Some Girls Do: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
m Removing from Category:British films no longer non-diffusing using Cat-a-lot
added more detail after watching the film
Line 16: Line 16:
| cinematography = [[Ernest Steward]]
| cinematography = [[Ernest Steward]]
| editing = Ernest Hosler
| editing = Ernest Hosler
| studio = Ashdown Film Productions
| studio = Ashdown Film Productions/[[Pinewood Studios]]
| distributor = [[The Rank Organisation|Rank Film Distributors]]
| distributor = [[The Rank Organisation|Rank Film Distributors]]
| released = {{Film date|df=y|1969|1|23|UK|}}
| released = {{Film date|df=y|1969|1|23|UK|}}
Line 24: Line 24:
| budget =
| budget =
}}
}}
'''''Some Girls Do''''' is a 1969 British [[comedy film|comedy]] [[spy film]] directed by [[Ralph Thomas]]. It was the second of the revamped [[Bulldog Drummond]] films (following 1967's ''[[Deadlier Than the Male]]'') starring [[Richard Johnson (actor)|Richard Johnson]] as Drummond, made following the success of the [[James Bond]] films of the 1960s.
'''''Some Girls Do''''' is a 1969 British [[comedy film|comedy]] [[spy film]] directed by [[Ralph Thomas]]. It was the second of the revamped [[Bulldog Drummond]] films (following 1967's ''[[Deadlier Than the Male]]'') starring [[Richard Johnson (actor)|Richard Johnson]] as Drummond, made following the success of the [[James Bond]] films of the 1960s.{{#tag:ref|Johnson was the original choice for the role of James Bond.<ref>[https://bandsaboutmovies.com/2020/04/03/some-girls-do-1969/ "Profile: 'Some Girls Do (1969)'."] ''bandsaboutmovies''. 3 April 3, 2020.</ref> |group=Note}} ''Some Girls Do'' even featured a white Aston Martin DB5, the same marque used by Bond.


==Plot==
==Plot==
Line 32: Line 32:
Aided by ditzy American blonde Flicky ([[Sydne Rome]]), Drummond uncovers a plot by criminal mastermind Carl Petersen ([[James Villiers]]), who stands to gain eight million pounds if the aircraft is not ready by a certain date. Petersen, assisted by beautiful but deadly assassins Helga ([[Daliah Lavi]]) and Pandora ([[Beba Lončar]]), has developed a number of robots: beautiful girls with electronic brains to help him sabotage the SST1 project by means of [[infrasound]] (sound waves with too low frequency to be detected by the human ear) which can be directed at people or objects with devastating results.
Aided by ditzy American blonde Flicky ([[Sydne Rome]]), Drummond uncovers a plot by criminal mastermind Carl Petersen ([[James Villiers]]), who stands to gain eight million pounds if the aircraft is not ready by a certain date. Petersen, assisted by beautiful but deadly assassins Helga ([[Daliah Lavi]]) and Pandora ([[Beba Lončar]]), has developed a number of robots: beautiful girls with electronic brains to help him sabotage the SST1 project by means of [[infrasound]] (sound waves with too low frequency to be detected by the human ear) which can be directed at people or objects with devastating results.


After the initial sabotage attacks by Peterson's robots, Helga and Pandora begin systematically murdering various people associated with the SSTI, such as engineer Dudley Mortimer ([[Maurice Denham]]) and Miss Mary ([[Robert Morley]]), a spy who runs a cooking class as a front for his activities. Helga makes contact with Drummond at a shooting party, and attempts to kill him by planting a bomb in his telephone after sleeping with him. Then Helga and Pandora try to kill Drummond again by sabotaging a glider fight, having cut the ripcord from his parachute. Drummond manages to manually open his parachute and escape death.
After the initial sabotage attacks by Peterson's robots, Helga and Pandora begin systematically murdering various people associated with the SSTI, such as engineer Dudley Mortimer ([[Maurice Denham]]) and Miss Mary ([[Robert Morley]]), a spy who runs a cooking class as a front for his activities. Helga makes contact with Drummond at a shooting party, and attempts to kill him by planting a bomb in his telephone after sleeping with him. Then Helga and Pandora try to kill Drummond again by crashing into his glider. The ripcord from his parachute was sabotaged but Drummond manages to manually open his parachute and escape death.


The trail leads Drummond to North Africa, following up on a lead on an infrasound-powered powerboat, where he is assisted by Peregrine Carruthers ([[Ronnie Stevens (actor)|Ronnie Stevens]]) from the British Embassy. Pandora kills the boat owner with a miniature infrasound device, but is thwarted in her attempt to steal the boat. Drummond and Peregrine decide to drive the powerboat in a scheduled race: Helga and Pandora also participate in the race and successfully capture the men and the boat, delivering them all to Petersen at his island headquarters, staffed by an army of his female robots, including the defective but endearing No. 7 ([[Vanessa Howard]]). Drummond and Peregrine are also reunited with Flicky, who has successfully infiltrated Petersen's organisation.
The trail leads Drummond to North Africa, following up on a lead on an infrasound-powered powerboat, where he is assisted by Peregrine Carruthers ([[Ronnie Stevens (actor)|Ronnie Stevens]]) from the British Embassy. Pandora kills the boat owner with a miniature infrasound device, but is thwarted in her attempt to steal the boat. Drummond and Peregrine decide to drive the powerboat in a scheduled race: Helga and Pandora also participate in the race and successfully capture the men and the boat, delivering them all to Petersen at his island headquarters, staffed by an army of his female robots, including the defective but endearing No. 7 ([[Vanessa Howard]]). Drummond and Peregrine are also reunited with Flicky, who has successfully infiltrated Petersen's organisation.
Line 74: Line 74:


==Production==
==Production==
Filming began May 1968 and took place mainly in Spain.<ref>Martin, Betty. "Movie Call Sheet: Irreverent Views of the U.S." ''Los Angeles Times'', 1 March 1968. p. c15.</ref> One of the British filming locations was the National Gas Turbine Establishment at Farnborough. It was known as "Pyestock". The locale doubled for the British Atomic plant where the engines and wind tunnel models of the fictional SST1 were being tested. Wycombe Air Park was also used as a location in the film for the glider sequence.<ref>[https://www.britmovie.co.uk/forum/projection-room/film-locations/60323-some-girls-do-1969 "Forum: Some Girls DO."] ''Britmovie.co'', 6 August 2018.</ref>
Filming began May 1968 and took place mainly in Spain.<ref>{{cite news|title=MOVIE CALL SHEET: Irreverent Views of the U.S.|author=Martin, Betty|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1 March 1968|page=c15}}</ref>


[[Joanna Lumley]], who appears uncredited as one of Petersen's female robots in the film, was also working on the set of ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'' at the same time, as both films were produced at [[Pinewood Studios]]. [[Virginia North]] also worked on both films simultaneously.
[[Joanna Lumley]], who appears uncredited as one of Petersen's female robots in the film, was also working on the set of ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'' at the same time, as both films were produced at [[Pinewood Studios]]. [[Virginia North]] also worked on both films simultaneously.


==Reception==
The contemporary review in ''[[The New York Times]]'' was especially scathing, calling ''Some Girls Do'' an "... addlepated distant cousin of James Bond... Richard Johnson, (stars as) the glum Drummond of this mishmash of an intrigue ...<ref>Weiler, A. H. [https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/11/archives/some-girls-do-arrives-at-the-victoria.html "Some Girls Do' Arrives at the Victoria."] ''The New York Times'', 11 February 1971.</ref> Reviewer Leslie Hallwell dismissed the film as an "... abysmal spoof melodrama in the swinging 60s mould; a travesty of a famous character."<Ref>Halliwell 1977, p. 937.</ref>
==See also==
==See also==
* [[James Bond parodies]]
* [[James Bond parodies]]


==References==
==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* Halliwell, Leslie. ''Halliwell's Film Guide''. New York: Harper & Row, 1977. ISBN|0-0-06-016322-4.
{{Refend}}


==External links==
==External links==
Line 88: Line 100:
*[http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b660fa0 ''Some Girls Do''] at BFI
*[http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b660fa0 ''Some Girls Do''] at BFI
*[http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/Some-Girls-Do_1968 ''Some Girls Do''] at Britmovie
*[http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/Some-Girls-Do_1968 ''Some Girls Do''] at Britmovie
*[https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B00E1DB163BE53BBC4952DFB466838A669EDE Review of film] at [[New York Times]]
*[https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B00E1DB163BE53BBC4952DFB466838A669EDE Review of film] at [[''The New York Times'']]
{{Ralph Thomas}}
{{Ralph Thomas}}
{{Bulldog Drummond}}
{{Bulldog Drummond}}
Line 101: Line 113:
[[Category:Films directed by Ralph Thomas]]
[[Category:Films directed by Ralph Thomas]]
[[Category:Films produced by Betty Box]]
[[Category:Films produced by Betty Box]]
[[Category:Supersonic transports]]
[[Category:British aviation films]]
[[Category:British aviation films]]
[[Category:Films shot at Pinewood Studios]]
[[Category:Films shot at Pinewood Studios]]

Revision as of 03:35, 1 August 2022

Some Girls Do
UK cinema quad poster
Directed byRalph Thomas
Written byDavid D. Osborn
Liz Charles-Williams
Based onBulldog Drummond
by Sapper
Gerard Fairlie
Produced byBetty E. Box
StarringRichard Johnson
Daliah Lavi
Beba Lončar
James Villiers
Ronnie Stevens
Vanessa Howard
Maurice Denham
Sydne Rome
Virginia North
Robert Morley
CinematographyErnest Steward
Edited byErnest Hosler
Music byCharles Blackwell
Production
company
Ashdown Film Productions/Pinewood Studios
Distributed byRank Film Distributors
Release date
  • 23 January 1969 (1969-01-23) (UK)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Some Girls Do is a 1969 British comedy spy film directed by Ralph Thomas. It was the second of the revamped Bulldog Drummond films (following 1967's Deadlier Than the Male) starring Richard Johnson as Drummond, made following the success of the James Bond films of the 1960s.[Note 1] Some Girls Do even featured a white Aston Martin DB5, the same marque used by Bond.

Plot

A series of inexplicable accidents befall the development of the world's first supersonic airliner, the SST1 – a man falls victim to a homicidal air stewardess (an uncredited Maria Aitken) and two women (Yutte Stensgaard and an uncredited Joanna Lumley) perform separate acts of sabotage during tests. The Air Ministry calls on Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond (Richard Johnson) to investigate.

Aided by ditzy American blonde Flicky (Sydne Rome), Drummond uncovers a plot by criminal mastermind Carl Petersen (James Villiers), who stands to gain eight million pounds if the aircraft is not ready by a certain date. Petersen, assisted by beautiful but deadly assassins Helga (Daliah Lavi) and Pandora (Beba Lončar), has developed a number of robots: beautiful girls with electronic brains to help him sabotage the SST1 project by means of infrasound (sound waves with too low frequency to be detected by the human ear) which can be directed at people or objects with devastating results.

After the initial sabotage attacks by Peterson's robots, Helga and Pandora begin systematically murdering various people associated with the SSTI, such as engineer Dudley Mortimer (Maurice Denham) and Miss Mary (Robert Morley), a spy who runs a cooking class as a front for his activities. Helga makes contact with Drummond at a shooting party, and attempts to kill him by planting a bomb in his telephone after sleeping with him. Then Helga and Pandora try to kill Drummond again by crashing into his glider. The ripcord from his parachute was sabotaged but Drummond manages to manually open his parachute and escape death.

The trail leads Drummond to North Africa, following up on a lead on an infrasound-powered powerboat, where he is assisted by Peregrine Carruthers (Ronnie Stevens) from the British Embassy. Pandora kills the boat owner with a miniature infrasound device, but is thwarted in her attempt to steal the boat. Drummond and Peregrine decide to drive the powerboat in a scheduled race: Helga and Pandora also participate in the race and successfully capture the men and the boat, delivering them all to Petersen at his island headquarters, staffed by an army of his female robots, including the defective but endearing No. 7 (Vanessa Howard). Drummond and Peregrine are also reunited with Flicky, who has successfully infiltrated Petersen's organisation.

Over dinner, Petersen reveals the full details of his plan to use infrasound technology to sabotage the SST1's maiden flight. That night, Drummond sleeps with Helga once more, while Pandora contents herself with seducing Peregrine. In the morning, Drummond attempts to retrieve the infrasound powerboat and is met by Flicky, who tells him she is actually a CIA agent assigned to help him. They are caught by Helga – Drummond escapes but Helga holds Flicky at gunpoint. Petersen sends his robots to search the island for the runaway agent – Drummond is cornered by No. 7, but to his surprise, she deliberately chooses not to reveal his location.

Peregrine and Flicky are held hostage in Petersen's control room and are forced to witness the SST1's destruction as he puts his plan into action. Drummond scales the wall of Petersen's hideout, and saves the SST1 from destruction by using Petersen's infrasound waves against him, destroying his control room. Petersen, Pandora and Helga are all apparently killed in the explosion.

Drummond, Flicky, Peregrine and No. 7 escape the subsequent mayhem, having retrieved the infrasound device. Flicky reveals herself to be a double agent working for the Russians and escapes on the powerboat with the device. Peregrine, wanting to improve his Russian relations, decides to go with her. As the base finally explodes, Drummond finds comfort in the arms of the beautiful No. 7, who turns out not to be a robot after all.

Cast

Production

Filming began May 1968 and took place mainly in Spain.[2] One of the British filming locations was the National Gas Turbine Establishment at Farnborough. It was known as "Pyestock". The locale doubled for the British Atomic plant where the engines and wind tunnel models of the fictional SST1 were being tested. Wycombe Air Park was also used as a location in the film for the glider sequence.[3]

Joanna Lumley, who appears uncredited as one of Petersen's female robots in the film, was also working on the set of On Her Majesty's Secret Service at the same time, as both films were produced at Pinewood Studios. Virginia North also worked on both films simultaneously.

Reception

The contemporary review in The New York Times was especially scathing, calling Some Girls Do an "... addlepated distant cousin of James Bond... Richard Johnson, (stars as) the glum Drummond of this mishmash of an intrigue ...[4] Reviewer Leslie Hallwell dismissed the film as an "... abysmal spoof melodrama in the swinging 60s mould; a travesty of a famous character."[5]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ Johnson was the original choice for the role of James Bond.[1]

Citations

  1. ^ "Profile: 'Some Girls Do (1969)'." bandsaboutmovies. 3 April 3, 2020.
  2. ^ Martin, Betty. "Movie Call Sheet: Irreverent Views of the U.S." Los Angeles Times, 1 March 1968. p. c15.
  3. ^ "Forum: Some Girls DO." Britmovie.co, 6 August 2018.
  4. ^ Weiler, A. H. "Some Girls Do' Arrives at the Victoria." The New York Times, 11 February 1971.
  5. ^ Halliwell 1977, p. 937.

Bibliography

  • Halliwell, Leslie. Halliwell's Film Guide. New York: Harper & Row, 1977. ISBN|0-0-06-016322-4.

External links