ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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[Also released as: "Licensed to Kill"]

The long, jokey title warns the viewer that (A) this is a jump-on-the-band-wagon Bond imitator, and (B) it makes no pretense of being serious.

Tom Adams (who looks like George Lazenby's brother) is the secret agent with the obligatory square jaw, cool manner, and magnetic attraction to anything with female hormones. Veronica Hurst is his sexy assistant, Karl Stepanek is the scientist who's anti-gravity device is the focal point of the plot, and the Russians are the villains (surprise!).

As Bond imitators go, this one isn't too bad. The American version has a title theme sung by Sammy Davis, Jr. Also starring Peter Bull, John Huxtable, John Arnatt. Directed by Lindsay Shonteff. It was followed by a sequel: "Where Bullets Fly".
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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]

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Hold your ears and play the trailer for this one on Youtube. It starts out loud.

Watch for a quick scene in which secret agent Tom Adams is in bed with a lovely blond who looks suspiciously like Margaret Nolan — "Dink" from Goldfinger, in the early poolside scene in Miami with Connery. She's also the girl who actually appears on the posters and in the title work, painted gold.

The trailer has a scene in which the blond says, "It's funny, but I met someone like you once, down in Florida. His name was . . . James. James something."

The scene with Margret Nolan is at the 33:30 mark in the movie below. It's a different scene than the one in the thumbnail below.

The Second Best Secret Agent In The Whole Wide World (1965)


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

[Krel]

The movie also has a Mike Connors joke, where he wears his C96 Mauser holstered in the back, and mentions that he got the idea from an American show.

Mike Connors did a show named "Tight Rope". He played an undercover cop who carried a revolver in a holster in the small of his back. People would search him, find one weapon, only to have him produce one when needed. Because of the show, Police had to change how they searched people for weapons. Mike Connors liked it so much, that he carried his weapon the same way in "Mannix".

David.

[Bud Brewster]

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I remember Peter Gunn (Craig Stevens) wearing his holster at the small of his back too, and there was a short scene in the opening credits of him facing the camera with his hands up because somebody behind the camera had the drop on him. He would pretend to turn around slowly as it he'd been told to do so — and then suddenly reach back, draw the gun, spin around and shoot the unseen man!

I couldn't find a YouTube video that showed that opening shot, but I did find this excellent video of the title theme from the original album . . . which I bought at a yard sale years ago.

I remember my high school band playing this at football games. I was the Duane Eddy extended version.

Henry Mancini rocks!
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________________________ Peter Gunn Theme


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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]

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I've still got several 45 rpm records by Duane Eddy. I love his music. Here's the version of the Peter Gunn theme he made popular with high school bands in the 1960s.

Ah yes . . . the lost days of my youth.

_________ Peter Gunn - the Duane Eddy version


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

[filmdetective]

Great trailer. The loud volume reminds me of the ear splitting (even on a video) sound of a locomotive horn, the engineers having to wear ear plugs on the job.

Sammy Davis song was good, as were the songs he sung in Johnny Cool.

Superlatives and their qualifications and variations are often arguable.

The first superlative is: Second To None, and the second is Second Only To.

In North Carolina, the Fort Fisher Hermit was, allegedly, Second only to the Battleship North Carolina as that state's Biggest Tourist Attraction.

And, in South Carolina, the Sunset Lodge Bawdy House on US Hwy 17, outside of Georgetown, was allegedly Second Only To Fort Sumter, as the most widely known landmark in that state.