The Wild Weird World of Dr. Goldfoot

Someone picked up a B-grade movie, altered (slightly) the cast and crew, and passed it as a movie. Anyone who wishes to see the real thing, Vincent Price as a good parody of 007's Dr. No (that was top news back in 1965) should refer to "Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine" (1965). There is a remake of the bikini machine, also with Vincent Price, with more slapstick humour and girls losing the tops of their bikinis - filmed in the Italian Riviera, "Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombers" (1966). Both are recommended B-movies, making fun of serious spy movies and teenage party movies of the Sixties.

At the same time as DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMBS (1966; see above), I also managed to get hold of this rare TV program which actually served to introduce the dastardly character to U.S. audiences as a sort of teaser for his first official 'vehicle'. In keeping with the times and the studio (AIP), all three Goldfoot movies feature youthful male leads then at the height of their popularity: after Frankie Avalon in DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE BIKINI MACHINE (1965), then, but before Fabian from GIRL BOMBS, here we have blond Tommy Kirk. Incidentally, while I do not recall the first film very well (despite having watched it not too long ago, which suggests that it is rather forgettable!), I have a feeling that the plot of this one is basically a condensation of it (running a half-hour rather than one-and-a-half, though it is still padded-out with dated adverts by the various sponsors!). Apart from star Vincent Price, we have two other cast members of BIKINI MACHINE: Susan Hart (in much the same part of leading Girl Robot) and Harvey Lembeck (only a "guest star" in the film proper but here given the sizable role of Goldfoot's buffoonish henchman, making up for his mistakes by flattering the boss with such magnanimous designations as "King Of Evil" and, most hilariously, "Wizard Of Rottenness"). Needless to say, given its modest origins and lack of color, the effort all feels a bit half-hearted in this case – then again, one might argue that being shorter than the others, it is easier to digest!

This was indeed not a film. It was in fact an episode of the old TV dance show "Shindig" that AIP basically took over and did a half-hour long story to plug the upcoming release of Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine.

It's quite a bit different from the film, but the basic concept is the same - Dr Goldfoot (Price) has built a line of lovely girl robots including the delicious Susan Hart.

Interestingly, Vincent Price explained in an interview many years later that in its original form, Dr Goldfoot was supposed to be more of a musical. Songs that tied into the plot would have made it more like what Rocky Horror would do many years later. The songs were cut from the script (and assumedly never recorded) but a lot of them showed up in this little episode. It's a neat look at what might have been for this classic.

The short (for lack of a better term) is available on a DVD called "Vincent Price-The Sinister Image" that is basically a long-form interview with Price, where he discusses his whole career. The Weird Wild World of Dr. Goldfoot is on the disk as an extra, but it's the main reason I bought the disk.