Watching adventure-dramas on television during the 1960s, one of the plot devices that used to fascinate me as a young viewer was the bit where either the protagonist or the antagonist in the show had the skill of being a master of complete disguise to facilitate his plan-- that is, the ability to actually impersonate/replace someone, accomplished by the donning of an elaborate latex mask and make-up.
This was, of course, the whole premise behind the much later 1992 series The Human Target-- based very loosely on the DC comic book character-- a private investigator who used advanced technology and sophisticated makeup to assume the identity of a client in danger, i.e, becoming a human target in the process. But many assume that the concept was first seen on network televison during the late 1960s original Mission Impossible series where it was a regular part of the tactical deceptions that the IMF force employed in their cases. Most episodes would include a dramatic "reveal" as well (also referred to as the "peel-off") near the end of the show in which the team member would remove the mask, to the stunned amazement of the villain they were after.
However, I was recently reminded that this idea was used two years before Mission Impossible, in one of the first season episodes of The Man From U.N.C.L.E , which was probably filmed in early 1965. It's the earliest use of the ploy that I ever saw in a network television series. (If you're interested in watching it, I've posted the scene below; however in order to properly set it up, I had to include two YouTube clips. I'm not going to say when the "reveal" occurs, though, so you'll have to watch both of them. BTW, in my opinion it's also one of the best episodes in the series.)
My question is: does anyone here recall this "latex mask disguise" concept being used in a TV adventure-drama before that date?
