Ally, you're in for a treat with the films; they're hardly the apex of subtlety (and, where the third one is concerned, taste) but they're enormous fun and have a (dare we say it) innocence all but missing in the overly dark and heavy fantasy franchises which abound nowadays.
Ally, you're in for a treat with the films; they're hardly the apex of subtlety (and, where the third one is concerned, taste) but they're enormous fun and have a (dare we say it) innocence all but missing in the overly dark and heavy fantasy franchises which abound nowadays.
That's exactly what I'm counting on.
Neo is right. Pay no attention to the naysayers of Helmdom! I recently purchased the 4 film dvd set, and watched them all in two nights. Sassy, sexy, colorful fun! My favorite "Gal Friday": Lovey Kravezit playfully played by ultra-yummy Beverly Adams (aka ex-Mrs. Vidal Sassoon). She gives Miss Moneypenny a run for her money!
Gila plugging Flint's release on the live broadcast of the Tonight Show, 12/31/65. (Other guests that night, Criswell, Woody Allen, opera singer William Walker, and last minute appearance by Mimi Hines and Phil Ford coming straight from a performance of "Funny Girl")
Jesus Christ Eric, your video/dvd collection must be sick!
Talk about an Impossible Mission – that was the daunting obstacle Sharon Tate triumphantly overcame in the final Matt Helm-er. Since sizzlingly sultry Stella Stevens had set such a Himalayan peak of slapstick humor in “The Silencers”, they essentially rewrote her role and recast it with Miss Tate, who heretofore had shown little aptitude for any comedic talent as opposed to her more worldly attributes.
However, she converted that obstacle into a memorable opportunity
by imbuing her Freya Carlson with a bumbling beauty and endearing essence
that not only held her own with her leading man
but even overshadowed and stole the scene away from her other co-stars, as well.
She looks absolutely GOR-geous in those swingin’ 60s get-ups, throws herself without reservation into the action sequences – even to the point of getting dunked in an outdoor waterway – without besmirching either her beauty or dignity (with no help - and even less credit - from director Phil Karlson in that some of his set-ups are so overtly sexist it’s practically impossible to ignore - unlike this one).
Had she not met her untimely cruel murderous demise, this film might’ve opened up an entirely new avenue for her to explore which would’ve ensured a longetivity to her career well above and beyond merely the sex kitten casting cul-de-sac.
i might be the only person in the world that liked them and the music to them as well the only one i have a soundtrack to is THE SILENCERS on LP sorry frank........
i might be the only person in the world that liked them and the music to them as well the only one i have a soundtrack to is THE SILENCERS on LP sorry frank........
I've got the LP to The Silencers, Murderers Row, and Dean Martin Sings the Songs of The Silencers.
I found it interesting that so many of the villainesses or 'henchwomen,' if you will, were foreign-born. Camilla Sparv, Nancy Kwan, Elke Sommer, Senta Berger, Daliah Lavi. With this in mind, it's too bad Joan Collins wasn't offered a role. I think she would have fit in well. Although perhaps being an Englishwoman wasn't 'foreign enough.'
Oh, and I agree with Eric. Nancy Kovack > Stella Stevens.
This Helm finale kinda outdid itself with the fetching female foursome it spotlighted (as the series itself regained some momentum after the atrocious debacle which preceded it).
Case in attractive point …
As second-string bad girl, she wasn’t given quite as short a screen-time as Nancy Kovack in the first one,
yet she still emanated a casual charm and grounded grace
that stood her in attractive stead.
Then we come to
(nope, wrong show, sorry)
As "that wise wicked gypsy" Lola Medina, her job was to entice Mrs. Helm’s Matthias to engage in a little revenge (remember that one about a woman spurned?) for being dumped by the baddie.
It’s a helluva explosive sequence and one’s sorry Ms. Louise wasn’t able to stick around longer, tho she does make the most of her, um, exposure in a bevy of eye-catching outfits.
Definitely to be continued. Matt Helm will be back –
oh, wait, that tag-line’s already trademarked for EONs…
Okay, This Ain’t the Worst Flick of All Time But –
It’s Definitely on the Top 100 Most Abysmal Ones Ever Made Department:
There’s scarcely even the pretense of anything other than a professional holiday where Dino’s concerned (especially financially, since he was savvy enuff to make himself a partner from the beginning – take that, Sean!)
Aside from a seemingly endless array of the most utterly tasteless visual sex (non) puns imaginable,
the only saving graces are his co-stars, starting with delectable Senta Berger
You’re not really sure which side she’s on as the film, uh, unwraps
but she’s sure as shootin’ not to be ignored.
And she DOES fill out those mini-skirts with panache, oui?
Alas, this character isn’t smitten by her charms (obvious or otherwise).
Which, in our next installment, brings us to the singular saving grace of the entire ignoble enterprise …
Well, aside from the always-picturesque (and sadly under-utilized throughout the series) Beverly Adams
was just about the singular saving grace
in this embarrassment-beyond-embarrassment .
Still, to her considerable credit, Ms. Rule brought a delightfully droll “You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!” demeanor to these pallid proceedings.
One comment she made during an interview she did when the film was released said something along the lines ala “if you can hold your own and stand out in a Matt Helm film opposite Dean Martin, you’re not doing too badly”.
She did far more than that; she was the only true appetizer in a mismash
