Agent 8 3/4 (1964) Hot Enough for June (original title)

Director:

Ralph Thomas

Writers:

Lukas Heller (screenplay)
Lionel Davidson (novel)

Release Date:

18 September 1964 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The Funniest Agent of the Year!

Plot:

Unemployed Czech-speaking writer Nicholas Whistler thinks he's got a job visiting Prague for a bit of industrial espionage...

Plot Keywords:

British Intelligence | Writer | Beautiful Woman | Hiding In A Bathroom | Spying

Cast

Dirk Bogarde	...	Nicholas Whistler
Sylva Koscina	...	Vlasta Simoneva
Robert Morley	...	Colonel Cunliffe
Leo McKern	...	Simoneva
Roger Delgado	...	Josef
Derek Fowlds	...	Sun Bathing Man
Amanda Grinling	...	Cunliffe's secretary
Noel Harrison	...	Johnnie
Philo Hauser	...	Vlcek
John Junkin	...	Clerk in Opening Scene
Gertan Klauber	...	Technician in Czech Glass Factory
John Le Mesurier	...	Roger Allsop
Jill Melford	...	Lorna
Derek Nimmo	...	Fred
Richard Pasco	...	Plakov
Eric Pohlmann	...	Galushka
Alan Tilvern	...	Simenova's assistant
Richard Vernon	...	Roddinghead
Brook Williams	...	Leon
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Norman Bird	...	Employment Exchange Clerk (uncredited)
Andre Charisse	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Frank Finlay	...	British Embassy Porter (uncredited)
Sandra Hampton	...	Russian Dancer (uncredited)
Harriet Medin	...	Hotel Receptionist (uncredited)
Igo Meggido	...	Russian Dancer (uncredited)
William Mervyn	...	Passenger on Plane (uncredited)
Tiberio Mitri	...	The Milkman (uncredited)
George Pravda	...	Pravelko (uncredited)
John Standing	...	Men's Room Attendant (uncredited)

Directed by
Ralph Thomas

Writing credits
Lukas Heller		(screenplay)
Lionel Davidson		(novel "Night of Wenceslas")

Produced by
Betty E. Box	....	producer
Earl St. John	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Angelo Francesco Lavagnino		(as Angelo Lavagnino)

Cinematography by
Ernest Steward		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Alfred Roome

Art Direction by
Syd Cain

Makeup Department
W.T. Partleton	....	makeup artist
Stella Rivers	....	hairdressing

Production Management
William Hill	....	production manager (as Bill Hill)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Giorgio Gentili	....	assistant director
Simon Relph	....	assistant director

Art Department
Arthur Taksen	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Bill Daniels	....	sound recordist
John W. Mitchell	....	sound recordist
Don Sharpe	....	sound editor
Charlie McFadden	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Otto Snel	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
James Bawden	....	camera operator
George Courtney Ward	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Yvonne Caffin	....	costume supervisor

Music Department
Muir Mathieson	....	conductor

Other crew
Gladys Goldsmith	....	continuity
Giorgio Zambon	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Rank Organisation, The (presents) (as The Rank Organisation)

Distributors

• Continental Distributing (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1967) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• 20th Century Fox (1964) (Canada) (theatrical)
• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1964) (UK) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

"Hot Enough for June" - UK (original title)
"Agent 008 3/4" - USA (promotional title)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | Australia:G (TV rating) | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | UK:PG (tv rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (2009) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12

Filming Locations:

Padua, Veneto, Italy

Company:

Rank Organisation, The

Trivia:

One of five spy films that director Ralph Thomas made in just over a decade, the others being The 39 Steps (1959) and three consecutive back-to-back-to back spy movies made during the late 1960s, Deadlier Than the Male (1967), The High Commissioner (1968) and Some Girls Do (1969).

'The 39 Steps Revisited'

Released in the wake of 'From Russia With Love', 'Hot Enough For June' was one of the earliest 007 spoofs. 007 is referred to ( reportedly killed in action! ) in the opening scene. Nicholas Whistler ( Dirk Bogarde ) is dragged out of the dole queue, and sent to Prague by what believes to be a glass-manufacturing company. In actual fact, he is being used as an unwitting secret agent by M15, to recover a stolen Communist formula. Once Whistler realises the awful truth, the film turns into 'The 39 Steps' revisited! Bogarde plays Whistler much like Dr.Simon Sparrow, the best performances come from the irreplaceable Robert Morley as the delightfully droll Colonel Cunliffe, and gruff Leo McKern as his Russian opposite number. Sylva Koscina provides glamour as McKern's daughter, with whom Whistler falls in love. Ralph Thomas expertly mixes the comedy and suspense, the audience is cheering Whistler on as he makes a desperate attempt to enter the British Embassy in Prague at the climax. Good fun.