rave magazine, June 1965?

This Man, McCallum

David McCallum - by the people who love him

"He's so gorgeous..." Andrea Phillips, Maudlam, Glamorgan
"His shyness appeals to everyone, young and old..." J.Sargeant, Tennyson, Lincoln

"He's so good-looking..." Nora Taylor, Mauchling, Ayrshire

"He doesn't seem interested in girls, which makes them all the more interested in him..." Darryn Morton, Ainsdale Road, Leicester

"He's fabulous and I want a life-size photo for my wall, just to be near him." K. Ellis, Deepcar, Nr. Sheffield, Yorks.

David McCallum by the People Who Know Him

David is very intelligent and very happy. He is also very humorous with a dry wit. He's thrilled to be a success in England, and I know he thought the world of that fantastic reception when he flew in at London Airport. "He's a dedicated actor, and loves working in 'Uncle' (sic), finds it very stimulating. But he doesn't want to stay with it for too long. He told me his ambition is to do those ninety minute drama plays of the kind we have on TV in this country. David is a very normal, down to earth fellow. I remember the first night at his hotel, two girls were found climbing up the drainpipes to his room. "I was surprised to find his reactions were rather bewildered and amazed. I thought he would be used to that kind of thing by now.

"Because of the success of Illya, it has also given him the opportunities and chances to think about going into other fields of the business, such as directing films and being offered the chance of the better film roles going.

"He gets very annoyed when his family are brought into things. As an actor, he fully realizes that he has no private life, and being kissed or torn apart by fans is part of HIS life, but why should his family be involved? He's also very fond of his parents.

"As far as fans are concerned, he loves them. His reaction to them is normal. (typist note: What the HELL does that mean?) He only fights back when they get aggressive! He knows that they are a part of his success story, and after all, they do boost the old ego!"

"He's agreeable and easy, and it's great to be able to work with him."

Just what is it that turns a thirty-two year old Scotsman who played one of history's most important villains in the film "The Greatest Story Ever Told"-Judas- into hero Illya Kuryakin, the Russian super spy in "The Man from Uncle, (sic)" and undoubtedly the greatest teenage idol since Elvis Presley?

The answer is that not even McCallum knew, when I questioned him recently about his phenomenal appeal while he was making"Three Bites of The Apple", a new film shot in London and Rome.

Quote by David McCallum : "It's Illya they love - not me."

"The show is a spoof. I'm a spoof.", smiled David. "There is no more of Illya in me than any other actor puts into a characterization. Illya is the idol, not me, and he doesn't exist"

The reason is, of course, as in any other successful characterization, that the audience identifies the person on the screen with the person in real life. In reality, David is a very talented, happily married man with three children, who enjoys cooking Indian curries; but to half a million card-carrying members of "The Man from Uncle Club" he is Illya - the softly spoken, excitingly dangerous and highly desirable super-man who is so alone and seldom gets the girl.

His Father, David Mc Callum

His Mother, Mrs. Mc Callum

"I'm very proud and happy for him, as any mother would be at the success of her son; maybe more so because he has made it in his own country. I know this means a lot to David; he's that kind of person.

"He was very excited about his trip home to London. He loves all the appreciation, but finds it hard to understand the reason for it."

His Wife, Jill McCallum

"David deserves all the acclaim he's getting, and it has made him feel very secure as an actor. I was with him in England, the struggling times, and I just knew he would make it in the end. He's always been a determined, persevering person. He works very hard on 'UNCLE'. He keeps the family out of the glare of publicity and is a very considerate husband. He says fame is part of his life but shouldn't interfere with ours. I travel with David a lot in the States, and when fans ask me if they can kiss him, I never say no. We both know it's part of his work."

Quotes by David McCallum

"I sometimes have nightmares where the crowds break through the police barriers and grab me- leaving me in the street, stripped naked without a hair on my head!"

"I'm grateful for my fan's enthusiasm. I owe everything to them. But I sometimes wish I could sneak back to England in the middle of the night- no fuss, no noise."

"One American journalist listed my wiry 5'8" frame, my weight- ten stone- and then went on to state that he could not understand what so many women saw in me. I was in full accord. "For a man born in Glasgow and raised in the serene countryside of Scotland and Hempstead Heath, the sex idol business is a bit baffling."

"I'm told I entered the world before I should have, and that I've been = unpredictable ever since. "I was officially named David Keith McCallum. To avoid confusion at home = with my father -also David- I have always been called Keith."

"I learned the most useful things I know today from my father and my mother because they gave me a chance to get by on my own. "If my private life was ever forced to become public, they'd have to cart me off in a little van."

Illya combines this lost quality with the mysterious allure of the foreigner. The sensitive face and quiet voice make Robert Vaughn's role as Napoleon Solo the perfect foil to set off Illya's. "I'm the background boy who does all the work but gets none of the credit" routine. All the world loves an underdog and somehow Illya always manages to get stepped on. Everyone wants to help him up!

QUOTE by David McCallum
"If my car went into a spin and I was killed, there are 10 people who would remember me."

"Sex symbol- me?" says David."Me with my Calvinist background, deep Presbyterian blood and my stiff Scottish spine. Sex symbol, indeed!"

But McCallum mania has now reached the point where David awoke one morning to find a girl and her mother emptying the contents of his dustbin into a large shopping bag as souvenirs. At an appearance in Louisiana State University, he was chased by a mob and had to be locked in a ladies' toilet until reinforcements arrived. At airports he is greeted with cards and banners bearing slogans like "Flush the Thrush" and "All the Way with Illya K."

Quote by David McCallum
"they all want to kiss me. If my wife's along, they ask her if they may. Funny, they never ask me."

There has been no short route to success for David McCallum. He has been four years in America as an actor and has worked in show business for twelve. The razor- sharp character of Illya is no accident. David leant on all those years of small-part character acting to produce the role. Now, the TV moguls are attempting another series "The Girl from Uncle" featuring Mary Ann Mobley, a former Miss America. She'll have to be something to live up to the Man from Glasgow!