Peter Graves | The Complete "Pioneers of Television" Interview 

Thankfully in the real world, Peter Graves will never be 'disavowed' . Always a fine actor & true gentleman.

''Good morning Mr. Graves, your ''mission'' was accomplished'' BRAVO PETER!

What a warm, likeable, intelligent and modest man. Always loved his work in Whiplash and Mission Impossible.

I really enjoyed listening to him on Biography. What a great voice

One thing I noticed. Peter is very kind and complimentary to his co stars . Kinda rare these days. I think he understands that it’s more like WE made a great project here. Very refreshing to hear that these days.

One of the greatest Jims ever, Jim Phelps, Jim West, Jim Kirk. There are no better Jims than these Jims. Ever!

What sets him apart is that he was always a true gentleman. Very rare nowadays!

I was very fortunate to have a bit speaking part as an Anchorman in the episode called The Fortune which starred Michael Pate as a Dictator. Peter Graves is such a gracious man, a real gentleman

Being a fellow Minnesotan I have always admired him and his older brother, James Arness along with E.G. Marshall.

What a wonderful gentleman. I remember liking him so much! His memory is amazing with details, names, projects...just amazing.

My favorite scene in Airplane! is the scene where Leslie Neilson lists off the cascading symptoms anybody that ate the fish will experience, and Peter acts them out.

Remember a buddy and me when we were ether 14 or 15 years old in 1968 or 1969 hitchhiking from Downtown Minneapolis and this huge Pontiac Safari station wagon pulled over and I hopped in the front seat and my buddy got in the back seat and I look over and who is it but Peter Graves who at that time was starring in Mission Impossible the only thing he said was where you going boys and then a short time later said well boys I am going to have to drop you off here because I well being going straight on ahead and after he dropped us off I said to my buddy did you see who that was?! Just was like he was in this interview but I already knew him and his brother James Arness were very down to earth and just were like at that time a true Minnesotan very humble and a very decent human beings

Always liked him. He did one of my favorite movies, the ballad of Josie with Doris Day and a wonderful cast. Loved mission impossible! I even liked him on murder she wrote.

Wonderful presentation, he was so funny in airplane, the “serous “ dialogue he mastered in Mission Impossible then carried to Airplane with his lines to the little boy “ Have you ever seen…” I was rolling on the floor laughing.

3:59 *"Whiplash"* was made *BY* an Australian production company, produced for Station ATN-Sydney(NSW), HSV-Melbourne(Victoria), BTQ-Brisbane(Queensland), ADS-Adelaide(Sth. Australia) and TVW-Perth(West Australia) then sold to regional stations around the country. Peter Graves had a rare privilege to work on an Australian-made show, even though the Australian TV industry was in its infancy back in 1959/60.

This man is a unique talent of a actor. I enjoyed watching Mission Impossible and the Airplane movies 😄

Love this series but wish they'd list what year each of these interviews was captured. It would help the perspective as to the contemporary time they're reflecting from.

Great looking guy from mission impossible!!! Love ❤️ him !!!

Wow, what a wonderful series! Mr. Graves was so utterly FASCINATING to listen to, that this may have been one of the most memorable interviews I have ever seen, and I am 75-years old. But when he realized all of the many, many shows he was an integral part of, that really knocked my socks off... I had no idea how many great series he actually starred in. His nearly photographic memory was immense, and his sense of humor both marvelous and self-effacing. Just look at his hilarious star turn in "Airplane"... classic. As a child, I loved the series "Fury," and on my birthday I remember asking my grandfather if he'd buy me a black stallion. I remember he replied, "I'll see what I can do." And once again, I had no idea that Peter Graves acted in that, too. But I think his last major episodic, A&E's "Biography," may have been his most memorable achievement of all, with his mellifluous voice anchoring that superb series as only he could. In everything he did, he brought a degree of wholesomeness and gravitas that is truly admirable, and the fact that James Arness was his brother only brings added truth to the adage, "Talent often runs in the family." RIP, Peter Graves.

At ~28:14 Graves seamlessly and effortlessly mimics Landau's voice--amazing! Also, a testament to the closeness and affection among the cast.

Peter Graves has a very distinct cadence when he speaks. Something about it is reassuring somehow. He's great in whatever he's in. Including Airplane. Lol

If I am not mistaken, on the movie remakes they had Jon Voigt playing Jim Phelps. And while he is a fine actor I always said The real Mr Phelps wouldn't put anyone on the team in that situation and then turn on them. This was Peter's role.

What a great source of knowledge.

I am so glad I came across this wonderful interview since I've always been a big fan of Peter Graves. The behind-the-scenes stories he tells are quite interesting and shed light on both his lengthy career and his attitude toward the many projects he has been in. He comes across as the intelligent, caring, decent man I've always understood him to be - a true professional.

Very enjoyable interview with Peter Graves.

A real professional, Loved him as an actor

I really liked him in Stalag 17 and Mission Impossible

What a Prince of a Man. He should of done more Comedy...He was so funny in Airplane.

A wonderful interview.

What a class act!

83, sharp as a tack. Married to the same woman for 60 years.

His brother was good as well, and both were great talents and had long acting careers.

Great actor.

I always liked him. Very fond memories of Fury! Love hearing him with these stories.

Peter was A Big part of my life, thank you!!!!;

I would have liked to hear of his experience in Stalag 17.

Just loved Mr.Graves Makes me want to search for "Fury" episodes that aired before I started watched television.

His demeanor in Beginning of the End, is very much comparable with his interview here, after many years.

Loved Fury, thought it be great to have his character as my Dad!

"Don't editorialize" -- ha, great anecdote for Bruce Geller as remembered by Graves. Certainly everyone played it fairly stoic after successful missions.

The Phelps and Morris families were very close, and the children became and remain good friends. Philip Morris reportedly was extremely distraught when Jim Phelps passed away.

*I thought Peter Graves was perfect as the leader of the "Mission Impossible" task force. However, in this interview he failed to mention that he was actually a replacement for Steven Hill. Hill was an Orthodox Jew, and he refused to do any work during the Jewish Sabbath, which was from sundown on Fridays to Sundown on Saturdays. Apparently Hill was the mission leader for the first season before being replaced by Graves--but it seems that none of the reruns ever show the first season, for whatever reason.*

There was no mention of probably one of his greatest role's. That of Palmer Kirby in the two mini series "the Winds of War and War and Remembrance ".

It's the Colonel!

Peter Graves always had the look of a President imo he always had this noble, smart, intelligent look about him, he would have made a great President of America. I know Mr Graves was always disappointed with Tom Cruise's 96 Mission Impossible movie, that film was a reimagining of his original M.I. series but it still had all the elements of the classic hit show.

In Italy when I lived there it was on, and they called it, "FURIA, CAVALLO Del OVEST"

What's your Vector, Victor

A true GENTLEMAN. A tube n a cigarette amazing

That's an American.

I loved Fury

Hello Mr phelps .

When was this interview?

Great interview. Two things. First Paramount made two big mistakes with Mission Impossible. First, they let Martin Landau and Barbara Baine go from the series, and second, they told the producers to stop going on missions "overseas". How foolish, Paramount let THEIR fear of insulting "made-up foreign countries" change the storyline of the show (which affected the scripts). They were their own worst ememy here, and it hurt the show. Foolish people at the top at that film company is why it has been sold so many times. My message to Paramount rulers: remember FORTUNE FAVORS THE BRAVE.

"Ever seen a grown man naked?"

He was great in Spy Hard.

esqueceu de perguntar o que ele achou do filme missão impossivel com o tom cruise, tem que saber fazer pergunta

Brother of James Arness.

"Mission Impossible" features have too many explosions. That's an understatement. Things were better when Mr. Graves was acting.

What date was Pearl Harbour, Price, or don't you know!?

I somewhat disagree with him on A Team and Charlie's Angel's being imitations of Mission Impossible. The shows all featured a team of secret agents but the style and stories were all pretty different for each show. I mean A Team and Charlie's Angel's might have been inspired by Mission Impossible but the shows didn't copy Mission Impossible.

I wonder why he never worked with his brother James Arness. Seems like they could have found something to do together.

4 comments??? sad

Babies are important!

Why did he change his birth name?!

Not one profane word did you hear ( not) in that whole interview

Class act all-the-way. Turned down the movie role because they made his character, the one HE made famous into a traitor who murdered his "friends".

Peter Graves looked like Billy Graham.

Wow The answer Family entertainment... Not, fear Cutting satire Death Un needed sex Scare u ETC

BUT AH BUT AH BUT AH😅