Matt Helm
Encyclopedia
Donald Hamilton
Donald Bengtsson Hamilton was a U.S. writer of novels, short stories, and non-fiction about the outdoors. His novels consist mostly of paperback originals, principally spy fiction but also crime fiction and Westerns such as The Big Country...
. He is a U.S. government counter-agent—a man whose primary job is to kill or nullify enemy agents—not a spy or secret agent in the ordinary sense of the term as used in spy thrillers.
The character and the series
The character appeared in 27 books over a 33-year period beginning in 1960 and established Helm as one of the most tough-minded, pragmatic, and competent of all fictional agents, whatever their roles. The series was noted for its between-books continuityContinuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
, which was somewhat rare for the genre. In the later books, Helm's origins as a man of action in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
disappeared and he became an apparently ageless
Floating timeline
A Floating timeline is a device used in fiction, particularly in comics and animation, to explain why characters age little or not at all over a period of time - despite real-world markers like notable events, people and technology appearing in the works and correlating with the real world.A...
character, a common fate of long-running fictional heroes.
In the first book in the series, Matt Helm: Death Of A Citizen
Death of a Citizen
Death of a Citizen is a 1960 spy novel by Donald Hamilton, and was the first in a long-running series of books featuring the adventures of assassin Matt Helm...
, which takes place in the summer of 1958, 13 years after the end of the Second World War, Helm is frequently referred to by other characters as being of incipient middle age and apparently soft and out of shape, although no specific age for him is given.
In the next story, which apparently takes place in the summer of 1959, a hostile agent from a rival American spy organization taunts Helm as being a shopworn 36-year-old and clearly over the hill as a physical specimen. Later in the book, Helm himself says that he is 36 years old.
A long Internet article (on the now defunct members.aol.com) by Hayford Peirce
Hayford Peirce
Hayford Peirce is an American writer of science fiction, mysteries, and spy thrillers. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy and received his BA from Harvard College...
examined the issue of Helm's age, however, and found this figure to be improbably young given the information about Helm's background in Death Of A Citizen. Peirce postulated that Helm was actually several years older than the 36 years mentioned in The Wrecking Crew
The Wrecking Crew (novel)
The Wrecking Crew is a spy novel by Donald Hamilton first published in 1960. It was the second novel featuring Hamilton's ongoing protagonist, counter-agent and assassin Matt Helm. In this book Hamilton continued the hard-headed and gritty realism he had built up around Helm in the first novel of...
and that he was probably born around 1918. In the remaining 25 books of the series, however, the age issue vanishes completely.
Critic Anthony Boucher
Anthony Boucher
Anthony Boucher was an American science fiction editor and author of mystery novels and short stories. He was particularly influential as an editor. Between 1942 and 1947 he acted as reviewer of mostly mystery fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle...
wrote: "Donald Hamilton has brought to the spy novel the authentic hard realism of Dashiell Hammett
Dashiell Hammett
Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade , Nick and Nora Charles , and the Continental Op .In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on...
; and his stories are as compelling, and probably as close to the sordid truth of espionage, as any now being told." Golden Age
Golden Age of Detective Fiction
The Golden Age of Detective Fiction was an era of classic murder mystery novels produced by various authors, all following similar patterns and style.-Origins:Mademoiselle de Scudéri, by E.T.A...
mystery writer John Dickson Carr
John Dickson Carr
John Dickson Carr was an American author of detective stories, who also published under the pen names Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn....
began reviewing books for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine is an American monthly digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction...
in 1969. According to Carr's biographer, "Carr found Donald Hamilton's Matt Helm to be 'my favorite secret agent,'" although Hamilton's books had little in common with Carr's. "The explanation may lie in Carr's comment that in espionage novels he preferred Matt Helm's 'cloud-cuckooland' land. Carr never valued realism in fiction."
Matt Helm in film and television
A movie series was made beginning in 1966 starring Dean MartinDean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, who co-produced with his Meadway-Claude Production company and received a partnership in the films. The series was produced by Irving Allen
Irving Allen
Irving Allen was a theatrical and cinematic producer and director. He won an Academy Award in 1948 for producing the short movie Climbing the Matterhorn. In the early 1950s he formed Warwick Films with partner Albert "Cubby" Broccoli and relocated to England to leverage film making against a...
, who had once been the partner of 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 producer Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli
Albert R. Broccoli
Albert Romolo Broccoli, CBE , nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer, who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career, most of them in the United Kingdom, and often filmed at Pinewood Studios. Co-founder of Danjaq, LLC and EON Productions, Broccoli is most notable as the...
— the same man who had told Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
that his 007 novels were not "good enough for television," a point of contention between the two producers from 1958-1960 when they dissolved Warwick Films
Warwick Films
Warwick 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 went their separate ways.
The films used the name Matt Helm, his cover identity, plus book titles and some very loose plot elements, but otherwise the series bore no resemblance at all to the character, atmosphere, or themes of Hamilton's original books, nor to the hard-edged action of Bond. One reason was the attitude of the filmmakers that the only way to compete with the Bond films was to parody them. (See also Casino Royale
Casino Royale (1967 film)
Casino Royale is a 1967 comedy spy film originally produced by Columbia Pictures starring an ensemble cast of directors and actors. It is set as a satire of the James Bond film series and the spy genre, and is loosely based on Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel.The film stars David Niven as the...
.) Likewise, a 1970s TV series Matt Helm
Matt Helm (TV series)
Matt Helm is a short-lived American mystery television series which aired on the ABC Network during the 1975-1976 season. The title character was played by Anthony Franciosa.-Overview:...
, which cast Tony Franciosa as Helm as an ex-spy turned private detective, also departed from the books and was similarly unsuccessful. Another variation from the books in the movie is that Matt's department was named; for the films Matt worked for Intelligence and CounterEspionage (ICE).
Martin played the part with his own persona of a fun-loving, easygoing, wisecracking playboy with plenty of references to singing and alcohol consumption. Like the Bond films, the Helm movies feature a number of sexy women in each, including a group of "Slaygirls."
For instance, in 1966's The Silencers
The Silencers (film)
The Silencers is the title of an American spy film spoof motion picture produced in 1966 and starring Dean Martin as agent Matt Helm. It is only loosely based upon the novel The Silencers by Donald Hamilton, as well as another of Hamilton's Helm novels, Death of a Citizen.The film was the first of...
, Stella Stevens
Stella Stevens
Stella Stevens Stella Stevens Stella Stevens (born October 1, 1938 is an American film, television and stage actress, who began her acting career in 1959 and starred in such popular films as The Nutty Professor, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Silencers, The Ballad of Cable Hogue and The...
played a redheaded bombshell who proves helpless while trying to help Helm, and a similar part was played in The Wrecking Crew
The Wrecking Crew
Wrecking Crew may refer to:In film:*Wrecking Crew , an American film directed by Frank McDonald*The Wrecking Crew , a 1969 film starring Dean Martin and Elke Sommer...
by actress Sharon Tate
Sharon Tate
Sharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood's promising newcomers and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for...
. Martin co-starred in the films with popular '60s actresses such as Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...
, Elke Sommer
Elke Sommer
Elke Sommer , born Baroness Elke Schletz, is a German actress, entertainer and artist.-Career:Sommer was born in Berlin to a Lutheran minister and his wife...
, Janice Rule
Janice Rule
-Early life and career:Born in Norwood, Ohio, her career included stage, screen and television work. Rule studied ballet and began dancing in Chicago nightclubs in her teens. She soon attracted attention in Hollywood and made her film debut in 1951...
, and Tina Louise
Tina Louise
Tina Louise is an American actress, singer, and author. She is best known for her role as the "movie star" Ginger Grant on the television situation comedy Gilligan's Island .-Early life:...
.
Supposedly, the idea of a tongue-in-cheek Helm came from the first director, Phil Karlson
Phil Karlson
Phil Karlson was a film director known for his no-nonsense film noirs. Karlson directed 99 River Street, Kansas City Confidential and Hell's Island all with actor John Payne in the early 1950s...
. Karlson had the idea of filming The Secret Ways
The Secret Ways
The Secret Ways is a 1961 thriller film based on Alistair McLean's novel The Last Frontier.-Plot:American adventurer Michael Reynolds is hired by an international espionage ring to smuggle a noted scholar and resistance leader, Professor Jansci, out of Communist-ruled Hungary...
with that approach, but the star, producer, and husband of the screenwriter, Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
, fired him from the film and took over the direction himself without credit. Bond films of the 1970s, by contrast, adopted the style and setpieces of Helm films while also mostly ignoring the plot elements of Fleming's original books.
In the short term, the Dean Martin-Matt Helm series of spy spoof films proved to be the most successful of Bond-influenced ones in terms of sheer output: They totaled four—more than the film franchises about Derek Flint
Derek Flint
Derek Flint is a fictional world adventurer and master spy featured in a series of movies and comic books. Flint is a parody of James Bond and Doc Savage. Derek Flint is an agent for ZOWIE...
, Harry Palmer
Harry Palmer
Harry Palmer is the name of the protagonist of a number of films based on the main character from the spy novels written by Len Deighton. Michael Caine played Harry Palmer in the films based on three of the first four of the published novels featuring this character, and also later in two films not...
, or Austin Powers; however the Harry Palmer
Harry Palmer
Harry Palmer is the name of the protagonist of a number of films based on the main character from the spy novels written by Len Deighton. Michael Caine played Harry Palmer in the films based on three of the first four of the published novels featuring this character, and also later in two films not...
series released two further contemporary films in the 1990s, first matching, then surpassing the Helm series in number.
In 2002, it was reported that DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
had optioned
Option (films)
In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement between a potential film producer, such as a movie studio, a production company or an individual, and a writer or third party who holds ownership of a screenplay...
the entire Helm book series. On August 9, 2005, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported that DreamWorks had signed Michael Brandt and Derek Haas
Derek Haas
Derek Haas is a writer.- Life and career :Derek Haas attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas where he earned both his B.A. and M.A. in English Literature. He lives in Los Angeles, and has made a name as a screenwriter and co-author of several successful Hollywood films. In 2008 he published his...
to write a screenplay for a high-six-figure deal. According to the article, the film will be a contemporary adaptation of the character, but no casting or release information has been announced.
The Martin version of Helm served as a significant inspiration for Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
's comic character Austin Powers and many references can be seen. Most significantly, both are fashion photographers as their cover jobs.
Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
retained 100% of the Matt Helm series after its split from DreamWorks SKG. Currently, Alex Kurtzman
Alex Kurtzman
Alex Kurtzman is an American film and television screenwriter and producer.Kurtzman was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where he met his high school friend and long time collaborator Roberto Orci...
and Roberto Orci
Roberto Orci
Roberto Gaston Orci is a Mexican-American film producer, television producer, and screenwriter.-Biography:Orci was born in Mexico City to a Mexican father and a Cuban mother. His mother had left Cuba for Mexico after Fidel Castro came to power. He is the older brother of screenwriter-producer J....
are producing a more serious version of the Helm franchise. The tone of Paul Attanasio
Paul Attanasio
Paul Albert Attanasio is an American screenwriter and producer of film and television, who is currently an executive producer on the television series House.-Life and career:...
's script is closer to that of The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Identity (2002 film)
The Bourne Identity is a 2002 American spy film loosely based on Robert Ludlum's novel of the same name. It stars Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, an amnesiac attempting to discover his true identity amidst a clandestine conspiracy within the Central Intelligence Agency . The film also stars Franka...
, reports Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006669.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. Despite having no contractual connections any longer, there are rumors that Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
is considering directing or producing the Matt Helm update.
Books
(all by Donald Hamilton)- Death of a CitizenDeath of a CitizenDeath of a Citizen is a 1960 spy novel by Donald Hamilton, and was the first in a long-running series of books featuring the adventures of assassin Matt Helm...
(1960) - The Wrecking CrewThe Wrecking Crew (novel)The Wrecking Crew is a spy novel by Donald Hamilton first published in 1960. It was the second novel featuring Hamilton's ongoing protagonist, counter-agent and assassin Matt Helm. In this book Hamilton continued the hard-headed and gritty realism he had built up around Helm in the first novel of...
(1960) - The RemoversThe RemoversThe Removers is a spy novel by Donald Hamilton first published in 1961. It was the third novel featuring Hamilton's creation, counter-agent and assassin Matt Helm.-Plot summary:...
(1961) - The SilencersThe SilencersThe Silencers is the title of a 1962 spy novel by Donald Hamilton, the fourth in a series of books featuring assassin Matt Helm.-Plot summary:...
(1962) - Murderers' RowMurderers' Row (novel)Murderers' Row is the title of a 1962 spy novel by Donald Hamilton. It was the fifth novel featuring his creation Matt Helm, a Second World War assassin recruited as a counter-agent by a secret American agency...
(1962) - The AmbushersThe AmbushersThe Ambushers is the title of a novel by Donald Hamilton first published in 1963, continuing the exploits of assassin Matt Helm.-Plot introduction:Matt Helm conducts a by-the-book assassination in the Central American nation of Costa Verde...
(1963) - The ShadowersThe ShadowersThe Shadowers is the title of a novel by Donald Hamilton first published in 1964, continuing the exploits of assassin Matt Helm. It was the seventh novel of the series.-Plot summary:...
(1964) - The RavagersThe RavagersThe Ravagers is the title of a novel by Donald Hamilton that was first published in 1964. It was the eighth novel in his long-running series of adventures featuring secret agent Matt Helm.-Plot summary:...
(1964) - The DevastatorsThe DevastatorsThe Devastators is the title of the ninth novel in the Matt Helm spy series by Donald Hamilton. It was first published in 1965.-Plot summary:...
(1965) - The BetrayersThe BetrayersThe Betrayers is the title of the tenth novel in the Matt Helm spy series by Donald Hamilton, which originated with Death of a Citizen in 1960. This novel was first published in 1966. Up to this point, Hamilton had maintained a publishing schedule of at least one Helm novel annually, sometimes more...
(1966) - The MenacersThe MenacersThe Menacers, first published in 1968, was the eleventh novel in the Matt Helm spy series by Donald Hamilton.-Plot summary:For reasons unknown, flying saucers apparently with United States Air Force markings have begun attacking locations in Mexico...
(1968) - The InterlopersThe Interlopers (novel)The Interlopers, first published in 1969, was the twelfth novel in the Matt Helm spy series by Donald Hamilton, which began in 1960. It represents a middle period in the Helm novels, being about 80,000 words in length, somewhat longer than the first four or five in the series, but considerably...
(1969) - The PoisonersThe PoisonersThe Poisoners was the first Matt Helm novel of the 1970s. It was first published in 1971, as the thirteenth novel in the spy series by Donald Hamilton.-Plot summary:...
(1971) - The IntriguersThe IntriguersThe Intriguers, first published in 1972, was the fourteenth novel in the Matt Helm spy series by Donald Hamilton.-Plot summary:This novel is a direct follow-up to The Poisoners. It is also the first book in the Matt Helm series to focus on Helm's superior, Mac, whose full name is revealed for the...
(1972) - The IntimidatorsThe IntimidatorsThe Intimidators was the fifteenth novel in the Matt Helm secret agent novel series by Donald Hamilton. It was first published in 1974.-Plot summary:...
(1974) - The TerminatorsThe TerminatorsThe Terminators by Donald Hamilton is a spy novel first published in April 1975. It was the sixteenth episode in the Matt Helm series and was the first of the Helm books to portray him, on its cover, as a long-haired, side-burned citizen of the 1970s...
(1975) - The RetaliatorsThe RetaliatorsThe Retaliators was the seventeenth novel in the Matt Helm secret agent novel series by Donald Hamilton. It was first published in 1976. It was nominated for an Edgar Award in the paperback original category.-Plot summary:...
(1976) - The TerrorizersThe TerrorizersThe Terrorizers was the eighteenth novel in the Matt Helm secret agent novel series by Donald Hamilton. It was first published in 1977. Following the publication of this book, Hamilton put his longtime character on hiatus; the next Matt Helm novel, The Revengers, would not be published until...
(1977) - The RevengersThe Revengers (novel)The Revengers, published in 1982, is a novel in the long-running secret agent series Matt Helm by Donald Hamilton. It was the first Helm book published since 1977 and the nineteenth book published overall since 1960....
(1982) - The AnnihilatorsThe AnnihilatorsThe Annihilators, published in 1983, was the twentieth novel in the long-running secret agent series Matt Helm by Donald Hamilton.-Plot summary:...
(1983) - The InfiltratorsThe InfiltratorsThe Infiltrators was the twenty-first novel in the spy series Matt Helm by Donald Hamilton. It was first published in 1984.-Plot summary:...
(1984) - The DetonatorsThe DetonatorsThe Detonators, published in 1985, is a novel in the long-running secret agent series Matt Helm by Donald Hamilton.-Plot summary:Matt Helm is assigned to assassinate an expert in explosives who is planning to build his own atomic weapon....
(1985) - The VanishersThe VanishersThe Vanishers is the title of a spy novel by Donald Hamilton which was first published in 1986. It is the twenty-third book in a series of novels featuring the adventures of assassin Matt Helm.-Plot summary:...
(1986) - The DemolishersThe DemolishersThe Demolishers, published in 1987, is a novel in the long-running secret agent series Matt Helm by Donald Hamilton.-Plot summary:After Matt Helm's son is killed by a terrorist bomb, Helm goes on a mission of revenge against those responsible....
(1987) - The FrightenersThe Frighteners (novel)The Frighteners is a 1989 spy novel by Donald Hamilton, continuing the adventures of his creation, assassin Matt Helm....
(1989) - The ThreatenersThe ThreatenersThe Threateners is the title of a spy novel by Donald Hamilton first published in 1992. It was the twenty-sixth installment of the Matt Helm series, and saw the return of the character after a three-year hiatus.-Plot summary:...
(1992) - The DamagersThe DamagersThe Damagers, published in 1993, is a spy novel by Donald Hamilton, and the twenty-seventh volume of the adventures of government assassin Matt Helm. Hamilton had launched the series in 1960 with Death of a Citizen....
(1993) - The DominatorsThe Dominators (novel)The Dominators is the title of an unpublished novel by Donald Hamilton. The book, which was completed in the early 2000s, was intended to be the 28th novel in Hamilton's Matt Helm spy series, continuing the adventures of the character introduced in the 1960 novel Death of a Citizen and later...
– unpublished. Hamilton finished this novel in the late 1990s, and was reportedly revising it in preparation for seeking a publisher in mid-2002, but as of 2010 it has yet to be published.http://members.aol.com/MacBorden/update080202.htm
All of Hamilton's Matt Helm novels were first published in the United States by Fawcett Publications
Fawcett Publications
Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett . At the age of 16, Fawcett ran away from home to join the Army, and the Spanish-American War took him to the Philippines. Back in Minnesota, he became a...
under their Gold Medal
Gold Medal Books
Gold Medal Books, launched by Fawcett Publications in 1950, is a U.S. book publisher known for introducing paperback originals, a publishing innovation at the time. Fawcett was also an independent newsstand distributor, and in 1949 the company negotiated a contract with New American Library to...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
.
Films
(all starring Dean MartinDean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
as Helm)
- The SilencersThe Silencers (film)The Silencers is the title of an American spy film spoof motion picture produced in 1966 and starring Dean Martin as agent Matt Helm. It is only loosely based upon the novel The Silencers by Donald Hamilton, as well as another of Hamilton's Helm novels, Death of a Citizen.The film was the first of...
(1966) - Murderers' RowMurderers' Row (film)Murderers' Row is a 1966 American comedy-spy-fi film starring Dean Martin and very loosely based upon the Matt Helm spy novel Murderers' Row by Donald Hamilton, which was published in 1962....
(1966) - The AmbushersThe Ambushers (film)The Ambushers is a 1967 spy comedy film filmed in Acapulco starring Dean Martin, Senta Berger and Janice Rule. It is loosely based upon the novel of the same title by Donald Hamilton....
(1967) - The Wrecking CrewThe Wrecking Crew (1969 film)The Wrecking Crew, released in 1969 and starring Dean Martin, Elke Sommer, and Sharon Tate is the fourth and final film in a series of American comedy-spy-fi theatrical releases featuring Martin as secret agent Matt Helm....
(1969)
A fifth film was planned, based upon the novel The Ravagers, but Martin declined the opportunity to play the role once more, even though the title of the film was announced at the end of Wrecking Crew.
A 4-DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
box set containing the four films was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in December 2005.
, a more serious adaptation of the Matt Helm novels was reported to be in the early planning stages, with DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
holding the film rights to all of Donald Hamilton's books. Years later, rumors of the Helm project continue, with Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
reportedly signed to produce a film and possibly direct. Alex Kurtzman
Alex Kurtzman
Alex Kurtzman is an American film and television screenwriter and producer.Kurtzman was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where he met his high school friend and long time collaborator Roberto Orci...
and Roberto Orci
Roberto Orci
Roberto Gaston Orci is a Mexican-American film producer, television producer, and screenwriter.-Biography:Orci was born in Mexico City to a Mexican father and a Cuban mother. His mother had left Cuba for Mexico after Fidel Castro came to power. He is the older brother of screenwriter-producer J....
are also producing.
Bradley Cooper will play the role of Matt Helm.
The TV Series
A television series loosely based upon Hamilton's character was launched by the ABC NetworkAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in 1975. Titled simply Matt Helm
Matt Helm (TV series)
Matt Helm is a short-lived American mystery television series which aired on the ABC Network during the 1975-1976 season. The title character was played by Anthony Franciosa.-Overview:...
, the series starred Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa was an American actor, usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career.-Early life:...
as a retired spy who becomes a private detective. After being launched by a pilot TV movie, it ran for only 13 episodes.
Sources
- John Dickson Carr, The Man Who Explained Miracles, by Douglas G. Greene, New York, 1995
- Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection, by Chris Steinbrunner and Otto Penzler, New York, 1976, ISBN 0-07-061121-1
- 'Spielberg Spying Matt Helm: Secret Agent May Be Subject of Director's Next Film', by Michael Fleming, Variety Magazine, Wed., Jul. 29, 2009