Murderers' Row (1966)

Director:

Henry Levin

Writers:

Herbert Baker (screenplay)
Donald Hamilton (novel)

Release Date:

20 December 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Plot:

The handsome top agent Matt dies a tragic death in his bath tub - the women mourn about the loss. However...

Plot Keywords:

Spying | Spoof | James Bond Spoof | Matt Helm | Sequel

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Dean Martin	...	Matt Helm
Ann-Margret	...	Suzie
Karl Malden	...	Julian Wall
Camilla Sparv	...	Coco Duquette
James Gregory	...	MacDonald
Beverly Adams	...	Lovey Kravezit
Richard Eastham	...	Dr. Norman Solaris
Tom Reese	...	Ironhead
Duke Howard	...	Billy Orcutt
Ted Hartley	...	Guard
Marcel Hillaire	...	Police Capt. Deveraux
Corinne Cole	...	Miss January
Robert Terry	...	Dr. Rogas
Dean Paul Martin	...	Himself (as Dino, Desi & Billy)
Desi Arnaz Jr.	...	Himself (as Dino, Desi & Billy)
Billy Hinsche	...	Himself (as Dino, Desi & Billy)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vincent Barbi	...	(uncredited)
Dale Brown	...	Slaygirl (uncredited)
Barbara Burgess	...	Slaygirl (uncredited)
Amadee Chabot	...	Slaygirl (uncredited)
Luci Ann Cook	...	Slaygirl (uncredited)
Dick Dial	...	(uncredited)
Nick Dimitri	...	Guard (uncredited)
Dee Duffy	...	Slaygirl (uncredited)
Dirk Evans	...	Guard (uncredited)
Jacqueline Fontaine	...	Singer at Wake (uncredited)
Richard Gardner	...	Guard (uncredited)
Frank Gerstle	...	Furnace (uncredited)
Robert Glenn	...	FBI Agent (uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	(uncredited)
Lynn Hartoch	...	Slaygirl (uncredited)
Rena Horten	...	Slaygirl (uncredited)
Mary Hughes	...	Slaygirl (uncredited)
Karen Lee	...	Slaygirl (uncredited)
Mary Jane Mangler	...	Slaygirl (uncredited)
Morry Ogden	...	Guard (uncredited)
Soon-Tek Oh	...	Japanese Secret Agent (uncredited)
Bob Peoples	...	Guard (uncredited)
Lou Robb	...	Worldwide Agent (uncredited)
Alex Rodine	...	Guard (uncredited)
George Takei	...	Tempura (uncredited)
Marilyn Tindall	...	Slaygirl (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	...	Fortress Guard (uncredited)
Jan Watson	...	Slaygirl (uncredited)

Directed by
Henry Levin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Herbert Baker		screenplay
Donald Hamilton		novel

Produced by
Irving Allen	....	producer
Euan Lloyd	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Lalo Schifrin

Cinematography by
Sam Leavitt

Film Editing by
Walter Thompson

Art Direction by
Joseph C. Wright		(as Joe Wright)

Set Decoration by
George R. Nelson

Costume Design by
Moss Mabry

Makeup Department
Cherie	....	hair stylist: Ann-Margret
Ben Lane	....	makeup supervisor
Loren Cosand	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Joe DiBella	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Ivan Volkman	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ray Gosnell Jr.	....	assistant director (as Ray Gosnell)
James Curtis Havens	....	second unit director (as James Havens)

Sound Department
Lambert E. Day	....	sound (as Lambert Day)
Jack Haynes	....	sound
Charles J. Rice	....	sound supervisor

Special Effects by
Danny Lee	....	special effects
Howard Jensen	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Dick Dial	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nick Dimitri	....	stunts (uncredited)
Sol Gorss	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Gray	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks	....	stunts (uncredited)
Max Kleven	....	stunts (uncredited)
Carey Loftin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Mark H. Davis	....	photographer: second unit (as Mark Davis)

Music Department
Richard Hazard	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Miriam Nelson	....	choreographer
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Meadway-Claude Productions Company (I) (II)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1966) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sony Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia Films (1967) (France) (theatrical) (as Columbia Pictures of France Inc.)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1967) (Finland) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1972) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Nelonen (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:16 | USA:Not Rated (DVD) | UK:PG | Iceland:L | USA:Approved (Certificate #21397) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Soon-Tek Oh's film debut.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the discotheque scene, Dino, Desi and Billy are wearing matching outfits. Just before Matt Helm speaks to speaks to Suzie (Ann-Margret) the band can be seen through the crowd, in the background. While not identifiable as Dino, Desi and Billy, they're wearing different clothes.

Quotes:

Julian Wall: Well gentlemen, the dream has come true.
[snickers]
Julian Wall: And not just for Republicans. We will control the most powerful bomb in the universe: the sun!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mondo Mod (1967)

Soundtrack:

I'm Not the Marrying Kind

One of those films that's so bad it's good!

"Murderer's Row" (19669), like all four of Deano's Matt Helmers, is so bad it's good.

Deano obviously never read a script beforehand, never cared about the plots...just plain never cared. I guess that was part of his and the film's charm. But it must have driven his directors up the wall, including "Murderer's Row's" Henry Levin.

The sets are cheesy as hell as is the music by Lalo Schiffrin. But veteran costumer Moss Mabry's creations (especially for the gals) are terrific. Very hip, very 1969 - yet still very cool today.

I am NOT an Ann-Margaret fan - never have been. But she's really good here. And glamorous Swedish actress Camilla Sparv...WOW~! Talk about beautiful! Bad guy Karl Malden is appropriately sinister, slightly amiable and yes, bad. And his right-hand man, Tom Reese (Sgt. Velie on one of the greats, "Ellery Queen") has a cool chrome steel plate atop his head - nifty gimmick.

Deano's four Matt Helm flicks, made in between taping his TV show and partying between 1966-69 were all the Andre Champagne of spy flicks compared with Bond as the Dom Perignon.

Why is it that I will ALWAYS watch them whenever they're on TV? I mean I'm drawn like a fly to you-know-what. I can't resist them. I guess it's because they're a guilty pleasure. Cheesy but still a lot of really stupid fun.