Movie Poster Spotlight :: Foreign Jobs :: A Set of Italian Posters and Lobby Cards for Gianfranco Parolini's Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill (1966)

Based on a popular series of German adventure novels written by Paul Alfred Müller, the Kommissar X series were translated into a blitzkrieg of seven films, released between 1965 and 1971, to cash in on the popular success of the James Bond movies and the resulting explosion of Eurospy cash-ins. 

A German-Italian-Yugoslavian co-production, the films were essentially the brainchild of Gianfranco Parolini, who wrote and directed most of them, which featured the exploits of New York City private eye and lady-killer, Joe Walker (Kendall), and NYPD captain (and/or depending on the film, Special FBI agent) Tom Rowland (Harris), who usually found themselves sparring with each other while being up to their necks in international intrigue, where they would eventually team up to take down the bad guy -- usually with Walker getting the girl while Harris did the heavy lifting.

In the inaugural film, Kommissar X: Jagd auf Unbekannt a/k/a 12 Donne D'oro a/k/a Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill (1965) Walker finds himself in Yugoslavia, hot on the trail of a missing nuclear scientist, while Rowland is already there for some special training with the local authorities. That is he was until these two’s paths cross over a pile of dead bodies and a string of clues that leads them to a remote island, a massive secret lair of an unhinged despot, and a ton of radioactive gold guarded by an army of hypnotized Glamazons. The two would then reunite and carry on the fight in Death is Nimble, Death is Quick (1966), So Darling, So Deadly (1966), the LSD fueled Death Trip (1967), Kill Panther Kill (1968), The Island of Lost Girls (1969) and Tiger Gang (1971).

Now, I know a lot of times movie posters, box and cover art tends to lie to us in an effort to sucker the viewer into taking a look at something that in no way, shape or form could live up to those expectations. But I am here to tell you these posters are most definitely NOT an exaggeration. Everything shown actually happens in the movie. Honest. Yes, even those knock-off A.I.M. bee-keeper mad scientists and that army of uniformed Fem-Force are involved in a big battle royale at the end of this thing. And believe you me all of the Kommissar X films are that gonzo, buoyed by some great chemistry between Kendall and Harris, and are chock full of humor, intrigue, spy shenanigans, spectacular stunts, nifty soundtracks, eye-candy, and plenty of dust-ups.

Sadly, most of these never garnered a theatrical release in the States but all were a staple of late night TV in the 1960s. There is one Kommissar X boxset available for purchase that contains the first three films but these are of dubious quality. And while something is better than nothing, if you poke around the web a bit there are plenty of better prints in the original aspect ratios dubbed into English just waiting for you to take the plunge. Now what in the hell are you waiting for? Oh, and good luck digging this out of your ears, too.

Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill (1966) Parnass :: Metheus Film :: Avala Film / EP: Petar Sobajic / P: Hans Pflüger, Mario Siciliano, Theo Maria Werner / D: Gianfranco Parolini / W: Gianfranco Parolini, Giovanni Simonelli, Theo Maria Werner, Paul Alfred Müller (novel) / C: Francesco Izzarelli / E: Edmond Lozzi / M: Mladen Gutesa / S: Tony Kendall, Brad Harris, Maria Perschy, Christa Linder, Liliane Dulovic

YouTube Finds :: When the Assignment is Too Big for a Secret Agent but Too Small for an Army, Just Call Codename: Foxfire (1985)

I have no idea how I wound up at this video while plumbing the depths of a certain YouTube hole the other night but trip over it I did: the opening credits for Codename: Foxfire (1985); a show I kinda remember, and kinda remember enjoying, but couldn’t really recollect any episodes at all. Anyhoo, let's take a look shall we?

Video courtesy of RetroTy: The Pulse of Nostalgia.

Wow. Joanna Cassidy as a super-spy decked out in a wet-suit, armed with a sub-machine gun. Wow, again. And, with that indelible image, you’d think I would remember this show better than I do! 

Well, there are a few bits and pieces and notions that have since broken loose and reformed after poking around the web looking for info on the show, which is pretty scarce. And from what I found mixed with what I kinda sorta remember, especially after taking a look at the trailer for the home video release of the pilot movie, despite being overly-maligned everywhere I looked online as nothing more than a poor-woman's Charlie’s Angels knock-off, Codename: Foxfire actually comes off as a gender-swapped version of The A-Team. The problem was, instead of having Stephen J. Cannell as a showrunner, what Foxfire got instead was Joel Schumacher, which might explain it’s glitzy, gung-ho-ness but also goes a long way in explaining its brief seven episode lifespan as a mid-season replacement when that pilot movie scored some respectable ratings.

Now, in that pilot we find Elizabeth “Foxfire” Towne (Cassidy), a disgraced former CIA agent, in prison, framed for a crime she did not commit. But now, her ex-fiance (David Rasche), and the guy who framed her, 'natch, has teamed up with an ex-Nazi scientist (-- as you do), stolen a nuclear missile (-- as you will), set up shop on a secret base in the Caribbean (--who wouldn't), and intends to use it to frame the United States as the instigator of World War III (-- sure, why the hell not). And since she is familiar with this dastardly villain, the CIA offers Towne a full pardon if she will help take him down. She agrees on the condition of forming her own team, which consists of Maggie Bryan (Sheryl Lee Ralph), her former cellmate, who also just happens to be a notorious cat burglar and con-artist, and Danny O’Toole (Robin Johnson), a street smart stunt driver and daughter of Towne’s former wheelman, who, sadly, is no longer with us. And together, after a bit of a rough start, they manage to destroy the missile and thwart the dastardly plot.

Again, only six more episodes would follow before this series faded from its brutal Friday night time-slot and into the ether of foggy TV memories to be confused with Velvet (1984), Masquerade (1983-1984), and Cover-Up (1984-1985). Aside from the pilot, the only other episode I remember at all is when the team is hired to protect the daughter of some dignitary only to have Danny get kidnapped for ransom by mistake. That's it. I had hoped to rectify this but, alas, after several days of massaging the web I can find nary a trace of any episodes of Codename: Foxfire streaming online anywhere, with only the pilot garnering a home video release on VHS that is currently going for a ridiculous amount of money on Amazon. You’d think it would be easy enough to get some of these old shows and short series a venue somewhere online or a DVD on demand release but, nope. And that is too bad because I like Cassidy a whole lot and would love to see her in action in this thing again.

Codename: Foxfire (1985) Universal Television :: National Broadcasting Company (NBC) / EP: Joel Schumacher, Richard Chapman, Bill Dial / SP: Alex Beaton, Douglas Benton / P: Victoria Tarazi / D: Corey Allen / W: Richard Chapman, Bill Dial / C: Frank P. Flynn / E: David Hill, John C. Horger / M: Joe Sample / S: Joanna Cassidy, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Robin Johnson, John McCook, Henry Jones, David Rasche