Agent for H.A.R.M.

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Agent for H.A.R.M.
Agent for H.A.R.M..jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Gerd Oswald
Written byBlair Robertson
Produced byJoseph F. Robertson
Starring Mark Richman
Carl Esmond
Wendell Corey
Barbara Bouchet
Rafael Campos
Cinematography James Crabe
Music byGene Kauer
Douglas M. Lackey
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date
  • January 5, 1966 (1966-01-05)
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Agent for H.A.R.M. is a 1966 American science fiction spy thriller directed by Gerd Oswald and starring Mark Richman, one of a number of spy thrillers of the era having conspicuous sci-fi elements; in this case, a fictional spore turns human flesh into a fungus on contact.

Contents

The film was intended to be the television pilot for a new spy series. However, it was later decided that it should be given a theatrical release instead. It was released as a double feature with Wild Wild Winter .

Plot

Adam Chance (Peter Mark Richman) works for an American agency called Human Aetiological Relations Machine, or H.A.R.M. He is assigned to protect Dr. Jan Steffanic (Carl Esmond), a recent Soviet defector who has developed a new weapon which fires spores that upon contact with human skin slowly dissolves it.

Following his arrival in the U.S., Dr. Steffanic is taken into protective custody by H.A.R.M. and is placed in a beach house along with his niece Ava Vestok (Barbara Bouchet), with Agent Chance overseeing the development a spore antidote. Here Dr. Steffanic reveals the communists' real plan, which is to dust all American crops with these deadly spores. During their time at the beach house, Chance falls for Steffanic's niece, who is later revealed to be a communist spy. After the flat is attacked, Dr. Steffanic is kidnapped by European spies and taken to a warehouse. Chance infiltrates this location; in the ensuing gun fight, Steffanic exposes himself to the deadly spores in a valiant sacrifice and dies. Afterwards, Chance reappears at the beach house and arrests Ava.

Cast

Music

On The Damned's 1980 LP The Black Album , Adam Chance is mentioned alongside Zorro and Corporal Clott in the song "The History of the World, Part 1", which was also released as a single.

In 2009, the punk rock band The Riverdales released a song titled "Agent for H.A.R.M." about the film.

Reception

Howard Thompson of The New York Times called it an "anemic James Bond imitation." [1]

Trivia

The film was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000 in episode #815. This was Patrick Brantseg's first episode as Gypsy due to Jim Mallon's focus on directing.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Thompson, Howard (January 6, 1966). "Screen: Pale Bond Copy:'Agent From H.A.R.M.' Tops a Double Bill". The New York Times . p. 20.
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