The Doll Squad (1973)

Squad of beautiful government agents tries to catch saboteurs.

Director:

Ted V. Mikels

Writers:

Jack Richesin (screenplay written by), Pam Eddy (screenplay written by)

Stars:

Michael Ansara, Francine York, Anthony Eisley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Ansara	...	Eamon O'Reilly
Francine York	...	Sabrina Kincaid
Anthony Eisley	...	Victor Connelly
John Carter	...	Sen. Stockwell
Lisa Todd	...	Maria
Rafael Campos	...	Rafael
Lillian Garrett	...	Nancy Malone
William Bagdad	...	Joseph
Herb Robins	...	Munson (as Herb Robbins)
Curt Matson	...	Capt. Curran
Christopher Augustine	...	(as Chris Augustine)
Bertil Unger	...	Mr. Cahaymen
Gustaf Unger	...	Dr. Cahaymen (as Gustave Unger)
Richard Reed
William Bonano

Storyline

Squad of beautiful government agents tries to catch saboteurs.

---

Plot Keywords:

freudian psychoanalysis | hypnosis | world domination | bloody face | stabbed with sword | 

---

Taglines:

Before 'Charlie's Angels' there was... The Doll Squad. Eat your heart out 'Charlie!'

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Seduce and Destroy

Filming Locations:

Glendale, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Feature-Faire Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sissy Spacek was among those who auditioned for a role as one of the "dolls."

---

Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

---

Alternate Versions

The film was originally shown in two versions, both possibly uncut, with different posters aiming at different markets: The Doll Squad, rated PG, distributed by Geneni Film; and Seduce and Destroy, rated R, by Dinero Productions.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Girls from H.A.R.M.! (2000)

---

Soundtracks

Song for Sabrina
Music by Nicholas Carras
Lyrics by Buddy Kaye and Solomon King
Sung by Solomon King

User Reviews

Those Deadly Dolls of Destruction

MASTER PLAN: blow up rockets, get a microfilm and spread a bubonic plague - whew, the villain is busy in this one. Though a fan of seventies cinema, I've missed seeing this film until now and it really does seem like an earlier version of "Charlie's Angels," beating the TV series to the screen by a few years. But, this is much more violent compared to that safe TV style; in fact, there's also more of that seventies brutality here when comparing this to the James Bond films, the other franchise this movie sort of emulates. Neither side in this film, meaning the good gals and the bad guys, messes around. In an early sequence of scenes, the villain (Ansara) sends some assassins for a preemptive strike against the squad; one assassin shoots a squad member twice in the head at point blank range and still checks to make sure she's dead. Meanwhile, the Dolls deal with the villain's guards by having them swallow pills which literally make them explode. The squad's leader avoids her own assassination in a particularly heated fashion. These babes are brutal, in that cheap thrill sort of way, and terming them as a 'Doll Squad' is actually a bit insulting.

Most of the complaints about this film have to do with it being dull and, yes, there are a few slow spots, but, despite the obviously cheap quality of this Bond-wannabe, it's surprisingly entertaining. Just as in the first Flint film "Our Man Flint," a computer selects the ideal agents for the mission, requested by a senator & intelligence supervisor (Eisley); this also reminded me of the "Mission:Impossible" TV series. There had been other female Bond films, such as "Modesty Blaise;" this one presents a whole team. Most of the plot involves their plans to raid the villain's stronghold where, in the tradition of villains with unlimited funds, he employs his own private army. The last third is the actual attack, and there's much gunplay and karate chopping, not to mention explosions matted in optically (real explosions were probably too expensive, but there's a certain charm to these FX). The squad leader (York) has a personal history with the villain, who delays killing her because of this. York is pretty good in the role, not just a talentless bimbo, while Ansara excelled in these melodramatic larger-than-life roles. This also features a unique film appearance by Satana, who became a cult star in "Faster Pussycat..Kill!Kill!" but appeared in very few movies afterward. The climax even resembled the climactic action of "The Dirty Dozen" - femme fatale style, of course. Heroines:6 Villain:6 Male Fatales:5 Henchmen:5 Fights:5 Stunts/Chases:4 Gadgets:3 Auto:3 Locations:3 Pace:4 overall:4+