Mission: Impossible - Season 4

The spring of 1969 was a tumultuous one between Seasons 3 and 4 on Mission: Impossible. Martin Landau's annual contract had expired and he was looking for a substantial salary increase to return. CBS was willing to shell out extra money to keep him on since the show was doing well and earning them money. Paramount, on the hand, was less willing to acquiesce to Landau's demands since the show was actually losing them hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the end, Landau walked away, and CBS executives were absolutely livid at Paramount for not just losing Landau, even after they offered to kick in extra money to keep him on, but also for creating so much bad blood between the two parties that Landau's wife, costar Barbara Bain, left the show as well. 
Leonard Nimoy was hired on to replace Landau, at first temporarily when negotiations dragged on, and then permanently when everything went south. Nimoy was a fan of the show and good friends with Landau, so he called Landau to confirmed he was actually leaving before taking the part, not wanting to be used as leverage against a friend. Having filmed the recently-canceled Star Trek on the same lot, Nimoy was aware of the ongoing conflict between creator and executive producer Bruce Geller, who had a vision on what the show should be and the beancounters at Paramount Television, who thought Geller's vision was too expensive, and having witnessed Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry lose a similar conflict, told Paramount he would stay on the show as long as Geller remained. Nimoy had endured Star Trek's third season without Roddenberry and with a slashed budget, and he had no intention of being around if that happened to Mission: Impossible.
Replacing the Landau with Nimoy was relatively easy, since Nimoy was a popular and familiar face to viewers, and his character, magician, master-of-disguise and impressionist The Great Paris was basically the same character as Rollin Hand, which allowed the writers to simply substituted Paris for Rollin Hand in all of the existing Season 4 scripts. (It was never revealed if "Paris" was his first name, last name, or simply a stage name.) 
The standoff between Barbara Bain and the show went on well into the start of production of Season 4, so by the time word came down that she would not be returning to fulfill the remaining two years on her contract, it was too late to cast a permanent replacement for her. The female roles were spread amongst several guest actresses, although the only actress to star in more than one mission was Lee Meriwether, who ended up playing team member Tracey for eight episodes. (Almost all subsequent team members went by one name after Season 3.)
Behind the camera, producer Stanley Kallis left the show mid-season to work on Hawaii Five-O, and Bruce Lansbury (brother of Angela) came on to finish out the season. Unlike his predecessors, Lansbury sided with Paramount in their effort to trim the budget, and he and writer Laurence Heath would trade off producing episodes until Lansbury was promoted to a corporate position within Paramount. The effects of Paramount's tightening of the purse strings were already evident in Season 4, as footage from previous episodes was reused, and it was painfully obvious that some episodes were entirely filmed on the Paramount lot. 
As the season went on, CBS's worst fears were realized when the show's ratings took a nosedive, plummeting from eleventh all the way to 53rd. Some of the blame could be placed on the cast changes, mostly due to the lack of a female cast member, but much of the blame was on CBS itself, who cancelled the show's successful but controversial lead-in, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. To add insult to injury, not only did CBS lose one highly rated show and wreck the ratings of another, the Smothers Brothers successfully sued CBS for breach of contract, costing the network another $766,000. 
Season 4's rating came as a shock, and radical changes were planned for Season 5 in order to find an audience. 
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=Handguns=
==Smith & Wesson Model 10==
Paris (Leonard Nimoy) hijacks a plane with a Smith & Wesson Model 10 as part of his disguise as a Che Guevara-like character named El Líder in "The Code" (S04E01).
 
==Walther P38==
Walther P38s are seen throughout the series.
 
==Walther PPK==
Walther PPKs are seen throughout the season. 
 
==Walther PP==
A Walther PP plays an important role in "The Controllers: Part 1" (S04E03).
 
==Astra 400==
Astra 400 pistols are seen throughout the season, often in the hands of foreign guards.
 
==M1911A1==
M1911A1s are seen with several characters throughout the season.
 
==Smith & Wesson Model 36==
Smith & Wesson Model 36s are seen throughout the season.
 
==Colt Detective Special==
Colt Detective Special revolvers are seen throughout the season.
 
==American Derringer Model 1==
The compact American Derringer Model 1 is given to Francesca (Diane Baker) by Paris in "The Falcon: Part 1" (S4E14) and then used in "The Falcon: Part 2" (S4E15).
==Smith & Wesson Model 10 (snub)==
Insert shots of Jim Phelps' Smith & Wesson Model 36 feature a snub-nosed Smith & Wesson Model 10 instead in "Chico" (S04E17).
 
==Webley Mk IV==
Suroq soldiers are seen with Webley Mk IV revolvers in "Terror" (S04E20). One of them hands his to a disguised Paris. 
 
==Tokarev TT-33==
Tokarev TT-33s started to appear in the later third of Season 4.
 
==Remington Model 51==
Lord Richard Weston (John Williams) draws a Remington Model 51 in "Lover's Knot" (S04E21) The serial number indicates it was an early production, .380 caliber.
 
==Unidentifiable Colt revolver==
Major Carlos Martillo (Sid Haig) is armed with an unidentifiable Colt revolver throughout "Commandante" (S04E06). He only draws it once, and even then, it's too far to see any details. 
=Submachine Guns=
==Madsen M50==
Madsen M50s are seen throughout the series in the hands of guards and henchmen.
 
==MP40==
MP40s are seen throughout the season.
 
==PPSh-41==
PPSh-41s are seen throughout the season.
 
==Sten Mk II==
Sten Mk IIs are seen throughout the season.
 
==M1928/M1928A1 Thompson==
Colonel Moya's assassins are both armed with M1928/M1928A1 Thompson submachine guns in "Gitano" (S04E18).
 
=Rifles=
==Mauser Gewehr 1898==
Guards are armed with Mauser Gewehr 1898 rifles in "The Controllers: Parts 1 and 2" (S04E3-4).
 
==M1 Carbine==
Revolutionaries are seen armed with M1 Carbines in "Commandante" (S04E06). Willy later uses an M1 Carbine with an aftermarket stock with a folding stock in "The Choice" (S04E25).
 
 
==M16/SP1==
Revolutionaries receive crates of modern M16/SP1 rifles in "Commandante" (S04E06).
 
==Karabiner 98k==
Karabiner 98k rifles are often seen in the hands of guards throughout the season.
=Shotguns=
==Coach Gun==
IMF agent Clay (Ralph Ventura) is armed with a Coach Gun in "The Crane" (S04E23).
=Machine Guns=
==Browning M1919A4==
Guards are armed with Browning M1919A4 machine guns in "Commandante" (S04E06). 
 
=Other=
==Tranquilizer dart==
One of Barney's gadgets in "The Controllers: Part 1" (S04E03) is a tranquilizer dart that fits into a .380 ACP shell. 
==.223 rounds==
One of Barney's gadgets in "Commandante" (S04E06) is a .223 round that detonates via remote control. 
==Haenel Model 28==
Tracey (Lee Meriwether) fires a gas pellet from a Haenel Model 28 in "Submarine" (S04E07).
==Webley No. 1 Mark 1 flare gun==
Barney Collier (Greg Morris) fires a gas round from a Webley No. 1 Mark 1 flare gun in "The Falcon, Part 3" (S04E16).
==Diana 5 Air Pistol==
Barney uses a suppressed (?) Diana 5 Air Pistol to fire tranquilizers in "The Choice" (S04E25). Although he is shown breaking it open earlier in the episode, he is later able to fire two rounds without reloading later in the episode.
Category:Television
Category:Espionage