1013 - DIABOLIK (1/24/68; 1967; Italy; PG-13; 99m)

a.k.a. DANGER: DIABOLIK (USA release title)

Ad: "Out for all he can take, seduce, or get away with..."

Plot: Dashing, daring criminal Diabolik is on the lam with his equally attractive girlfriend, after he steals $10 million from the Italian government.

Prod: Dino De Laurentiis
(Barbarella; Dune)
Assoc: Bruno Todini
(La Violenza: Quinto Potere)
Dir/Scr: Mario Bava
(cin/*502-Hercules;
408-Hercules Unchained)
Asst Dir: Lamberto Bava
(dir/911-Devil Fish; Demons 1-3)
Scr/Sto: Arduino "Dino" Maiuri
(scr/Corleone; Revolver)
Scr: Brian Degas and Tudor Gates (both/Barbarella)
Sto: Angela and Luciana Giussani
(from their 1962 comic book)
Sto: Adriano Baracco (Arabella)
Cin: Antonio Rinaldi (Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs)
Ed: Romana Fortini (I Giganti di Roma; Terrore nello Spazio)
Cos: Luciana Marinucci (Emanuelle in America; Don Bosco)
Cos: Piero Gherardi (won Oscar/La Dolce Vita; nom/Fellini's 8½)
Cos: Tigano Lo Faro (The Triumph of Hercules)
Jewels: Nino Lembo (Duck, You Sucker)
M/U: Otello Fava (501-Warrior of the Lost World; The Amazons)
PMgr: Giorgio Adriani (The Last Days of Sodom and Gomorrah)
PSup: Marco Tamburella
PSup: Gilberto Scarpellini (The Leopard)
PSup: Eros Lafranconi (Addio Fratello Crudele)
ADir: Flavio Mogherini (adir/set/502; pdes/Attila)
Set: Ennio Michettoni (Frankenstein Unbound)
Sound: Mavio Celentano (Superargo Vs. Diabolicus)
Sound Rec: Gaetano Testa (1990: The Bronx Warriors)
Sco: Ennio Morricone
(*508-Operation Double 007; Oscar nom/Bugsy; 3 others)
Song: Deep, Deep Down (Diabolik's Theme)

Diabolik / John Phillip Law*
Eva Kant / Marisa Mell (504-Secret Agent Super Dragon; Mahogany)
Inspector Ginko / Michel Piccoli (Topaz; Atlantic City)
Ralph Valmont / Adolfo Celi (508; Thunderball)
Minister of Finance / Terry-Thomas*
police chief / Claudio Gora (Gidget Goes to Rome; Satyricon)
Sergeant Danek / Mario Donen (Man of La Mancha)
minister's assistant / Renzo Palmer (Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell)
Lady Clark / Caterina Boratto (Fellini's 8½; Juliet of the Spirits)
prostitute / Lucia Modugno (Navajo Joe; Les Sultans)
Rose / Annie Gorassini (Messalina; Fellini's 8½)
lorry driver / Carlo Croccolo (Panic Button; In Love and War)
policewoman / Lidia Biondi (Roseanna's Grave; The Cobra)
bank manager / Andrea Bosic (Damon and Pythias)
Valmont's henchman / Federico Boido (Terrore nello Spazio)
Valmont's henchman / Tiberio Mitri (Ben-Hur; The Best of Enemies)
Valmont's henchman / Isarco Ravaioli (Flashman; The Invisible Six)
Valmont's henchman / Wolfgang Hillinger (Life Is Beautiful)
morgue doctor / Giorgio Sciolette (Death in the Vatican)
Sir Harold Clark / Edward Febo Kelleng
Dr. Vernier / Giulio Donnini (El Greco; Hercules Vs. the Hydra)
Rudy / Giorgio Gennari
Tony / Giusseppe Fazio (Il Commissario; The Best of Enemies)

Trivia: Born in 1937, JOHN PHILLIP LAW was an engineering major at the University of Hawaii, then a theater major in New York. He was typecast because of his striking good looks and muscular 6'4" body. Law made this movie the year before appearing in 1968's sexy sci-fi flick Barbarella starring then-sexpot Jane Fonda. Twenty years later, he played Commander Kalgan in 820-SPACE MUTINY. Most Americans first noticed him in 1966's hilarious The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!, in which he played a Russian soldier stranded with his submarine mates on a New England island.

Law's other films include: 1967's Hurry Sundown with Fonda and Michael Caine; 1970's The Hawaiians starring Charlton Heston; 1971's cheesy The Love Machine based on the novel by Jacqueline Susann; 1974's The Golden Voyage of Sinbad with special effects by Ray Harryhausen; 1976's The Cassandra Crossing with Richard Harris and Sophia Loren; 1981's Tarzan, the Ape Man with Harris and Bo Derek; 1985's American Commandos with Christopher Mitchum; 1987's Striker; 1988's Thunder Warrior III; 1989's Alienator with Jan Michael Vincent and Ross Hagen (see 202-The Side Hackers); 1992's Marilyn Behind Bars; 1993's Angel Eyes; and 1997's Ghost Dog.

Audiences were always pleased when gap-toothed British comic TERRY-THOMAS (1911-1990) appeared on the screen, usually appearing in memorable supporting character roles. His real name was Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens, and his films include: 1957's hilarious Blue Murder at St. Trinians with Alastair Sim; 1958's tom thumb starring Russ Tamblyn and directed by George Pal; 1959's I'm All Right Jack with Peter Sellers and Margaret Rutherford; 1960's School for Scoundrels again with Sim; 1963's The Mouse on the Moon with Rutherford and Michael Crawford; 1965's Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines with Stuart Whitman; 1966's Munster, Go Home with the TV series cast; 1967's Those Fantastic Flying Fools with Burl Ives; 1969's Arabella again with Rutherford; 1971's The Abominable Dr. Phibes and its 1972 sequel; 1973's Disney animated Robin Hood; and 1977's The Last Remake of Beau Geste starring Marty Feldman and Ann-Margret (see 615-Kitten With A Whip).

Last Updated: 6/28/1999