So many movies ... so little time ...
Well ... why should James Bond have all of the fun?
It was on this day all the way back in 1966 in the great United States of America that Hollywood decided the time was ripe to tap into mankind's love of the classic spy thrillers -- fueled in no small way by the success of the still-growing Bond franchise -- by casting crooner Dean Martin in the guise of Matt Helm, a retired U.S. operative who gets pulled out of his earned sabattical and thrust back onto active duty. From what little I know personally of the series -- there were four completed efforts though five were originally planned -- The Silencers is regarded as the best outing ... though that may not be saying much given that these were all a bit too tongue-in-cheek from what I recall of seeing them in my youth.
Phil Karlson served as director for the picture, a guy who as I understand it really got his start as a second unit director to a handful of Abbott and Costello comedies. His genre credentials are a bit light, but he did go on to direct 1972's Ben -- the sequel to Willard, featuring a horde of violent rats -- and that must count for something. Oscar Saul adapted the original Donald Hamilton novel for the screen. Alongside Martin, the cast included such names as Stella Stevens, Daliah Lavi, Victor Buono, Arthur O'Connell, Robert Webber, James Gregory, Nancy Kovack, Roger C. Carmel, Cyd Charisse, and others.
Here's the plot summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"In this, the first Matt Helm movie, we see Matt Helm coaxed out of semi-retirement by an attractive ex-partner. It seems that the evil Big O organization has a nefarious plan called "Operation: Fallout." If this plan comes to fruition, Big O will explode an atomic bomb over Alamogordo, NM, and start WWIII. Only Matt Helm can stop them."
As always, thanks for reading ... thanks for sharing ... thanks for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
Well ... why should James Bond have all of the fun?
It was on this day all the way back in 1966 in the great United States of America that Hollywood decided the time was ripe to tap into mankind's love of the classic spy thrillers -- fueled in no small way by the success of the still-growing Bond franchise -- by casting crooner Dean Martin in the guise of Matt Helm, a retired U.S. operative who gets pulled out of his earned sabattical and thrust back onto active duty. From what little I know personally of the series -- there were four completed efforts though five were originally planned -- The Silencers is regarded as the best outing ... though that may not be saying much given that these were all a bit too tongue-in-cheek from what I recall of seeing them in my youth.
Phil Karlson served as director for the picture, a guy who as I understand it really got his start as a second unit director to a handful of Abbott and Costello comedies. His genre credentials are a bit light, but he did go on to direct 1972's Ben -- the sequel to Willard, featuring a horde of violent rats -- and that must count for something. Oscar Saul adapted the original Donald Hamilton novel for the screen. Alongside Martin, the cast included such names as Stella Stevens, Daliah Lavi, Victor Buono, Arthur O'Connell, Robert Webber, James Gregory, Nancy Kovack, Roger C. Carmel, Cyd Charisse, and others.
Here's the plot summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"In this, the first Matt Helm movie, we see Matt Helm coaxed out of semi-retirement by an attractive ex-partner. It seems that the evil Big O organization has a nefarious plan called "Operation: Fallout." If this plan comes to fruition, Big O will explode an atomic bomb over Alamogordo, NM, and start WWIII. Only Matt Helm can stop them."
As always, thanks for reading ... thanks for sharing ... thanks for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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