''A Man Called Dagger'' (1968) is a low-budget
spy film
The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a film genre, genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many Jame ...
that was the first collaboration between director
Richard Rush
Richard Rush (August 29, 1780 – July 30, 1859) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat who served as the 8th United States Attorney General from 1814 to 1817 and the 8th United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1825 to 1829. He serv ...
, cinematographer
László Kovács, and stuntman Gary Warner Kent (who also did the film's special effects).
It was filmed in 1966 by Lew Horwitz's Global Screen Associates (GSA) under the title ''Why Spy?'' The film was originally intended to have been released by Mike Ripps' Cinema Distributors of America (CDA) in September 1966. When GSA and CDA's partnership collapsed, the film was picked up by
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
and released a year later.
Plot
Secret agents Dick Dagger and Harper Davis are on the trail of former
SS Colonel Rudolph Koffman, who is using a meat-packing plant as his secret lair.
Ingrid is the wheelchair-using Koffman's mistress and runs a beauty spa. A massage therapist there, Joy, reveals to Dagger that another employee, Erica, is being held captive in Koffman's secret lair. Erica has been brainwashed and tries to kill Dagger, but does not succeed.
After the madman also kidnaps Harper, it is up to Dagger to stage a daring rescue operation. He is captured and tortured, but escapes thanks to a laser beam in his wristwatch. Koffman tries to kill him with a meat cleaver, but Dagger foils the villain and gets the women.
Cast
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Paul Mantee as Dick Dagger
*
Jan Murray as Rudolph Koffman
*
Terry Moore as Harper Davis
*
Maureen Arthur as Joy
*
Richard Kiel as Otto
*
Eileen O'Neill as Erica
*
Sue Ane Langdon as Ingrid
*
Bruno VeSota as Dr. Grulik
*Mimi Dillard as Melissa
*
Leonard Stone
Leonard Stone ( Steinbock; November 3, 1923 – November 2, 2011) was an American character actor who played supporting roles in over 120 television shows and 35 films.
Early life
Stone was born in Salem, Oregon, the son of Jewish parents Julia ...
as Karl Rainer
Score
Steve Allen
Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and ...
composed the film's score with
Ronald Stein arranging and conducting it. Maureen Arthur sang Buddy Kaye's lyrics to Allen's title song.
Deleted scenes
Sue Ane Langdon recalled several scenes that did not make the final print. One featured a
West Highland White Terrier
The West Highland White Terrier (commonly shortened to Westie) is a dog breed, breed of dog from Scotland with a distinctive white harsh coat and somewhat soft white undercoat. It is a medium-sized terrier, though with longer legs than other ...
whose fur was dyed to match Langdon's hair in the film. When she toured with the dog, people thought the fur colouring was hurting the dog. Most of the dog’s scenes were left out of the final cut. Langdon also recalled scenes of people hanging on meat hooks that were cut.
[p. 173 Lisanti, Tom and Paul, Louis ''Film fatales: women in espionage films and television, 1962-1973'' 2002 McFarland]
See also
*
List of American films of 1968
This is a list of American films released in 1968.
Box office
The highest-grossing American films released in 1968, by domestic box office gross revenue as estimated by '' The Numbers'', are as follows:
January–March
April–June
...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Man Called Dagger
1968 films
1960s spy films
1960s spy thriller films
American spy films
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
Films directed by Richard Rush
Parody films based on James Bond films
1960s English-language films
1960s American films
English-language action adventure films
English-language spy thriller films