The Doll Squad
Encyclopedia
The Doll Squad is a 1973 low-budget action film
Z movie
by Feature-Faire that was later re-released under the title Seduce and Destroy. Directed, edited, co-written and co-produced by Ted V. Mikels
, it features Francine York, Michael Ansara
, John Carter
, Anthony Eisley
, Leigh Christian
and Tura Satana
. Mikels claimed he filmed it for a total cost of $256,000.
.
contributor Ed White notes that the visuals for the action sequences near the end of the film are unusually dark. This part of the film was shot in a single night. The multiple machine guns used by the actresses in this sequence was really a single weapon that was on temporarily loan to the director.
DVD reviewer and Rolling Stone contributor Doug Pratt called it "an enjoyable action romp". He adds, "the girls kick some serious butt and they look terrific in their hot black jumpsuits. Who can resist?" Film critic Michael Adams said the film is "so slow in parts I think it should be called The Dull Squad", but "it picks up at the end". He rated it a solid 37/100. Nonetheless, it has become something of a cult film for fans of actress Francine York.
television series. Aaron Spelling
, who later produced the television series, was invited to the premiere of this movie, and the lead member of the squad was named Sabrina, just as in Charlie's Angels. Quentin Tarantino
has cited the film as an influence on his Deadly Viper Assassination Squad
in his film Kill Bill
.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
Z movie
Z movie
The term Z movie arose in the mid-1960s as an informal description of certain unequivocally non-A films. It was soon adopted to characterize low-budget pictures with quality standards well below those of most B movies and even so-called C movies...
by Feature-Faire that was later re-released under the title Seduce and Destroy. Directed, edited, co-written and co-produced by Ted V. Mikels
Ted V. Mikels
Ted V. Mikels is an American filmmaker of independent cult films. Mikels was also known for his home life, as he once lived with a harem in a Glendale, California castle that contained secret passageways....
, it features Francine York, Michael Ansara
Michael Ansara
Michael Ansara is a Syrian-born American stage, screen, and voice actor best known for his portrayal of Cochise in the American television series Broken Arrow, Kane in the 1979-81 series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and Commander Kang on three different Star Trek TV series.- Early life and...
, John Carter
John Carter
-Politicians:*John Carter , New Zealand politician*John Carter , U.S. Representative from Texas*John Carter , U.S. Representative from South Carolina...
, Anthony Eisley
Anthony Eisley
Anthony Eisley was born Frederick Glendinning Eisley in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whose father was a general sales manager for a large corporation. Father of Amanda Eisley, Jonathan Eisley, Nan R...
, Leigh Christian
Leigh Christian
Leigh Christian is an American actress best known for her Guest Starring roles on many major television series during the 1970s and 80s including The Rockford Files, Hawaii Five-O, The Six Million Dollar Man, Knight Rider, Starsky and Hutch, The Ghost Busters, amongst others.- Personal life :Leigh...
and Tura Satana
Tura Satana
Tura Satana was an American actress and former exotic dancer. She was best known for her role as "Varla" in Russ Meyer's 1965 cult film, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!.-Early life:...
. Mikels claimed he filmed it for a total cost of $256,000.
Plot
CIA operative Connolly (Eisley) assigns Sabrina (York), the leader of a group of five shapely female operatives individually selected by a computer. Code named the Doll Squad, they thwart the efforts of a mad man who formerly worked alongside Sabrina as a fellow CIA agent who has become an entrepreneur to overthrow world governments. His plan is to release rats infected with bubonic plagueBubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
.
Production
Time Inc.Time Inc.
Time Inc. is a subsidiary of the media conglomerate Time Warner, the company formed by the 1990 merger of the original Time Inc. and Warner Communications. It publishes 130 magazines, most notably its namesake, Time...
contributor Ed White notes that the visuals for the action sequences near the end of the film are unusually dark. This part of the film was shot in a single night. The multiple machine guns used by the actresses in this sequence was really a single weapon that was on temporarily loan to the director.
DVD reviewer and Rolling Stone contributor Doug Pratt called it "an enjoyable action romp". He adds, "the girls kick some serious butt and they look terrific in their hot black jumpsuits. Who can resist?" Film critic Michael Adams said the film is "so slow in parts I think it should be called The Dull Squad", but "it picks up at the end". He rated it a solid 37/100. Nonetheless, it has become something of a cult film for fans of actress Francine York.
Legacy
This film may have been the inspiration for the Charlie's AngelsCharlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
television series. Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
, who later produced the television series, was invited to the premiere of this movie, and the lead member of the squad was named Sabrina, just as in Charlie's Angels. Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
has cited the film as an influence on his Deadly Viper Assassination Squad
Deadly Viper Assassination Squad
The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad is a group of fictional characters in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.It is a reference to Buddhism's "Five Poisons": see .-History:...
in his film Kill Bill
Kill Bill
Kill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
.