Season 1 - originally broadcast
April 6, 1966
French: "Une petite fille bien sage" (A Wise Little Girl)
German: "Kathy schafft alle" (Kathy Manages Everyone)
Writers: Stephen Kandel & Robert Bloch
Director: John Rich
Assigned to guard the teenage daughter of a U.S. Cabinet Member, Kelly and Scotty discover that "baby-sitting" can be a very hazardous operation.
Cast:
Mary Jane Saunders (Kathy), Harry Raybould (Porada), Estrellita (Fillipa), Jose de Vega (Miguel), Fred Carson [ Rivera ], Chet Stratton (Peterson)
FROM THE NOTEBOOKS - Rating
Synopsis: Diplomat's daughter unknowingly carrying heroin
Highlights/Comments: Good editing. Very natural acting. Kelly's not so subtle sexiness. Another new haircut.
The “I Spy” Forum comments on "THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL"
Author: SAM
Date: January 30 2002 at 2:13 PM
There Was a Little Girl- now that sounds like MY theme song. I cannot for the life of me understand why I LIKE this episode so much, but I certainly do.
I remember being so JEALOUS of the actress playing the girl - and feeling she was so sophisticated and worldly.
The storyline, while not very satisfying, worked on MY pre-teen level. And it certainly would not play, TODAY what with that last no-no scene, and the relationship between Kelly and Cathy (the non-relationship I mean). I enjoyed the great teaser with that wonderful jazz intro used in Apollo and most memorably in SLPH.
Culp as Kelly was great in any mood he chose - charming, exasperated, protective, pudding-hearted- but ALWAYS appropriate. My favourite scene with him was when Senor Parada pulled his gun- the lightning reflex when he jumped in front of his charge, was thrilling for me.
As usual, the camaraderie between Kelly and Scott was rich and full and never forced. Their best scene was Scott's 'birdcall', - I laughed for days and still laugh at his face in the car window . . .'door is my protective shield . . ' then that (I am sure it was an ad lib scene) 'cru . . .cru . . .'
I did not like the tag scene, but at least it was off camera.
SAM
Author: Colonel Benkovski
Date: January 31 2002 at 9:55 AM
OK, like SAM said, this was certainly not the most profound or deep or insightful episode of the serious. However, I have always found it to be an exceptionally enjoyable one. The guest character is, again, a stubborn and spoiled youth who at heart is still basically decent and very likable, just like the King in Sparrowhawk. Miss Saunders is very cute, and obviously (and pleasingly) somewhat above the mid-teen years that her character was supposed to be, but otherwise she was a perfect fit for the role (and a perfect fit for those little outfits she wore......) But I digress.
In the reviews on this website, one of our hosts mentioned that Cathy Sherman over uses the 60's slang, especially the words "this is a gas", but when I recall the kids I went to high school with in the early and mid 80's, some of them were far worse in real life with the then-popular Valley Speak than the character Cathy in this episode.
The show had a great start to it, a tense scene of the Kelly and Scott searching through Taxsco (spelling?) for some we knew not whom. And the scenery in the outdoor sequences of this episode was beautiful and well used, though it is obvious that the cave at the end of the show is a set.
This is a great episode for showing the warm and human side of the two main characters, and the fatherly nature comes out in them both. Kelly handles Cathy's infatuation with him well, he even uses it to get her to obey him sometimes. But Kelly and Scotty do show a very rough edge when they bully the boy and his mother into telling where Silvestro took Cathy.
Silvestro, the villain is actually one of the more ruthless baddies they ever meet, and ever so suave, and the young boy plays his part well, too, though this episode doesn't come anywhere near "The Loser" in it's treatment and portrayal of drug addiction.
There was some great by-play and banter, especially the solitaire game scenes, the phone conversation between Kelly and Scotty, and the birdcall scenes, but my favorite line is just after the fight in the hotel room when Kelly has fallen against a table on his back and Scotty asks if he is ok, Kelly says "Oh yeah, I've heard of guys that string along for years on one kidney."
Also when Scotty tells Washington to "get off their Foggy Bottoms", a great pun about the area of Washington where the State Department is located, which used to be called Foggy Bottom.
The hotel is obviously a set, also, and there are those two beds again.
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