DR NO JAPAN

PETER SELLERS SET 3

Peter Sellers played a pivotal role in the history of comedy. His work as a character actor in The Goons, a group committed to thinking outside the box of convention, inspired a whole generation of English comedians and writers to shine a light on society and to push the boundaries of class and culture with a satirical edge. Sellers' gift for the surreal naturally linked him with what became a surrealism boom in the 1960s. Sellers' short film, The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1960), for surreal/comedy director, Richard Lester, helped to put the director on the Beatles' radar (George Martin produced records by Sellers and The Goons), and landed him the plum assignments, A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965). Sellers continued to rise through the 1960s, playing lead parts in influential films like Dr. Strangelove (1964), Casino Royale (1967), The Pink Panther (1963), and Woody Allen's first feature script, What's New Pussycat (1965). He joined an all-star cast in 1966 to bring Alice in Wonderland to the BBC's Wednesday Play (which included a soundtrack by Ravi Shankar!).

During the mid-1960s, Peter Sellers explored a number of Beatles songs as spoken comedy records. Spy Vibe spotlights the great Peter Sellers' set of these classic renditions. Move over Shatner and Nimoy! Record 3: She Loves You (Dr. Strangelove version). This video is a wild concoction of Cold War-era imagination (note the Ken Adam war-room set design).

More on 1960s UK Surrealism and satire here. Peter Sellers.org here. To learn more about Sellers, check out the excellent bio-pic, The Life & Death of Peter Sellers (2004), starring Geoffrey Rush.

PETER SELLERS SET 2

During the mid-1960s, Peter Sellers explored a number of Beatles songs as spoken comedy records. Spy Vibe spotlights the great Peter Sellers' set of these classic renditions. Move over Shatner and Nimoy! Record 2: A Hard Day's Night (Richard III version).

PETER SELLERS SET 1

During the mid-1960s, Peter Sellers explored a number of Beatles songs as spoken comedy records. Spy Vibe spotlights the great Peter Sellers' set of these classic renditions. Move over Shatner and Nimoy! Record 1: She Loves You (Cockney version).

THE WHO MOD WEBSITE

In conjunction with their release of the Quadrophenia Director's Cut CD set, The Who launched a new website today dedicated to the classic album and to the Mod culture that inspired it. Find out more about the Mods, The Who, and enter contests to win a Vespa and to make an official Who video here.

CLASSICS ON METV

Spy Vibers with the MeTV Network now have a chance to see a number of rare and out-of-print 1960s classics, including Honey West, The Rogues, Peter Gunn, and Batman. Check scheduling details here.

FREDA KELLY FILM PROJECT

Good ol Freda Kelly, secretary to The Beatles 1962-1972, is the subject of a new independent documentary film project. Info at the Examiner here. You can help by contributing on Kickstarter here. Only 9 days left!

ULF KRUGER DR NO

Spy Vibers interested in the Beat music scene in Hamburg in the early 1960s may be familiar with musician Ulf Kruger. Kruger was a regular at the famous Star Club. He recorded with the king of Skiffle, Lonnie Donegan, and he produced CDs for Bear Family and museum exhibits over the last ten years to preserve a unique part of the 1960s cultural landscape. A matter of interest to spy fans, however, is that Kruger also recorded a curious tune called Dr No in the 1980s.

Speaking of the Hamburg scene, a very rare recording was just released by the estate of Stuart Sutcliffe, which claims is the former Beatle singing his signature tune, Love Me Tender. An interesting time capsule, the track is available on iTunes and Amazon and you can read more about it here. Many from the Hamburg scene have since chimed into investigation, shedding doubt on the identity of the singer. There is currently a popular musical playing in the UK about the period called Backbeat, and an official Sutcliffe fan club here.

HAPPY SPY VIBE HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloween! What was your costume? Here's actor, Ray Danton, sporting the classic black mask in Secret Agent Super Dragon (1966).

HAPPY SPY VIBE HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloween to Spy Vibers! I hope your holiday was filled with evil robots and... secret agent chimps? Here's a clip from one of my boyhood faves, Lancelot Link (1970). For those who haven't seen the series, you have to imagine a show based on Get Smart with chimpanzees dressed in spy costumes. Don't say I didn't warn you!

LES VAMPIRES

Louis Feuillade's serial about a gang of master criminals, Les Vampires (1915-16), featured a strategist and operative known as Irma Vep. A silent-era femme fatale in the style of Emma Peel of The Avengers, Vep was the inspiration for the 1996 film, Irma Vep, about a director trying to re-make the French classic. The clips below show the original character from 1915, followed by Maggie Cheung's modern day (and experimental) Irma Vep.

QUARTER MILLION & BOND GIRLS

Thank you to Spy Vibers around the world for exploring "1960 style in action" with us. Last week readers' hits silently passed the quarter-million mark! Let's celebrate this weekend with a few lovely Bond Girls. Check out LIFE magazine's list of the top-20 actresses here. Who are your faves from the world of 007?

MOD EXHIBIT & VESPA CONTEST

In conjunction with the release of The Director's Cut of the Quadrophenia sessions by The Who, an exhibit has been launched at Pretty Green, the London flagship boutique for Liam Gallagher's fashion line. The exhibit Facebook page here. Even if you can't make it to this rare show, you can still enter to win a custom one-off by Vespa made to look like the scooter on the classic album's cover! Details here. Pretty Green offers a large collection of Mod fashion designed by Gallagher (Oasis, Beady Eye), Paul Weller (The Jam, Style Council), as well as pieces inspired by iconic gear from Swinging London. You can even find a Quadrophenia parka here. The Director's Cut will be released on November 15th. Spy Vibers interested in the Who should check out the excellent book, Won't Get Fooled Again, by music author Richie Unterberger. The film adapted from the Who's album is currently out of print. Below, Mods gather at the Who exhibit in London, Vespa's contest prize edition, and a video promo for The Director's Cut. It's a Mod Mod Mod world!

TINKER TAILOR PREVIEW Q&A

Special Event: A preview screening of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy will be held at the San Rafael Film Center on November 15th- with Gary Oldman and director Tomas Alfredson on hand for a Q&A! Tickets just went on sale today at the center's box office at on-line here. I hope that Spy Vibers in the Bay Area can attend.


From the San Rafael Film Center: "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the long-awaited feature-film version of John Le Carré's classic bestseller set in 1973 during the Cold War. Gary Oldman, who stars as career-spy George Smiley, and director Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) will answer questions at this special advance screening. George Smiley works for British intelligence, nicknamed "The Circus," and when an Eastern European mission goes awry, he sets out to uncover a possible double-agent in the agency. Oldman has support from a terrific cast, including John Hurt, Colin Firth, Ciarán Hinds, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Simon McBurney and Svetlana Khodchenkova. Already a hit in its current British theatrical release, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has earned high praise from John Le Carré himself, who calls it "to my eye a work of art in its own right." (UK 2011) 127 min."

The superb mini-series adaptations of Tinker Tailor and Smiley's People starring Alec Guinness have been re-released on DVD (old prints, new package) and are available for rent to Spy Vibers in the States from Netflix.

THE GUARDIAN'S SPY LIST

The Guardian has posted a list of the top-6 Spy series of all time. Surprisingly, The Avengers is only an honorable mention -losing out to The Saint! Roger Moore always gets my support, but... Find out which shows made the cut here. They've included some fun video clips, as well. Thanks to Cinema Retro for the heads up. If you were pressed to make such a list, maybe by threat of laser beam while strapped to a table, what would Spy Vibers pick as the top-6 Spy series of all time?

SPECIAL EVENT: SAARINEN'S TWA

Spy Vibe agent J Kraus alerted us to a special event that brought architecture enthusiasts flocking to New York. From Phaidon: "Last weekend a crowd descended upon the TWA Terminal at JFK, not because of flight delays, but because the building was open to the public again but for just three short hours. Designed by Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen in 1956 and finished in 1962 – a year after his death, this was the first time the public had been given access to the building since its closure in 2001." Read more here. Image below by Ezra Stoller via SFMOMA.

SPACE RACE- ROCKABILLY STYLE

Before Richard Lester directed The Beatles in A Hard Days Night, this ex-pat was already making films with a focus on the fun and energy of youth culture and the music scene. One of his projects was It's Trad, Dad (1962), featuring this curious segment with rockabilly cat, Gene Vincent, who puts the 'rock' in rocket. The film also features Helen Shapiro, Del Shannon, Chris Barber's Jazz Band, and others.

THE PERSUADERS! BROCHURE

Fans of The Persuaders! (1971-1972), starring Roger Moore and Tony Curtis, should check out the Network website for a cool collectible. In conjunction with their release of this classic series on Blu-ray, they have produced a limited-edition brochure (listed at $21.50). From Network: Created for The Persuaders! 40th Anniversary event, we have a limited stock available of these collectible brochures. Containing contributions from Roger Moore, Johnny Goodman and Barry Norman, with features on the series' fashion sense, cars and restoration in High Definition, this is one collectible piece of memorabilia that no Persuaders! fan can be without.

IT TAKES A THIEF DEAL

Deal Alert: We were so excited to announce that Robert Wagner's It Takes a Thief (1968-1970) was finally being released on DVD. The high price tag was a bit discouraging for fans who have waited so many years, but as I hoped, a deal has arrived! Amazon is currently offering the box set of the complete series at a pre-order price of $99.99 (down from $199.98). Amazon page here.

International locales, beautiful women, guest stars galore... It Takes a Thief: The Complete Series is now available for the first time ever on DVD featuring all three seasons of the hit show that Cinema Retro called "the coolest espionage series of the late sixties."

Smooth, suave and sophisticated, Alexander Mundy (Robert Wagner) is the world's greatest cat burglar. Now, he's plying his trade as the SIA's most debonair spy - traipsing the globe, seducing beautiful women and embezzling fortunes, all on behalf of Uncle Sam and the U.S. government.

18-DISC COLLECTOR'S SET INCLUDES:
All 66 Episodes Digitally Re-Mastered
Extended Feature-Length Version of the Pilot Episode "Magnificent Thief"
The King of Thieves: Interview with Robert Wagner
A Matter of Larceny: Interview with Glen A. Larson
Limited Edition Senitype (reproduced 35mm film frame)
It Takes a Thief Exclusive 4-Piece Coaster Set
Collectible Booklet with retrospective essay.

GARAGE PARTY 4

Stock up the fridge and warn the neighbors because Spy Vibe is having a 1960s garage party weekend. Track Four: The Kinks emerged from humble blues beginnings (see video #2 below) to define their sound in 1964. Here is their fourth single (the follow-up to You Really Got Me), All Day and All Through the Night -with some encouragement from stage dancers.