I am dating myself with that language, right? Simply put, my music taste can best be described as eclectic. Lately I've been hooked on a series of compilation CDs called "The Ultralounge Collection," which includes a lot of big-band/groovy/lounge spy-jazz soundtracks. One of the best songs is a sultry Cyd Charisse singing "The Silencer," the main theme to a 1966 spoof of James Bond films. The movie, The Silencers," starred Dean Martin as super secret agent Matt Helm.
Anyway, you listen to the song and you know she's talking about sidearm calibers . . . and then you're not sure . . . and then you realize she isn't. Anyway, I poked around online and found the opening trailer for the film. It features a crime boss inscribing "Matt Helm" on .38 cartridges and sending his henchman out, ultimately, to kill Dean's character, but only after they punch some holes in the animation at movie's start. I cringe every time I watch these guys flip the cylinders in and out of their wheel-guns . . . slick on screen but hell on the tool itself. Click here to see the opening sequence, but wait long enough to hear Charisse. She burns up the screen. The movie soundtrack, incidently, was a pretty big seller at the time. There is a sequence with Martin at the end, also.
Interesting current day postscript: Actor Mike Myers credits the four Matt Helm movies, along with actor James Coburn's "Our Man Flint" action comedy spy films as direct inspirations for his Austin Powers character.
Anyway, you listen to the song and you know she's talking about sidearm calibers . . . and then you're not sure . . . and then you realize she isn't. Anyway, I poked around online and found the opening trailer for the film. It features a crime boss inscribing "Matt Helm" on .38 cartridges and sending his henchman out, ultimately, to kill Dean's character, but only after they punch some holes in the animation at movie's start. I cringe every time I watch these guys flip the cylinders in and out of their wheel-guns . . . slick on screen but hell on the tool itself. Click here to see the opening sequence, but wait long enough to hear Charisse. She burns up the screen. The movie soundtrack, incidently, was a pretty big seller at the time. There is a sequence with Martin at the end, also.
Interesting current day postscript: Actor Mike Myers credits the four Matt Helm movies, along with actor James Coburn's "Our Man Flint" action comedy spy films as direct inspirations for his Austin Powers character.
4 comments:
jazzy and groovey bay-bee
its a neat collection...my roommate had a set and we would listen to them over and over and over, sipping martinis and being cool. who knew 38s were so powerful and you can take that however you want. great post
groovy baby. austin powers has nothing on the coolest agent ever, mr. matt helm.
I think a lot of people dig this kind of music... once they become aware of it that is..
I operate a small live365 station:
http://www.triviacompanion.com/
A few tracks are from the CD's you mention. I liked Vikki Carr's version of silencers, but found people were disconnecting from the stream when her tune came on. I suppose either they some people like her version or they didn't like the song. I've got the original on the playlist right now, I'll see how the ratings do I guess.
One thing I've observed, I'm actually quite surprised by it in fact, of the people who listen to triviacompanion, the ones who actually contact me, tend to be people under 25!
I had really expected to see only 50+ people, I was delighted to learn this kind of music is apparently making a come-back! (but in all honesty, my sampling rate is small)
Looks like that kind of music will last forever.
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