Forget the plot lines. The not-very-good parts were the plot lines, all rather incredulous. The "Mission Firebird" episode had a story that felt like (and sets that looked like) something from Captain Video or earlier.
The acting, overall, showed every foreign-accented nemesis as a caricature or stereotype. And the most annoying thing (which a previous reviewer mentioned) was that the 4-episode DVD with its nice color cover (the shows are in black and white) highlights (with photo) Alan Alda as one of the two stars, even though he was not in --and apparently had nothing to do with--this series.
So what's not half bad? The on-location street scenes were great. The general anti- communist tone was a nice throwback to the '50s. And the star, Robert Alda (Alan's brother) had a certain kind of charm plus a great speaking voice; the fact that he narrated parts of each episode made it much more interesting.
Would I watch these episodes again? No. Would I buy another "Secret File USA" DVD with different episodes, if it ever came out? Sure.
The acting, overall, showed every foreign-accented nemesis as a caricature or stereotype. And the most annoying thing (which a previous reviewer mentioned) was that the 4-episode DVD with its nice color cover (the shows are in black and white) highlights (with photo) Alan Alda as one of the two stars, even though he was not in --and apparently had nothing to do with--this series.
So what's not half bad? The on-location street scenes were great. The general anti- communist tone was a nice throwback to the '50s. And the star, Robert Alda (Alan's brother) had a certain kind of charm plus a great speaking voice; the fact that he narrated parts of each episode made it much more interesting.
Would I watch these episodes again? No. Would I buy another "Secret File USA" DVD with different episodes, if it ever came out? Sure.