Merry Christmas From The Hannibal 8!

Here’s Jack Webb, Boys Republic’s Wreath Chairperson of 1969, to wish you all a merry Christmas — all those other holidays, too.

Memphis ’69 (2019).

For a limited time, you can watch Joe LaMattina’s terrific concert film Memphis ’69 (2019) for free on YouTube — thanks to the fine folks at Fat Possum Records. Click on the poster to see it.

The footage was originally shot by Adelphi Records founder Gene Rosenthal and crew, shooting as the heat reached 106 degrees. With over 40,000 feet of film, the entire budget was used up just to process all the film. Fat Possum’s Bruce Watson came on board in 2016, bringing with him filmmakers Joe and Lisa LaMattina. The LaMattinas edited the footage, crafting it into the finished film. 

52 Years Ago Today.

My favorite movie opened in LA on this day in 1969 — in spectacular 70mm!

They say 70mm prints of Where Eagles Dare (1969) were in stereo, while 35mm prints were mono. Not sure if that’s true. However, one thing is certain — the stereo sound on the laserdisc (which includes the intermission) is much better than the Blu-Ray. The Blu-Ray looks wonderful, thankfully.

Blu-Ray News #330: The Matt Helm Movies (1966-69).

Dean’s Martin’s Matt Helm series of James Bond spoofs, based on Donald Hamilton’s hard-boiled spy novels, is coming to Blu-Ray in the UK, thanks to Mediumrare Entertainment. The set’s called The Matt Helm Lounge, the same name Columbia called the set they released on DVD in the US.

In 1966, it seems that the only way to compete with the James Bond juggernaut was to spoof it, as these films, the Derek Flint pictures and countless one-offs show. The lone exception might be the Harry Palmer films, starting with The Ipcress File (1965). 

The Helms bear almost no resemblance to the novels, aside from Helm’s name the the book titles. (Actually, The Silencers borrows a couple things from Hamilton’s Death Of A Citizen.) Love ’em or hate ’em, the Matt Helm films are exactly what you’d expect from James Bond spoofs starring Dean Martin. While the Helm pictures were meant to make fun of the James Bond films (and cash in on the spy craze), the Bond pictures themselves would eventually adopt the tone of spoofs like these. 

The Silencers (1966)
Directed by Phil Karlson
Starring Dean Martin, Stella Stevens, Daliah Lavi, Victor Buono, Arthur O’Connell, Robert Webber, James Gregory, Nancy Kovack, Beverly Adams

Opening around the same time as Martin’s TV show, The Silencers was a huge hit. Believe it or not, at one point it was going to be a serious film, with a screenplay by Oscar Saul. It was director Phil Karlson’s idea to go for the tongue-in-cheek approach, and Saul’s script was rewritten by Herbert Baker, who was writing for The Dean Martin Show. Baker does not get credit. By the way, Baker wrote the incredible The Girl Can’t Help It (1956).

Dean Martin, Nancy Kovack and Phil Karlson.

Stella Stevens is terrific as Gail Hendricks, a bumbling agent Matt gets stuck with. She shows a real flair for comedy. It’s a shame Ms. Stevens was never recognized as the talent she was.

Dean/Matt has a tricked-out station wagon, complete with a bed and a bar, and a pistol that shoots backwards. The picture was shot by the great Burnett Guffey, a year before he’d head to Texas to shoot Bonnie And Clyde (1967). Elmer Bernstein provides a great score, that somehow mixes a little Rat Pack swing with the appropriate secret agent feel.

Murderers’ Row (1966)
Directed by Henry Levin
Starring Dean Martin, Ann-Margret, Karl Malden, Camilla Sparv, James Gregory, Beverly Adams

Oscar Saul wrote a draft or two for this one, too, and Herbert Baker rewrote that. The credits are the reverse of the last one; this time, Saul is not credited.

Murderers’ Row was supposed to be shot on location, but Dean Martin refused to go to Europe, and being that he was a co-producer, he got his way. Ann-Margret is a real firecracker, as always, and Karl Malden looks like he’s having fun. James Gregory and Beverly Adams are back from ICE HQ. The gadgets this time include a cigarette that launches a tiny missile, something that would turn up in the next Bond film, You Only Live Twice (1967).

The score this time comes from Lalo Schifrin, and it’s a good one. The group Dino, Desi & Billy (Dino is Dean Paul Martin, Dean’s son) appear in a discotheque scene.

The Ambushers (1967)

Directed by Henry Levin
Starring Dean Martin, Senta Berger, Janice Rule, James Gregory, Albert Salmi, Beverly Adams

Every series has a low point, a weak link, and in the Matt Helm movies, The Ambushers is it. Again written by Herbert Baker, it doesn’t have quite the sense of fun of the previous two. Doesn’t have much of a plot, either. As Roger Ebert put it in his review back in ’67, “Dean plays Matt Helm again, and goes to Acapulco, and drives up and down scenic highways with ravishing beauties, and occasionally gets shot at.” There’s a UFO, by the way.

This time, Hugo Montenegro composed the score. There was no soundtrack album, unfortunately. The music’s the best thing in the movie.

The Wrecking Crew (1969)
Directed by Phil Karlson
Starring Dean Martin, Elke Sommer, Sharon Tate, Nancy Kwan, Nigel Green, Tina Louise

Getting Phil Karlson back as director was a good idea, as The Wrecking Crew is easily the best in the series, except for maybe The Silencers. A new writer was brought in, William P. McGivern, who wrote the stories that became The Big Heat (1953) and Shield For Murder (1954) and the script for William Castle’s I Saw What You Did (1965). He also wrote a couple of episodes of Adam-12.

There’s some other interesting casting. James Gregory is replaced as MacDonald by John Larch. Bruce Lee provided choreography for the martial arts scenes. And Chuck Norris appears as a henchman in a scene or two.

Bruce Lee trains Nancy Kwan and Sharon Tate train for thier fight scene.

The film’s claim to fame today is that it the last Sharon Tate released in her lifetime. She was murdered by the Manson family in August of 1969. She’s very good here as an incompetent aide to Helm similar to Stella Stevens in the first one. There were plans to make a fifth Matt Helm picture, The Ravagers, with Tate back as Miss Carlson. Some say The Ravagers was cancelled due to lackluster grosses for The Wrecking Crew, but after Sharon’s murder, Dean Martin pulled the plug on it.

I remember sitting in the back seat of the family Chevrolet and seeing this trailer for The Wrecking Crew at The Hi-Way Drive-In in Thomasville, Georgia. I was five. Funny, but I don’t remember what movie we saw, just this trailer.

Bright and breezy with great modern architecture and furniture, these films will look terrific in high definition when they arrive in April. They were originally 1.85. Not sure what the set’s region status will be, but it comes highly recommended anyway.

Adam-12 And Ahna Capri.

Saw the first-season Adam-12 episode “Log 172: Boy…The Things You Do For The Job” for the 743rd time the other day. It’s one of my favorites. Ahna Capri plays Penelope Lang, a free-spirit rich girl pulled over by Reed (Kent McCord) and Malloy (Martin Milner). 

Miss Lang takes a real shine to Pete, but he’s not amused. She keeps calling the cops for one thing or another, hoping Malloy and Reed will be dispatched to help. She turns up at the station. She even sends him a 1969 Porsche 911S with a Targa top. But Pete’s just not interested, and he does the slow burn throughout the episode. Eventually, in order to get all this to stop, Malloy gives in and sets up a date with her. The episode ends and we never know how it went. 

 

Ahna Capri was great, one of those actresses you get excited about when they turn up in the credits. On TV, she was on about every cool show of the 60s and 70s — shows like The Wild Wild West, Mannix, The Mod Squad, The Invaders, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (above), Dan August, The F.B.I., Baretta, Ironside, Cannon, Police Story and Kojak.

She did some cool movies, too — The Girls On The Beach (1965), Darker Than Amber (1970, above), Payday (1973) and The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars And Motor Kings (1976). But the one she’ll always be remembered for is Enter The Dragon (1973) with Bruce Lee and John Saxon.

 

Ahna passed away on August 9, 2010. A truck hit her car in North Hollywood. She was on life support, in a coma, for more than a week before she died. What a shame.

She’s lovely, she’s funny and she’s a joy to watch. Keep an eye out for her.

Happy Birthday, Richard Burton.

RIP, Diana Rigg.

Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg DBE
(July 20, 1938 – September 10, 2020)

Diana Rigg has passed away at 82. She was a great actress, doing fabulous work on stage, on TV and on film.

What always impressed me about her was that she went after good work — from Shakespeare to The Avengers to a James Bond movie to Theatre Of Blood (1973) — nothing seemed to be beneath her if she found it interesting. And she was always terrific.

Here she is with George Lazenby working on On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). Note the banner for Corgi toys, the company that made those great die-cast James Bond toys.

Merry Christmas.

It’s easy to forget that the James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) is a Christmas movie. But here’s James Bond (George Lazenby) hanging around the Christmas tree with Blofeld’s brainwashed “Angels Of Death.”

Here’s wishing you all the joys of the season — and that you get that 1969 Aston Martin DBS you asked for.

Blu-Ray News #268: Some Girls Do (1969).

Directed by Ralph Thomas
Starring Richard Johnson, Daliah Lavi, Beba Loncar, Robert Morley

Network Releasing in the UK has announced their upcoming (February) Blu-Ray release of Some Girls Do (1969). The second picture with Richard Johnson as a revamped Bulldog Drummond, coming after Deadlier Than The Male (1967), Some Girls Do is a fun, lively 60s spy movie.

Some of the film was shot at Pinewood Studios at the same time as On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) — Joanna Lumley and Virginia North appear in both. And by the way, Terence Young wanted Richard Johnson to play James Bond when he directed Dr. No (1962).

RIP, Peter Fonda.

Peter Fonda
(February 23, 1940 – August 16, 2019)

Peter Fonda passed away the other day, and as you’d expect, it’s all about Easy Rider (1969), with an occasional nod to Ulee’s Gold (1997).

But there were so really good movies along the way: The Wild Angels (1966), The Trip (1967), The Hired Hand (1971), Dirty Marry, Crazy Larry (1974), Race With The Devil (1975), Outlaw Blues (1977) and The Limey (1999).

Guess it’s about time for Race With The Devil again.