"M.M.M. 83" (full title- "Missione Mortale Molo 83") was a Eurospy film shot in 1965 that imported a known American 'star,' in this case Fred Beir, who like Clint Eastwood before him, was a prolific TV actor with relatively few movies. Unlike Eastwood, Beir never strayed from television, keeping busy on series such as KUNG FU, ELLERY QUEEN, and KOLCHAK:THE NIGHT STALKER ("Firefall"), until his premature death at age 53 in 1980. Like Anthony Eisley in "Lightning Bolt," Beir makes a rather charisma-free secret agent, working in tandem with a scientist to recover documents outlining a new formula for fuel (as the opening credits unspool at a race track). At 72 minutes, the action never really flags, although the villains are a truly drab bunch. The leading lady is Italian-born Pier Angeli, who earlier provided the same for "Spy in Your Eye," opposite Brett Halsey and Dana Andrews. Her life too ended early, a suicide at age 39 in 1971, tragically afraid of turning 40. This film aired only once on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater on June 24 1967, paired with second feature "The Manster" (1959).
