Hammerhead (film)

Last updated

Hammerhead
Hammerhead (1968 movie poster).jpg
Original film poster
Directed by David Miller
Written by John Briley (adaptation)
Herbert Baker
William Bast (screenplay)
Based on Hammerhead
by James Mayo
Produced by Irving Allen
Starring Vince Edwards
Judy Geeson
Peter Vaughan
Cinematography Wilkie Cooper
Kenneth Talbot
Edited by Geoffrey Foot
Music by David Whitaker
Production
company
Irving Allen Productions
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • April 1968 (1968-04)
Running time
99 minutes
Country United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Hammerhead is a 1968 British Eurospy thriller film directed by David Miller and starring Vince Edwards, Judy Geeson and Diana Dors. [1] Its plot concerns a criminal mastermind who attempts to steal NATO secrets, with an American agent hot on his trail. It is based on the 1964 novel of the same title by English novelist James Mayo, and produced by Irving Allen and written by Herbert Baker, who made the Matt Helm films for Columbia Pictures. It was filmed in London and Portugal.

Contents

Synopsis

British intelligence asks a soldier of fortune, Charles Hood, to go to Portugal and help stop an international criminal mastermind called Hammerhead, who plans to steal a secret report on nuclear defence.

Hood manages to board the yacht owned by Hammerhead, a collector of valuable erotic art. He is distracted along the way by model Sue Trenton and a pair of Hammerhead's mistresses, Ivory and Kit.

Hammerhead intends to kidnap Britain's NATO delegate, Sir Richard Calvert, and replace him with a lookalike, Andreas, a master of disguise. He finds out Hood's identity and traps Sue and him inside a coffin, but they manage to escape. Kit and Andreas both are killed, while Ivory does away with Hammerhead personally, using a harpoon.

Cast

Production

The film was based on a novel by James Mayo published in 1964. [2]

Film rights were bought by Irving Allen, the producer. Allen had, at one time, been in partnership with Albert Broccoli, who wanted to make movies based on the James Bond books; Allen did not, the partnership ended, and Broccoli had a huge success with the Bond movies. Allen moved into espionage films himself with the Matt Helm series, and he bought the film rights to Hammerhead. In 1967, Allen said: "at this stage I'm only interested in making money. I'm not interested in kudos or getting good reviews - I've had all that. I'm just concerned with getting the greatest number of people into theatres." [3]

In May 1967, Allen said the project was on a slate of seven movies he had with Columbia, others being: Cromwell; The Black Frontier; The Wrecking Crew; Savage Canary; The Pocket Venus and The Ambushers. [4] In June of the same year, Allen announced he had signed David Miller to a three-picture deal, starting with Hammerhead, which he would make in London, the following September, from a script by Jack Brierley and Herbert Baker; Allen wanted it to be the first in a series. [5] After that month, Allen announced he had also signed Vince Edwards to a three-picture contract starting with Hammerhead. [6] Edwards described his part as "like Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon ". [7]

The original plan was to film in France but this was changed to Portugal. [8] That August, Allen announced Judy Geeson would co-star. [9]

The production of the film was delayed because Columbia contract star Vince Edwards suffered a bone-fracture during the filming in Portugal in 1967. [10]

Diana Dors had previously appeared in another spy movie, Danger Route. [11]

Reception

The Los Angeles Times called it "overfamiliar and mechanical, a jaded Bond". [12]

The film was a box office disappointment and there was no sequel. Quentin Tarantino said he was a "big fan" of the movie, but disliked Vince Edwards' performance, even though he generally enjoyed Edwards as an actor. He felt Robert Culp would have been better casting. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>To Sir, with Love</i> 1967 British drama film by James Clavell

To Sir, with Love is a 1967 British drama film that deals with social and racial issues in an inner city school. It stars Sidney Poitier and features Christian Roberts, Judy Geeson, Suzy Kendall, Patricia Routledge and singer Lulu making her film debut. James Clavell directed from his own screenplay, which was based on E. R. Braithwaite's 1959 autobiographical novel of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert R. Broccoli</span> American film producer (1909–1996)

Albert Romolo Broccoli, nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career. Most of the films were made in the United Kingdom and often filmed at Pinewood Studios. Co-founder of Danjaq, LLC and Eon Productions, Broccoli is most notable as the producer of many of the James Bond films. He and Harry Saltzman saw the films develop from relatively low-budget origins to large-budget, high-grossing extravaganzas, and Broccoli's heirs continue to produce new Bond films.

Irving Allen was an Austro-Hungarian–born American theatrical and cinematic producer and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince Edwards</span> American actor (1928–1996)

Vince Edwards was an American actor, director, and singer. He was best known for his TV role as Dr. Ben Casey and as Major Cliff Bricker in the 1968 war film The Devil's Brigade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Geeson</span> English actress (born 1948)

Judith Amanda Geeson is an English film, stage, and television actress. She began her career primarily working on British television series, with a leading role on The Newcomers from 1965 to 1967, before making her major film debut in To Sir, with Love (1967). She starred in a range of films throughout the 1970s, from crime pictures to thriller and horror films, including The Executioner (1970), Fear in the Night (1972), Brannigan (1975) and The Eagle Has Landed (1976). She played heiress Caroline Penvenen from 1975-1977 in the BBC series Poldark, from the Winston Graham novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Mankiewicz</span> American writer, producer and director

Thomas Frank Mankiewicz was an American screenwriter, director, and producer of motion pictures and television whose credits included James Bond films and his contributions to Superman: The Movie (1978) and the television series Hart to Hart. He was the son of Joseph Mankiewicz and nephew of Herman Mankiewicz. He is not related to the similarly named Wolf Mankowitz who worked on the first James Bond film, uncredited.

<i>Murderers Row</i> (film) 1966 film by Henry Levin

Murderers' Row is a 1966 American comedy spy-fi film starring Dean Martin as Matt Helm. It is the second of four films in the Matt Helm series, and is very loosely based upon the 1962 spy novel Murderers' Row by Donald Hamilton.

<i>The Wrecking Crew</i> (1968 film) 1968 film by Phil Karlson

The Wrecking Crew is a 1968 American spy comedy film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Dean Martin as Matt Helm, along with Elke Sommer, Sharon Tate, Nancy Kwan, Nigel Green, and Tina Louise. It is the fourth and final film in the Matt Helm series, and is loosely based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Donald Hamilton. The film opened in Canada in December 1968 before premiering in the United States in February 1969.

<i>Chitty Chitty Bang Bang</i> 1968 British-American musical-fantasy film by Ken Hughes

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a 1968 musical fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes and produced by Albert R. Broccoli. It stars Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe, Anna Quayle, Benny Hill, James Robertson Justice, Robert Helpmann, Heather Ripley and Adrian Hall. The film is based on the 1964 children's novel Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car by Ian Fleming, with a screenplay co-written by Hughes and Roald Dahl.

<i>Berserk!</i> 1967 British film by Jim OConnolly

Berserk! is a 1967 British horror-thriller film directed by Jim O'Connolly and starring Joan Crawford, Ty Hardin, Diana Dors and Judy Geeson. The screenplay was written by Herman Cohen and Aben Kandel.

<i>The Silencers</i> (film) 1966 film by Phil Karlson

The Silencers is a 1966 American spy comedy film directed by Phil Karlson, starring Dean Martin as agent Matt Helm. The screenplay by Oscar Saul is based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Donald Hamilton, while also adapting elements of Hamilton's first Helm novel, Death of a Citizen (1960). The film co-stars Stella Stevens, Daliah Lavi, Victor Buono, Arthur O'Connell, Robert Webber, James Gregory, Roger C. Carmel, Beverly Adams, and Cyd Charisse.

<i>The Ambushers</i> (film) 1967 film by Henry Levin

The Ambushers is a 1967 American spy comedy film directed by Henry Levin starring Dean Martin as Matt Helm, along with Senta Berger and Janice Rule. It is the third of four films in the Matt Helm series, and is based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Donald Hamilton, as well as The Menacers (1968) that featured UFOs and a Mexican setting. When a government-built flying saucer is hijacked mid-flight by Jose Ortega, the exiled ruler for an outlaw nation, secret agent Matt Helm and the ship's former pilot Sheila Sommers are sent to recover it.

<i>Catalina Caper</i> 1967 film by Lee Sholem

Catalina Caper, also known as Never Steal Anything Wet, is a 1967 comedy musical mystery film starring Tommy Kirk. It blends the beach party format with a standard crime-caper comedy. It was shot on and around Santa Catalina Island, California.

<i>The Red Beret</i> 1954 film by Terence Young

The Red Beret is a 1953 British-American war film directed by Terence Young and starring Alan Ladd, Leo Genn and Susan Stephen.

Warwick Films was a film company founded by film producers Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli in London in 1951. The name was taken from the Warwick Hotel in New York where Broccoli and his wife were staying at the time of the final negotiations for the company's creation. Their films were released by Columbia Pictures.

Herbert Baker was a songwriter and screenwriter for television and films.

<i>The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz</i> 1968 film by George Marshall

The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz is a 1968 DeLuxe Color American comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Elke Sommer, Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer and Leon Askin. The screenplay concerns an East German athlete who defects to the West by pole-vaulting over the Berlin Wall.

<i>Adams Woman</i> 1970 film

Adam's Woman is a 1970 Australian-American historical drama film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Beau Bridges, Jane Merrow and John Mills. It has been called a "convict Western".

King of Africa is a 1968 film.

<i>Hammerhead</i> (novel) 1964 novel

Hammerhead is a 1964 spy thriller novel written by James Mayo. It was the first in a series of five novels featuring the spy Charles Hood, working for British intelligence. Hood's cover is that of an art dealer, and in this case he is sent by MI6 to infiltrate the luxury yacht of a villain, moored off the French Riviera. Hood discovers a plot to kidnap a British official at a major NATO summit and steal top secret documents.

References

  1. ↑ BFI.org
  2. ↑ Books Today New York Times 18 Nov 1964: 44.
  3. ↑ Allen at Helm of Production Thomas, Kevin. Los Angeles Times 6 July 1967: e14.
  4. ↑ Fran Jeffries Gets 'Revenge' Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 25 May 1967: e11.
  5. ↑ Psychotic Role for Tuesday Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 16 June 1967: c13.
  6. ↑ Multi-Film Agreement Signed Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 22 June 1967: d9.
  7. ↑ 'Ben Casey' Edwards Is on the Verge of Marriage Dorothy Manners:. The Washington Post and Times-Herald 20 June 1967: B5.
  8. ↑ Billy Bishop Story on Film Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 15 July 1967: 17.
  9. ↑ Producers Go 'Underground' Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 5 Aug 1967: 18.
  10. ↑ The Film Daily: Volume 131 1967
  11. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (7 September 2020). "A Tale of Two Blondes: Diana Dors and Belinda Lee". Filmink.
  12. ↑ 'Hammerhead' on Citywide Screens Champlin, Charles. Los Angeles Times 16 Aug 1968: f16.
  13. ↑ "Quentin Tarantino introduces and discusses "Hammerhead"". MovieMadMatt. 17 August 2019. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.