The conversation will be all about “spy-fi” on the next “Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner.”
A polymath on the level of Doc Savage (he’s a karate champion, brain surgeon, swordsman, and nuclear physicist), but with the sex appeal, sophistication, and gadgetry of James Bond (his cigarette lighter contains 82 death-dealing devices), Derek Flint effortlessly surfs the swinging ‘60s super-spy tsunami.
There were two Flint films – “Our Man Flint” (1966) and “In Like Flint” (1967) – with talk of producing more, but according to star James Coburn, the studio simply wasn’t set on investing very much in the franchise. Bond knockoffs were rather thick on the ground at the time. Nevertheless, Flint proved to be a breakout role for Coburn. “Our Man Flint” firmly established him as an above-the-title leading man, and one of the era’s reigning tough guys.
Of course, none of it is supposed to be taken very seriously (it’s not for nothing that the sequel, “In Like Flint,” is Austin Powers’ favorite movie), but that doesn’t keep Jerry Goldsmith from lavishing the film with his characteristic invention, including a breezy theme and abundant felicitous touches in the orchestration (requisite surf guitar, jazzy sax, romantic strings, accordion, electronics, mandolin, and Latin percussion). The composer had plenty of experience honing his espionage skills from his work on “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”
I hope you’ll join us, as Roy and I will be at our manliest (and flintiest) when discussing “Our Man Flint,” on the next Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner. Your license to kill will be waiting in the comments section when we livestream on Facebook, this Friday evening at 7:30 EDT.
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