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Licensed to Kill (1965 film)
Encyclopedia
Licensed to Kill is a 1965
superspy imitation James Bond
film starring Tom Adams
as British secret agent
Charles Vine. It was directed and co-written by Lindsay Shonteff
. Producer Joseph E. Levine
picked it up for American and worldwide distribution and reedited it under the title The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World.
device and his daughter seek to provide the invention to the United Kingdom. With James Bond
unavailable, H.M. Government provides Agent Charles Vine, a former mathematician
, as a bodyguard
and exterminator
.
exploitation film
. Tom Adams' saturnine Charles Vine, like Bond has a licence to kill
and is also accompanied by his own electric guitar
theme music
. Vine is a well dressed cool womaniser
and a cold blooded killer
who makes quips after performing both functions. However, Vine displays his humanitarian side by placing a suppressor
on his pistol when shooting in front of a Hospital Quiet Zone.
As opposed to the big budget Bond adventures, Vine never strays far from London
. There are no explosions or elaborate special effects, no large and futuristic sets, and the science fiction
al McGuffin is talked about but never seen. The films low budget works for it with Vine's version of M
, Rockwell (Arnatt) having to keep warm with an electric heater and lamenting that H.M Government spends more on toilet paper
rolls to troops than his entire department. Shonteff and Griffiths uses the subtlety and wit of the early Bond films rather than the cartoonish excesses of the later ones to tell the tale. The film also features a first rate cast with the satirical Adams as Vine who is "first in his class in weapons and unarmed combat and took a first at Oxford in Maths", John Arnatt
as the patient but slightly insulting Rockwell and the delightful Peter Bull
as the enemy mastermind Masterman.
Shonteff provides witty setpiece
s of the Bond films like a car chase
, assassination
attempts from a transvestite named She He (Thunderball
), an evil twin
(The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
s The Spy with My Face
), a master assassin
named Sadistikov as well as a helicopter
attack (both from From Russia With Love
). Vine handles them all with his Mauser C96
broomhandle pistol
that he wears in a behind the back holster
that Vine admits copying from a "detective on television" (Tightrope
). Unlike other superspy films, Shonteff's film makes two cheeky references to Bond as an actual fellow agent.
Based on the success of the film, Columbia Pictures
offered director Shonteff a five picture contract, but they disagreed over conditions
Welsh Trinity College Oxford graduate and former RAF Intelligence
Howard Griffiths
emigrated to Australia where he wrote extensively for Australian television series such as the spy series Hunter
(1967), and police shows Division 4
, Homicide, and Blue Heelers
.
had great financial success after cheaply purchasing an Italian film called Hercules
and releasing it in America with a massive publicity campaign, and decided to do the same with Licensed to Kill. However, the American release reedited the film by having the opening assassination performed by a Mum pulling a Sten gun out of her pram
of twins changing to a pre-credit
scene. Levine engaged songwriters Sammy Cahn
and James Van Heusen
to write a title song performed by Sammy Davis Jr and arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman
over the credits with the new title. The American release then eliminated scenes of Francis de Wolff
talking to John Arnatt
about seeking Bond for the assignment, and Vine in bed with a girl and a crossword puzzle
giving double entendre
clues. The American release also eliminates much of the dialogue about the anti gravity device, called "Regrav" that makes the denouement of the film less comprehensible.
The American publicity
for the film echoed the 'Number 2, but tries harder' advertising of the Avis Rent a Car System
prevalent at the time. Levine launched a November 1965 nationwide 100 word essay contest to be titled "the most unforgettable second best secret agent I have known".
reaction was to the blatant imitation is not known, but Shonteff was missing from the two Vine sequels starring Tom Adams-
Shonteff later made three films with the hero named "Charles Bind"
1965 in film
The year 1965 in film involved some significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
superspy imitation James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film starring Tom Adams
Tom Adams (actor)
Tom Adams is an English actor with roles in horror and mystery films, and several TV shows.He starred as Charles Vine in Licensed to Kill and the sequels Where the Bullets Fly and Somebody's Stolen Our Russian Spy .His television credits include General...
as British secret agent
Secret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
Charles Vine. It was directed and co-written by Lindsay Shonteff
Lindsay Shonteff
Lindsay Craig Shonteff was a Canadian born film director, film producer and screenwriter who achieved fame for low budget films produced in England.-Biography:...
. Producer Joseph E. Levine
Joseph E. Levine
Joseph E. Levine was an American film producer.He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His Embassy Pictures Corporation was an independent studio and distributor responsible for such films as Hercules , The Carpetbaggers, Harlow, The Graduate, A Bridge Too Far and The Lion in Winter.Levine is famous...
picked it up for American and worldwide distribution and reedited it under the title The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World.
Plot
Facing numerous assassination attempts, a Swedish scientist who has invented an anti-gravityAnti-gravity
Anti-gravity is the idea of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to balancing the force of gravity with some other force, such as electromagnetism or aerodynamic lift...
device and his daughter seek to provide the invention to the United Kingdom. With James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
unavailable, H.M. Government provides Agent Charles Vine, a former mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, as a bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
and exterminator
Exterminator
Exterminator may refer to:*A practitioner in pest control-Competition:*Exterminator , racehorse, the winner of the 1918 Kentucky Derby*X-Terminator, a competitor in Robot Wars-Fiction:...
.
Cast
- Tom AdamsTom Adams (actor)Tom Adams is an English actor with roles in horror and mystery films, and several TV shows.He starred as Charles Vine in Licensed to Kill and the sequels Where the Bullets Fly and Somebody's Stolen Our Russian Spy .His television credits include General...
as Charles Vine - Karel StepanekKarel ŠtěpánekKarel Štěpánek was a Czech actor who spent many years in Austria and generally played German roles onscreen. In 1940 he fled to Britain and spent much of the rest of his career acting there.-Selected filmography:...
as Henrik Jacobsen - Peter BullPeter BullPeter Cecil Bull, DSC was a British character actor.- Biography :He was the fourth and youngest son of Hammersmith MP Sir William James Bull, 1st Bt..Bull was educated at Winchester College...
as Masterman - John ArnattJohn Arnatt- Biography :John Arnatt was born in Petrograd on 9 May 1917. His parents were Francis Arnatt and Ethel Marion Arnatt . He attended Epworth College. Arnatt trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...
as Rockwell - Francis de WolffFrancis de WolffFrancis de Wolff was an English character actor. Large, bearded, and beetle-browed, he was often cast as villains in both film and television....
as Walter Pickering - Felix Felton as Tetchkinov
- Veronica HurstVeronica HurstVeronica Hurst is an English motion picture, stageand television actress who was born in Malta. She was raised in Tooting, South London, England...
as Julia Lindberg - Judy HuxtableJudy Huxtable-Early life and career:Being born to wealthy parents, Huxtable was initially a society débutante then became a fashionable figure in 1960s "swinging" London, and as a model was represented by the William Morris Agency...
as Computer Center Girl - Carol Blake as Crossword Puzzle Girl
- Claire GordonClaire GordonClaire Gordon or Clare Gordon in the City of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK. Her father was a doctor, and her mother a make-up artist, who worked for Max Factor. Gordon is a British actress known for leading and cameo roles in many British movies, mainly in the 1960s and 1970s...
as Hospital Doctor - George PastellGeorge PastellGeorge Pastell was a Cypriot character actor in British films and television programmes. His real name was George Pastellides....
as Russian Commissar
Aspects of production
After making two films in the horror genre, director Shonteff made an entertaining low budget James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
exploitation film
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
. Tom Adams' saturnine Charles Vine, like Bond has a licence to kill
Licence to kill (concept)
Licence to kill is a literary device used in espionage fiction. It refers to the official sanction by a government or government agency to a particular operative or employee to initiate the use of lethal force in the delivery of their objectives...
and is also accompanied by his own electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
. Vine is a well dressed cool womaniser
Womaniser
Womaniser or womanizer may refer to:*Womaniser, a promiscuous heterosexual man*"Womanizer" , a 2008 song by Britney Spears...
and a cold blooded killer
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
who makes quips after performing both functions. However, Vine displays his humanitarian side by placing a suppressor
Suppressor
A suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm which reduces the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon....
on his pistol when shooting in front of a Hospital Quiet Zone.
As opposed to the big budget Bond adventures, Vine never strays far from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. There are no explosions or elaborate special effects, no large and futuristic sets, and the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
al McGuffin is talked about but never seen. The films low budget works for it with Vine's version of M
M (James Bond)
M is a fictional character in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, as well as the films in the Bond franchise. The head of MI6 and Bond's superior, M has been portrayed by three actors in the official Bond film series: Bernard Lee, Robert Brown and since 1995 by Judi Dench. Background =Ian Fleming...
, Rockwell (Arnatt) having to keep warm with an electric heater and lamenting that H.M Government spends more on toilet paper
Toilet paper
Toilet paper is a soft paper product used to maintain personal hygiene after human defecation or urination. However, it can also be used for other purposes such as blowing one's nose when one has a cold or absorbing common spills around the house, although paper towels are more used for the latter...
rolls to troops than his entire department. Shonteff and Griffiths uses the subtlety and wit of the early Bond films rather than the cartoonish excesses of the later ones to tell the tale. The film also features a first rate cast with the satirical Adams as Vine who is "first in his class in weapons and unarmed combat and took a first at Oxford in Maths", John Arnatt
John Arnatt
- Biography :John Arnatt was born in Petrograd on 9 May 1917. His parents were Francis Arnatt and Ethel Marion Arnatt . He attended Epworth College. Arnatt trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...
as the patient but slightly insulting Rockwell and the delightful Peter Bull
Peter Bull
Peter Cecil Bull, DSC was a British character actor.- Biography :He was the fourth and youngest son of Hammersmith MP Sir William James Bull, 1st Bt..Bull was educated at Winchester College...
as the enemy mastermind Masterman.
Shonteff provides witty setpiece
Setpiece
In film production, a setpiece is a scene or sequence of scenes the execution of which requires serious logistical planning and considerable expenditure of money. The term setpiece is often used more broadly to describe any important dramatic or comedic highpoint in a film or story, particularly...
s of the Bond films like a car chase
Car chase
A car chase is the vehicular pursuit of a suspect by law enforcement officers. Car chases are often captured on film and broadcast due to the availability of video footage recorded by police cars and police and media helicopters participating in the chase...
, assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
attempts from a transvestite named She He (Thunderball
Thunderball (film)
Thunderball is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham...
), an evil twin
Evil twin
The evil twin is an antagonist found in many different fictional genres. They are physical copies of protagonists, but with radically inverted moralities. In filmed entertainment, they can have obvious physical differences with the protagonist—such as facial hair, eyepatches, scars or distinctive...
(The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
s The Spy with My Face
The Spy with My Face
The Spy with My Face is a 1965 spy-fi spy film based on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. television series. Robert Vaughn and David McCallum reprised their roles as secret agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin respectively. THRUSH tries to steal a super weapon by substituting a double for Solo.It is the...
), a master assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
named Sadistikov as well as a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
attack (both from From Russia With Love
From Russia with Love (film)
From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
). Vine handles them all with his Mauser C96
Mauser C96
The Mauser C96 is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937...
broomhandle pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
that he wears in a behind the back holster
Holster
A handgun holster is a device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use.-Function:...
that Vine admits copying from a "detective on television" (Tightrope
Tightrope (TV series)
Tightrope is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 1959 to September 1960. Produced by Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene in association with Screen Gems, the series stars Mike Connors as an undercover agent named "Nick" who was assigned to infiltrate criminal gangs...
). Unlike other superspy films, Shonteff's film makes two cheeky references to Bond as an actual fellow agent.
Based on the success of the film, Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
offered director Shonteff a five picture contract, but they disagreed over conditions
Welsh Trinity College Oxford graduate and former RAF Intelligence
RAF Intelligence
Intelligence services in the Royal Air Force is delivered by Officers of the Royal Air Force Operations Support Intelligence Branch and Airmen from the Intelligence Analyst Trade and Intelligence Analyst Trade...
Howard Griffiths
Howard Griffiths (screenwriter)
Howard Griffiths was a screen and television writer born in Wales who wrote Licensed to Kill and many Australian television shows.-Biography:...
emigrated to Australia where he wrote extensively for Australian television series such as the spy series Hunter
Hunter (Australian Crawfords TV series)
Hunter was an Australian espionage adventure television series screened by the Nine Network from 5 July 1967 to 1969. The series was created by Ian Jones and produced by Crawford Productions....
(1967), and police shows Division 4
Division 4
Division 4 was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 300 episodes....
, Homicide, and Blue Heelers
Blue Heelers
Blue Heelers is an Australian police drama series which depicted the lives of police officers stationed at the fictional Mount Thomas police station in a small town in Victoria.- Overview :...
.
The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World
Joseph E. LevineJoseph E. Levine
Joseph E. Levine was an American film producer.He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His Embassy Pictures Corporation was an independent studio and distributor responsible for such films as Hercules , The Carpetbaggers, Harlow, The Graduate, A Bridge Too Far and The Lion in Winter.Levine is famous...
had great financial success after cheaply purchasing an Italian film called Hercules
Hercules (1958 film)
Hercules is a 1958 Italian epic fantasy feature film based upon the Hercules myths and the Quest for the Golden Fleece. The film stars Steve Reeves as the titular hero and Sylva Koscina as his love interest Princess Iole. Hercules was directed by Pietro Francisci and produced by Federico Teti...
and releasing it in America with a massive publicity campaign, and decided to do the same with Licensed to Kill. However, the American release reedited the film by having the opening assassination performed by a Mum pulling a Sten gun out of her pram
Pram
Pram may refer to:*Pram, Austria* Pram , a musical group* Pram , a type of shallow-draught, flat-bottomed ship * A type of dinghy with a flat bow* A type of wheeled baby transport...
of twins changing to a pre-credit
Pre-credit
In film production, the pre-credit is the section of the film which is shown before the opening credits are shown.Many films will by common convention have a short scene before the credits to introduce characters who may, or may not, become crucial to the film's plot...
scene. Levine engaged songwriters Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
and James Van Heusen
James Van Heusen
Jimmy Van Heusen , was an American composer. He wrote songs mainly for films and television , and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song.-Life and career:...
to write a title song performed by Sammy Davis Jr and arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman
Claus Ogerman
Claus Ogerman is a German musical arranger/ orchestrator, conductor, and composer, best known for his works with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Frank Sinatra and Diana Krall.-Life and work:...
over the credits with the new title. The American release then eliminated scenes of Francis de Wolff
Francis de Wolff
Francis de Wolff was an English character actor. Large, bearded, and beetle-browed, he was often cast as villains in both film and television....
talking to John Arnatt
John Arnatt
- Biography :John Arnatt was born in Petrograd on 9 May 1917. His parents were Francis Arnatt and Ethel Marion Arnatt . He attended Epworth College. Arnatt trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...
about seeking Bond for the assignment, and Vine in bed with a girl and a crossword puzzle
Crossword Puzzle
For the common puzzle, see CrosswordCrossword Puzzle was the second to last album made by The Partridge Family and was not one of the most popular albums. It was released in 1973 and did not produce a U.S. single. This album was finally released on CD in 2003 on Arista's BMG Heritage label...
giving double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
clues. The American release also eliminates much of the dialogue about the anti gravity device, called "Regrav" that makes the denouement of the film less comprehensible.
The American publicity
Publicity
Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment.From a marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion which is one...
for the film echoed the 'Number 2, but tries harder' advertising of the Avis Rent a Car System
Avis Rent A Car System
Avis Rent a Car System, LLC is a car rental company headquartered in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, New Jersey, United States. Avis, Budget Rent a Car and Budget Truck Rental are all units of Avis Budget Group....
prevalent at the time. Levine launched a November 1965 nationwide 100 word essay contest to be titled "the most unforgettable second best secret agent I have known".
Sequels
What Eon ProductionsEON Productions
Eon Productions is a film production company known for producing the James Bond film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom...
reaction was to the blatant imitation is not known, but Shonteff was missing from the two Vine sequels starring Tom Adams-
- Where the Bullets FlyWhere the Bullets FlyWhere the Bullets Fly is a 1966 British comedy spy film directed by John Gilling and starring Tom Adams as Charles Vine and John Arnatt repeating their roles from Licensed to Kill/The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World...
(1966) (directed by Warwick FilmsWarwick FilmsWarwick Films was the name of a film company founded by film producers Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli in London in 1951. The name was taken from the Warwick Hotel in London...
and Hammer Films director John GillingJohn GillingJohn Gilling was an English film director and screenwriter, born in London. He was chiefly known for his horror films, especially for Hammer Films, for whom he directed Shadow of the Cat , The Plague of the Zombies , The Reptile and The Mummy's Shroud, among others...
) that was also released by Embassy Films - Somebody's Stolen Our Russian Spy/O.K. Yevtushenko (1967) a Spanish made film that languished in a film laboratory until 1976.
Shonteff later made three films with the hero named "Charles Bind"
- Number One of the Secret Service (1977) starring Nicky HensonNicky HensonNicholas Victor Leslie "Nicky" Henson is an English actor who has portrayed many roles since 1963. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1977. He was born in London.-Early life:...
- Licensed to Love and Kill (1979) starring Gareth HuntGareth HuntAlan Leonard Hunt was an English actor, known as Gareth Hunt, best remembered for playing the footman Frederick Norton in Upstairs, Downstairs and Mike Gambit in The New Avengers.-Early life:...
- Number One Gun (1980) starring Michael Howe