bobcatlew

I always remembered how this film had just about everything from the 60s in it--spies, assassinations, conspiracies, the Cold War, national politics, international politics, racial politics, Zen, guns, gun control, karate, psychoanalysis, paranoia, suburban families, suburban homes, spy kits, kids wanting to have long hair, hippies with long hair, VW vans, free love, a super-tech villain lair, M-16s--and, of course, the standard sex, drugs, and rock and roll. And did I mention government conspiracies, paranoia, and spies.

And then there's the totally 60's background music throughout the film. Only the 60s offered that kind of funky, jazzy, pop with that, you know, 60s happy-clappy sound. I especially always remembered the medley with the female vocals doing a hip (well, "hip" by 60's standards) rendition of "Joy to the World" at the beginning of the film as the James Coburn character roams about Manhattan digging life and his new promotion--before everything in his life and career goes south.

All I could say about this film was that it was totally 60s. It caught that era of American culture and politics perfectly as no other film did.

Then my wife and I watched this film again recently and were surprised at how its comedy still works and how most of its satire is still relevant. In some ways it is not far removed from "The X-Files" (only much more funny) with all of its conspiracies and paranoia, government agents, good spies and bad spies. People still suspect the government of always being on the verge of completely intruding into their lives. Some people still seek escape through psychology, others still through "tuning out," and others in suburban family values. And, of course, people still hate the phone company (though now it is "the phone companies").

So much has changed, yet so much has stayed the same.

It is hard to say which sequence of this film is the funniest. We literally laughed throughout the film. I laughed hardest at the trip into suburbia--hey, just add a few more kids and that was my family, my dad, my mom. My wife laughed hardest at the Russian spy's description of how the Cold War would eventually wrap up--making this film a helluvalot more insightful than all of the fear and gloom of those who predicted nuclear holocaust.

And then there is the "ultimate sex and violence sequence" where various spies in the background "eliminate" one another while the main character is being initiated into the joys of free love with a hot, if air-headed, hippie chick.

What can you say? This was the 60s. And it is still funny as hell today.

I saw this movie at a drive-in back in the summer of 1976 in rural Wyoming, not Texas, but it still seemed pretty close. It was the second feature to another movie that I cannot even remember. I was with my big brother and his girl friend, and so this movie just seemed to fit us. I remember we were belly-laughing through the whole thing. Saw it later on someone's VHS. Didn't laugh as hard, but it sure brought back memories. And this movie does catch that part of small town life dead on--a summer night when everyone gathers at the drive-in.

Of course, the best thing about this movie was the movie within the movie--"Disaster '76." With it's "macho" hero delivering lame disaster movie lines while encountering situations out of the "Airport" movies, "Towering Inferno," "Earthquake," and "Jaws," it was a send up of just about every disaster movie made at that time. And this still a couple of years before "Airplane." I still laugh just thinking about it.