Seems corny and passe even for 1966

Whats even sadder...........its as if the producers realized they couldn't compete with JB as a drama/action movie, so they went for comedy + 10 or so deano tunes.

All in all for 45 years ago, not bad.......but then JB spoiled us......those of us buying tickets from 1960 on.

This was on TCM last night and my impression was that it's kind of culturally tied to the pre-boomer or very early boomers.

The music is old school, with big bands, modern but very traditional dancing, very much tied to the traditional club show. There's no rock and roll or feeling of the baby boom generation that you'd see in years later.

It seems to be very much a statement of the transition generation between pre-WWII and baby boomers.

The series was a spoof aimed at middle aged men who fantasized being like Dean Martin whereas Austin Powers was a spoof aimed at the youth market.







Absurdity: A Statement or belief inconsistent with my opinion.

Well, yeah, whatever you say about Bond's flourishes of silliness & frivolity, THIS is what it'd have looked like had they really missed the mark.



"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

No offense intended, but you're comparing apples and oranges... Each of which are wonderful in their own way.

Bond movies were originally made to be taken somewhat seriously, well -as seriously as a secret agent that everyone seems to know of can be taken, and then over time began to parody themselves to a certain extent while trying to hang onto some edge and keep providing crazy stunts, unusual situations, gorgeous locations and some of the most beautiful women in the world.

The Matt Helm movies ala Dino were intended to be parodies of the secret agent from the very start with numerous breaks of the fourth wall, inside Dean Martin/Ratpack jokes and Dino drinking jokes, even crazier gadgets, totally unbelievable special effects(the "lasers" in Silencers), the hottest chicks they could find in Hollywood that would work in a "B-ish" movie, and an endless series of Dean Martin's smart ass tossed one liners, etc. They are unmistakably celebrity vehicles, he didn't play Matt Helm so much as play Dino playing Matt Helm -that's what made them fun. They were parodies of the act that Dean Martin put on as he played his public character of "Dino" through most of his career. Say what you like, but Dean personified "COOL" for his day, you know, the era where songs one could follow the lyrics to without multiple attempts at decoding were popular...

If you have not experienced the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, the Martin & Lewis Movies, etc. then you need to in order to fully appreciate the Matt Helm movies.

The Flint movies were yet another type of fruit to be sampled and cherished in their own way.

I was eight years old in 1966 and knew it was a spoof.

Look at the TV shows of that era: Bewitched, Jeannie, Get Smart, Lost in Space, Munsters, Hogan's Heroes et al.