Designer Double-Dip: "Ambushers" Appropriation

Yes, my loves, I'm still with you. I've just been buried by life so far this month. I attempted to come up with posts and watched - are you ready for this? - about 7 different movies, anticipating one to feature, but not a single one warranted such treatment. Anyway... I did come across something, one of my notorious Designer Double-Dips. And in my usual meandering fashion (partly in order to fill out the post beyond merely pointing out the garment's usage) I will proceed to share it with you now. It all starts with 1967's The Ambushers. This was the third of four Matt Helm spy spoofs starring Dean Martin. The flavor of these very-'60s flicks is not for everyone, but they appeal to me for a few reasons. #1 - The first one, The Silencers (1966), costarred a luscious Stella Stevens and a stunning Daliah Lavi and the last one, The Wrecking Crew (1968), featured the gorgeous Sharon Tate. (Martin refused to make the fifth film, which was slated to bring Tate back, when she was ruthlessly murdered.) #2 - They were produced at the height of 1960s mod clothing and hairstyles - which I usually find irresistible. #3 - There are also some bouncy musical themes found within most of these flicks that are also up my alley. The Ambushers is special to me because I LOVE the theme song, there is a fashion show in the movie (I am ALWAYS down for that!) and the movie introduced me to the dazzling Senta Berger, who was one of the earliest people here to be profiled.

It was silly, slick, rather brainless movie roles like this which caused eyebrows to be raised when Dino was cast as an airline pilot in Airport (1970.) As I saw Airport long before I ever witnessed his Matt Helm, I didn't have to undergo that suspension of disbelief the way many did.

Always surrounded by a bevy of curvaceous women, Martin gave offhanded, wink-wink/nudge-nudge performances in these movies and was not above looking right into the camera at times.

Though they were parodies of the more serious James Bond movies, militant feminists would be appalled at the way women are on hand to aid, serve and sometimes service (!) him. (Though Bond certainly wasn't any better on that score at the time.)

No one seems to think very much of the four Matt Helm installments, but if one is in the right frame of mind, they can be diverting or at least interesting to look at.

Appearing in the first three movies as his secretary "Lovey Kravezit" (!) is Beverly Adams.

Here, she sports the most glorious (not to mention steam-proof!) eye makeup. Adams would soon leave the movie biz to become a wife and mother. Her husband, Vidal Sassoon, was a major trendsetter and entrepreneur in the field of hair care and she was given a signature geometric cut and used in the promotion of his (still in existence) products. 

The main part of Martin's mission in this film is to pretend to be on his honeymoon with a fellow agent (played by Janice Rule) who has suffered amnesia following an assault by an enemy operative. They fly to Acapulco, where said enemy runs a beer company.

In Acapulco, an ocean-side fashion show is staged featuring not only an eye-popping assortment of Oleg Cassini clothing, but also set to the hip-swaying strains of captivating Hugo Montenegro music.

The models are actually Martin's cohorts working undercover. There's a long parade of them, of which this is but a sampling. The first time I saw this segment, I knew it would forever be a favorite of mine, even though it isn't that long, is interrupted midway through and doesn't zero in on the outfits in the background that I enjoyed the most.

Not truly part of the show, but whirling around nonetheless, is Senta Berger.

She's decked out in a green and gold peacock-feather patterned dress.

She is a woman of mystery and she invites Martin to her room later.

While his cover is that of a honeymooner, he and Rule aren't truly married, so he isn't against getting to know Berger better.

And like that, they separate. Until later...

I must tell you that when I saw her a bit further on in the movie, in this wafting night ensemble with hair piled high and those earlobe-slaughtering earrings... Well, I was changed forever and became a diehard fan of Ms. Berger.

As the story progresses, she's seen in several other mod get-ups, but this particular look was the one that really got me. (I'm not saying it's the one that was recycled, though. As a matter of fact, it becomes distressed in this scene and wasn't likely to be used further unless it were only certain parts.)

Moving on, we come to Diabolically Yours (1967), which was her next project after The Ambushers. She was costarred with Alain Delon, who we also love.

He plays an accident survivor who wakes up in a hospital with amnesia.

We don't know how, but he's also forgotten about his luminous wife Berger!

We've always enjoyed the work of beguiling Delon (though Purple Noon, 1960) stands head and shoulders above most other things of his we've seen.

And, of course, we cannot get enough of Berger's arresting looks.

Together, they make quite an alluring combination.

During this lengthy two-shot, it's difficult to decide which one to focus on. They're both so physically attractive.

Also, both of these folks knew how to work an eyebrow!

Berger is called upon to display a bit more flesh than her make counterpoint. And she doesn't disappoint. I just wish Delon could have had a shower scene (or something...! There is a bathtub sequence, but it is supporting player Sergio Fantoni who's in the water.)

The twisty tale was directed by the esteemed Julien Duvivier, but he was killed in an auto accident not long after shooting had commenced and it is believed that his inability to advise on the editing wound up compromising the movie.

For one brief scene, Berger sneaks up on Delon and play's "Guess Who?" But for us it was more like "Guess where this dress was seen before!"

Yes, this is the Oleg Cassini gown that Berger wore earlier that year for The Ambushers!

It's among the briefest of her appearances, so it was likely thought that no one would notice that the piece was from her prior motion picture.

'Course there isn't much that gets by us...! In both films, this garment is never shown any further down than her hips. But the way she moved in it made me think it might be longer rather than short.

Thanks to this on-set photo, I was able to figure that out as well.

I don't know if she absconded with it after The Ambushers or if it was deemed custom-made to her figure and given to her, but somehow the dress crossed the pond and wound up in her wardrobe for the French film made just after. Till next time!