Spy spoofs were ten a penny in the 1960's. Norman Abbott's 'Last Of The Secret Agents?' ( 1966 ) is one of the better ones. It was intended to showcase the then-popular comedy double act Allen & Rossi ( Marty Allen and Steve Rossi ). With his mobile face and shock of untidy black hair ( and "Hello Dere!" as a catchphrase ), Marty is firmly in the Lou Costello mold of comic sidekicks, while Rossi is a Dean Martin tribute act. 'Last' is a decent film, and this is mainly due to its associate producer and writer, the talented Mel Tolkin. Marty and Steve are a pair of down on their luck furniture removal men based in France. A mysterious organisation known only as THEM ( also the name of an organisation to be found in the 'Captain America' and 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' Marvel comics of that period ) has them under surveillance. It specialises in stealing valuable art treasures and wants to use Marty and Steve as unwitting couriers. 'J.Fredrick Duval', head of G.G.I. ( Good Guys Institute ) recruits the boys to find out what THEM's latest scheme is and, if possible, wreck it. Marty is given a gadget-packed umbrella which contains a gun and a radio, and even converts into a hot-air balloon. As it turns out, their Blofeld-like leader 'Zoltan Schumach' ( Theo Marcuse ) is out to steal the Venus De Milo...
The gags come thick and fast ( the passengers' changing clothes each time a train enters a tunnel was copied a year later by the 'Matt Helm' movie 'The Ambushers' ), some work and some don't, but overall this is an extremely likable motion picture, packed with 1960's colour, gorgeous girls and good humour. As well as Bond, the 'Batman' television spoof is spoofed, along with war movies ( Harvey Korman's cameo is hilarious! ) and cigarette commercials. Nancy Sinatra plays Rossi's love interest 'Micheline' and gets to sing the title theme. If Allen and Rossi did not, as was hoped, become the 1960's answer to Lewis and Martin, well, at least, they had a good try.
The gags come thick and fast ( the passengers' changing clothes each time a train enters a tunnel was copied a year later by the 'Matt Helm' movie 'The Ambushers' ), some work and some don't, but overall this is an extremely likable motion picture, packed with 1960's colour, gorgeous girls and good humour. As well as Bond, the 'Batman' television spoof is spoofed, along with war movies ( Harvey Korman's cameo is hilarious! ) and cigarette commercials. Nancy Sinatra plays Rossi's love interest 'Micheline' and gets to sing the title theme. If Allen and Rossi did not, as was hoped, become the 1960's answer to Lewis and Martin, well, at least, they had a good try.