Cultpix Radio Ep.63 - Secret Agent Euro Spy Extravaganza

Djang00 Nudo and Smut Peddler moan (as usual) about Roku's uselessness, but celebrate a productive Berlin Film Festival, with plenty of films in the proverbial bag. They then parachute into the theme week of Euro Spy films, also known as Spaghetti Spy films.

These are film produced by 1964 and 1968, mainly in Italy, in response to the success of the first James Bond films. More than 50 of these were made, though few as good as Bond.

There are two trailer compilation films: "Operation: Secret Agents, Spies & Thighs" (1965) and "The Late Late Late Show" (1965). These are perfect backgrounds for almost any party.

There are three 'Kommissar X' films: "Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill" (1965),  "Death is Nimble, Death is Quick" (1966) and "Death Trip" (1967), based on the popular German novels.  Christa Linder, star of Swedish erotic film "Bel Ami" (1976), pops up in two of them. 

"Operation Atlantis" (1965) is a perfectly spy caper right until the (spoiler) science fiction ending.

"Last Plane to Baalbeck" (1964) is a labyrinthian mini epic, with Yoko Tani (French-Japanese) and George Sanders in one of his last roles. 

"Baraka X77" (1966) was called "Baraka X13" in the original, but was mauybe too unlucky in this scientist-secret-formula-fuel caper. 

"Passport to Hell" (1965) has karate chops, lots of bad karate chops, with sound effects to compensate. Much better is the music by  Piero Umiliani, who composed the 'Manah-manah' song form "Sweden Heaven and Hell" (1968).

"The Beckett Affair" (1966) stars Lang Jeffries and features 'shapely lesbian heroin addicts' - what more do you need?

"Desperate Mission" (1965) is Yoko Tani again, paired with German Cobos of Spaghetti Western fame, but British colonial Hong Kong is the real star of this film.

Ridiculously titled "Man on the Spying Trapeze" (1967) has false teeth containing micro cameras with nuclear secrets. Play Euro Spy key word bingo with that one.

"The Narco Men" (1968) is a surprisingly grim and fatalistic Euro spy film, but with "hippie" nightclubs. Remember those? No?

"Operation White Shark" (1966) stars Janine Reynaud who was in many Euro spy and also Jess Franco films, whose husband Michel Lemoine will be an erotic film theme week this spring.

"Password: Kill Agent Gordon" (1966) is an unusual spy film in that the VietCong are the bad guys, trying to obtain a mysterious stolen cigarette lighter.

There are x77 swinging Euro Spy songs on this week's Spotify playlist to listen and sip your martini to.