Tue 17 Aug 2021
A TV Episode Review by Jonathan Lewis: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE “The Frame” (1967).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , TV Espionage & Spies[3] Comments
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE “The Frame,” CBS, 21 January 1967 (Season 1, Episode 17). Steven Hill, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, Peter Lupus, Martin Landau. Guest Cast: Simon Oakland, Arthur Batanides, Joe Maross, Joe De Santis. Currently streaming on Paramount Plus.
After seemingly endless episodes in which the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) rescued Eastern Bloc scientists from behind the Iron Curtain or stopped communist insurgencies in Latin America, it was refreshing to watch an episode of Mission: Impossible‘s season one that didn’t involve international intrigue whatsoever.
In “The Frame,†Dan Briggs (Steven Hill) and his team aim to stop Jack Wellman, a syndicate boss who has moved beyond racketeering and into the business of assassinating American politicians. And who might that boss be portrayed by, you ask? None other than veteran tough guy character actor Simon Oakland. Many people will remember him primarily as irascible newspaper editor Tony Vincenzo in Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-75). But he also appeared in television shows such as Bonanza, Rawhide, and Hawaii Five-O as well as in numerous crime films and westerns.
I’ve always been a fan of his work. Oakland, with a loud voice and commiserate imposing physicality, often ends up overshadowing other actors in his midst. Such is the case in this episode of Mission: Impossible. What’s notable is how unobtrusive both Hill and Martin Landau – who I like immensely – are in comparison to the scenery chewing Oakland.
All told, it is a fun episode, one that benefits from a primarily single-location setting. One in which the IMF team takes on the role of a catering team to serve Wellman and his associates a fancy dinner. What Wellman doesn’t realize is that while he is being treated to a multi-course meal, Barney Collier (Greg Morris) is working diligently to break into his basement vault. And if you’ve ever wanted to see how silly Steven Hill looks in a chef’s hat, this is a golden opportunity.

August 17th, 2021 at 7:26 pm
At this point in his career Oakland had major roles in two important films under his belt, as the psychiatrist in PSYCHO and as the humane reporter covering Kathryn Graham’s execution in Susan Hayward’s Oscar winning role in I WANT TO LIVE.
He might not have been a name, but he was certainly a face.
August 18th, 2021 at 8:56 am
Nobody ever shouted “Caaarrrlllll!” better.
August 18th, 2021 at 10:53 am
Favorite Simon Oakland role: the SFPD police captain boss over Steve McQueen and Don Gordon in ‘Bullitt’. Specifically, I always enjoy the scene where Oakland’s character breaks away from Sunday mass with his family to ‘talk business’. Nice element in a tough movie.
Second favorite role: the loudmouth crewman aboard the Sao Paulo gunboat in another McQueen flick, ‘The Sand Pebbles’. Oakland winds up in a boxing match with Mako(?), chugging beer between rounds.
Oakland could also play brow-beaten or chicken-hearted characters. He’s a train guard run out of a hobo camp in “Emperor of the North” and looks genuinely scared stiff.
IMF team: I remember those seasons with Stephen Hill as ‘Mister Briggs’. And I remember the episodes with Leonard Nimoy too.
Hill did a decent job. Just slightly less flairful than ‘Mister Phelps’ thanks to Peter Graves’ iconic silver-headed trademark.
What a great show, either way.