Derek Flint

Derek Flint is a fictional world adventurer and master spy featured in a series of movies and comic books. Flint is a parody of James Bond and Doc Savage. Derek Flint is an agent for ZOWIE. ZOWIE stands for the Zonal Organization World Intelligence Espionage.

Films

The first movie, Our Man Flint, involves the evil Galaxy organization threatening the world with their weather-manipulating machine. ZOWIE (led by Lee J. Cobb) has no choice but to call on Derek Flint, the world renowned private secret agent (James Coburn). Flint follows Galaxy from New York to Marseille, Rome, and then to Galaxy Island, where he causes the destruction of the Galaxy organization and saves the planet from certain doom.

In 1965, 20th Century Fox presented its own version of a master spy to take on United Artist's popular James Bond franchise. The first three James Bond movies had already made considerable money for that studio so Fox decided to try for itself. Their hero was wholly a celluloid creation, however, not a transfer from a book series. Derek Flint was the creation of Hal Fimberg, whose writing credentials, though sparse, did go back quite a few years.

Whether it was in keeping with a growing trend to try to 'out-Bond Bond' or, more likely, to spoof the very macho Double-0 agent, Flint was the best at whatever he did and he did a lot.The movies despite some poor reviews,are well liked by fans and fondly remembered.

The movie, which came out in 1965, did quite well and turned star James Coburn into a leading man. From gruff, simmering ruffian-style characters he had played before, Coburn portrayed an extremely suave, sophisticated man-of-the-world and he did so with the same ease that he had played the coarser roles. This proved quite successfully that Coburn was a highly skilled actor. The success of any movie naturally breeds the desire for a sequel and two years later Coburn returned in 'In Like Flint'. This movie did not, apparently, do as well and the franchise stopped at two.

The abilities and achievements of Derek Flint was far too numerous to list here. Just a few include a Black Belt in Judo, Olympic medals in at least 5 different events, degrees from 17 different universities, highly prized paintings, and the ability to speak fluently in 45 various languages and dialects.

Flint was also, according to his 'boss', the most undisciplined, insubordinate man he had ever had to deal with. During WWII, this boss, Lloyd C Bruce Cramden, was Flint's senior officer and as such had the unfortunate task of trying to lead the versatile man. Now many years later, when a crisis arises that demands someone of Flint's abilities, Cramden has to mend fences and get Derek help to save the world. Luckily, Flint is back in town, having just flown in from Moscow where he was asked to teach ballet.

In Like Flint
original film poster by Bob Peak
Directed by	Gordon Douglas
Produced by	Saul David
Written by	Hal Fimberg
Starring	James Coburn Lee J. Cobb Jean Hale Andrew Duggan
Music by	Jerry Goldsmith
Cinematography	William H. Daniels, ASC
Distributed by	Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Release date(s)	March 15, 1967 (U.S. release)
Running time	99 minutes
Language	English

The second movie, In Like Flint, is a 1967 film directed by Gordon Douglas, the sequel to the parody spy film Our Man Flint (1966). It posits an international feminist conspiracy to depose the ruling American patriarchy with a feminist matriarchy. To achieve and establish it, they kidnap and replace the U.S. President, discredit the head of the Z.O.W.I.E. intelligence agency, and commandeer a nuclear-armed space platform, all directed from Fabulous Face, a women's spa in the Virgin Islands. Circumstances compel ex-secret agent Derek Flint to help his ex-boss, and so uncover the conspiracy. Actors James Coburn and Lee J. Cobb reprise their roles as "Derek Flint" and spy chief "Lloyd C. Cramden", Flint's ex-boss. The movie poster for In Like Flint features a classic piece of movie poster artwork by the late Bob Peak.

In Like Flint was the last film made in CinemaScope. The title is a play on the phrase in like Flynn.^[1]

Plot

After observing the launch of a new space platform, Z.O.W.I.E. Chief, Lloyd C. Cramden, joins the President of the United States for a game of golf. While on the links, they are interrupted by a small group from the Fabulous Face organization. Discreetly substituting the presidential golf ball with a small gas bomb, they succeed in temporarily immobilizing the presidential party and replacing the president with an actor surgically altered to look exactly like him.

Puzzled by a stopwatch that was active during the switch, Cramden visits former agent Derek Flint at his New York City apartment, asking he investigate the "lost" three minutes recorded by the stopwatch. Flint agrees to take up the matter after his return from a survival exercise in the Mojave Desert. That evening, however, Cramden encounters Lisa, an operative for Fabulous Face. Disguised as a Southern schoolteacher visiting the city, she drugs him using treated cigarettes and stages a compromising scene with a prostitute; the scene is then photographed and published by General Carter, who is working with Fabulous Face. With Cramden framed as a libertine, the President publicly fires the disgraced spy chief.

Recalled from his exercise, Flint hypnotizes Cramden and learns the details of the encounter with Lisa. Tests of trimmings from Cramden's mustache reveal traces of "euphoric acid". Investigating further, Flint breaks into Z.O.W.I.E. headquarters and discovers that the two astronauts on the recently-launched space platform are, in fact, Russian female cosmonauts. Flint is interrupted by General Carter and a force of turncoat guards who, after a struggle, believe they have killed Flint when he apparently falls into a document incinerator.

Having escaped, Flint travels to the Soviet Union to investigate the cosmonaut connection. Dancing in the Bolshoi ballet, he makes contact with ballerina Natasha, unaware that she is a Fabulous Face operative until she attempts to drug him with tainted cigarettes. His interrogation of her is interrupted by the KGB, who arrive at her apartment to bring Flint to the Soviet Premier. After escaping the KGB agents, Flint sneaks into the Kremlin, where he overhears the Premier bluffing the U.S. President; conversational clues point Flint to the Fabulous Face spa in the Virgin Islands. Having discovered the complex himself, Cramden travels there in disguise, but is quickly discovered and locked up with the president.

Flint boards an Aeroflot flight for Cuba disguised as a bearded Cuban Revolutionary. Distracting the other passengers, he ties up the pilots, parachutes out over the Virgin Islands and swims to the Fabulous Face complex. There he is met by Lisa, who brings him before the Fabulous Face leadership, a group of female business executives who explain their plan to brainwash women through subliminal messages transmitted in salon hairdryers into overthrowing the male-dominated political order. As Flint attempts to talk the women out of it, he is interrupted by General Carter, who is dissatisfied with his subordinate role and plans to take power himself with the aid of the fake president. After a fight, Flint is captured by Carter's men and placed, along with Cramden, the captive president and the Fabulous Face leadership, into cryogenic suspension. Flint escapes his freezing chamber with a sonic wave amplifier device, which is disguised as a cigarette lighter and belt buckle.

Determined to stop Carter's plan to atomically arm the space station, Flint, Cramden, the president, and the women travel to the nearby island where the launch is scheduled to take place. Once they arrive, the women execute "Operation Smooch", using their sexual allure to distract and subdue the male guards. After the women take over the control room, Carter (who is on board the rocket) threatens to activate the atomic warheads under his control unless he is allowed to proceed with the launch. Flint manages to board the capsule just before it takes off; once in orbit they fight in zero gravity, causing the spacecraft to tumble. After overpowering Carter, Flint escapes the capsule, which is then destroyed with a nuclear missile launched from the surface. Using his wave amplifier, Flint floats to the nearby space platform, where he enjoys the hospitality of the female cosmonauts there while awaiting return to Earth.

Cast

Actor	Role
James Coburn	Derek Flint
Lee J. Cobb	Lloyd Cramden
Jean Hale	Lisa
Andrew Duggan	U.S. President Trent
Anna Lee	Elisabeth
Hanna Landy	Helena
Totty Ames	Simone
Steve Ihnat	General Carter
Thomas Hasson	Lieutenant Avery
Herb Edelman	Russian Premier
Yvonne Craig	Natasha
Jennifer Gan	Amazon

Critical reaction

In Like Flint received mixed reviews when released in 1967; a New York Times critic said: "Although the film crawls with dime-store beauties, there is a noticeable lack of sexiness in it. Women bent on being tyrants evidently haven't much time for anything else".^[2]

Roger Ebert had similar criticisms: "The sexiest thing in the new Derek Flint misadventure, In Like Flint, is Flint's cigarette lighter, which is supposed to know eighty-two tricks, but actually delivers only five, of which, one is the not extraordinary ability to clip Lee J. Cobb's moustache".^[3]

Books

Our Man Flint, written by Jack Pearl, copyright 1965 A dastardly group of scientists have banded together, called their organization GALAXY, and created the technology to control the weather. Using it to drastically change the patterns around the world, they plan to extort from the governments of the world total disarmament to bring about peace and give GALAXY the chance to correctly rule the planet.

In Like Flint, written by Bradford Street, copyright 1967 Feminists have decided enough is enough and they are taking back the world. The first step is to replace the male leaders of the major powers with identical replicas, dedicated to their masters. When the President is replaced, Cramden begins to suspect and calls in Derek Flint to solve the problem.

Comics

That Man Flint: Mods, mini-skirts and Vietnam. Paisley shirts and satellites. Afros and lasers. The Cold War is hot and the Red Chinese aren’t the only ones doing the brainwashing. Love is in the air, but everyone isn’t groovy.

Derek Flint, inventor, ballet instructor, editor and contributor of the revised Kama Sutra, transcendentalist and translator of an ancient Mayan cookbook, seeker of the third eye and freelance spy, is the one M.A.C.E. (Mandated Actions for Covert Enforcement) calls on to tackle their most perilous assignments.

From crazed Nazi scientists hatching dastardly plans, sultry Russian spies with killer bodies and kung fu grips, super strength cyborg assassins, to fiendish henchmen and quixotic masterminds, these are examples of adversaries mystery writer Gary Phillips (Operator 5 and Decimator Smith) will throw at the cool, collected Mr. Flint. With his gadgets and skills, aided by his quartet of brainy glamour gals, That Man Flint is a retro revisionist series capturing the fun, feel and excitement of halcyon espionage fare such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Bond in Goldfinger, and Steranko’s Nick Fury for today’s audience.

In popular culture

In the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, the main character Austin Powers (while being on honeymoon with his new wife Vanessa Kensington) switches on the TV to a scene from In Like Flint. He mentions to Vanessa that it is his favorite movie.

The emblem of the Galaxy organization (X-crossed ellipses with a G in the middle), appearing on their uniforms, was re-used for those of the civilian aerospace transport firm of Land of the Giants, after rotating it ninety degrees clockwise.

References

1. ^ Quinion, Michael (2000-12-09). "World Wide Words: In like Flynn". http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-inl1.htm. Retrieved 4 December 2007. 
2. ^ Movie Reviews, Showtimes and Trailers - Movies - New York Times
3. ^ :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: In Like Flint (xhtml)

External links

• Derek Flint at the Internet Movie Database
• Derek Flint at AllRovi