Product Details

• Actors: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Leo G. Carroll, Barbara Moore, Sharyn Hillyer
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Warner)
• VHS Release Date: September 1, 1998
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302181631
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,638 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "The Five Daughters Affair", June 26, 2001

By 

Charlie Peterson (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Man From U.N.C.L.E. - Vol. 7, The Five Daughters Affair (Parts 1 & 2) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A groovy two-parter to wrap up the third and campiest season of MFU, "The Five Daughters Affair" is the tale of a dying scientist who has developed the formula for turning seawater into gold. He sends the clues to the formula to his daughter and four stepdaughters, all born to Mommie Dearest herself, the shrike-like matriarch Joan Crawford (kudos to the casting director--she's a natural! Yikes!). This quest takes Solo and Illya literally around the world: Sandy (Kim Darby) in the States; Margo (Diane McBain) in Italy (and married to Telly Savalas); Imogen (Jill Ireland) in London (who is arrested for indecent exposure by constable Terry-Thomas); and Yvonne (Danielle DeMetz) in Switzerland (in the throes of passion with sugardaddy Curt Jurgens). The fifth daughter, incidentally, is only referenced for a brief moment.

However, the plot, while somewhat repetitious (especially during the first part, since all the daughters are visited by UNCLE just before THRUSH arrives), is entertaining and filled with slapstick comedy. It's a light one, for the days when you don't want to have to think about anything. Not too much substance, but sometimes that's okay.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic U.N.C.L.E!, August 7, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Man From U.N.C.L.E. - Vol. 7, The Five Daughters Affair (Parts 1 & 2) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is an excellent episode, with all the U.N.C.L.E action plus some wacky humour that we don't see very often in other episodes. Basically, a scientist as left the clues to a secret formula with his daughters, who are all scattered around the world. Solo has to go and find each of them, including one who lives in London. The U.N.C.L.E agents take a trip over to England and chaos in a local club ensues! Brilliant!

3.0 out of 5 stars it's not Mildred Pierce, but it's one of Joan's later "movies" and deserves to be noticed and remembered, November 18, 2009

By 

JGC - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Man From U.N.C.L.E. - Vol. 7, The Five Daughters Affair (Parts 1 & 2) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"The Man from U.N.C.L.E." was a dramatic TV series that ran on NBC from 1964 until 1968 and produced in excess of 100 eps. Arguable the most famous episodes and the one that has gone down in history as being the most popular of the series is this one, "The Five Daughter Affairs" (parts 1 and 2, respectively).

These episodes originally aired on March 31, 1967 and on April 7, 1967. This VHS includes the 2 eps, they are uncut and the original eps, in color and a total of 98 minutes in length.

The reason why this is such a hot item is because it stars Hollywood legend, Joan Crawford as Mrs. Amanda True. As usual, Joan looks amazing and totally dazzling. It really is hard to believe that she had been acting for more than 45 years prior.

Like most Joan Crawford performances, this one is not without (high) drama. Amanda makes her grand entrance and in typical Joan Crawford fashion starts howling at the top of her lungs about something. It reminds me a little bit of "Strait-Jacket." And I loved every second of it.

Although this IS a TV show (that Joan doesn't have a very big part in), Joan Crawford fans know it best as a "movie." As it often shows up in her film listings and filmographies. But it is not a movie in the conventional sense at all. The "movie" was released to a limited engagement overseas under the auspicious title "The Karate Killers." In the US, so as not to compete with the TV series it was not released as a feature film. But it's just these 2 eps that were slapped together and put out, like many of the other U.N.C.L.E. "movies."

The basic plot is about the daughters of a late scientist who discover a way to "extract gold from seawater." My goodness this can only happen in the '60s. It's almost like "The Twilight Zone" meets "Dynasty."

OK the plot is rather paltry, but watch it for the great Joan Crawford performance. There's also lots of other stars in it, including Telly Savalas. And get a load of that "back to the future" car that the 2 agents drive in the beginning. So retro.

Joan made a slew of pictures during the last 10 years of her career, all with lots of acclaim, most of which are now considered cult-favorites that catapulted her to scream queen status as the hardest working actress in showbiz with the most versatile repertoire.

Below is a list of all of Joan's last major theatrical appearances on film and TV:

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
laser disc / VHS / DVD / special edition DVD

The Caretakers (1963)
VHS

Strait-Jacket (1964)
VHS, DVD

Della aka Fatal Confinement or Royal Bay (1964)
VHS - released twice, under the first 2 title on VHS, at 2 different times

I Saw What You Did (1965)
VHS, DVD

The Man From U. N. C. L. E.: The Five Daughters Affair aka The Karate Killers #(1967)
VHS and DVD (as part of a set)

Berserk! (1968)
laser disc, VHS

Night Gallery: Eyes (1969)
VHS and DVD (as part of a set)

The Virginian: Nightmare (1970)
not released on any format

Trog (1970)**
VHS, DVD

The Name of the Game: Los Angeles 2017 (1971)
not released on any format

The Sixth Sense: Dear Joan: We're Going to Scare You to Death (1972)
not released, although a DVD set is in the tentative future

** Joan did not make any other feature film movies in the '70s (after "Trog"). Contrary to many reports, she did not appear in a 1972 movie "Beyond the Water's Edge" (it's also highly likely the that movie was never even produced)

# Incidentally has anyone ever seen a commercial home-video release (from any country) on any format of this "movie" by the title "The Karate Killers?" As far as I know no such release exists as a home-video release under this title as it was only put out briefly in Europe in first-run theaters.

"The Man From U. N. C. L. E." was a rather ludicrous story with a flimsy plot that everyone could see right through. Most of the bit players and other actresses were so funny because their acting (or lack of) was so awful. But that was par for the course in just about any of Joan's later movies. As Joan ironically said in "Berserk!," "it's becoming a nightmare." But love her or not, you cannot deny that no matter what she did (either a 5-star picture for MGM such as "Grand Hotel" or "Letty Lynton") or a B-movie that she made overseas because she couldn't find any other offers the girl always gave 110% and acted as if she was giving a first-rate Academy Award winning performance.