Robert Vaughn Movies

Adapted from a lesser-known novel from SF/Horror author Dean R. Koontz, this claustrophobic thriller presents a computerized nemesis incorporating the murderous elements of 2001's HAL with the world-domination goal of the title villain in Colossus: The Forbin Project. Brilliant cybernetics expert Dr. Alex Harris (Fritz Weaver) develops a revolutionary new supercomputer dubbed Proteus IV (voice of Robert Vaughn, uncredited) which is capable of almost human self-awareness and capacity for intellectual growth. Unfortunately for Alex and his wife Susan (Julie Christie), Proteus is also imbued with a very human desire to grow beyond the limitations of his own knowledge -- as well as to escape the isolation of the laboratory -- and taps into the home terminals of the Harris' high-tech dream house, in which he makes Susan a virtual prisoner. As she is put through a tortuous series of physical and mental tests, the Proteus mainframe takes severe steps to prevent any interference -- even resorting to the murder of Harris' assistant (Gerrit Graham). Susan's confusion eventually turns to dread when she begins to realize Proteus' true intentions... to evolve beyond mere circuitry and assume a human form by impregnating her with his "seed." Despite the lurid premise, this is probably the most conventional effort from controversial director Donald Cammell (Performance, Wild Side), and the film's theme of the computer's ominously pervasive role in human affairs -- in this case forcing its way into our bodies as well as our lives -- seems oddly prescient today. Christie's convincing performance makes the most of a role which has her shouting at the walls and ceiling for two-thirds of the movie. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Originally titled D.A.'s Investigator, Kiss Me Kill Me stars Stella Stevens as Stella Stafford, "leg woman" for the LA district attorney's office. The case at hand is the murder of a young, highly respected schoolteacher. Stella is certain that she has the killer dead to rights--but this is before she learns the down-and-dirty about the murder victim's secret life. Supporting Ms. Stevens is an impressive guest cast, including Dabney Coleman, Pat O'Brien, Bruce Boxleitner and Robert Vaughn. First telecast May 8, 1976, Kiss Me Kill Me was the pilot for an intended TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) takes one of his rare vacations in the 90-minute mystery Troubled Waters. Even on a cruise ship, he can't seem to avoid murder. The victim this time is the singer in the ship's band. The top-billed special guest star is Robert Vaughn, so draw your own conclusions. Directed by Ben Gazzara, Troubled Waters was first telecast as the February 9, 1975 episode of the Columbo TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A skyscraper and an all-star cast go up in flames in Irwin Allen's classic disaster movie. To celebrate the construction of the Glass Tower, the world's tallest building, architect Doug Roberts (Paul Newman) and builder James Duncan (William Holden) hold a gala bash on the highest floors. Trouble is, Duncan's son-in-law and electrical subcontractor Roger Simmons (Richard Chamberlain) installed faulty wiring throughout the 138-story behemoth to save money. While the guests -- including Doug's lady friend (Faye Dunaway), a rich widow (Jennifer Jones), a con man (Fred Astaire), and a politico (Robert Vaughn) -- enjoy the party, and a security guard (O.J. Simpson) wonders why his equipment is on the fritz, a burnt-out circuit breaker ignites some garbage on the 85th floor, swiftly turning the high-rise into, well, a towering inferno. With the guests trapped on the 135th floor, it's up to Roberts and Fire Chief O'Hallorhan (Steve McQueen) to find a way to stop the blaze. Though not the first all-star '70s disaster movie (1970's Airport and 1972's The Poseidon Adventure preceded it), The Towering Inferno was the most popular and the most spectacular. In a move that would become more common in late-'90s blockbuster Hollywood, The Towering Inferno's mammoth production was mounted by two studios; screenwriter Stirling Silliphant combined the two novels owned by the studios into one saga. 1970s "shake 'n bake" maestro Allen, with co-director John Guillermin (Allen did the action sequences), tapped into deep fears about the fragility of modern life in the face of extreme natural phenomena, as well as into the envies and insecurities of middle-aged professional men. The Towering Inferno packed theaters and earned eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture; it won for Cinematography, Editing, and Song. While its heroic, no-nonsense men provided some traditional comfort, The Towering Inferno still might provoke second thoughts about going into a skyscraper. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

In this made-for-TV film, the rich Dina Hunter (Barbara Eden) believes that someone is out to kill her in order to steal her jewels. However, as she attempts to get help, Dina's fears are laughed off as being paranoid and unfounded. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

This crime drama from the 1970s examines the experiences of a Vietnam vet who gets involved with illegal drugs. In time he wants out of that scene, but a narcotics agent forces him to stay involved and help him find the local drug lord. Violence ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

David Niven is Alex, a scholar who has won the Nobel Prize for developing a universal language. The U.S. State Department has decided to honor him with a statue, to be displayed in London's Grosvenor Square. The commission for the project went to Alex's wife Rhonda (Virna Lisi), who has designed a statue that is completely nude, without even a fig leaf. Husband Alex sees that is it a perfect replica of himself, except for the part usually covered by fig leaves. He accuses his wife of using one of her lovers as a model and begins a hilarious search for the original. Robert Vaughn has some good lines as the American Ambassador, discussing the couple's controversy with the President. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The Mind of Mr. Soames can be described as a melodramatic Charly. John Soames (Terence Stamp) is a hospital patient who has been in a coma for 30 years. Doctor Bergen (Robert Vaughn) attempts to revitalize Soames by transplanting an infant's brain in the patient's head. When Soames awakens, he has the mental capacity of a baby, but Dr. Bergen is certain that he can accelerate the maturation process, which he does in a matter of weeks. But the pressure on Soames' emotional stability is such that he tragically snaps during a live TV broadcast. Adapted from a novel by Charles Eric Maine, The Mind of Mr. Soames raises more questions than it can possibly answer, but works well on the level of solid science fiction. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A mid-1960s TV documentary special (and a New Yorker cartoon before that) was the inspiration for If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium. The film is a likeable satire of "packaged" European tours, where the nonplused tourists are expected to rush from one landmark to another in a breathless 18 days. Ian McShane stars as the amorous tour guide, with Suzanne Pleshette as the American department store buyer he falls for; their romance ends when Pleshette decides that the supposedly worldly McShane is too immature for her. An all-star cast, including Murray Hamilton, Peggy Cass, Pamela Britton, Marty Ingels, John Cassavetes and Vittorio De Sica, pops up in comic cameo roles. Our favorite bit: an American and German tourist, simultaneously regaling their respective wives with wildly divergent accounts of the same wartime confrontation. If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium was reworked in 1987 as a made-for-TV movie, cleverly title If It's Tuesday, It Still Must be Belgium. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Helicopter Spies is a Man From UNCLE "feature film"--actually spliced together from a two-part adventure from the UNCLE TV series, then shown theatrically overseas. The Men from UNCLE, as always, are Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn), Ilya Kuryakin (David McCallum) and Alexander Waverly (Leo G. Carroll). This time they're dispatched to a faraway fortress in the deserts of Iran, where dwells megalomaniac Luther Sebastian (Bradford Dillman). Under the guise of the serene head of a religious cult, Sebastian has developed a nuclear prism, designed to zero in "death rays" upon unsuspecting aircraft. Helicopter Spies was originally telecast as "The Prince of Darkness Affair" on October 2 and 9, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this spy thriller, Robert Vaughn, who then starring on TV's The Man from U.N.C.L.E., plays Bill Fenner, an ex-CIA agent who is called upon by his former boss, Frank Rosenfeld (Ed Asner), to investigate an apparent murder-suicide in Vienna. An American diplomat exploded a bomb at a peace conference, killing himself and all the attendees. Rosenfeld fired Fenner because his wife, Sandra Fane (Elke Sommer), was unmasked as a Communist. Now Rosenfeld tells Fenner that his wife may have been involved with Soviet agents behind the Vienna incident. Fenner eventually finds Sandra, who is hiding from the real bombing culprit, Robert Wahl (Karl Boehm). The story was based on a novel by Helen MacInnes. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

The Glass Bottom Boat is hardly a high point in the careers of star Doris Day and director Frank Tashlin, though it is a better-than-usual example of that pure-'60s genre, the "spy spoof." Day plays Jennifer Nelson, a PR worker at NASA in Florida. She also doubles as a "mermaid" for her father, Axel (Arthur Godfrey), the skipper of a glass-bottom tourist boat. While garbed in her skimpy mermaid costume, she has a run-in with handsome space technician Bruce Templeton (Rod Taylor). Through a series of misunderstandings, Bruce is led to believe that Jennifer is an enemy spy, determined to steal scientific secrets. Several other characters enter into the plot, including bumbling secret agent Julius Pritter (Dom DeLuise) and prissy security chief Homer Cripps (Paul Lynde). Also on hand are TV favorites Dick Martin as Jennifer's erstwhile beau and Eric Fleming as a man of mystery. A few cute celebrity cameos round out this ribtickler, while Doris Day, as always, gets a few opportunities to sing. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Some extra footage was added to segments of two episodes from the television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964-68) to create this feature film-length espionage adventure that was released theatrically in some countries to cash in on the James Bond craze. Ordered by their secret organization U.N.C.L.E. to stop the sinister group THRUSH from obtaining a top-secret nuclear weapon, spies Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) travel to Switzerland. Once there, Solo is lured into a trap by a comely enemy agent, Serena (Senta Berger). Kidnapped by THRUSH, Solo is replaced with an exact double who infiltrates U.N.C.L.E. Kuryakin eventually becomes suspicious due to his friend's odd behavior and takes steps to learn the truth, while Solo attempts to escape from captivity and stop THRUSH's plot to get its hands on the weapon. The episodes represented in the film are "The Double Affair," which first aired November 17, 1964, and "The Four Steps Affair," which originally aired February 22, 1965. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi