As a kid, I stayed up late to ogle the babes on display in Matt Helm movies. Chicago affiliate WGN showed these things ad nauseum but, to a 12 year old male hot for the female form, Matt Helm movies were perfect vehicles for pre-adolescent horn dogs with nothing better to do...
Deliriously sexist, these movies aren't too far off the tongue dangling antics of Benny Hill...as an adult, they're, well, benign (if not a tad insulting) but there's no denying the staying power of Ann-Margret's baby doll nightie...or Sharon Tate's for that matter...
Anyhoo, I picked up the MATT HELM LOUNGE disc set for a mere 25 or so bucks through Deep Discount DVD and while slogging through the movies, I was surprised at the caliber of some of the behind the scenes folks, i.e. composers used for all the films included Elmer Bernstein, Lalo Schifrin and Hugo Montenegro.
Bruce Lee was "karate advisor" on THE WREAKING CREW, with Deano doing some fairly impressive moves...
One supposes the Matt Helm films will always stay - oddly - in vogue... :wacko:
someone once said that to see these movies is like having a drink with Dean Martin.
| QUOTE (Jonathan Barnett @ Nov 8 2006, 11:16 PM) |
| someone once said that to see these movies is like having a drink with Dean Martin. |
Just one??? :blink:
That's actually a good analogy - cinematic mish mash of a drunken mind...
Note Matt Helm's dreams in these films (and every one has basically the same dream sequence) - Helm is sleeping while surrounded by babes galore and, in his dreams, he's dreaming about being surrounded by...babes galore! Why not just stay awake? It isn't as if he can't get these women - they're all there while he sleeps!
But, in dreams, there's safety. Maybe Helm can't "perform" when awake... <_<
Which brings up another point - Helm's prowess as a lover. All of the women in all the Matt Helm films throw themselves at him. His response - to roll his eyes in aggravation. Yet he does comply...begrudgingly...
How could he be so jaded or bored especially when Sharon Tate does her little dance...?
Perhaps Matt was, secretly, "the spy that dare not speak his name"?
he did make a western with rock hudson..............................