The Phynx (1970)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Lee H. Katzin

Writers:

Bob Booker (story)
Stan Cornyn (writer)

Release Date:

6 May 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music

Plot:

A rock band becomes embroiled in foreign affairs when they're sent to go on tour in Albania as a cover to find hostages in a remote castle held by communist enemies of the USA.

Plot Keywords:

Communist | Albania | Computer | Castle | Kidnapping

Cast

Michael A. Miller	...	The Phynx
Ray Chippeway	...	The Phynx
Dennis Larden	...	The Phynx
Lonny Stevens	...	The Phynx (as Lonnie Stevens)
Lou Antonio	...	Corrigan
Mike Kellin	...	Bogey
Michael Ansara	...	Col. Rostinov
George Tobias	...	Markevitch
Joan Blondell	...	Ruby
Martha Raye	...	Foxy
Larry Hankin	...	Philbaby
Ted Eccles	...	Wee Johnny Wilson
Ultra Violet	...	Felice
Pat McCormick	...	Father O'Hoolihan
Joseph Gazal	...	Yakov

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG

Company:

Cinema Organization

Trivia:

Rich Little's film debut.

All-star celebrity bomb of epic proportions

This horrible, unfunny spy yarn trots out a gigantic assortment of celebrities in a vain attempt to add something to fill its vacuum of story and film-making. Its supposed plot concerns Michael Ansara playing a mad military general of Albania who kidnaps celebrities to give the essentially imprisoned Albanian President (George Tobias) and wife (Joan Blondell) some famous company to keep them busy. The General continually foils the efforts of a U.S. secret agency's attempts to sneak into Albania, so the agency goes to its super-computer (named M.O.T.H.A.) for guidance and is told the best means of breaking in is by recruiting a 4 man rock band, call it The Phynx, and make it so famous that the General will allow the band in to add to the celebrity load. Then the band/spy team is supposed to break those celebrities out. That's the gist of it, but there is so much more nonsense going on within this flimsy plot, yet not worth repeating since it is mostly idiotic. This film has the feel of a late 60's TV variety show skit gone horribly wrong and long. It's a lead-footed attempt at frantic satire along the lines of The Monkees, but it has almost no laughs. The four actors playing the band members are unmemorable and, indeed, remain unknown to this day. And the celebrity cast, impressive in sheer volume, gets little to do. Richard Pryor has a small bit as a cook; Dick Clark plays himself in another short bit; Clint Walker has a tiny part as a Drill Sergeant; Harold "Oddjob" Sakata does his Goldfinger bit; Ed Sullivan does one intro; Fritz Feld does his mouth-popping waiter bit; Patsy Kelly serves a donut; Colonel Sanders serves chicken (yep, they even dragged him into this fiasco); and Huntz Hall delivers one line---but it IS the key line that helps get the celebrities out of Albania. Only Martha Raye, as a doomed double-agent, shows any spark in her very short scene. In the big finale we are given an awards-show-like display of old Hollywood with the famous fossils striding into the Albanian Presidential Palace in twos and threes, announced with fanfare. Then they are seated and forced to listen to the pathetic rock n' roll banalities of the The Phynx band. A lamentable thing to behold---all those fossils trying to act entertained by such juvenile electric guitar-laden ramblings when you know they want to hear Benny Goodman, or hell, even Liberace. And the songs by famed tunesmiths Leiber and Stoller are junk, although they at least didn't attempt any psychedelic rock. Well, all I can say is that having all those celebs in one room must have led to one hell of a fun lunch for them.... but the film is no fun for any viewer. And Warner Bros. barely released it back in 1969, for good reason, and it has since vanished without a trace, also for good reason.