Movie for a Sunday afternoon: "Deadlier Than The Male"(1967)

You Tube ^ | 1967 | Ralph Thomas

[ReformationFan]

Today's feature is my pick for the best of the 1960s James Bond spinoffs. While there are better known 007 imitators from the time period(James Coburn's Derek Flint, Dean Martin's Matt Helm and Robert Vaughn's Napoleon Solo), this film is the only one that comes close to the quality of the Bond films of the 1960s and equals many a mid-range entry in the series. The main character himself, Sapper's Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond was an inspiration for Ian Fleming when he wrote the Bond novels so it's not surprising that the 1920s-1930s literary detective and World War I vet would get a mid-1960s makeover as a Korean War vet and charming bachelor/insurance investigator in pursuit of two beautiful "hit-women" working for an unknown criminal mastermind. Richard Johnson was a contender for the role of Bond in "Dr. No" and many Bond veterans appear in supporting roles and the film itself was shot at Bond's home Pinewood Studios. 1960s spy fans, enjoy.

[ReformationFan]

Ping

[Telepathic Intruder]

Women in bikinis holding bayonets, dagger, pistols and machine guns. And a bulls-eye painted right on the you-know-what. Time to surrender.

[packrat35]

It was an attempt to bring back the Bulldog Drummond character, who was a a number of movies in the 30’s and 40’s, by blending with the then current James Bond spy movie craze.

Personally I like the movie, which was followed by Some Girls Do which ended the attempt to bring back Bulldog Drummond.

It featured Elke Sommer & Sylva Koscina, two Eurobabes that many in the US have forgotten, but not me.

[ReformationFan]

“Personally I like the movie, which was followed by Some Girls Do which ended the attempt to bring back Bulldog Drummond.”

With good reason. “Some Girls Do” was a ghastly sequel that hyped up the camp quotient into making it seem like Austin Powers on steroids. Nonetheless, “Deadlier Than The Male” is very good IMHO and a truly enjoyable and worthy competitor to the Bond series. Here’s a good article on the film:

http://doubleosection.blogspot.com/2009/01/movie-review-deadlier-than-male.html

[packrat35]

Some Girls Do did have the delicious Daliah Lavi in it, which makes me watch from time to time.

[packrat35]

Yummy, Sylva and Elke

[RedHeeler]

Miss Elke Sommer- what a gal! The sixties were something else, in many ways.

[ReformationFan]

I’ll grant Miss Lavi was probably the best element about the sequel though why did they dub her voice over? Her talents were used to better effect in “The Silencers”, “Casino Royale”(the wild 1967 spoof version) and “10 Little Indians” IMHO.

Interesting that one of the giant chess pieces from DTTM later ended up in Scaramanga’s funhouse in “The Man With The Golden Gun.”

[ReformationFan]

Indeed. Check out "The Prize" with her and Paul Newman if you ever get the chance.