Charles Augustus Howell was John Ruskin's secretary, agent and model for Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and exhumer of Lizzie Siddal. But he is also said to have been a master blackmailer and a forger of works of art.
A fictional village confronts a bizarre dilemma when their cemetery runs out of burial space, leading to uproarious situations as the townspeople unite to find creative solutions.
This 7-year series chronicled the adventures of the Impossible Mission Taskforce (IMF), a team of government spies and specialists who were assigned "impossible missions" by the unseen "Secretary". Although the cast varied over the years, the main characters included The Team Leader (Dan Briggs the first season, then Jim Phelps the other six), The Techno-Wizard (Barney Collier), The Strongman (Willy Armitage), The Master of Disguise (first Rollin Hand, then The Amazing Paris), and The Femme Fatale (Cinnamon Carter, Casey, Dana Lambert, Mimi Davis).
The series is best known for its opening mission assignment (conducted by a pre-recorded tape), the theme composed by Lalo Schifrin, the leader's selection of mission agents from a dossier, the opening briefing, the intricate use of disguises and a typical "mask pulloff" scene near the end of most episodes, and the relative lack of characterization of the characters.
Jim Phelps is the new leader of the Impossible Missions Force, with no explanation, or even reference made, about the departure of predecessor Dan Briggs. First up for Phelps is a mission involving the drug trade. Cresnik and Walters have cornered the heroin market and sell it at a handsome profit to gangs around the world. Phelps devises an operation which will drive a wedge between the heroin dealers and their customers.
