Dean Martin's last outing as Matt Helm -- a horny, alcoholic photographer who occasionally moonlights as a spy. This was America's jokey answer to the suave and handsome James Bond. Strangely, this one is devoid of the usual `spy movie' trappings that the genre's fans expected: no high-tech gizmos, no futuristic sets, no special effects of rockets or laserbeams. Even the traditional `Matt Helm joke weapon' (backwards-shooting guns, built-in bra cannons) is a big disappointment in this movie. Matt carries black silk handkerchiefs that explode.
Like, wow . . .
Although Dean makes fewer of the trademark corny jokes in this one, the soundtrack occasionally offers Dean singing short, comic versions of classic songs. The fight scenes are embarrassingly bad which is amazing since they were supposedly choreographed by Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris.
The Helm series ran hot and cold as far as the girls it offered male viewers to ogle, and this one offered a slightly over-the-hill Elke Sommer, a fresh-from-"Gilligan's Island" Tina Louise, a China-doll-cute Nancy Kwan -- and a very lovely Sharon Tate as Dean's klutzy-but-gorgeous sidekick.
Male viewers might have dozed off during other parts of the film, but none of them slept through the scene in which Miss Tate shakes her boody for Dean, dressed in a paper-thin, fanny-high minidress! They woke up again at the end of the film, when Sharon wiggles around on a bed wearing high heels and a pink babydoll nightie.
Like, wow . . .
Although Dean makes fewer of the trademark corny jokes in this one, the soundtrack occasionally offers Dean singing short, comic versions of classic songs. The fight scenes are embarrassingly bad which is amazing since they were supposedly choreographed by Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris.
The Helm series ran hot and cold as far as the girls it offered male viewers to ogle, and this one offered a slightly over-the-hill Elke Sommer, a fresh-from-"Gilligan's Island" Tina Louise, a China-doll-cute Nancy Kwan -- and a very lovely Sharon Tate as Dean's klutzy-but-gorgeous sidekick.
Male viewers might have dozed off during other parts of the film, but none of them slept through the scene in which Miss Tate shakes her boody for Dean, dressed in a paper-thin, fanny-high minidress! They woke up again at the end of the film, when Sharon wiggles around on a bed wearing high heels and a pink babydoll nightie.