Robert Culp was the epitome of cool. I Spy managed to stand out among the many espionage shows that filled the broadcast airwaves of the late Sixties due in no small part to Culp's acting. Culp and Cosby seemed like they had a lot of fun making that show.
Not being a fan of Everybody Loves Raymond (maybe other people do, but I don't), I am still pleased to learn Robert Culp showed up there from time to time. No doubt he elevated the quality of the material.
I rediscovered I Spy from the American Life channel, and it's a fun thing to see his easy rapport with Bill Cosby. He was one of the best things about The Greatest American Hero. And I well remember his turn on Law & Order (it was during a rare three-part episode, when they did their version of the O.J. Simpson case).
But I've always wondered about a part he never played, on Dallas. When the show was at its height, star Larry Hagman engaged in contentious contract negotiations. The producers were willing to accommodate Hagman up to a point, but they let it be known that, if he went too far, J.R. Ewing would suffer massive, disfiguring burns from a fiery car crash and need plastic surgery, and when the bandages came off, he'd look like Robert Culp.
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Another wee bit of the childhood gone...
Very sad.
I rediscovered I Spy from the American Life channel, and it's a fun thing to see his easy rapport with Bill Cosby. He was one of the best things about The Greatest American Hero. And I well remember his turn on Law & Order (it was during a rare three-part episode, when they did their version of the O.J. Simpson case).
But I've always wondered about a part he never played, on Dallas. When the show was at its height, star Larry Hagman engaged in contentious contract negotiations. The producers were willing to accommodate Hagman up to a point, but they let it be known that, if he went too far, J.R. Ewing would suffer massive, disfiguring burns from a fiery car crash and need plastic surgery, and when the bandages came off, he'd look like Robert Culp.
That could have been interesting ...