{ "id": "ep22z25m53", "slug": "the-spy-in-the-green-hat", "title": "The Spy in the Green Hat", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": 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"https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series", "label": "Franchise and series entries as standalone works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries", "label": "Action, thriller, and crime series film entries", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries" } ] } ], "excerpt": "The Spy in the Green Hat (1967) is a 92-minute MGM feature cut from the Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode The Concrete Overcoat Affair, directed by Joseph Sargent, with Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Jack Palance, and Janet Leigh fighting a THRUSH plot to divert the Gulf Stream.", "snippet": "The Spy in the Green Hat (1967) is a 92-minute MGM feature cut from the Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode The Concrete Overcoat Affair, directed by Joseph Sargent, with Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Jack Palance, and Janet Leigh fighting a THRUSH plot to divert the Gulf Stream.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-1960s-and-1970s", "markdown": "# The Spy in the Green Hat\n\n**The Spy in the Green Hat** is a 1967 American spy film made by cutting together the two-part *The Man from U.N.C.L.E.* television episode \"The Concrete Overcoat Affair\" and releasing it to theaters as a 92-minute color feature.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061020/) It follows [U.N.C.L.E.](https://www.edgepedia.org/u-n-c-l-e) agents [Napoleon Solo](https://www.edgepedia.org/napoleon-solo) ([Robert Vaughn](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-vaughn)) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) as they try to stop the criminal organization T.H.R.U.S.H. and a T.H.R.U.S.H.-employed ex-Nazi scientist from diverting the Gulf Stream.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061020/) Joseph Sargent directed, from a teleplay by Peter Allan Fields and a story by David Victor.[2](https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item?advanced=1&c=all&f=title&item=T78%3A0129&p=1&q=Man+from+U.N.C.L.E)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Origin | Edited from \"The Concrete Overcoat Affair,\" episodes 11 and 12 of season 3, first aired November 25 and December 2, 1966 on NBC[3](https://the-man-from-uncle.fandom.com/wiki/The_Concrete_Overcoat_Affair) |\n| Position in the series | The fifth of eight *Man from U.N.C.L.E.* theatrical features released between 1965 and 1968[4](https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=34280) |\n| Lead cast | Robert Vaughn (Napoleon Solo), David McCallum (Illya Kuryakin), Jack Palance (Louis Strago), Janet Leigh (Miss Diketon), Leo G. Carroll (Alexander Waverly)[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-spy-in-the-green-hat) |\n| Plot | T.H.R.U.S.H. recruits ex-Nazi scientist Dr. Heinrich von Kronen (Ludwig Donath) to reroute the Gulf Stream, freezing cities such as New York and London[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061020/) • [6](https://uncleepisodeguide.wordpress.com/season-three-1966-67/) |\n| Technical | 92 minutes, color, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Arena Productions[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061020/) |\n| Viewer rating | 5.8/10 on IMDb from about 667 users[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061020/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and characters\n\nThe story centers on Louis Strago ([Jack Palance](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-palance)), a T.H.R.U.S.H. chieftain who recruits the ex-Nazi scientist Heinrich von Kronen (Ludwig Donath) to reroute the [Gulf Stream](https://www.edgepedia.org/gulf-stream), transforming [Greenland](https://www.edgepedia.org/greenland) into a tropical base for T.H.R.U.S.H. while cities such as New York and London are put \"in the deep freeze.\"[8](https://craneshot.blogspot.com/2011/09/uncle-week-spy-in-green-hat.html) • [6](https://uncleepisodeguide.wordpress.com/season-three-1966-67/) Janet Leigh plays Strago's secretary, Miss Diketon, described in the episode guide as his deadly secretary in an over-the-top performance.[6](https://uncleepisodeguide.wordpress.com/season-three-1966-67/)\n\nThe plot also draws in the Stiletto Brothers, three retired Chicago gangsters played by Eduardo Ciannelli (Arturo \"Fingers\"), Allen Jenkins (Enzo \"Pretty\"), and Jack La Rue (Federico \"Feet\"), with [Joan Blondell](https://www.edgepedia.org/joan-blondell) as Mrs. \"Fingers\" Stilletto. They come out of retirement to help their niece from Sicily track down Solo, whom they force toward a [shotgun wedding](https://www.edgepedia.org/shotgun-wedding) before joining the agents against T.H.R.U.S.H.[9](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19670630.2.29.4) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-spy-in-the-green-hat) [Edward G. Robinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/edward-g-robinson) was reportedly the first choice to play Strago before Palance took the part; the character is nervous and obsessive about cleanliness rather than a typical tough guy.[6](https://uncleepisodeguide.wordpress.com/season-three-1966-67/)\n\n## Title and television source\n\nThe film's title points to a minor character. Will Kuluva, who plays a T.H.R.U.S.H. official named Mr. Thaler near the end of the picture, wears the green hat of the title in a very brief appearance.[7](https://moriareviews.com/sciencefiction/spy-in-the-green-hat-1967.htm) Kuluva had a history with the series: he originally played the chief of U.N.C.L.E. in the pilot, *The Vulcan Affair* (1964), which was re-edited into the theatrical feature *To Trap a Spy*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061020/)\n\nThe two source episodes were the eleventh and twelfth of the third season, with production numbers 8433 and 8434.[3](https://the-man-from-uncle.fandom.com/wiki/The_Concrete_Overcoat_Affair) The conversion of two-part episodes into theatrical features was routine for the series in the 1960s, motivated partly by the name value of the guest stars that the two-parters could afford.[4](https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=34280) • [8](https://craneshot.blogspot.com/2011/09/uncle-week-spy-in-green-hat.html)\n\n## Production and release\n\nThe theatrical version was intended mainly for international audiences. According to one retrospective account, it was not released theatrically in the United States, just abroad, with added sex and violence relative to the broadcast episodes.[10](https://themagnificent60s.com/2022/09/28/the-spy-with-the-green-hat-1966/) IMDb records a release date of March 3, 1967 in Ireland, and the film circulated in Germany as *Der Mann im grünen Hut* and in France as *L'Espion au chapeau vert*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061020/) • [11](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D45919.html) Filming locations included Pacific Ocean Park in [Santa Monica, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-monica-california), standing in for the Sicilian setting.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061020/) • [12](https://letterboxd.com/mrbalihai/film/the-spy-in-the-green-hat/)\n\nBoris Ingster produced; Fred J. Koenekamp was the cinematographer, [Nelson Riddle](https://www.edgepedia.org/nelson-riddle) wrote the score, and [Jerry Goldsmith](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-goldsmith)'s *Man from U.N.C.L.E.* theme appears in the music.[7](https://moriareviews.com/sciencefiction/spy-in-the-green-hat-1967.htm)\n\n## Reception\n\nThe film holds a 5.8/10 rating on IMDb from about 667 users.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061020/) On Rotten Tomatoes it has no critic reviews on the Tomatometer and fewer than 50 audience ratings.[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_spy_in_the_green_hat)\n\nA contemporary review in the *New Zealand Listener* (June 30, 1967) complained that the dialogue left the principals looking ill at ease but singled out the Stiletto Brothers sequence, in which director Joseph Sargent \"contrives some genuinely comic byplay,\" most rewardingly when the three uncles, having uncovered a nest of T.H.R.U.S.H., toy with the idea of staging another St Valentine's Day massacre.[9](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19670630.2.29.4) Later reviewers have described the film as sitting between action film and satire, with Jonathan Lewis, reviewing for Mystery*File, calling it a light, entertaining 1960s spy film whose title has almost nothing to do with the movie beyond the character in the final scene.[4](https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=34280) A 2022 review judged the film more madcap than its predecessors, praising Sargent's touches such as a fight in slow motion or freeze frame while noting the expanded risqué material added for the theatrical cut.[10](https://themagnificent60s.com/2022/09/28/the-spy-with-the-green-hat-1966/)\n\nThe film remains available commercially in the United States, where it can be rented or bought on Amazon Video, the Apple TV Store, and Fandango At Home.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-spy-in-the-green-hat)\n\n## References\n\n1. [The Spy in the Green Hat (1967), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061020/)\n2. [The Concrete Overcoat Affair, Part 1 of 2, The Paley Center for Media](https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item?advanced=1&c=all&f=title&item=T78%3A0129&p=1&q=Man+from+U.N.C.L.E)\n3. [The Concrete Overcoat Affair, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Wiki](https://the-man-from-uncle.fandom.com/wiki/The_Concrete_Overcoat_Affair)\n4. [Jonathan Lewis, \"The Spy in the Green Hat (1967)\" review, Mystery*File (2015)](https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=34280)\n5. [The Spy in the Green Hat, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-spy-in-the-green-hat)\n6. [Season Three (1966-67), The Man From U.N.C.L.E. episode guide](https://uncleepisodeguide.wordpress.com/season-three-1966-67/)\n7. [The Spy in the Green Hat (1967), Moria: The Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review](https://moriareviews.com/sciencefiction/spy-in-the-green-hat-1967.htm)\n8. [Johnny LaRue's Crane Shot, \"U.N.C.L.E. Week: The Spy In The Green Hat\" (2011)](https://craneshot.blogspot.com/2011/09/uncle-week-spy-in-green-hat.html)\n9. [The Spy in the Green Hat, New Zealand Listener, June 30, 1967, Papers Past](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19670630.2.29.4)\n10. [Brian Hannan, \"The Spy in The Green Hat (1966),\" The Magnificent 60s (2022)](https://themagnificent60s.com/2022/09/28/the-spy-with-the-green-hat-1966/)\n11. [L'Espion au chapeau vert, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D45919.html)\n12. [mrbalihai review, Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/mrbalihai/film/the-spy-in-the-green-hat/)\n13. [The Spy in the Green Hat, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_spy_in_the_green_hat)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Action, thriller, and crime series film entries › Entries released 1960s and 1970s*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-spy-in-the-green-hat", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-spy-in-the-green-hat.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"The Spy in the Green Hat\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-spy-in-the-green-hat. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[The Spy in the Green Hat](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-spy-in-the-green-hat)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/the-spy-in-the-green-hat](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-spy-in-the-green-hat). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"The Spy in the Green Hat\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-spy-in-the-green-hat. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Spy in the Green Hat is a 92-minute MGM feature cut from the Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode The Concrete Overcoat Affair, directed by Joseph Sargent, with Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Jack Palance, and Janet Leigh fighting a THRUSH plot to divert the Gulf Stream." }