ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

James Coburn is Derek Flint, America's answer to that Limy wimp, James Bond. Anything Bond can do, Flint can do better in this highly imaginative spoof of the 1960s spy craze.





Flint has four live-in lovelies in his hi-tech, high-rise apartment.











He wears a wrist watch that also serves as a spectroscopic analyser, and he carries a cigarette lighter with 82 built-in functions (including blow-torch and gun). Natually Flint invented both gizmos himself (unlike Bond, who was given all his equipment).





Before leaving on a mission to save the world, Flint suspends himself between two chairs, supported only at head and heels, and "relaxes" by stopping his heart!





The villians are three kindly scientist who want to control the world for its own good, using science to provide the maximum possible drug-induced pleasure to the world's populace. The scientists hope to cow the governments of every nation into submission by controlling the world's weather and threatening a series of natural disasters. The best secret agents of America and England fail to stop them, so Flint agrees to help (he's a free agent, employed by no one).





The action-packed climax takes palce on the scientists' island paradise (inside a fake volcano!) where Flint is attacked by an eagle trained to attack Americans (!).











He karate fights his way through a legion of soldiers and rescues his kidnapped harem of girlfriends, along with the shapely Gila Golan ("Valley of Gwangi").







Good special effects, a fine cast, and wonderful music by Jerry Goldsmith. Directed with great style by Daniel Mann.



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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Robert (Butch) Day]

Notice the ship in the air. It's was modified in to the Spindrift of Land Of The Giants (ABC 1968 - 1970)!
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Common Sense ISN'T Common

[orzel-w]

That's a monorail car, right?
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...or not...

WayneO
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[Brent Gair]

Not only was the Spindrift from LAND OF THE GIANTS used but note this:

[Bud Brewster]

[scotpens]

[Pow]

I'm fascinated with movie sets, be they exterior or interior.

Peking City from 55 Days At Peking, Roman Forum from Fall Of The Roman Empire, Shangri-La from Lost Horizon, & so forth. They are all marvels of size & architecture to behold.

So thanks for the pix of some of the incredible sets from Flint. Never a fan of the film except to appreciate the sets . . . & beautiful women, of course.

[Bud Brewster]

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IMDB has 18 trivia items for this enjoyable movie. Here's the best of the bunch!
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When Flint 'relaxes' (suspending his body supported only by 2 chairs: one under his head, & one under his heels — the rest, with no support), it was not a special effects shot. James Coburn was able to do so, and it was incorporated into the script.

Note from me: Gee, all these years I've assumed he was laying on a board.

The safe door locking bars, which Flint easily melts, were cast from "Woods metal", an alloy whose melting point is only about 200 degrees F, so low it can be melted in boiling water.

Note from me: So THAT'S why I've been able to find a cigarette lighter that had a built-in blow torch! Darn . . .

Raquel Welch was originally considered for the role Gila Golan plays in the film.

Note from me: As lovely as Raquel is, I'm glad they cast Gila instead.

On the official studio soundtrack album, the song 'Galaxy a Go-Go' was written by a young Randy Newman, who is in fact the nephew of Lionel Newman, the head of 20th Century-Fox's Music Department at that time.

_______________________ Galaxy A Go-Go


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________ Galaxy A Go-Go clip from Our Man Flint


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~ (Two separate items shown below.)

TV super sub Seaview modified for entering Galaxy Island complex.

TV sub seaview dressed up for movie.

Note from me: These claims are, I'm sure, entirely bogus.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Eadie]

Production illustrator Fred Harpman's Galaxy lab concept:


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Art Should Comfort the Disturbed and Disturb the Comfortable.

[Gord Green]

I loved these movies back in the day!

I always thought of Derek Flint as a present day super cool version of Doc Savage.
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Krel]

This movie used practically every SF set, set piece and prop on the Fox Studio lot.

Z.O.W.I.E command is the C.M.D.F. set from "Fantastic Voyage". The Z.O.W.I.E. set uses the girders from the Batcave's atomic reactor turned upside down. The girders are also used on a Galaxy Island set.

The Galaxy sub, sub control room and dock are a redressed Seaview miniature, control room set, deck set and the Seaview dock.

The Electro Fragmentizer is made of set pieces from the Irwin Allen shows, with the Seaview's reactor perched on top.

It is possible that some of these set pieces were made for the movie, an IA later used them in his shows. In at least on first season VTTBOTS episode, you can see a forklift with the Galaxy emblem on the Seaview dock.

The "Fantastic Voyage" Miniaturizer hex panels are used as set dressing on Galaxy Island.

The all-purpose, tall, black cone-shaped device with the gold prongs on top, from "Lost in Space" is seen by the giant drill.

I'm sure that there is more, but that's all I can remember. It's been a few years since I watched the movie.

David.

[Bud Brewster]

[Bud Brewster]

[Bud Brewster]

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20th Century Fox made a huge mistake when the didn't produce several worthy sequels to this fresh new take on the overly-serious spy craze.

The Bond films started out semi-serious with Dr. No, then it got even more serious with From Russia With Love, and then nailed it Goldfinger.

Our Man Flint boldly explored the genre's truly outrageous nature by dialing up ever aspect of the Bond character to the Nth degree!

For example, Flint didn't just seduce the women he casually met — he kept five beloved and adoring beauties in his home, all of which were happy to serve his every need . . . right down to providing a hot shaves!

When Flint went out for an evening on the town, he took all five with him.





And Flint wasn't just knowledgeable on many subjects, he was an expert on everything. He even wrote books on some of them!

Finally, Flint didn't need some grouchy old genius at MI6 to hand him hi-tech gizmos he could use to compete his missions. He just invented the damn things himself!





All in all, Derek Flint was the true culmination of the 1960s spy craze. He was a Fan Boy's ultimate dream come true . . . and he was portrayed brilliantly by James Coburn.

So, why was the second movie such a disappointing seque — and why did Fox simply drop the franchise afterwards.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]