-Pong-Bat and Mini-Max (Original: Die, Spy ), an undercover athlete spying. In the same episode, Robinson actor Robert Culp had a cameo .
Robert Culp reappeared in Bill Cosby productions after the series ended. They always quoted the series. So Culp appeared in the series The Bill Cosby Show in the episode A Shiny Hairstyle (1987) in a guest role as Scott Kelly. The name alludes to the two main I Spy characters Kelly Robinson and Alexander Scott. Robert Culp also starred in the 1999 television series Cosby . Here he played in the episode Hilton, Bat and Gun (Original: My Spy ) in a dream sequence by Bill Cosby, his character Kelly Robinson.
In 1994, Bill Cosby & Co. - The Return of the Super Spies (Original: I Spy Returns ) was a TV film in which Culp and Cosby slipped back into their old roles after 26 years. They were supported by Bennett Robinson ( George Newbern ) and Nicole Scott ( Salli Richardson ), two CIA agents and children of the two series characters. With I Spy , the story of the series was reworked in 2002 in a movie with Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy in the leading roles.
Awards
The series received the Golden Globe in 1967 for Best Actor in a Series - Drama . Bill Cosby was awarded three Emmy Awards ( Best Actor ) for the role of Alexander Scott .
DVD release
In December 2005, the first season of the series appeared in Germany for the first time on 7 DVDs. The two remaining seasons followed in June and August 2006, also on 7 DVDs each. The three DVD boxes have become highly sought-after collector's items among film fans. Seasons 2 and 3 in particular are hard to find and are being traded for a multiple of the original price.
Web links
- Spy in the Internet Movie Database (English)