Buy "The Medarra Block" and all the other episodes from I Spy Season 3
Jack Kruschen
as Isaac
Norman Fell
as Karin
David Bond
as Reynaldo
Edmund Hashim
as Sharp
Arthur Batanides
as Hamid
Lou Goss as
Father Bernard
Joe Bernard as
Mr. Goldstein
Ken Tobey
as (Conway
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Bob Herron
as Mohammed
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Season 3 - originally broadcast
October 2, 1967
French: "La boite mystérieuse" (The Mysterious Box)
German: "Auftrag in Marrakesch" (A Job in Marakesh)
Writer: Barry Orringer
Director: Earl Bellamy
They race against time in their effort to thwart a plot to overthrow the Moroccan government.
Cast:
Jack Kruschen (Isaac), Norman Fell (Karin), Arthur Batanides (Hamid), Joe Bernard (Mr. Goldstein), David Bond (Reynaldo), Bob Herron (Mohammed), Lou Goss (Father Bernard), Ed Hashim (Sharp), Joe Perry (Glinka), Ken Tobey (Conway)
FROM THE NOTEBOOKS
Synopsis: A mysterious block and an American Jew in Morocco.
Highlights/Comments: Episode was too noisy. Scotty's line “if you're a priest, and you've forgotten when Christmas is, you've definitely lost the faith, baby.” … “Well, we want to thank you for your sarcasm.” … “Who's chasing you now?” … “You know those cases they write up for recruiting? Well, this one won't make it.”
I SPY REVISITED
The episode seemed a bit better this time around, peppered with jokes, but not without a genuine plot. An infrequent bit of choppy editing occurs when scene moves to their room, Scotty giving a solem speech about their predicament in close-up, followed by him shouting in a long shot with Kelly. Cutting/direction in the café scene also seemed a little off (especially notable in Kelly's reaction shots). Repeated use of orange balls very effective, but the motif was never developed.
Though many were based on parody, highlights were mostly in the area of humor …..
Disguised as locals within a crowd, Kelly and Scotty cheer on a speech. When Kelly asks what it was about, Scotty tells him, “we just donated a hundred thousand to the building fund.” …. When Kelly and Scotty appear at the synagogue a second time, Isaac asks, “whose chasing you now?” To their request to solve a tricky bit of investigative work, he says, “the difficult takes a little time; the impossible we do immediately.”…. The assassin tells Isaac that he'd rather not use the gun he is pointing at him, adding, “I'm a peaceful man. I've killed 12 men already, and each time I feel terrible,” to which Isaac replies, “then why don't you stop? Tell you what, Find a nice girl, settle down, get married, have a family.” …. After the shootout, Isaac tells Kelly, “you know, it's a good thing I'm a cabinet maker. If I were a fireman, life could be dangerous.” ….. When Kelly asks Scotty (balancing a tray on his head) where he learned Hebrew terms, in a funny voice, Scotty answers, “Oxford.” They leave, then the door opens, and Scotty removes the tray from his head, sets it down, and departs again to the accompaniment of a prolonged riff of the Scotty Theme. …. When the assassin confronts Isaac in his home with pointed gun, he says, “you again. Why don't you take up a hobby?” …. When Kelly and Scotty arrive at the synagogue, Mr. Goldstein tells them, “the whole community is talking about your secret mission,” to which Scotty replies, “that's very comforting.” ….. Locked room banter about whose turn it is to come up with a plan ….. Charming shooting the fight scene from above with fan as a motif ….

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