..... and Dean Martin over the Beatles

Hey pallies, likes  our on-goin- search to satisfy our Dino-as-Helm cravin's recently took us to yet 'nother coolly coolly tagged blog, "ONCEWEREBATCHELORS," where a blogger dude posted the Helmer related post, Matt Helm's Rat Pack Wheels."  It's pretty short, with the major emphasis on sharin' a number of poses of one of our hot man's hot wheels...the "space age beaut, a 1962 Ghia L6.4."

 We found much pleasure in learnin' that this dude's daddy-o loved the "Dean Martin - Jerry Lewis comedies" and that dude himself as we proclaim in our opennin' tag to this post  was really into "Dean Martin over the Beatles."  And we digs how this guy shares gettin' into our Dino as swingin' spyster Matt Helm as "a kid"....likes what coulda be cooler then that!

Here's hopin' that all youse Dino-holic pallies enjoys this bit of Dino-diversion this very Dino-day.  We sez our thanks to unknown blogger dude and thanks him for doin' his part to share some Dino-devotion with the larger world.  To checks this out in it's original format, simply clicks on the tag of this here Dino-report.  Dino-delightedly, DMP

 Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Matt Helm's Rat Pack Wheels

My fascination with the early Sixties, before everything around here went to hell in a VW bus, is well documented.  Give me the Space Race, the New Frontier, topless-only Playboy centerfolds, and Dean Martin over the Beatles (let's leave the Stones out of this argument, because it won't help me make my point).

My father loves Dean Martin - Jerry Lewis comedies.  Go figure, he's not French.  If one was being shown saturday afternoon on Channel 9, he and I watched it.  So I was already familiar with the tipsy smoothie bit by the time I discovered Matt Helm.  Dean's secret agent was supposedly America's answer to James Bond, but it seemed more like the answer to Maxwell Smart, and a precursor to a certain International Man of Mystery. With all the busty women, lux interiors, secret compartments, in-car video phones, and gunplay what's not to like for a kid like me.  Dean Martin did four Matt Helm flicks, each a lesser version of its predecessor.  If you are willing to spare only a little time, watch the first film, "The Silencers".



Heck, just watching that trailer gives you a clear idea how much Mike Meyers ripped Helm off with his retro-anachronistic Austin Powers.  And in none of Helm's four films will you hear the words "groovy" or "far out".

In case you were wondering what ol' Dino might've driven when rolling onto the Paramount backlot to get made up for Helm, he probably drove this space age beaut, a 1962 Ghia L6.4, lightly customized by Hollywood car smith George Barris for Mr. Martin.













This was his, or so we're told.  Italian coachwork by Ghia, power train by Chrysler.  Real leather.  Real wood.  All style.  Early sixties style.