Daliah Lavi Movies

Detective Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is called on to investigate the activities of his arch enemy Carl Peterson (James Villiers). Carl tries to stop the British from testing a new and improved fighter plane. Drummond travels to Morocco to check into rumors of attempted tampering and espionage by Carl and his henchmen. Comedy relief is provided by Robert Morley as the cooking instructor Miss Mary. Sydne Rome play the delectable double agent whom Drummond is attracted to but whom he also suspects is up to no good. Carl gathers together a bunch of mini-skirted gun-toting mod girls to do his evil bidding in this lightweight spy saga. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Produced in the wake of the all-star "comedy spectacular" Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, Fantastic Flying Fools (originally titled Blast-Off, and also released as Those Fantastic Flying Fools) is based very loosely on a Jules Verne novel. A 19th century British newspaper offers a prize to the first scientist who is able to construct and launch a rocket to the moon. Contestants from all over the world compete for the prize, including Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines cast members Terry-Thomas and Gert Frobe. Much of the slapstick is tiresome and derivative, but there is one cute closing gag involving villains Terry-Thomas and Lionel Jeffries and a Siberian chain gang. There's precious little of the spirit of Jules Verne in Fantastic Flying Fools, save for the woodcut illustrations which decorate the opening credits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Columbia Pictures tried to create a tongue-in-cheek American James Bond with this, the first of five motion pictures based on the character of Matt Helm, a spy created in a series of novels by Donald Hamilton. Dean Martin stars as Helm, a boozing, womanizing cad of a spy coaxed out of retirement by ex-girlfriend Tina Batori (Daliah Lavi). His mission: stop the evil Big O organization, whose leader, Tung-Tze (Victor Buono), schemes to sabotage an atomic missile and thus spark World War III. Producer Irving Allen had once been partners with Albert R. Broccoli in the British film production company Warwick Films, their alliance ironically disintegrating over the merits of creating a Bond series. When Broccoli's instincts proved correct, Allen attempted to create his own spy franchise with the Helm character. The sequels to The Silencers (1966) were Murderers' Row (1966), The Ambushers (1967), and The Wrecking Crew (1968). Allen unsuccessfully tried to resurrect the character as a TV movie, Matt Helm (1975). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

A trio of crooks just out of prison plan their next scheme to strike it rich in this amusing crime comedy. Kurt (Curd Jurgens) is a handsome ladies man, with Charly (Walter Giller) as a dim-witted dolt and Roland (Charles Regnier) as the criminal mastermind. Their scheme is to ship Volkswagens to the United States, sell them for a profit, and eliminate the nearly 18 months waiting time the car buyers normally had to endure. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Tissot (Pierre Brice) is French secret agent No. 11011 in this James Bond-style spy thriller. He is sent on a mission to retrieve stolen plans for a newly developed steering mechanism for rockets. The typical genre mix of comedy, sex, and fight scenes overcomes a sometimes confusing storyline. Distaff interest is provided by Jana Brejchova and Daliah Lavi. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This 1963 Eurowestern begins with a dead rancher and some Indians, indicating that the Apaches have broken their peace treaty. Only a young boy knows that the killings (which include his parents) were actually done by ruthless land grabbers hoping to start a war between the Indians and the settlers. Shatterhand (played by Lex Barker), who is the adopted brother to the Apache's chief, tires to clear his friends' names and follows the trail of deception which leads right back to the gates of the Cavalry's fort. ~ Cub Koda, All Movie Guide

In this war drama set during the 1936 Spanish Civil War, a Ukrainian idealist enlists in the International Brigade and soon after meets and falls instantly in love with a youthful American war correspondent. When the young soldier gets to the front, he sees his comrade tortured and disfigured by his captor; he is so frightened and appalled that he deserts and runs off with the reporter before his company is to do the same to the enemy prisoners. They are just about to flee over the French border when they are captured by anarchists and as the woman hears the soldier's execution, she screams and screams. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The oddly featured poet Cyrano De Bergerac(Jose Ferrer, reprising an Oscar-winning role in Michael Gordon's Cyrano De Bergerac), he of the enormous nose, and musketeer D'Artagnan (Jean-Pierre Cassel) lend a hand to put down a revolution in 17th-century Paris. While they bravely fight for the monarchy, the men dally with two comely courtesans (Sylva Koscina and Daliah Lavi). Though paired off with satisfactory partners, the couples find that a switcheroo might afford them each true love. Director Abel Gance and Nelly Kaplan wrote the screenplay, which united period characters Cyrano, from Edmond Rostand's play, and D'Artagnan, from Alexandre Dumas' Three Musketeers, in this romantic swashbuckler. Though French cinema pioneer Gance was near the end of his career, Kaplan was just beginning. She would go on to write, edit and direct several more films. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

One of Hollywood's great directors, Vincente Minnelli, turns a jaundiced eye towards the film industry in this drama about the inner workings of the movie business. Jack Andrus (Kirk Douglas) is an actor whose career has gone into a tailspin along with his personal life; after a severe bout with alcoholism, a messy break-up with his wife, a life-threatening auto accident, and a nervous breakdown, Andrus has spent three years in a private mental hospital in Connecticut. Andrus is approached by Maurice Kruger (Edward G. Robinson), a noted filmmaker who worked many times with Andrus in the past, offering him a small role in his next picture, and with the blessings of his doctors, the actor flies to Rome to return to work. However, once he arrives, Andrus finds the project is in chaos -- his role has been recast, Kruger is constantly battling with producer Tucino (Mino Doro), leading man Davie Drew (George Hamilton) is squabbling with both %Kruger and his girlfriend Veronica (Daliah Lavi), and the female lead (Rosanna Schiaffino) can't recite her dialogue in English. With the shooting in shambles, Kruger asks Andrus to take over the dubbing work in hopes of bringing the film in on schedule, and against his better judgement Andrus agrees. As Andrus tries to rise to this new challenge -- made all the more trying by the arrival of his ex-wife Carlotta (Cyd Charisse) -- the production receives its biggest setback when Kruger suffers a heart attack after a bitter argument with his wife (Claire Trevor). Andrus takes over the direction of the picture, and proves a capable hand for the job, bringing in the project on time and on budget. However, Kruger expresses resentment rather than gratitude, claiming that Andrus is trying to put an end to his career. Two Weeks In Another Town was adapted from a novel by Irwin Shaw. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The first of the "Dr. Mabuse" films not directed by Fritz Lang, the French/German/Italian Return of Dr. Mabuse stars Wolfgang Preiss in the title role. Supposedly dead and buried, Mabuse returns to his criminal activities, once more using hypnotized flunkeys to carry out his dirty work. While the doc's longtime foe Inspector Lohmann (Gert Froebe) probes and prods in his usual methodical fashion, hotshot American detective Lex Barker and dauntless girl reporter Daliah Lavi take the more direct approach to weed out Mabuse. This time around, the diabolical doctor wants to sabotage a nuclear reactor, then take over the world (he never does anything by halves). Return of Dr. Mabuse was released in Europe as Im Stahlnetz des Dr. Mabuse, Le Retour Du Docteur Mabuse and FBI Contro Dr. Mabuse; in some American cities, it was shipped out as Phantom Fiend. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Danger lurks in many corners in this conventional, uninspired melodrama involving an excursion of Israelis into Jordanian territory for an ill-advised rescue mission. Dina (Daliah Lawie) has just come into Israel from Petra, a town of fascinating archaeological digs that lies over sixty miles from the Jordanian-Israeli border. That border is guarded by soldiers who shoot first and ask questions later. Dina's situation is urgent, she has to return to Petra with enough men to save her lover who is trapped inside one of the ancient tombs. She could not care less for their safety, yet perhaps because she is so incredibly gorgeous she manages to get a handful of men together to risk the daring excursion. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide