I suspect one likes Dean Martin's Matt Helm movies or one hates them. These parodies of the spy genre function much like the Flint movies (more on those later this month), though with more cheese and lots more music. I've long wanted to gather these up for my collection but always found them too expensive or unavailable all together. But now I have them for a fair price and they were delightful in that hammy way only Dean Martin could deliver. There is not one moment in a Matt Helm movie in which one feels the hero is under threat. But even so, the movies do provide fun rides.
Matt Helm was created by writer Donald Hamilton in 1960, and he continued to write new novels in the series for thirty years. The first was titled Death of a Citizen and it was adapted in the first of the Matt Helm movies from Columbia in 1966.
That debut novel was blended with elements of the Las Vegas night club scene to make 1966's The Silencers, the debut movie. The first one had a big budget of nearly eight million and it's as smarmy as it's possible to be. The films play on the reputation that Martin had of being a drunk, always performing with a drink in his hand. He also, like most spies was supposed to be a dame magnet and with Martin's Helm, that aspect was elevated to absurd proportions. The first movie has a real Las Vegas feel to it, with Martin wandering around various night clubs looking for clues, clues which are usually supplied by some statuesque lady moments before she's killed. He drags around Stella Stevens with him because he thinks she might be in on the plot, though she does prove to be an innocent. She's so innocent that she often wanders off and just as often loses track of her clothes. Victor Buono is the master villain and he's fantastic as usual as the leader of "Big O" (No comment). Cy Charisse is around early as a former partner of Helm's. James Gregory makes the first of three appearances as Helm's boss at I.C.E. (Intelligence and Counter Espionage).
Murderers' Row brings Helm back to the big screen again in late 1966, adapting another novel by Hamilton of that title, a rare one which doesn't have the "The (fill-in-the-blank)"format. Martin uses his clout to give this one a boost when the musical group Dino, Desi, and Billy perform briefly at one point in the film. This time Karl Malden is the big villain and Ann-Margaret has the dizzy dame role who tumbles around with Helm throughout the story. She seems a bit too young for Martin in this one to be frank. The night club aroma is abandoned for a more youthful approach. Big O is using the threat of death ray to blackmail Washington D.C. Of course, Matt saves the day.
The Ambushers has a great poster but it's a bit of a bizarre movie. This 1967 film saw the money drying up and it shows as much of this movie takes place on remote and presumably cheaper locations. This is the first movie not to showcase Helm's round bed that slips him into his pool-sized bath. Janice Rule is an agent and astronaut who has suffered a great trauma. She travels with Helm as they look for a stolen spacecraft, one which can only be operated by women. This film feels more like a regular movie, the glam having flaked off due to budgetary concerns.
A fifth movie titled The Ravagers was apparently planned with Tate scheduled to return, but Martin was done. The first three movies advertise "The Slaygirls", the models Helm uses for his calendar work. They playmates and models from across the globe who have obvious assets which make these movies of their time for certain. These Matt Helm movies are delightful and dumb. They feed off the spy craze and at the same time point out the absurdities which came with the genre. Glad I finally got to see them all in wacky original order.
Rip Off
I liked Matt Helm movies more when I was an uncritical youngster than I do now. The Flint movies may have been tongue-in-cheek, but they played it as straight as they could, given the material, and the cast were doing their best. Dean Martin comes across as just lazy, giving it minimum delivery - he might as well have turned to the camera and winked every time he slipped out yet another groanable line. Sure, the gals are gorgeous, but they're barely set dressing - Casino Royale, messy as it was, showed how to do a spy spoof properly. This lot are barely trying.
ReplyDeleteYour criticism of Martin is valid. Lazy is a good way to describe his delivery. He knows he's in a movie, but then the movie never forgets it's a movie.
DeleteI first saw them on TV in the very early '70s, and when I saw them again a few years later, I had the impression that at least a couple were made-for-TV movies as one of them (if I recall correctly) had something like a 'next time...' trailer at the end. My overriding impression of Matt Helm though, is Daliah Lavi. Wotta goddess.
ReplyDeleteAll of them were theater releases. They were bold enough to advertise the next possible movie, and that bit them when Martin decided to step away.
DeleteI think the diminishing budgets must've added to my 'TV movie' impression with the last couple. I do remember that Martin's stunt double for the fight scenes was extremely obvious. I thought they were fun though.
DeleteI'm not familiar with the Matt Helm films at all but I was in my local supermarket about a year ago and they played the song "That's Amore" by Dean Martin.
ReplyDeleteThe Dean Martin show was regular viewing in my home growing up. Those songs are in my DNA.
DeleteAlways remember these as a kid, mostly The Silencers. That one actually seemed to try to be a bit more serious, which isn't saying much, lol. Mostly I remember the luscious Stella Stevens in her bra and panties. Some reviewer described it best as I recall: "Dean Martin playing a secret agent as Dean Martin".
ReplyDeleteThat last line says it all. The fourth wall was barely erected in these movies.
DeleteAn all star line-up of sixties babes is reason enough to view these.
ReplyDeleteWell said.
DeleteThere is a bit of cool trivia about THE WRECKING CREW that needs mentioning. There is a little bit of martial arts action in it, and it was choreographed by Bruce Lee, who brought in some of his buddies to make it look authentic. One of these guys is Chuck Norris, who gets to knock out Martin in one scene.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was Martin getting to knock the might Norris. I did mention this stuff, but admittedly nearly in the last sentence. But thanks anyway.
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