THE SILENCERS (1966) – Elmer Bernstein

The Silencers (1966) is a quintessential 1960’s spy spoof, directed by Phil Karlson. It is the first (and best) of four colourful Matt Helm features, with debonair ‘Rat Pack’ member Dean Martin cleverly cast as author Donald Hamilton’s womanising smoothie, the Man from ICE (Intelligence Counter Espioage). The attitudes may have dated — this is very much of its time — but the women continue to delight, especially Stella Stevens (Gail) as a divine klutz. Also making an impact are former Miss Israel Daliah Lavi (Tina aka ‘Cowboy’) and one-time MGM siren Cyd Charisse, whose title song is a highlight. Helm is coaxed out of semi-retirement by an attractive ex-partner. It seems that the evil Big ‘O’ organization has a nefarious plan called “Operation: Fallout.” If this plan comes to fruition, Big ‘O’ will explode an atomic bomb over Alamagordo, NM, and start WWIII. Only Matt Helm can stop them. Trivia The name “Tung-Tze” means “to rule” in Chinese. Although one of the greatest female dancers in the history of the movie musical, Cyd Charisse singing in films was almost always dubbed. A young Vikki Carr performed her singing in The Silencers (1966).
Video Rating: 4 / 5

The opening title for Kingdom Hospital. Probably one of my favorite video-clips ever. The song is: Ivy – Worry About You