Patrick J. White's excellent book The Complete Mission: Impossible Dossier (Avon Books, 1991) is required reading for all fans of the show. Unfortunately, one thing missing is a description of the locations and circumstances under which Dan Briggs and Jim Phelps listen to the opening tapes. The following list attempts to address this omission. The tape is assumed to be destroyed with billowing smoke unless otherwise indicated. A "V-type" recorder is one where the switch is in a V-like hollow. Thanks to Susan Walter who did all of the descriptions except those with a Q after them. Alas, the local TV station that was broadcasting MI stopped doing so before we could complete our project!Season One
1. PILOT. Dan Briggs goes up in a freight elevator to a busy office and tells the female clerk "I'm looking for a special recording - collectors' series." The puzzled woman is interrupted by a male employee who offers "I'll take care of the gentleman, Suzie." He deflects her by asking for "last week's invoices." The man closes the door behind her and then asks Briggs "exactly what recording are you looking for?" Dan responds with the appropriate symphonic music title, the clerk hands him a red record album, shows him a nearby record player, and then leaves. The record is vacuum sealed in plastic. The recorded voice of Robert Johnson delivers the first of 168 IMF assignments. However, Johnson's delivery in this first mission is a bit thin, almost as if he hadn't quite warmed to the part. In subsequent mission recordings, he became more robust. The message culminates in a personal greeting to Mr. Briggs: "I hope it's welcome back, Dan. It's been awhile." The record self destructs in a ring of acrid smoke.2. OLD MAN OUT. Dan knocks sharply on the back door of a small movie theatre. A caretaker answers with a sharply admonishing "we're closed." Dan responds, "there's a short subject I'd like to see." "A cartoon?" the caretaker asks, testing Dan. "No, the documentary" is the comeback remark. Satisfied that Dan is the right guy, he instructs him to go to the "fourth row, end seat on the right side," lets him in, and disappears into the projection booth to start the mission's movie. Dan plays the tape recorder as he views the film. The recorder is a hefty portable unit with a long handle on the front. Dan destroys the audio tape by putting it in an ashtray where it spontaneously ignites.
3. MEMORY. There is no tape scene. Briggs is given instructions on a card by a street photographer.
4. OPERATION ROGOSH. The date October 1966 flashes on the screen, the only time an M:I episode is dated. Dan drives his black convertible into a free parking space and, after suspiciously looking around, unlocks the passenger door of the adjacent car. Another key gains him access to the glove compartment. Inside is an 8-track tape and a brown envelope of photos. Dan plays the mission tape on the car's 8-track tape player and disposes of it in a much too handy nearby furnace.
5. ODDS ON EVIL. In a penny arcade, Briggs watches a movie on a peep show device. At the end, the images melt. (Q)
6. A SPOOL THERE WAS. Briggs asks a hotel maid for a suite with "red decor." She gives him an LP record, he enters the room and plays it. After he listens to the recording, it disintegrates in smoke. (Q)
7. FAKEOUT. A woman in a pigeon coop gives Briggs the tape; he plays it on a mini recorder. After he finishes listening to it, he disposes of it in a nearby incinerator. (Q)
8. WHEELS. Briggs listens to a reel-to-reel tape in a TV sound truck in a lumberyard. After listening, he throws the tape in a nearby incinerator. (Q)
9. THE RANSOM. No tape scene. The bad guy, Frank Egan (William Smithers), confronts Briggs during the opening sequence. (Q)
10. ELENA. Briggs listens to the tape inside a trailer in a parking lot. The tape recorder is a V-type. When finished, he throws it into an acid-like solution. (Q)
11. ZUBROVNIK'S GHOST. In a safe in a locked office, Briggs gets a recording which is on a plastic disc which he inserts into a Dictaphone-like device. When finished, he destroys it with acid in a sink. (Q)
12. THE TRIAL. In the office of Nicholas Manus, AIA, Architect and Engineer, Briggs uses a Dictaphone-like machine which plays a record-like disk. At the end, it catches on fire. (Q)
13. THE CARRIERS. The mini tape recorder is located behind a grill at the front and bottom of a penny arcade booth which takes pictures. (Q)
14. THE SHORT TAIL SPY. In a movie theatre, the tape recorder is on a seat. When finished, Briggs throws the tape onto an ashtray where it explodes. [Does he watch a movie?] (Q)
15. THE LEGACY. Briggs listens to a reel-to-reel tape in a TV sound truck in a lumberyard. After listening, he throws the tape in a nearby incinerator (same as #8). (Q)
16. THE RELUCTANT DRAGON. In a parking lot, Briggs pulls up beside another car, which he enters. The tape is in the glove compartment, he plays it in the 8-track player. When finished, he disposes of it in an incinerator. (Q)
17. THE FRAME. Briggs talks to a woman about taking an aptitude test. He sits in front of a screen where what looks like a filmstrip is projected. [how is it destroyed?] (Q)
18. THE DIAMOND. Briggs talks to the owner of an antiquarian book store, saying he wants to see "an FDR." The tape is in a desk inside the store, the pictures are in the flyleaf of a book. V-type recorder. The tape is destroyed in a water cooler with acid-like solution! (Q)
19. THE LEGEND. In a building, a janitor props open elevator. Briggs enters and pushes a combination of buttons in the elevator which opens a door above them. The tape recorder is inside. After listening, Briggs tells the janitor, "Your elevator's working now." (Q)
20. THE CONFESSION. Briggs talks to the owner of the Hersh Photo Gallery. The tape and pictures are in the darkroom. V-type recorder. After listening, Briggs throws the tape in a sink where it's dissolved by an acid-like solution. (Q)
21. SNOWBALL IN HELL. A phone booth is out of order. Briggs dials three numbers, a door at the bottom of the phone opens, revealing the tape recorder [?]. (Q)
22. ACTION! In a room inside a beauty parlor, Cinnamon listens to the tape which is inside a desk drawer. She has asked to see "Olga." This is the only episode where a "recorder" is used where neither Briggs nor Phelps appears during the tape scene. (Q)
23. THE TRAIN. The mini tape recorder is located behind a grill at the front and bottom of a penny arcade booth which takes pictures (same as #13). (Q)
24. SHOCK. In a locked pawnshop, Briggs takes a Dictabelt-like recording out of the cash register and plays it in a recording device. (Q)
25. A CUBE OF SUGAR. In a liquor store, Briggs says he wants a "Château Delacroix 1959." After the owner leaves, Briggs finds it in a wooden box with shredded paper or wood packing. The recorder is the mini variety. (Q)
26. THE TRAITOR. On a movie soundstage, Briggs finds an LP record in a sealed envelope. After he plays it, the label explodes in flames. (Q)
27. THE PSYCHIC. Briggs listens to the instructions over a speaker in a drive-in movie theatre. (Q)
Season Two
1. THE WIDOW Phelps drives up to a very weather-beaten observation telescope at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. While he seems to scan the view of the city below, the mini tape recorder plays, and Phelps sees pictures of the episode's protagonists inside the telescope.
28. TREK. The recorder is inside a locked door in a pay phone in a booth. After he listens to the message, Phelps puts a "temporarily out of service" sign on the phone. (Q)
29. THE BANK. In a junk store, Phelps listens to a 78 RPM record on a gramophone. He finds the record in a cabinet. It self-destructs when the needle reaches the final grooves. (Q)
30. OPERATION -- "HEART". The mini tape recorder is located behind a grill at the front and bottom of a penny arcade booth which takes pictures (same as #13). (Q)
31 & 32. THE SLAVE. The mini tape recorder is located in a fire station call box in a public park. (Q)
33. THE WIDOW. The recorder is inside a telescope at the Griffiths Observatory in Los Angeles. Phelps views the pictures by looking through the telescope. (Q)
34. THE MONEY MACHINE. Phelps pushes the "empty" button on a cigarette machine inside a building. A very tiny tape recorder drops down. As he listens to it, one reel seems to be moving faster than the second. When he finishes listening, Phelps throws the recorder in a barrel, where it explodes in smoke. (Q)
35. THE SEAL. Phelps enters a warehouse-like building where he finds a cassette tape recorder. The pictorial material is in the back of a picture frame. When he finishes listening to the tape, he throws it in a can where it's dissolved by an acid-like solution. (Q)
36. CHARITY. Phelps finds the mini recorder in a bag inside a lumber yard shack. (Q)
37. THE COUNCIL. Phelps, viewed from above, arrives at a building and gets out of his blue convertible via the right door. He is seen climbing up a flight of stairs and at the top pushes a "Ring for Admittance" button once, then twice. The door opens, Phelps enters and bolts it behind him. He then enters another door into a recording studio where he accesses a record player which drops down out of a cabinet. An LP record is on the turntable, Phelps places the needle on it, which seems to move from the centre outwards. When the message ends, Phelps pushes the "reject" button for the tonearm, after which smoke emerges from the LP in a ring-like pattern. (Q)
38. ECHO OF YESTERDAY. Phelps drives to a parked car on a street. Inside the glove compartment he finds an 8-track tape cassette and envelope of photos. He inserts the tape into the player mounted on the car's dashboard.
39. THE ASTROLOGER. The drop is a parking lot attendant's hut. Phelps drives into the lot and opens the gate using a card. The tape recorder is the V switch model; Jim finds it in a closet in the hut. The tape is destroyed when it is ignited in an ashtray.
40. THE PHOTOGRAPHER. Jim drives to a warehouse. The camera angle shows him emerging from his convertible, entering the door and going up a steep flight of indoor stairs; on the second floor he presses a button to bring down a sceneshop fly where a brown envelope is taped and a small tape recorder sits atop a beam. The tape recorder is unlike any of the usual models: the audio head is mounted on the left corner and curiously, it plays from right to left; on the front vertical face are two slide switches. The tape and recorder are destroyed with sparks.
41. THE SPY. Phelps, viewed from above, arrives at a building and gets out of his blue convertible via the right door. He is seen climbing up a flight of stairs and in the next shot (up to this point, everything is exactly the same as #37!) emerges out a door onto the roof of a building. He inserts a key into a dumbwaiter-like device (the door of this says "Use key to unlock (align key with red side up)") where he finds the pictures and mini recorder. (Q)
42. A GAME OF CHESS. Jim enters a phone booth on a street; uses key to open phone's coin box; one tape reel is seen revolving inside once a small paper envelope is removed; when we see the revealed photo in Jim's hands, curiously it is considerably larger (8"x10"); at end of taped message, Jim closes coin box cover; sparks come out of keyhole.
43. THE EMERALD. The drop is located in a coin operated photo booth on a street; Jim has a key in his pocket; he inserts a quarter into the photo machine to get it started but opens a compartment before him with the key; a Y type tape recorder is located on a sliding surface; all the while, the photo machine flash bulbs keep going off; smoke destroys the tape and machine.
44. THE CONDEMNED. no tape scene; Jim visits his friend David Webster in jail; later he briefs his IMF team in a hotel room.
45. THE COUNTERFEITER. Jim walks through a rock garden in a park to a red fire box on a pole (rock garden sequence is a location shot; fire box is conspicuously a studio shot). On his way he passes a sign which reads "Riding of Bicycles Forbidden. Keep out of Planted Area -- No Fishing or Wading" and something about "Dogs"... Inside the fire box is a small tape recorder, with a switch on the vertical front and a red button on the right front; tape and machine is destroyed with smoke.
46. THE TOWN. no tape scene; Jim's car overheats on the way to a rendezvous with Rollin at a mountain lodge; Jim, experiencing car trouble, stops at a gas station with an adjacent drug store.
47. THE KILLING. Jim inserts a coin in a cigarette machine, presses a button marked 'empty' and the machine dispenses a small packet; he walks back to his blue convertible which is parked outside the courtyard of a modern office building; once in the car, he tears off a small photo from the packet and places the very tiny tape recorder on the seat; the tape recorder seems to have tiny metal reels; recorder and tape is thrown in a waste barrel as Jim drives by.
48. THE PHOENIX. Jim enters a site workshop at a lumberyard, switching off an acetylene torch as he reaches for a plaid shopping bag (more like a satchel - MQ); he removes a small tape recorder (same one as in episode 45) and a brown envelope of photos; smoke detroys tape and recorder. The speed of the tapes is much too fast!
49. TRIAL BY FURY. Same as #37, The Council.
50. RECOVERY. The drop is a parking lot attendant's hut. Phelps drives into the lot and opens the gate using a card. The tape recorder is the V switch model; Jim finds it in a closet in the hut. The tape is destroyed when it is ignited in an ashtray. (Same as #39)
Season Three
51. THE MERCENARIES. Same tape sequence as #38 Echo of Yesterday (car parked on a street; 8-track tape in the glove compartment)
52. THE HEIR APPARENT. Jim drives to a relatively deserted park, finds a public phone near a reservoir, chooses a key from a key ring and inserts it in the phone's coin box lock but doesn't turn the key. He then removes the sign covering the coin slots that reads 'temporarily out of service' which is inserted into the slots and deposits two quarters [I don't think these are quarters! - MQ]. He presses the coin return and then opens the coin box with the key that's still in the lock. Inside is a small brown envelope and a very tiny tape recorder (the kind with the metal reels). Due to this camera angle shot of the recorder, you can see that the machine is a fake; the two reels are connected by a continuous belt that propells them around at breakneck speed; there is no mag tape at all. Smoke destroys the unit.
53. THE DIPLOMAT. There is a red fire box in a park with several waterfalls. Although the fire box is the same as the one in episode 45, The Counterfeiter, the setting is slighly different - in the earlier episode, the red box scene is shot partially in a studio. However, the small tape recorder used in both tape scenes is the same - a small model with a red button on the vertical front piece. The tape and machine is destroyed with smoke.
54 & 55. THE CONTENDER. Jim meets a man working on a rental boat by a small urban lake. He asks "have you got a five eighths horsepower?" and the man removes the 'out of order' sign, allowing Jim to get in the small pleasure craft. He drives the boat into the middle of the lake, and while drifting, reaches under the seat for a grey metal tackle box. Inside is a small tape recorder, the same one as in episode 40, The Photographer. However this time, the machine runs the tape correctly from left to right. To dispose of the tape, Jim tosses it overboard.
56. THE EXECUTION. In a stereo store, Jim asks the store clerk "Do you have a 30 RPM tape recorder?" He follows the clerk to a locked office, and after much looking around, he locates a large table model tape recorder. As usual, smoke destroys the tape and the very expensive machine.
57. THE PLAY. On a rooftop children's play area, Phelps speaks to a woman who points to a permanent ladder going up the side of the building. He climbs the ladder that leads to another roof area and behind a smoke outlet, finds a blue drawstring bag. Inside is the V type tape recorder. When the tape is finished, Jim throws the reel down the smoking chimney.
58. THE CARDINAL. A deserted library is the location for this tape scene. In a locked glass fronted cabinet of rare illuminated manuscripts, Jim finds a very small tape recorder on the top shelf and the usual brown envelope of photos within the fragile pages of an old book. The tape recorder is one we've seen before (episode 40, 54 and 55), with the audio head on the bottom left corner. The first shot of the running tape recorder shows the tape reel almost full. But this is the left reel. Given that the message is at the end, the full reel should have been on the right side. The editor goofed.
59. THE ELIXIR. Phelps opens a door marked "No Admittance" and enters a very dark room which is full of tape recorders and other electronic equipment. He tells a man, "I'm here for the special viewing." The man goes away without saying a word and Jim sits in a movie-theatre like seat. Curtains part to reveal a movie screen and Phelps leans over and turns on a V-type recorder beside him which relates the message. Phelps puts a cigarette in his mouth, but we don't see him light or smoke it. The tape runs out abnormally fast.
60. THE EXCHANGE. There is no tape scene in this episode. Jim and Rollin arrive at a foreign military building. Inside is Cinnamon, dressed in a uniform. Obviously we are joining the team halfway through a mission, one where our unfortunate heroine is caught.
61. THE BARGAIN. Jim arrives at a roller rink, goes into the sound booth and there under a cloth is the V type tape recorder. We've seen this model many times before but this time is sports a rigid plastic cover over the reels. When the tape runs out, we see the usual smoke, but under this plastic cover.
62. THE MIND OF STEFAN MIKLOS. A gate with a padlock is unlocked by Phelps who slides it closed behind him. A 'closed for alterations' sign beside film posters for Summer and Smoke and The Jayhawkers tells us that this drop location is a movie theatre, and the following tape scene is probably in a ticket booth, although it is difficult to tell. The tape recorder is once again the red button variety, and the tape is destroyed with smoke in the usual manner.
63. THE FREEZE. This parking lot tape scene is similar to the one in the first season's episode four, Operation Rogosh, except this time it is Jim Phelps who unlocks the passenger door of the adjacent parked car instead of Dan Briggs. (Phelps is viewed from above at the beginning.) The 8-track tape and envelope of photos are in the glove compartment and the cassette is played on the car's tape player. A blast of smoke renders the tape useless after it has been played.
64. THE TEST CASE. The camera follows Jim into a record store. He asks the store clerk for "Pavane in G" and is handed a red record box which he takes into a listening booth. The record is sealed in heavy plastic; Jim opens it by peeling off a length of red tape. As the record plays out the mission, it wobbles on the turntable since the vinyl disk is off-center. An interesting stream of white mist shoots out of the tone arm, destroying the record.
65. THE SYSTEM. This tape sequence begins with Jim walking the halls of a large old medical facility. In an examining room, he opens the drawer of a surgery table and removes a V type tape recorder as well as the familiar brown envelope. This time, however, it contains large colour transparencies that Jim views on the nearby x-ray light box on the wall. Robert Johnson's voice, at the end of the message, instructs "please dispose of this tape in the usual manner." However, the method Jim uses is far from usual. He puts it in a solution contained in a metal surgery pan. The solution causes caustic bubbles that produce an acid foam.
66. THE GLASS CAGE. Playing with a cigarette in his left hand (Peter Graves is left handed), Jim walks across the waiting room of a bus station and butts his smoke in an ashcan. He looks for a peep show machine near the arcade machines and removes the 'out of order' sign on it. He deposits a nickel in the machine and connects a tiny speaker to a small power receptable on the machine's front. Jim must crank the handle of this old fashioned contraption to view the black and white film through the double eyepiece. The image, at the end of the message, melts as if by heat.
67. LIVE BAIT. On a lovely sunny day, Jim's blue convertible drives up a hill to a lookout point at the Griffiths Observatory. He stops the car at a coin operated telescope. With a key, our man unlocks the service box of the telescope and inside we see the tape recorder with two slide switches on the front and a left front-mounted audio head. Photos of the villains are projected inside the telescope. The scene finishes in the familiar veil of tape-destroying smoke.
68. DOOMSDAY. This tape scene, with a red firebox in a park of waterfalls, is exactly the same as episode 53 The Diplomat. The tape recorder is the red button variety and, as always, smoke destroys the audio tape.
69 & 70. THE BUNKER. Jim emerges from an office building, stops near a modern sculptured fountain, and spies a brown car parked on the street. He enters the car on the passenger side and removes a brown envelope of photos and an 8-track tape from the glove compartment. The tape is played on the car's tape player; the tape goes up in smoke at the end of the message.
71. NITRO. Phelps walks up an ornate staircase in an impressive building, and enters a cataloguing office through double glass doors. The office is deserted. In a glass-fronted bookcase which he unlocks, Jim finds a microfilm hidden in the back of the top shelf. After loading it on to a microfilm reader, he cranks the tape (in a manner more like a movieola) and, from a hidden speaker somewhere nearby, the operative listens to the mission. A jet of smoke from the right tape reel destroys the microfilm.
72. THE VAULT. The parking lot attendant's hut is once again used in this episode, as it was for episodes 39 and 50. Only the voice-over is different.
73. NICOLE. The sceneshop used in the tape sequence of episode 40 The Photographer does double duty for this one, too.
74. ILLUSION. A rooftop door opens and Jim walks over to a steel door. The door is marked "Use key to unlock" and Jim produces a T-handled key from his breast pocket. Inside is the red button style of tape recorder and the usual packet of photos. Also, as usual, is the puff of smoke that destroys the taped message after Phelps has listened to it.
75. THE INTERROGATOR. The tape recorder scene is the same as that used in episode 48 The Phoenix. The mission drop location is a lumber yard site workshop. An acetylene torch is left burning.
Season Four
76 & 77. THE CONTROLLERS. Jim stops his car in a curious location, a bridge toll booth. While the attendant lowers the gate to block the lane, Mr. Phelps goes inside. There in a drawer is the V switch tape recorder. Cars zoom past as Jim listens to the tape, which eventually plays out to the end. Smoke destroys the message.
78. THE CODE. The opening shot of Phelps seen in the mirror at the top of a carousel gives the impression he is looking through a window. As the camera draws back, we see he is outside the carousel and he unlocks a chain link fence and goes inside. He walks through the horses to the center of the ride where he turns on a light and opens a desk drawer, which reveals a mini tape recorder that he removes. Smoke destroys the machine. (Q)
79. MASTERMIND. On the docks in a busy urban harbour, Phelps moves a sign off a gate which he opens and walks down a ramp which he uses to climb up on to a old restored sailing ship named Buccaneer. He lifts a cage containing a parrot off a wooden floor cavity underneath containing the mini tape recorder. (Why doesn't the parrot give the message?) Smoke destroys the machine as usual. (Q)
80. THE NUMBERS GAME. At the docks, Phelps removes the "Out of Order" sign from a telescope and, using a key, opens up a door on the left side, which contains the tape recorder. As he looks through the telescope, he sees a picture of General Gollan. The picture melts, but we don't see how the tape is "destroyed." (Q)
81. COMMANDANTE. Jim's appointment with a tape recorder is in an empty bowling alley. He walks down a bowling lane through to the pin changer room and locates a stack of cardboard cartons. The V type tape recorder is inside the second one in the pile. When the mission tape has finished, smoke rises from the machine, rendering it and the mag tape useless.
82. ROBOT. A municipal recreaction and parks truck is parked in a children's playground and Jim has the keys. He lets himself in on the driver's side. Conveniently in the glove box is a small tape recorder, the model with two sliding switches on the front. As usual, smoke destroys the tape at the end of the scene.
83. FOOL'S GOLD. We find Jim watching elephants at a zoo. He walks over to a small electric utility cart and checks underneath a removable seat cushion. The red button type of tape recorder and the envelope of photos are hidden there. Smoke ruins the recording after it has been played.
84. THE DOUBLE CIRCLE. Phelps walks from beside a public swimming pool to a car, which he unlocks and enters. He unlocks the glove compartment which contains the photos in an envelope and an 8-track tape. He inserts the tape into the car's player. The tape is destroyed in a puff of smoke. (Q)
85. SUBMARINE. In a hangar-like warehouse full of boxes and creates, Phelps opens an office with a key. He notices a clipboard propped up on the corner of a desk, studies it briefly and then opens a box on which the clipboard was sitting. Inside he finds the expected tape recorder. This time the model is the one with two slider switches on the front and the tape head off to the left side. A subsequent closeup of the tape recorder is not the same machine!
86. THE BROTHERS. In a white convertible, Phelps drives up beside what looks like a shopping mall or a terminal of some kind. He removes the "Temporarily Out of Service" sign from a pay telephone and inserts a quarter. With a key, he opens a metal door and inside are the photos and very tiny tape recorder. (Q)
87, 88 & 89. THE FALCON. Jim's blue convertible pulls into an empty drive-in movie lot. In broad daylight, he mounts a movie speaker inside the car and the mission recording begins. Once the message has played out, Jim puts the speaker back on the mount outside the car. Sparks and smoke hiss from the speaker signaling the end of the message.
90. TIME BOMB. With his jacket slung over his shoulder, Phelps walks through a public park being watered by a sprinkler and where kids are playing. He approaches an older man sitting at a picnic table and feeding pigeons beside a tennis court (whether or not they actually speak is difficult to discern). The man moves away, leaving a bag on the seat. Phelps opens the bag and removes the small tape recorder (same model as in #85, Submarine) which he places on the table and photos. As Jim listens to the details of the mission played on the tape recorder, he warily looks around the park watching for anyone who might be observing him. The nearby tennis players don't seem to be a threat.
92. CHICO Beside the Angola giraffe compound at the zoo, Phelps uses a key to open the padlock on a locked yellow tool storage box which contains the V-type tape recorder and photos among some hoses and ropes. He must be having a bad day because he reaches to turn on the message - not once but twice.
93. TERROR. This time driving a white convertible, Jim stops on the side of a road just in front of a parked station wagon that has broken down beside an airport runway. The car is deserted. He removes a set of keys from his jacket pocket and stops to slam the car hood shut before unlocking the driver's door. The familiar 8-track cassette and brown envelope are in the glove compartment. The mission message is played on the car's tape player while Jim inspects the photos in the envelope. Smoke destroys the tape as usual.
94. GITANO. Jim drives a cream coloured convertible to a major building, possibly an airline terminal, parks the car and then unlocks a bright blue door in the building marked 'no admittance, keep clear.' After closing the door behind him, he flips on the light switch. He is in a luggage storage room. We see him pick through suitcases, eventually selecting a green one with a combination lock. He turns the tumblers to the correct numbers so that he can open the case. The tape recorder inside is the V-type switch and he lifts it out and then turns it on. The played out tape self destructs in special effects man Johnny Burke's smoke.
95. PHANTOMS. The same tape sequence is used here as in two previous episodes: 53 The Diplomat and 68 Doomsday. The only differences are the photographs Jim views and the voice over.
96. LOVER'S KNOT. This episode has no tape sequence.
97. ORPHEUS. For this tape scene, our man Mr. Phelps arrives at a dock in a station wagon. He by-passes a no admittance sign to board a freighter and finds a fabric pouch hidden in a life preserver mounted on the ship's bulkhead. Inside a quiet place on the ship, Jim takes the small tape recorder out of the pouch and plays the tape. The recorder is the type with the front mounted slide switches. A burst of smoke renders the audio tape useless.
98. THE CHOICE. Jim briefly stops to admire some flowers outside a florist shop before entering. There isn't a sole in the place, which is rather peculiar for such a busy shopping area. In a locked desk drawer, Jim locates the V-type tape recorder that has a dust cover over the tapes. He removes it and switches on the machine. While listening to the mission, he studies the accompanying photos and then turns off the recorder when the message has finished. The expected smoke emanates from the machine.
99. THE CRANE. This episode's tape sequence happens in an art shop. Jim Phelps enters through the shop's door that has a bell attached, announcing his entrance. There are at least two other people in the store so Jim is careful to admire several paintings on his way to the back room through a red curtain. A no admittance sign doesn't deter him. A locked filing cabinet is swiftly opened with Jim's key and in the top drawer he takes out the usual envelope of pictures along with a small tape recorder, the kind with the slide switches on the front. At the message's conclusion, smoke pours out of little holes on the face, beside the magnetic tapes.
100. DEATH SQUAD. No tape scene. The episode opens with Barney spending a quiet evening with his girlfriend. It doesn't end very quietly.
101. THE MARTYR. After entering through an archway into what looks like a small plaza, Jim arrives at a small shop full of Mexican merchandise. There is an "Out to Lunch" sign, saying the owner will return at 2:00. His key enables him to gain entry. On a table inside are whimsical toy birds bobbing back and forth into a bowl of water, but Jim bypasses this curious scene to unlock a nearby file cabinet. Of course, we know he'll find the usual tape recorder inside and this time it is the small model with the two slide switches on the front. When the tape runs out, the ubiquitous cloud of smoke gushes from the tape recorder.
Season Five
102. BUTTERFLY. Walking down a long pier away from the camera, Jim stops as a speedboat draw up. He leans over the dock's rail and says to the driver "nice looking boat." "It's for sale," he replies. Jim, looking relaxed in sunglasses, says "I'll give you forty-five hundred, cash, but I'll have to try it right now." The speedboat driver nods in agreement and Jim climbs down the ladder to the boat where he changes places with the man. Jim zooms off in the high powered water craft until he is a fair distance from shore, stops the engine, and then reaches for a metal tackle box under the dash on the floor. This elaborate rendezvous leads him to the mission tape recorder that him removes from the box and places on the adjacent seat. He slides one of the two switches on the front to start the tape. At the end of most IMF messages is the statement "this tape will self destruct in five seconds," but this particular recording carries no such warning. Jim simply throws the tape reel over the side into the sea.
103. HOMECOMING. No tape scene. Jim is back in his small home town doing a few repairs to the homestead.
104. THE REBEL. No tape scene. The episode begins with Jim and Dana arriving in a dusty foreign town in a Jeep.
105. THE KILLER. On a rocky seashore we see a retired man fishing while the surf pounds all around him. Mr. Phelps, leaping over tidal pools, goes over to the man and asks "how are the bass biting?" "I've caught three," he seems to hiss. "Yeah, good," replies Jim. "I caught six myself yesterday." At that, the man walks away, fishing rod in hand, and Jim delves into the yellow tackle box he has left behind (Jim's shirt matches the box - was the wardrobe department playing tricks here?). He removes two wooden trays of fish hooks and reels. There, in the bottom, is a brown envelope and the small slide switch tape recorder which Jim wastes no time switching on. He places it in the lid of the box while he examines the photos in the envelope. The tape and recorder are destroyed by a cloud of acrid smoke.
106. FLIP SIDE. Jim is at an outdoor shell-like amphitheatre where a barrel contains burning leaves. After a gardener walks away, Jim takes the tape recorder wrapped in burlap-like cloth from a wheelbarrow -- it's the V-type recorder. Despite a lack of instruction to destroy the tape when the message is finished, Jim throws it in the barrel where it's consumed by fire. (Q)
107. MY FRIEND, MY ENEMY. No tape scene. Paris is shot off his motorcycle during a chase. (Q)
108. THE INNOCENT. No tape scene. Barney is contaminated with deadly poison during the opening scenes. (Q)
109. DECOY. Jim comes upon a group of kids who are putting out a fire in an above-ground pit. He speaks to their leader, an older man wearing a "Camp Tuckahoe" T-shirt: "North trail's closed." The leader replies, "Oh, what about the east trail?" Jim says, "Yeah, but only until twilight." The leader says "Let's go, kids," and he and the campers head up a nearby trail. Jim sits down on the edge of the pit and reaches into a knapsack which contains the small tape recorder and photos. The tape self-destructs with smoke. (Q)
110. FLIGHT. Phelps walks through an amusement park apparently near the dock where the Queen Mary is anchored, and approaches "The Capsule Ride." A sign says "Tickets Only, No Cash Accepted By Operators." He asks the surly, moustached operator, "Time you open?" The operator replies, "Noon." Phelps says, "It's too bad, I've got a 10:30 train to catch." The operator nods with his head toward the ride, and Phelps goes through the turnstile and enters the bell-shaped car. Phelps locks the door and sits down as the operator turns some levers which start the ride's operation. Phelps looks out over the crowds below, and after a few moments, removes part of a metal casing in the middle of the car which holds the mini tape recorder and photos. After, smoke destroys the tape recorder. (Q)
112. THE AMATEUR. No tape scene.
113. THE CATAFALQUE. Judging from the noise in the background, Jim is walking along a midway, since there is merry-go-round-like music in the background as well as the sound of shooting from an arcade. He enters a booth for "Photos 4 Poses". Closing the curtain behind him, he unlocks a panel and slides the tape recorder forward. The photos are nearby. The usual smoke destroys the tape. Close examination of the tape, by the way, reveals it is rather wrinkled! (Q)
114. FLIP SIDE. We find Phelps in a diver's locker room. He has a key to unlock one of the metal lockers that contains a small tape recorder and the usual brown envelope of photographs. Surrounded by air tanks and diver suits, he places the tape recorder (the small model with the red button on the front) on a nearby table and sits down to listen to the recorded mission. At the end of the message, as expected, the tape is destroyed with smoke.
115. THE MERCHANT. Using a key, Phelps enters a shop which looks like an old-fashioned pharmacy. He opens a cupboard and removes the mini tape recorder and pictures. (Q)
116. CAT'S PAW. No tape scene. Barney's brother is fatally injured in an explosion in the opening sequence.
117. THE HOSTAGE. No tape scene. Paris is captured by revolutionaries who mistake him for a businessman.
118. TAKEOVER. Phelps enters a building with a sign above the entrance: "Madame Roberta Tells Your Future - Private Readings." A sign on the door says "CLOSED BE BACK AT 5:00." Phelps opens the door with a key and enters. As the door closes, the word "SECRETS" can be seen reflected. Viewed through a bead curtain, Phelps opens a wooden cabinet and removes the tape recorder (V-type) and photographs. (Q)
119. THE MISSILE. High up a cliff above the ocean (the sound of gulls can be heard in the background), Phelps drives up in his blue convertible beside a building. Exiting the car, he walks up a ramp to a door with a sign "Gone Fishing Be Back Monday." Opening a screen, he unlocks the door with a key, and enters a room where he flips on the light switch. Seen behind some cans of beans, he opens a wooden cupboard with another key and removes the photos and V-type tape recorder. (Q)
120. KITARA. Phelps drives up in his blue convertible and walks through a park with birds chirping in the background -- the location is the same amphitheatre as in #106. He speaks to the grounds keeper: "I hear they're looking for an electrician." The man with the rake says, "The production manager'll be in at three. How long you been in town?" Phelps replies, "Three weeks." The grounds keeper leaves, and Jim takes the tape recorder wrapped in burlap-like cloth from a wheelbarrow -- it's the V-type recorder. As in #106, when the recording is finished, he throws the tape in the trash barrel burning leaves nearby (again with no specific instruction to do so!) (Q)
121. THE FIELD. Phelps is first seen in front of a small decorative waterfall. He then enters an art gallery, and after checking out some of the paintings goes through a curtain into a room marked "No Admittance" where the photos and tape recorder are inside a locked filing cabinet which he opens. The tape recorder is the mini variety. (Q)
122. BLAST. Same as #90, Time Bomb. (Q)
123. A GHOST STORY. Similar to #101, The Martyr, except there is no closeup of the "out to lunch" sign. Instead, Phelps is viewed from a balcony above when he approaches the door. (Q)
124. THE PARTY. Same as #98, The Choice. However, notice when Phelps takes the V-type recorder out of the drawer, there is a black cover over the tape reels. In the next shot, when he turns the recorder on, the cover is not there! (Q)
Season Six
125. ENCORE. Following what is perhaps the most incredible explosion special effect in the entire series, Phelps Phelps enters a building with a sign on the door "Museum Open 1:00 p.m. to 6 p.m. except Mondays". The door has a steam locomotive on it, but inside the building is what looks like a museum of old fire engines. On the running board of one of these old trucks is a red box with a padlock which Phelps opens, removing the V-type recorder which he balances on the corner of the box. Phelps' right hand is seen in the next shot turning on the recorder, and in the next shot he has presumably grabbed the pictures very quickly out of the box! At the end, the tape runs out completely, despite the fact that in the previous shot, the left reel is more than half full. (Q)
126. BLIND. Phelps drives up beside in a building in a 4-door blue car and parks. He exits from the car and walks beside a building where the words "House ... Hotel and Apartments" is seen on the wall. In front of this is a hanging sign saying "Gate of Spain." An elevator descends behind an iron grate. Jim seemingly enters the elevator from inside the building. As he looks around warily, the elevator rises. He unlocks a black box which contains the photos as well as a speaker which relates the details of the mission after he flips a switch on the bottom (the elevator is rising very slowly at this point). When the message is over, Phelps flips the switch to the "off" position and closes the box's door, after which the usual smoke billows out of it. (Q)
127. THE BRIDE. A starting pistol goes off and four women start racing in an indoor swimming pool as Phelps enters down some steps. The next shot shows him entering the locker room where he opens a padlock and takes the photos and mini recorder from a locker's upper shelf. He sits on a nearby desk and places the recorder on the desk. The tape runs out abnormally fast from the second last to the last shot. (Q)
128. RUN FOR THE MONEY. Phelps drives up beside a pitch-and-putt golf course in what looks like a downtown park, gets out of his car and walks to a miniature windmill. He unlocks a padlock on a door and opens it to reveal the mini tape recorder and photos. (Q)
Season Seven
164. BOOMERANG. In a Los Angeles park, Phelps asks a gardener about flowers. The tape is located in the gardener's truck. V-type recorder.167. THE FIGHTER. The recorder is found in a desk in an courthouse-like office building. V-type recorder.
168. THE PENDULUM. The recorder is in a wooden box in a building near Los Angeles City Hall. Mini recorder.