Jerry Land - Cacciatore di spie

Sandwiched between the sword-and-sandal epics inspired by "Hercules" and the spaghetti westerns inspired by "A Fistful of Dollars" came a spate of 1960s secret-agent movies riding on the coattails of James Bond. Most of these movies fell into the "forgettable" category but, like this one, they offered an entertaining blend of action, pretty girls, snatches of arch dialog, glamorous locales, and a debonair leading man.

The leading man in this case is 37-year-old Wayde Preston, best known for his "Colt .45" series which premiered on American TV in 1959. Preston was sort of a Lee Horsley type with a touch of Howard Keel and our first glimpse of him here comes when all 6 feet 4 inches of him steps out of a hotel room's bath wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He goes to a window, giving us a view of his broad shoulders and bare back, opens the curtains, then turns, putting his tanned, hairy chest on display. Though a few years past his prime, Preston's chest still looks mighty good and as if to emphasize its appeal, Preston casually runs his hands down it, thus pointing out its suitability for both loving caresses and torturous assaults.

It isn't long before a torturous assault occurs. Jumped by a bevy of bad guys, Preston is forced to strip down to a pair of white boxer-shorts whose fly, in true Hollywood fashion, never seems to gape open. He's then strapped into what looks like a barber chair and his head is positioned between a pair of metal rods which proceed to press in on the sides of his skull. (All of which vaguely anticipates "The Salamander" in which Franco Nero i bound to a torture-chair wearing nothing but a jockstrap.) As movie tortures go, this one's unusual quality fails to make up for its lack of visual effect. A later torture scene, done without the benefit of a bare chest, has the bad guys holding lighted matches to Preston's fingertips. Painful, yes, but one could think of another appendage on the male anatomy which might more effectively be subjected to an open flame.

Though "Man on the Spying Trapeze," (an amusing title), could easily have evolved into a series, such was not the case and so it's fallen into the often-neglected pool of Euro-spy movies from the 1960s. Fans of the genre, however, will find it worth a second look.

American Wayde Preston is better known as a star of spaghetti westerns but like many of his Euro-comrades he had to try his hand at the spy game. This would be his only foray into the genre but based on the results he could have made a career of it. Preston's easy going personality works well towards defining the unruffled spy archetype. Preston is agent Jerry Land who travels from Madrid to Rome to New York to Beirut and back again several times in his quest to bed as many women as possible and, oh yes, to solve the case.

You know you're in for a good time when a film opens with a car chase, especially when a Piero Umiliani soundtrack wails on as a car goes over a cliff and explodes. The camera surveys the wreckage, then zooms in on some false teeth uppers, the grisly but humorous detritus of death. Turns out those teeth house a hidden camera! Cool.

The film has its share of violence and torture too. The fights are choreographed well and feature lots of judo and karate-type action. Preston gets the best of the multiple (and recognizable) henchmen he frequently takes on. Throw in some good location shooting in Beirut and that cookin' Umiliani soundtrack and you have an above average actioner worth investigating.

An American spy named Jerry Land (Wayde Preston) is assigned by his chief Nick Collins (Reinhard Kolldehoff) to travel to Beirut and other countries seeking a valuable microfilm . Foreign agents will stop at nothing to obtain a microfilm that contains secrets from an ion engine . Land goes Rome after one of his colleagues is murdered, there he's attacked by heinous agents while attempts to retrieve the microfilm , but he then discovers that a super-villain is at work and there may be a traitor back at Headquarters. Our starring enjoys better luck on the female front, with his first contact in Rome being exotic dancer Yasmine (Pamela Tudor). Then he chats up sexy blonde Lyda (Lisa Halvorsen) on his flight to Beirut, although she does have a photograph of him in her handbag, which is a little suspicious considering they've only just met.

Routine setup shows us the adventures of the secret Jerry Land going after the megalomaniac enemies , including a lot of action , crossfire and silly fights with no much sense. Here American agent Jerry Land is tasked with a hard mission, but soon finds himself entangled in a complex conspiracy with bluff and double bluff games, involving more than one beautiful woman. Strangely enough, the script often resembles more of a straight cold war thriller than a 'Bond' knock-off, with the starring suffering crosses and double-crosses and cat and mouse chases , solely for the reason of hiding their real purports. This is a painfully dull Euro-spy movie , though Wayde Preston is suitably dashing, even he can't inject much interest into the embarrassing and rambling plot, which mostly consists of Preston walking into various settings and pissing off henchmen so that he can beat them up and get info from them . Unfortunately for the audience, his mission mostly involves wandering about the streets of Rome , Madrid and mainly Beirut, getting waylaid every now and then by one band of faceless henchmen after another. This incidents are broken up with a few liaisons with beautiful women, Helga Sommerfeld as Solange , Pamela Tudor and Kai Fischer , no better or worse than others appearing in the Euro-spy genre. However , the film is marred by silly set pieces and an embarrassing plot . If there were comedic intentions here, they were lost along the way, although the film certainly doesn't take itself all that seriously. Stars Wayde Preston as the hunk spy Jerry Land playing in his usual style . Here U. S. Actor Wayde Preston taking his turn as week's 'Bond On A Budget' on the trail of an all-important microfilm that 'must not fall into the wrong hands.' Preston was briefly a U. S. TV star in the late 1950s. Preston was born in Denver, Colorado, Estados Unidos. Worrking for TV , he took the title role of Christopher Colt in three seasons of the Western show 'Colt .45', a spinoff from his guest appearances on the more successful 'Tenderfoot'. Like Clint Eastwood he emigrated to Italy to achieve fame and fortune, however his roles were relegated to second-class Spaghetti Westerns . As he performed : Vivo per la tua morte (1968) , L'ira di Dio (1968) , Sartana nella valle degli avvoltoi (1970) , A Man Called Sledge (1970), Ehi amigo ... sei morto! (1970). And other appearances in all kinds of genres , such as : Anónima de asesinos (1966) , Hollywood man (1976), Smokey and the judge (1980) and Captain America (1990)

It displays an atmospheric cinematography by cameraman Aldo Ricci shot in various filming locations in Lebanon , Madrid , Spain New York, USA , Rome , Italy . Adding a thrilling and lively musical score by Piero Umiliani . The motion picture titled Himmelhunde mögen's heiß (West Germany), Thunder Mission (West Germany) , Warteliste zur Hölle (West Germany) , Man on the Spying Trapeze (US) or Anónima de asesinos (Spain) was professional though regularly made by Juan De Orduña with several flaws, gaps and failures . Orduña was born in Madrid in 1900 and died in 1974, aristocratic origin , while attending college , and theatergoers will soon begin to combine classroom with theatre . Longtime affection for acting while still attending college , turning into a notorious juvenile stage actor . During his early days , he played Zarzuelas and stage performances . He debuted on silent films in 1924, and in 1925 he was cast in "La Casa De La Troya" , then in silent version "Boy" , and started his own company . In 1928 he both starred in and directed "Una Aventura De Cine", and from then on he would progressively concentrate on shooting . He also starred in "El Misterio De La Puerta del Sol" (1929), the first Spanish sound picture . During the 30s and specially after the Spanish Civil War he became one of the most famed and favored Spanish directors . With fellow director Florián Rey he collaborated as lead actor in the sentimental drama "El Frente De Los Suspiros" (1942) . Later on , he specialized in comedies ("Tuvo La Culpa Adán", "Ella, El y Sus Millones" both from 1944), and filmed one of the best Spanish costume dramas ("Pequeñeces", 1950) and epic/religious movies ("Agustina De Aragón" 1950, "Alba De América" 1951 , ¨Locura De Amor¨, ¨Leona De Castilla¨ , ¨Teresa De Jesús¨). Juan adapted to cinema known novels such as : ¨Zalacaín El Aventurero¨ , ¨Cañas Y Barro¨ , ¨Lola Se Va a Los Huertos¨, being especially known for his historical renditions . He was also responsible for "El Ultimo Cuplé" (1957), a reinvention of popular musicals which was a huge hit for Sara Montiel and subsequently made a lot of Zarzuelas for TV as ¨El Huésped Del Sevillano¨ , ¨La Revoltosa¨ , ¨Bohemios¨ , ¨La Canción Del Olvido¨ , ¨Maruxa¨ and ¨El Caserio¨ . He finished his long career with two vehicles for Lina Morgan : ¨La Tonta Del Bote¨ and Manolo Escobar : ¨Me Has Hecho Perder El Juicio¨ . Rating : 4.5. Average Spy movie.

A typically cheap and cheerful Bond rip-off made by the Italians. This one has a Beirut setting and sees our American agent hero tackling bad guys hunting for the usual missing microfiche. A couple of neat torture sequence involve clamps and lit matches while the requisite fight scenes and glamour stop this from being a total bore.

Man on the Spying Trapeze delivers exactly what the title promises - a spy thriller tangled in acrobatics, Cold War tension, and a heavy dose of 60s cinematic style. It's a curious fusion of cloak-and-dagger drama and circus theatrics, and while it leans into camp, it does so with undeniable flair.

The film captures the era's fascination with international espionage, featuring exotic locations, mysterious agents, and the ever-present threat of double-crosses. But what sets it apart is its circus-themed twist, with sequences that bring trapeze artistry into the world of spying - equal parts absurd and oddly compelling.

The lead performance is confident, and the action scenes, though modest by today's standards, are inventive and full of charm. The jazzy score and bold color palette add to the atmosphere, making it feel right at home alongside the decade's more playful spy adventures.

Man on the Spying Trapeze may not be a classic of the genre, but for fans of retro espionage with a twist, it's a forgotten flick worth swinging back to.