The Silencers (1966)

Retired agent Matt Helm is re-activated in order to stop an evil organization from exploding an atom bomb over the USA and starting WWIII.

Director:

Phil Karlson

Writers:

Donald Hamilton (novels), Oscar Saul (screenplay)

Stars:

Dean Martin, Stella Stevens, Daliah Lavi

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dean Martin	...	Matt Helm
Stella Stevens	...	Gail Hendricks
Daliah Lavi	...	Tina
Victor Buono	...	Tung-Tze
Arthur O'Connell	...	Joe Wigman
Robert Webber	...	Sam Gunther
James Gregory	...	MacDonald
Nancy Kovack	...	Barbara
Roger C. Carmel	...	Andreyev
Cyd Charisse	...	Sarita
Beverly Adams	...	Lovey Kravezit
Richard Devon	...	Domino
David Bond	...	Dr. Naldi
John Reach	...	Traynor (scenes deleted)
Robert Phillips	...	1st Armed Man

Storyline

In this, the first Matt Helm movie, we see Matt Helm coaxed out of semi-retirement by an attractive ex-partner. It seems that the evil Big O organization has a nefarious plan called "Operation: Fallout." If this plan comes to fruition, Big O will explode an atomic bomb over Alamogordo, NM, and start WWIII. Only Matt Helm can stop them.

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Plot Keywords:

1960s | murderess | woman murders a man | woman murders a woman | shooting a woman | 

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Taglines:

Follow Matt Helm secret agent from bedroom to bedlam with guns, girls and dynamite!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Music | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Matt Helm movies were an American 1960's spoof of James Bond. This movie had a cast member called David Bond who played a Dr. No (1962) like name sounding character called Dr. Naldi.

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Goofs

A camera is visible through the rear window of Matt Helm's station wagon during the car chase scene.

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Quotes

[after Gail had splashed water on Matt, she then spills a drink on him after falling over when he's lighting her cigarette]
Gail Hendrix: Oh, I'm terribly sorry.
Matt Helm: Yeah, I know you are.

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Crazy Credits

Woven (almost literally) through the opening credits are three cleverly staged striptease dances by Mary Jane Mangler (brunette in blue), Larri Thomas (blond in white), and 'guest star' Cyd Charisse in red (who also performs the title number, voice dubbed by Vikki Carr). Charisse emerges roughly 40 minutes later in the film as an actual character - nightclub dancer Sarita.

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Connections

Referenced in The Sopranos: The Knight in White Satin Armor (2000)

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Soundtracks

Anniversary Song
Music by Iosif Ivanovici, arranged by Saul Chaplin, lyrics by Al Jolson and Saul Chaplin
Parody lyrics by Herbert Baker
Sung by Dean Martin

User Reviews

For guns, girls and mayhem, this movie will not disappoint.

The first in the Matt helm series; some say the best of all the James Bond spoofs. Violence and humor are equally mixed, as they are in the Bond pictures. *The Silencers* probably has the most alluring collection of femmes fatales as Hollywood has ever assembled. Klutzy (or is she really?) Stella Stevens, brunette Dahlia Lavi, blond Nancy Kovack, and dancer Cyd Charisse all have important roles. It is not giving away too much to say that of these four women, two are good, two are bad, and three of them suffer the fate of getting shot to death at surprising moments.

A bit of trivia: Beverly Adams, Helm's curvaceous secretary, married Yvres St. Laurent. And deadly Nancy Kovack married conductor Zubin Mehta, the lucky devil. Kovack, clad in only her high heeled shoes and one of Martin's white shirts, tries to seduce him into coming back to work for ICE, his old outfit. It is perhaps the most erotic three minute scene in any spy movie.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 March 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Silencers

Filming Locations:

New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Meadway-Claude Productions Company (I) (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1