Also known as Agent XZY – Med Rätt Att Bära Paraply in Sweden, The Last Of The Secret Agents? holds three notable distinctions in the NS filmography: Nancy’s first leading role, Nancy’s first title sequence recording, and Nancy’s personal favorite of all her motion pictures.
“The movie is a send-up on two fronts, the spy genre and vaudeville. It was directed by Norman Abbott…Really fun and filled with sight gags.” ~ Nancy [source]
Nancy’s Role:
Micheline
Writers:
Mel Tolkin (screenplay and story)
Norman Abbott (story)
Director:
Norman Abbott
Theatrical Release:
1966
DVD Release:
None
The 22″ x 28″ U.S. half sheet poster.
In this publicity photo, Nancy is flanked by her co-stars, the comedy team of Marty Allen and Steve Rossi.
Paramount Pictures issued a one-sided promotional LP with radio spot announcements featuring Allen & Rossi. (Click on the play button below to hear one of the spots.)
The Last Of The Secret Agents? Radio Spot
In addition to the radio spot LP, Paramount supplied to exhibitors a record containing lobby spots:
“Made up of a two-sided, 45 rpm record, one side announces the coming arrival while the other tells of the film as a current attraction.”
The preceding description appears on page 4 of the eighteen-page, 12″ x 15″ Paramount Merchandising Manual And Press Book, which provides many interesting insights into the movie’s promotion. The cover of the manual poses these questions:
“Will Spying Ever Be The Same Again? Can any nation, so conceived and so dedicated to the bugged martini, the umbrella that thinks it’s a gun, the girl in the transparent raincoat, long endure the hello-dere-ing-do of these two? Are they The Last of The Secret Agents?”
A production still displays “the umbrella that thinks it’s a gun”: “…one of the most devastating pieces of equipment ever devised by man.”
This West German film program displays another image of the comedy trio and the multipurpose umbrella, with the film’s German title: Die Allerletzten Geheimagenten?
Page 6 of the Paramount manual offers this profile of Nancy.
Among the many promotional ideas outlined in the merchandising manual and press book is an amusing campaign involving buttons bearing the “Hello Dere!” catchphrase.
Impressions of Nancy, Steve Rossi, Marty Allen, and Theo Marcuse (as Zoltan Schubach) are captured by caricaturist Christiano, on this U.S. promotional piece of art: “Still # SA / X / 1.”
Zany caricature artwork is also employed for this poster from Spain, where the movie was released as Questi Pazzi Agenti Segreti!.
Nancy’s image on the Spanish poster is reminiscent of one of the “sight gags”: the breakaway dress scene with Steve Rossi (as Steve Donovan).
Micheline loves Steve and hopes to marry him. Although Micheline’s Papa Leo (portrayed by Lou Jacobi) wants her to find a husband, he disapproves of Steve.
For the movie’s French release, it was known as Les Plus Dingues Des Agents Secrets. This poster features two chefs-d’oeuvre: the Venus de Milo (also incorporated into the Spanish poster) and an iconic depiction of Nancy derived from tie-up still “10424/12 Beauty Salon.”
This tie-up still of Nancy also appears on page 3 of The Last Of The Secret Agents? “tabloid herald.” The four-page, 8 and 1/2″ x 11″ flyer (pictured in the inset image) was distributed in a variety of ways to promote the film.
The movie produced several soundtrack-related releases, two of which are displayed in this article in the Paramount merchandising manual: Pete King’s soundtrack LP (Dot DLP-3714 [mono]; DLP-25714 [stereo]) and Nancy’s U.S. single How Does That Grab You, Darlin’? / The Last Of The Secret Agents? (Reprise 0461).
In addition to Pete King’s LP, Steve Rossi released his own LP (Musicor MM-2086 [mono]; MS-3086 [stereo]), featuring “You Are,” the song which he performs in the ballroom scene at Schubach’s chateau. Although neither release contains any recordings by Nancy, Steve Rossi’s LP boasts this great cover photo with Nancy. For more images, see the “…riding shotgun, windows down,” Part Three: Nancy and Classic Cars in Artwork blog post.
It had been intended for Nancy to sing a second song in the movie, but the scene was not shot:
“We ran through it, practiced a dance number for it but never actually recorded it for real. ‘Papa Leo’s Place’ was the title and it was a rewrite of an old song written by Bacharach and David. There was another place in the title originally.” ~ Nancy [source]
Nancy’s recording of “The Last Of The Secret Agents?” was accompanied by this picture sleeve, featuring multiple images of Nancy, for its release in Germany (Reprise RA-3156). A variation of the photos appears on Nancy’s tie-up- still “10424/15 Ladies Wear.”
The promo label of the U.S. release is also pictured.
In the Lee Hazlewood-penned-and-produced theme song (heard during the motion picture’s main title sequence), Nancy (in the persona of Micheline) expresses her devotion to Steve:
“He’s an underwhelming kind of sleuth
He thinks James Bond’s some kind of suit
He’s farther back than an also-ran
But he’s the last of the secret agents
And he’s my man.”
The Last Of The Secret Agents? movie trailer.
Nancy’s Role:
Mike
Writers:
Charles B. Griffith
Director:
Roger Corman
Theatrical Release:
1966
DVD Releases:
2001 (“Midnite Movies” Edition)
2005 (“Double Feature” Edition: The Wild Angels / Hell’s Belles)
2007 (as part of The Roger Corman Collection box set)
During an interview conducted by correspondent Elizabeth Kaledin for Nancy’s profile segment on CBS News Sunday Morning (pictured below [original broadcast: February 27, 2005]), Nancy recalled her casting and success in the film:
“My agent—I called him and I said, ‘Can you get me a movie?’ and he got me a movie, which made me number one box office—female. Go figure!”
In a Sinatra Family Forum post, Nancy discussed the connection between The Wild Angels and Easy Rider:
“Peter [Fonda] credits the success of Wild Angels as the reason Easy Rider was made. (But Wild Angels is nowhere near the film Easy Rider is.)” [source]
The 27″ x 41″ U.S. one sheet poster: Nancy (as Mike) rides with Peter Fonda (as Blues).
From Spain, a one sheet, style A poster displays the Spanish title: Los Ángeles Del Infierno.
Although the movie had initially been banned in Denmark, it was eventually released in 1969 as De Vilde Engle.
Illustrating the “Loser Is Lost” scene, this production still bears The Wild Angels‘ French title: Les Anges Sauvages.
The Wild Angels represented the U.S. at the Venice Film Festival, for its Italian release: August 28, 1966. Posters from Italy, where the movie is known as I Selvaggi, emphasize the relationship between Nancy and Peter’s characters.
This 46-cm x 67-cm poster employs a reverse image of Mike and Blues, derived from the inset photo which was shot on the Dina Lee (from the “Blues’ Blues” scene).
An Italian two sheet poster employs an appropriately blue color theme.
Another 46-cm x 67-cm I Selvaggi poster depicts Bruce Dern’s “Bust Him Out!” hospital scene. Interestingly, the image of Nancy employed in the composite does not originate from that scene.
Also related to the “Bust Him Out!” segment: A U.S. publicity photo pictures Nancy, attired in her hospital scene wardrobe, conversing with producer and director Roger Corman.
In West Germany, The Wild Angels was released as Die Wilden Engel. Contrasting expressions by Nancy and Peter distinguish this 59-cm x 84-cm poster.
This West German lobby card is derived from the “Loser Is Lost” scene: “We were only just dancin’…”
A Die Wilden Engel film program.
From Japan, a 51-cm x 73-cm poster.
The soundtrack music (composed by Mike Curb and featuring Davie Allan & The Arrows, The Visitors, and The Hands Of Time) produced two U.S. LPs on Capitol Records’ subsidiary label, Tower: The Wild Angels Soundtrack (DT-5043 [duophonic stereo], T-5043 [mono]); The Wild Angels, Vol. II Soundtrack (DT-5056 [duophonic stereo]). Fourteen tracks culled from the two original albums were released on CD (D2-77866) by Curb Records, in 1996. Neither the motion picture nor the soundtrack releases include any recordings by Nancy.
The back cover of the first soundtrack LP (5043) presents various images of Nancy and Peter, some of which also appear on the international posters.
Two tracks (“Blues’ Theme” and “Theme Form ‘The Wild Angels’-Instrumental”) from the first album and one (“Wild Orgy”) from the second were released as part of the compilation LP Mike Curb Presents Best Of The Soundtracks (Tower ST-5148 [U.S.: pictured left] and Capitol ST-6306 [Canada: pictured right]).
According to the back cover: “Sensational recordings from the original soundtracks of five AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL motion pictures” (The Wild Angels, Devil’s Angels, Born Losers, Wild In The Streets, and Psych-Out).
A few of the numerous international releases:
Upper tier: Les Anges Sauvages EP from France (Capitol EAP-405043), Los Angeles Salvajes LP from Mexico (Capitol STM-5043).
Lower tier: Los Angeles Salvajes EP from Colombia (Capitol CC-3310), Los Angeles Salvajes EP from Mexico (Capitol EAP-21459).
The Wild Angels movie trailer.
