1. James Bond. There have been 27 movies 63 books, and people all over the world are consuming them.
2. Napoleon Solo. The senior agent in The Man from UNCLE series. The American, who looked great in a suit/tux and got laid all the time. Played by Robert Vaughn on TV and Henry Cavill in the 2015 movie.
3. Ilya Kuryakin. Napoleon's intense junior partner. He was more serious and reserved than Napoleon and introduced me to karate. Though played by Scottish actor David McCallum, Ilya was Russian.
4. Austin Powers. A British secret agent with bad teeth, thick glasses, a Beatles haircut and irrepressible, irrational optimism. There have been three movies and they made me laugh.
5. Maxwell Smart. Now that I'm in a jokey mood, let's look at Max. Don Adams won an Emmy for his portrayal of the inept spy. Steve Carrell played him in a 2008 movie. I watched the show when I was a kid because, well, it was on. But I wasn't really a fan. Except for Hymie. A robot, Hymie was very literal and awfully sweet and I remember him fondly.
6. Agent 99. She was a massive big deal when I was a little girl. She was Maxwell Smart's partner and she was the competent one. She always kept her head, wore great clothes, and kicked ass. Barbara Feldon is over 90 now. I hope she realizes she what a mid-60s role model she was.
7. Emma Peel. Thinking about the ladies, I must give a nod to Mrs. Peel. I never saw The Avengers, but was aware of her as the partner of John Steed. Played by Diana Rigg, she had the distinction of confusing two of my gay friends when they were very young. John and Patrick never knew one another, but they separately confessed being madly in love with her back in the day.
8. John Steed. Mrs. Peel's Avengers partner. Again, I know nothing of the show, but I assume he was a proper English gentleman because he wore a bowler.
9. John Drake. Played by Patrick McGoohan, he was the title character of Secret Agent. I never saw this show either, but the theme song is indelibly imprinted on my memory. "Secret agent man! Secret agent man! They've given you a number and taken away your name ..."
10. Simon Templar. He was The Saint. Roger Moore played him. Along with Perry Mason, it was my icky grandmother's favorite show. I just remember I had to be very quiet when it was on.
11. Boris Badenov. I have no idea why he was assigned to "get moose and squirrel," but he tried his best to destroy Rocky and Bullwinkle at every opportunity. He worked for Fearless Leader, who in turn answered to Mr. Big. I suppose I should be embarrassed by how much I remember about Rocky and Bullwinkle, but I'm not. I loved that show.
12. Natasha Fatale. She was Boris' statuesque partner, called everyone "dah-link," and flashed a lot of animated leg.
13. Jack Ryan. I know nothing about him, except that former Cub manager Joe Maddon invokes him all the time. Created by Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan was a Navy man who went on to work for the CIA. There have been novels and movies and mini-series and video games and apparently all the world but me is into him.
Do you like spies? Did I leave out your favorite?
Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.
