Some Girls Do (1969) User Reviews

SOME GIRLS DO (Ralph Thomas, 1969) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 31 August 2011]

Campier, less successful sequel to DEADLIER THAN THE MALE (1967) – basically the only department where this surpasses the original is in the title track! Incidentally, it makes no attempt to be a direct continuation of the earlier film – with, for instance, the figures of the boss and his secretary nowhere to be seen: in fact, here Bulldog Drummond (a returning but not-as-effective Richard Johnson) seems to have gone up in the world as he now has a female assistant of his own and, when we first see him, he is sun-bathing (and ditching a host of Hungarian girls!?) in the company of a debuting Sydne Rome.

The latter's amiably klutzy character recalls those played by Stella Stevens and Sharon Tate in the first and fourth entries in the comparable and contemporaneous "Matt Helm" series with Dean Martin. Indeed, the whole film seems to be closer to the spoofy spirit of that franchise (attributable perhaps to the fact that Hammer's Jimmy Sangster did not collaborate to the script this time around) – which, unlike the Drummond duo, had copied the gadget-craze that were a fixture of the prototypical James Bond extravaganzas.

More illogically, not only does the supposedly-dead arch-criminal Carl Peterson turn up again here (albeit played by a different, younger actor i.e. James Villiers) but the two do not even recognize one another immediately (besides, Peterson had merely dual identities in the first film whereas he has three here and is a master of disguise besides!). That said, it does attempt to duplicate elements that had worked first time out, namely Peterson's two principal hench-girls working as a team, except that Daliah Lavi (who had appeared in the first and best Matt Helm adventure THE SILENCERS {1966}) and Beba Loncar are not nearly as intriguing as Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina and, what is more, there is little chemistry between them!

Perhaps realizing this, the script singled out not one but two other girls to share the spotlight with them (by the way, most of Peterson's girls are actually robots – which raises uncomfortable parallels to Mario Bava's dispiriting DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMB {1966]): one is Yutte Stensgard (soon to take the leading role in Hammer's maligned – and Sangster-directed – LUST FOR A VAMPIRE {1971}) and Vanessa Howard (who more or less duplicates the Suzanna Leigh role from the first film, in that she improbably hitches up with the hero at the finale)…with Rome (who proves no nitwit but rather a triple agent!) going all of a sudden for Drummond's comic-relief partner (describing his car as "positively psychedelic" and eliciting a "Cool, baby!" response from Drummond at a party!). By the way, Robert Morley also puts in an irrelevant cameo as a flamboyant cooking instructing named "Miss Mary" (complete with golden earring)!

The 'McGuffin' in this case is a supersonic plane, whose infra-sound is capable of killing but also accelerates the movement of, say, a speed-boat during a race – big deal! Drummond, in fact, is made to fly one but subsequently has to bail out (after an attack by another aircraft!) – only to find the rip-cord of his parachute had also been pulled beforehand! As for the climax, in spite of all the ongoing action at the villain's fortress (which again includes a couple of non-entities for male underlings), Peterson's come-uppance is down to that infallible – and completely baffling – in-built self-destructing switch in his unwieldy controlling device!

Deadlier boring than "Deadlier than the male"

[Clarence Abernathy · 6/10 · 28 June 2000]

This sequel for the 1966 trash classic "Deadlier than the male" is quite a disappointment compared with the original spy movie. There are good bad movies and there are bad bad movies. This one's medium bad. The film has a great storyline (in exploitation terms), but suffers from being quite unfunny and kind of lustless in acting and directing. If you expect something like an "Austin Powers" flick back from the original sixties, you will be disappointed. The production design and the costumes are uninspired and look as if they'd belong to a cheap british early-seventies TV series. Even those female robots have a boring look and could have been designed much, much spicier. The movie lacks highlights like the great Robert Morley's hammy appearances, provided only in the first half of the movie. And this first half is a bore, anyway, especially due to the unfunny comic relief of Drummond's sidekick. The second half runs better, with more action and more funny scenes in it. The best scenes belong to Daliah Lavi as the bad girl, while pretty Sydne Rome (as the good girl) is absolutely colorless. Poor production, poor fun -at least in this case. Watching this movie is not a complete waste of time, but it comes close to that. So you are recommended to watch "deadlier than the male" for a third time instead.

Dick Johnson is back for more....

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 12 February 2016]

If you don't think that this incarnation of Bulldog Drummond is very much like the many older ones (starring the likes of Ronald Colman, Ron Randall or John Howard, then you are right! Instead of being a man of adventure that gets sucked into solving crimes, Dick Johnson's version of Drummond is much more like a James Bond character--fighting and bedding very sexy ladies and trying to stop some big baddie who is bent on international wickedness instead of just murder or robbery. It's best just to forget about the earlier Drummonds and treat this one like an all-new character.

During the course of the film, various acts of sabotage are made on the SST-1 project (the 'SST' was an early name for what became the Concord project in the UK and France). In each case, a pretty woman is behind the attack. If this sounds a bit familiar, this is because it's much like the plot of Johnson's other Drummond flick, "Deadlier Than a Male". However, Drummond is not alone in investigating the sabotage- -a kooky and sexy lady assistant (similar to Britt Ekland in "The Man With the Golden Gun") is there as well. Also WHY and HOW these ladies work are a bit different from the previous film...as they are robotic in their actions and loyalty.

While this film is a decent spy-type film, it's less original than the last. Additionally, the film relies on two bad clichés ALSO found in the last film--the megalomaniac baddie who, instead of just killing Drummond, keeps him around supposedly to give him a chance to kill him AND all women (even robotic ones) find Drummond so sexy that they cannot control themselves. It's a shame, as the film is pretty good otherwise. All this plus the robotic aspect make this one far, far inferior than Johnson's prior effort.

Better than most modern movies. Very under rated

[joeagnes · 29 September 2003]

This movie should not be mistaken as a budget imitation of a James Bond film, as it possesses it's own distinctive characteristics. Yet, for it's time (1969) it is just as adventurous and entertaining with Richard Johnson performing the role of (Bulldog) Hugh Drummond, similar to your James Bond Secret agent, but with a touch of humour and to some extent, a bit of sarcasm. Like Bond, Drummond is well skilled, serious and intelligent and is out to investigate what is behind a series of murders disguised as accidents, that are carried out by what appears to be beautiful young women (hence it's title Some Girls Do). Robert Morley performs the part of Miss Mary and is later found dead after having given classes to potential chef students in perfecting the art of cracking eggs open into a bowl.

Drummond is also targeted when flying a glider and is meant to crash down when his parachute has been tampered with by the beautiful robotic women who watch from below, but manages to skillfully and successfully release open the parachute, landing down safely as if nothing had happened.. A fine performance by Sydney Rome as the typical James Bond type girl, but Drummond is not at all fooled by her pampering and charming behaviour, as he is very intelligent in sensing her motives.. She does play the bimbo but is very cunning, as most Bond style girls are.

In a nutshell I did enjoy this movie and am not surprised that any criticisms are really more to do with it's comparisons to modern released movies. However, I am very surprised that the character of Bulldog Drummond was not pursued in later years like with remakes of `A Thomas Crown Affair', `The Avengers', `The Saint' etc. I believe that the character of `Bulldog' Drummond could have been further modernized and made into a big hit in the late 1970's upto the 1990's with newer adventures, as it had all the charm and character of serving action/adventure style movies, but on a larger scale. I would have kept one foot in the 1960's and another one in the 1990's keeping that style in an evergreen sense.

Spy spoof sequel is just too campy for its own good

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 23 December 2016]

I found this to be a disappointing follow-up to the excellent DEADLIER THAN THE MALE, released two years before. The problem with SOME GIRLS DO is that it goes too far out of its way to be tongue-in-cheek, meaning that the comedy is forced and laboured rather than natural-feeling, as in the original movie. The good news is that Richard Johnson returns as the Sapper's dapper Bulldog Drummond, battling bad guys and bedding babes left, right, and centre, and the production values feel just as good as in the first film, resulting in a colourful, bright, action-packed little tale. But something's missing.

It may be the story, which lacks that spark of originality we saw in Johnson's first outing as the pulp fiction hero. Once again, Carl Petersen is the bad guy, once again he's bumping off officials by utilising killer women, except this time the women are all robots. This latter theme, a science fiction staple, is played entirely for laughs, but then perhaps that's apt considering the acting ability of some of the women who have obviously been cast for their looks rather than their acting ability. While we had the excellent likes of Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina in DEADLIER THAN THE MALE, here we have the absolutely awful Sydne Rome and yummy-but-bland Yutte Stensgaard, who took away a lot of the enjoyment factor for me.

In any case, there are a lot of laughs on offer here, some successful, some not. Robert Morley hams it up something rotten as 'Miss Mary', the head of a chef school, while James Villiers is equally hammy as the chief bad guy; he's no Nigel Green. There's some poor back projection in the action scenes aboard plane and boat which is typical of the decade, and an extended climax in the villain's lair which is fairly good. However, Johnson seems to be having less fun in the role and his lines are less suave this time around; perhaps he was already tiring of the character on his second film in. Maybe that's why there was no third Bulldog Drummond film – and if we look at the law of diminishing returns, perhaps we can be thankful for that!

Serial killer madness

[WastedFilm · 6/10 · 29 September 2023]

Story of a serial killer who murders dozens of women by surgically removing their brains. Oh, but he keeps their bodies alive with a replacement robot brain, so it's all just good fun.

Apart from that, it's not a bad sexy 60s comedy spy romp. If you like Matt Helm, Derek Flint, and Austin Powers, then this is probably a good fit for you. But when they reveal what's really going on with the army of female criminals/terrorists in the movie.... Wow! It's "The Stepford Wives" (1975) if someone lost the notes that it was supposed to be a horror story. A barely-acknowledged, blink and you'll miss it bit of exposition that completely transforms the entire movie. And a point it seems like the filmmakers are completely oblivious to. I guess as long as the women's bodies are still kept alive by the robot brains (and you can still have sex with them), then it's no big deal.

"Do remember you're British"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 4/10 · 27 November 2021]

It's not James Bond. It's not Bulldog Drummond. It's not even Johnny English. It's a poor sequel to 'Deadlier Than The Male' made in 1967, which wasn't that great anyway. It suffers from a lack of Nigel Green, Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina from the previous film and a lackadaisical performance from Richard Johnson as Drummond, who was too good an actor for this sort of thing. The acting is mostly flaccid but I did enjoy Ronnie Stevens as Peregrine Carruthers and Florence Desmond as Lady Manderley but she was in it only briefly alas. Sydne Rome as Flicky was particularly annoying. The forgettable plot had something to do with sabotage, ultrasound and female robots. There probably was a music score but I don't recall any of it. And what some girls did in 'Some Girls Do' I never really understood. Whatever, it's a silly title.

The Bulldog Investigates Mystifying Ladies

[Bogmeister · 6/10 · 23 August 2007]

MASTER PLAN: utilize female robots and a sonic weapon. Some do satisfy you and they do mystify you, there's no doubt about it. This follow-up to the James Bond-type thriller "Deadlier Than the Male" features the return of investigator Hugh Drummond, as played by Richard Johnson, who can pass for Sean Connery's brother from certain angles. It's safe to say, even, that Johnson would have made a pretty good James Bond in the sixties, though Connery is hard to beat. The plot and tone of this one seems to copy certain aspects of the previous Drummond adventure, especially the sight of two smiling femme fatales carrying out their assassinations in a good-natured manner. Like the previous entry, Drummond is also saddled with a silly sidekick here (it was his younger nephew in the last one). As seems to be the doom of many an action spy series, the succeeding entries in a film series always succumb to the more banal and camp ingredients, as if the filmmakers have to shy away from making things too serious and make it more fun (Bond survived this, but others did not). Drummond is portrayed in pretty much the same manner as before, but everyone else is caught up in the campy phase of the later sixties. Of course, nothing can surpass the hammy performance of Morley in a brief role.

The first half of this escapist thriller sort of plods along, with the highlight being a tepid sequence of Drummond falling from a small airplane/glider with an apparently malfunctioning parachute. A lot of it is standard detective stuff, with the main femme fatale (Lavi, she of "The Silencers" and "Casino Royale" Bond spoofs) offering some intrigue. But then, we and Drummond shift to the island base/lair of the main villain (Villiers) and his private army, composed mostly of female robots. This abruptly shifts everything into high camp mode and I was never clear on the purpose of these programmed babes (even though Drummond asks this very question at one point and gets some vague answer). I was also never sure whether these were real females with robotic brains or just plain robots; in one scene, the head of one of these females catches fire and there's no sign of damage after the flame is extinguished. Eh? Still, it's kind of entertaining, in that lopsided fashion, and Johnson as the maverick agent is still very good in the role. The last half reminded me of the 'Flint' duo of Bond spoofs, especially "In Like Flint." There's a bit of a twist at the climax, but it's fairly meaningless and arbitrary. And, the title song, also sung at the end, is terrific, outdoing the previous entry. Johnson as Drummond would not return, though there was a spoof of a spoof, "Bullshot," in 1982 or '83. Hero:8 Villain:6 Femme Fatales:7 Henchmen:5 Fights:6 Stunts/Chases:5 Gadgets:5 Auto:6 Locations:6 Pace:6 overall:6

A Remake of the Movie "Deadlier Than the Male"

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 9 July 2015]

After several murders of key personnel involved in the making of a super-sonic airliner called the SST1, "Hugh Drummond" (Richard Johnson) is sent to investigate who the mastermind is behind them. However, his investigation puts him directly in the cross-hairs of two attractive but deadly female assassins named "Pandora" (Beba Loncar) and "Helga" (Daliah Lavi) who are both very good at their jobs. Fortunately-or unfortunately as the case may be-he has a rather inept assistant by the name of "Flicky" (Sydne Rome) to help him out. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this film is essentially a remake of the movie "Deadlier Than the Male" which was produced only two years earlier. Obviously, this isn't the first time a film has been remade, but the major problem as I see it is the fact that it was remade so quickly after the first film and had very little to offer in addition to it. To be sure there were a number of attractive young ladies to be found all through the movie but other than the aforementioned Daliah Lavi, and to a lesser extent Sydne Rome, none of them really stood out in my opinion. In short, this was an okay James Bond clone but it wasn't nearly as good as "Deadlier Than the Male" and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Years before Austin Powers, there was Some Girls Do...

[mbruce007 · 6/10 · 29 September 2020]

If Deadlier Than The Male can be thought of as a pint of bitter, it is followed by the vodka chaser that is Some Girls Do, a headier film than its predecessor with hints towards the "sex comedy" which would become popular fare in the following decade. This time around, a more world-weary Johnson as crime-fighter, Hugh Drummond, is called into action to investigate the accidents befalling people connected to the development of the world's first supersonic airliner (the SST1). The man who seeks to gain financially from the project's ruin turns out to be, predictably, Drummond's old nemesis, Carl Peterson (played this time with considerably less aplomb by veteran British actor, James Villiers, who would go on to have a small role in the Bond film, For Your Eyes Only, as M's stand-in, Tanner).

Hot on his trail, Drummond eventually ends up at Peterson's Bond-esque lair atop a cliff, which is surrounded by armed yet suggestively dressed female robots at his command. Peterson's right hand woman is Helga (played by 60s film regular, Daliah Lavi, who also starred in the James Bond spoof, Casino Royale, as one of several iterations of "007"). It's not hard to see where Mike Myers and co. got inspiration for Austin Powers years later. Despite the heavier tongue-in-cheek vibe of the sequel, the film does sport a catchy opening song by the relatively unknown Lee Vanderbilt sounding uncannily like Johnny Mathis, and penned by lyricist and Bond regular, the aforementioned Don Black (who wrote the themes for Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, The Man With The Golden Gun, Tomorrow Never Dies (the end-credit theme, Surrender) and The World Is Not Enough - copies of the original record release on the United Artists label are few and far between these days.

Furthermore, the film has some amusing and redemptive Bond-esque one-liners. While Drummond is sat having dinner with an elaborately costumed Peterson and his entourage, the latter says: "History repeats itself. Napoleon dreamt of the entire universe thronging to his door. Now I shall fulfil his dreams", after which Drummond asks quizzically, "Dressed as the Duke Of Wellington?" Peterson replies: "Well of course, my dear fellow. Never back a loser". This is only slightly funnier than the incident in Deadlier when one of the scheming women's hair-pieces turns out to have an explosive device inside it, prompting Drummond to quip: "that's what comes of letting success go to your head".

Some Girls Do had been released by Network Releasing on a DVD double-bill with Deadlier Than The Male and was presented in a grainy, cropped, fit-to-screen 4:3 format. Now, it has been mercifully re-released by Network earlier this year in a restored, HD presentation on both DVD and premiere release on Blu-Ray as part of their series entitled "The British Film". The Blu-Ray boasts extensive image galleries and an HD rendering of the Original Theatrical Trailer.

While considerably outmoded, I still believe Deadlier and Some Girls Do are both entertaining fare for any Bond fan and are something of a tribute to the liberal culture of the late 1960s and Connery-instigated Bond mania.

Some Girls Shouldn't, nor should we

[robert-temple-1 · 2/10 · 16 April 2008]

This is the twenty-fourth Bulldog Drummond film, and the last purporting to be even remotely serious, as the final Drummond film, 'Bullshot', was to be a complete spoof. But of course this one is not serious. It is cornier than an ethanol refinery, and raises inanity to the height of the ionosphere (like the SST-1 in the film perhaps), or should I say I-wanna- sphere, as in 'I wanna be sick'. Everyone's tongue is so far into his or her cheek in this film that they all have holes in their faces. Betty Box, this time without her brother Syndey Box with whom she co-produced the predecessor to this bit of fluff, 'Deadlier than the Male' (slightly less fluffy, but equally inane), here returns with her final offering of a pseudo-James Bond film using the name, and no more, of Hugh Drummond, and the name, and no more, of Drummond's villain nemesis Carl Peterson. Peterson is played here by James Villiers, trying as hard as he can to be deeply villainous but unable to convince. For those of us who knew James, who was so witty and fun-loving, the idea of his being a villain was ludicrous. Wrong choice! Daliah Lavi is the lead villainess. She was in so many films in the sixties, and had been in the Bond film 'Casino Royale', but I never understood her appeal. She must have put a spell of producers or directors somehow, but she never managed to be truly sexy, despite all the absurd hype about her and her feline movements as 'one desired'. The fact that she couldn't act is irrelevant, as she was not required to. Joanna Lumley got her first film part in this picture, but was uncredited. She has made up for that later! This film has an absurd plot, which goes so far beyond pastiche that - well, I did say how high the inanity went, didn't I? James has got all these girls in short skirts who are robots, you see, 'under my complete control' as he boasts, who kill on command, and when they are not needed, he or Daliah Lavi presses a button in the neck of the girl and she goes to sleep. They also have libidinous capacities, so we are led to believe. How Betty Box, a woman, could produce a film pandering in such extreme measure to the most ridiculous male fantasies of the pliant woman (one you can turn on or off, every hectored man's dream??) is beyond my comprehension. As for Ralph Thomas, the director, there are no words. Once again, as in the earlier film two years before, we have babes in bikinis toting machine guns, killing people while saying 'poor little man' and smirking and simpering and wiggling their busts. The sixties eye makeup, the bouffant hairdos, the wigs, the eyelashes, my God. I'm a Bulldog Drummond viewer, get me out of here!

Bulldog's Babes

[ShadeGrenade · 10/10 · 13 December 2005]

Three years after 'Deadlier Than The Male', Richard Johnson was back as Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond, this time investigating mysterious sabotage incidents involving the S.S.T.-1, Britain's newest supersonic airliner. The 'Matt Helm' and 'Derek Flint' sequels disappointed, but nobody who enjoyed 'Deadlier' can fail to appreciate this. The same ingredients ( beautiful girls, gadgets, nice location filming, fast-moving action ) are here, but with a dash more humour. Its all so over the top its practically orbiting Saturn. Charles Blackwell's score catches the right mood of '60's kitsch, the opening theme song is a knockout! Tightly edited, the film moves so fast you don't have time to dwell on its absurdities. Daliah Lavi and Beba Loncar head a long line of luscious babes, including a young Joanna Lumley, and the delectable Adrienne Posta! Nigel Green isn't around to reprise baddie Carl Petersen, alas, but James Villiers is not too bad. Robert Morley is delightful as the eccentric cookery teacher 'Miss Mary'!

Bonding Exercise - OK British Spy Fiction

[ninjaalexs · 6/10 · 6 November 2021]

The character of Bulldog Drummond pre-dates Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, but a cut-price Bond is a comparison which can't help but be drawn. Dr No would have been released a few years earlier and had Sean Connery as the epitome of sexy coolness. Richard Johnson as Hugh Drummond is fine, but a bit charmless.

As mentioned robot babes for the plot which is as silly as it sounds. This owes more to camp 60s films like Casino Royale and Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine than say Goldfinger. On the plus side the scenery and locations are exotic especially for the time, the action scenes little of them as there are (mainly speedboat chases and skydiving) not bad at all, also this one is less dark and probably more family friendly than some of the Bond films. To be honest it's barely worth a watch. Oh, and the Bluray from Network features an absolutely superb print.

Better you don't

[Bribaba · 5/10 · 16 August 2012]

Silly spy caper and the last in what was an erratic franchise. Richard Johnson plays Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond, an upmarket Bond looking well past his sell-by date. A Dr Evil is killing the scientists working on 'infra- sound' - low frequency waves that can 'kill life very quickly", so if you were wondering where dub reggae came from…The assassins turn out to be killer robots, extremely well disguised as bathing suit babes. This is entirely realistic and on no account should be interpreted as a distraction from the totally lame story. Daliah Lavi is there amongst the cyborgs and lower down the order there's a certain Joanna Lumley credited as 'Robot on a suicide mission', just like the director.

Easy On The Eyes Entertainment

[darkasnight1234 · 27 March 2009]

If you are tired of all the Politically Correct "no fun" offerings that Hollywood dishes out these days and yearn for some good clean fun from a bygone era when "Womyn" were just happy to be "Chicks" and men were having fun like no tomorrow (their grins say it all, lucky bastards!;-), and would like to indulge in an escapist fantasy with some naughtiness to it on a guys' night in, then you may find this film quite enjoyable. Besides which guy doesn't like watching "hot chicks" in short minis being seduced with kisses that turn their heads, even if they are robot "chicks"? This is obviously from the era when Jim Kirk was doing the same to exotically dressed "Hot Chicks" on TV in the original Star Trek series, and this film doesn't do such a bad job with the same naughtiness factor to it.

And if you like this one then try its predecessor film. The "Chicks" in these two films put todays' sour looking super-models and centerfolds to shame. The Movie industry just doesn't have the same level of beauty in their female actors anymore as they try to relate too much to a female audience to the great disappointment of the male audience.

If like me you fall asleep during chick flicks and would love to watch a movie made just for guys then enjoy this one.

Absolutely atrocious follow up to Deadlier than the Male

[jongibbo · 1/10 · 22 December 2019]

Having revived the Bulldog Drummond character in Deadlier Than the Male, Rank made a further film Some Girls Do. It basically follows the plot of the first film, however where that, though at best mediocre was not unwatchable, this is unspeakably, mind-numbingly bad. Absolutely excruciating.

Ragged, entertaining spy spoof

[wilvram · 6/10 · 8 May 2020]

Richard Johnson does well again as an updated Bulldog Drummond in this intentionally absurd caper. As usual he is fortunate in being up against regular foe Carl Peterson, surely the world's most inept diabolical mastermind, who follows his customary course of ineffectual attempts at murder before inviting Drummond to a slap-up feast and proceeding to outline his current schemes. With this one he hopes to net an incredible eight million pounds, hardly enough to buy a Premier League second-string goalkeeper today. And of course there are the glamorous 'girls', not least the delectable Daliah Lavi. The most surprising feature is the frequently slapdash way the film has been put together. Drummond is framed holding a dead agent (veteran Florence Desmond) together with the weapon that killed her at one point, then it cuts to him in a power boat with no further explanation. Robert Morley's 'Miss Mary' serves little purpose except as a rather self-conscious exercise in kitsch. Overall though, plenty of fun for fans of the genre.

Nobody should

[milliefan · 1/10 · 11 September 2012]

Having watched - and enjoyed - DEADLIER THAN THE MALE, I was keen to see the sequel, SOME GIRLS DO. Big mistake. In the first film, I thought Richard Johnson was pretty colourless ... but here he is even worse. No charisma, awful hair which looks like a dirty toupee, gappy teeth, and zero personality. Whereas MALE had the joyous coupling of Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina as the prime murderesses, here we have Daliah Lavi, who looks good but simply doesn't work, and the dire Beba Loncar (how did she ever get a job?). And nobody in the supporting cast is any good either, even talented and usually reliable stars such as Adrienne Posta, Robert Morley and James Villiers - a pale version of villain Peterson compared to Nigel Green in MALE. Other than the title song, NOTHING in this film is any good. One wonders why the producers and director didn't look at the dailies and realise something was very wrong. One final whinge/query ... why was Virginia North brought back from the original film, but playing a different role? She must have had someone boosting her, as her small and indifferently played role in MALE warranted her special billing, and her minor role in SOME GIRLS likewise got her a good credit in the trailer, and several unnecessary (and badly edited-in) closeups. Unsurprisingly her career soon fizzled, but it would be interesting to know who decided she should be launched in the first place.

Fun premise, but lacking in real laughs. Great cast.

[lee-96696 · 6/10 · 30 September 2023]

Some Girls Do is a British comedy/spy film starring Richard Johnson as Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond, a debonair secret agent posing as an insurance adjuster, who is called in to investigate the sabotage of a new supersonic airliner and a potential £8 million payout.

The movie also stars Robert Morley, Sydne Rome, James Villiers, and Florence Desmond. Joanna Lumley is in an uncredited role as Robert #2.

Some Girls Do is a spoof of the James Bond films, and it features many of the same elements, including high-tech gizmos, in this case infra-sound weapons; exotic locations; beautiful women (mostly fem bots!); and action sequences. Unfortunately the gags are pretty lame, and the action, even by 1969 standards, is a bit of a snooze. The locations on Spain's Costa Brava are boring. They look like a generic 1960s Mediterranean resort area. It is not entirely clear how the fem-bots came into being. There is some hint of surgery, which would be pretty gruesome and not very funny.

On the plus side, Johnson is well cast as Drummond. He delivers a witty and charming performance with an accent even more posh than Sean Connery. Morley is also excellent as Miss Mary, Drummond's eccentric, obviously gay, butler. He is an undercover agent posing as a culinary instructor. He's one of the few sources of real laughter. Rome plays Flicky, a Bondian seductress and triple agent who exudes a sort of silly sexuality. Desmond, in her last film role, is credible as an aging, ex-pat society host who is also a spy. The best performance is from Villers, who plays the villain, Petersen (odd name for a bad guy) to the hilt. He looks especially mad in his Duke of Wellington outfit.

But none of it really comes together. The really good laughs are few and far between. The action sequences (a glider sabotage, a speed boat race) do not produce much adrenaline. Special effects are so-so. The photography is meh. The musical score - always fun in a Bond film - is forgettable. It's a bland, paint-by-the-numbers Bond spoof.

So a great set-up. Fun cast. But a major miss on entertainment value.

Some girls shouldn't bother...

[Clockwork-Avacado · 1/10 · 21 November 2012]

Sequel to the reasonable "Deadliest of the species", featuring the return of Richard Johnson as Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond. The sequel fails to come up to even the varying standards of the original, and feels long and laborious. More stunts, more girls and an even more exotic location fail to boost this flagging film, which begins to feel very tired rather too early on, and its' plot less run-around nature soon becomes tedious. Cashing in on the success of Bondmania, this film failed to even show any understanding of what it was trying to copy in a film which features Robert Morley as a camp cookery teacher, called "Miss Mary", Johnson giving love-making lessons to a female robot, an embarrassing Bond-wannabe, played by Ronnie Stevens, a carbon-copy villain with a Napoleon complex, and a lot of embarrassing stuff you just wish would end mercifully soon. The weapon of the day is an ultra-sonic device, which shatters glass and eardrums, and provides the film's climax with a lot of bang, but only after enduring a lot of pseudo-science on the subject. Notable for featuring an early appearance by Joanna Lumley in the pre/during credits sequence.

PROS; -A few airborne stunts look nice, and are mildly suspenseful.

-Some nice scenery; the villains' base is particularly aesthetically pleasing

-Ronnie Stevens is endearing in a terrible part

-Daliah Lavi is a strong presence, as the film's central villainess

CONS; -Richard Johnson looks tired, and can't act his way out of a bad part in a derivative film

-The theme song is among the worst ever-penned, and is written buy should-have-known-better John Barry collaborator Don Black

-No pace, no atmosphere, drive, plot or excitement really in any scene

– the film is virtually dead, and merely exists to show women in bikinis and a lot of embarrassing gags

-Drummond is not a real character, merely a Bond-clone, with no personality or interesting characteristics

-A weak, overlong boat race/chase sequence

-Robert Morley in a hugely embarrassing role for a good, if somewhat limited actor

-Many of the main women in this film look very similar, and its' hard to tell some of them apart

-Actually, virtually everything; it's not a good film

A smile from a beautiful woman can minimize the sting right before they put the knife in.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 20 July 2023]

With an opening scene thar drops jaws even before the credits are over, this is a bit of a letdown even though it's very high on a camp level, showing beautiful women literally committing murder in an effort to create terror organized by the boss who basically wants to be paid for stopping the sabotage. Classic movie fans know that Bulldog Drummond came first, decades before Bond, Matt Helm and all those other 60's spy comedies with tons of beautiful ladies surrounding Richard Johnson, equally as suave as Ronald Colman who played Bulldog in the original two talkies.

These women seem fragile and a bit dim witted on the surface, but don't let that fool you. They use their small stature and feminine appeal to come off as weak and easy to beat. But they definitely meet their match in Johnson who obviously knows the weaknesses he can prey on. The idea of utilizing terrorism to bring companies to their financial knees is a clever one, and there are enough twists and turns and tongue in cheek antics to keep the viewer amused and enough differences with the Bond films to stand out on its own. Robert Morley has a memorable cameo providing campy humor in his performance. Non-stop action makes this a must, especially for 60's style spy comedy enthusiasts.

too much Avengers and Man From Uncle in this one

[ib011f9545i · 5/10 · 21 August 2021]

I really like the first Johnston Bulldog Drummond film Deadlier Than The Male but this is a much less interesting watch.

I think by the time this was made the spy craze must have been ending.

This film reminds me of the dafter episodes of The Avengers tv series and Man From Uncle.

It is interesting in that it influenced the Mike Myers spy films but not interesting enough I think.

The cast is not as good as the first film but frankly the female cast are very pretty but their parts are not as well written.

It's too bad they only made two of these films.

[bensonmum2 · 8/10 · 28 May 2006]

Even though the comparisons with James Bond are inevitable, I don't think they are fair. I enjoy the Bond movies and however similar, the two Hugh Drummond films from the 60s have their own, unique style. They're played a little more for humor and lack some of the big budget special effects. But fans of the better known Bond films should find something to enjoy in either of the lesser known films Deadlier Than the Male or Some Girls Do.

I can just about sum up what I like about Some Girls Do by using what I wrote for Deadlier Than the Male as a guide. However, if push comes to shove, I actually prefer Some Girls Do to the first film in the series. The 60s feel, Richard Johnson's Drummond, the villainous James Villers, scenes stealers like Ronnie Stevens and Robert Morley, terrific locations, and the implausible yet wonderful gadgets and traps, including a small army of female automatons, are all a delight. As with the first movie, my absolute favorite moments are those with the two female killers. Daliah Lavi and Beba Loncar make the movie worth checking out just to see them. Lavi, in particular, is one of those women that seem to have only existed in the 60s that I enjoy watching so much.

It's too bad they only made two of these films. I would have liked to see this series continued.

Some Girls Snooze

[ArtVandelayImporterExporter · 5/10 · 31 January 2022]

Just how many Bond spoofs were there in the 60s anyway? Flynt, Helm, Drummond. Were there more?

Here's the problem. The bona fide Bond films were campy garbage in the first place - with the exception of From Russia With Love (1963). Since there is no way to successfully spoof a spoof, every movie that attempted it comes across as painfully un-funny. When combined with lesser budgets, lesser stars, and lesser stunts, they are a real chore.

The only area where the spoofs can hold a candle to the Albert Broccoli Bonds would be the stories. Whatever the original Ian Fleming novels had going for them, the Bond plots as filmed were ridiculous. So at least Some Girls Do keeps it real: subterfuge surrounding the world's first supersonic jetliner.

Richard Johnson does fine as the lead, Bulldog Drummond. The women are at least a beautiful as any Bond girls.

There are worse ways to spend 90 minutes. Just don't expect it to make a lasting impression.

I love this!

[BandSAboutMovies · 8/10 · 4 April 2020]

You wouldn't know it from the title, but Bulldog Drummond is back again after Deadlier than the Male. Richard Johnson, Terence Young's original choice of 007, returned as well. Of never playing Bond, Johnson said to Cinema Retro magazine, "Eventually they offered it to Sean Connery, who was completely wrong for the part. But in getting the wrong man they got the right man, because it turned the thing on its head and he made it funny. And that's what propelled it to success."

He'd go on to play Dr. Menard in Zombie, as well as roles in The Comeback, Beyond the Door and the Sergio Martino movies Screamers and The Great Alligator.

The world's first supersonic commercial plane is having problems, what with killer women like Maria Aitken, Yutte Stensgaard (who replaced Ingrid Pitt in Lust for a Vampire) and Joanna Lumley in an early role (she and Virginia North were both filming On Her Majesty's Secret Service at the same time - and the very same Pinewood Studios - as this film!) murdering and sabotaging everyone and everything to stop its creation.

It's a good thing that Bulldog - and his assistant Flicky (Sydne Rome, The Pumaman) - are on the case. The culprit? Carl Petersen (James Villiers, who is in For Your Eyes Only), a rich criminal who stands to get $8 million pounds if his plane isn't ready by a certain date.

Beyond having two henchwomen named Helga (Daliah Lavi, who was also in The Silencer, Nobody Runs Forever, The Spy With the Cold Nose and Casino Royale) and Pandora (Beba Loncar, who also appears in Jess Franco's spy film Lucky, the Inscrutable), Petersen has created an army of female robots who can use ultrasonic frequencies to maim and murder.

Of course, Drummond and Helga hook up, but she fails several times to kill him off. Hell, she sleeps with him again after capturing him for Petersen. Everything gets blown up real good though, Flicky ends up being a Russian double agent and Bulldog hooks up with the only fembot who is really human, number 7, who is played by Vanessa Howard (she's in the Dan Curtis version of The Portrait of Dorian Gray).

Robot number 9 is, of course, the aforementioned Virginia North, forever Vulnavia from The Abominable Dr. Phibes. Another one is Shakira Baksh, who would soon become the wife of Michael Caine.

This is on the good side of Eurospy film. Nothing is all that serious and everything moves quickly. I'd definitely pick this one - and Deadlier than the Male - if you're looking for a non-Bond spy movie.