At an IBM center in Stockholm, Eric (George Chakiris) , who operates one of the machines, asks his boss to send him to another center in Barcelona . Meantime , the most ultra-secret telephone number of all is that of the "Hot'Line' that links the heads of state of the United States and Moscow. A conniving double agent (Gerard Tichy) manages to rob the top secret phone number and then starts to implement chaos by phoning Washington and Moscow . Later on , Eric buys a trunk in a store at the same time that three old women buy another one just like it. The three old women prepare the trunk to accommodate a human body inside . But this trunk is mistakenly taken at the airport by Eric who, once he arrives at the hotel in Barcelona and opens it, finds a pretty girl , Natasha (Marie Dubois) , who had been previously kidnapped by the three elderly ladies . After that , the three old ladies relentlessly chase them . Then two chiefs , one of the CIA , Nicholson (Robert Taylor) , and another of the KGB , Vostov (Charles Boyer) , arrive in Barcelona , Spain , where's developing and increasing international crisis that finds its solution on the stage of the Chinese theater .
One of the countless spy films that were shot in co-production during the sixties, trying to emulate the success of the James Bond series. Performed by two ancient legends in the twilight of their careers , being Robert Taylor's final film before his death on June 8, 1969 . It is indistinguishable from many other titles at the same style. It barely provides the minimum entertainment required in these cases , concerning a motley grup of misfit characters who are caught up in the chain of events and eventually a troupe of Chinese acrobats collide head on in a finale battle . It results to be an average parody of Euro-spy movies, a very popular sub-genre in the 80s. However, here the intrigue developed is very silly and unbelievable , dealing with Russian and American agents and double-agents , spy leaders , a traitorous agent , a kidnapped girl , an innocent young man and a trio of old ladies who seem to have escaped from an asylum and who work for the Russian agency committing some murders . In fact, the only novelty of the film is this trio of elderly women that would rival those who starred the classic film ¨Frank Capra's Arsenic and the old lace¨with Gary Grant.
It contains a colorful and brilliant cinematography shot in Barcelona by Manuel Berenguer , an expert cameraman who had an important career photographing international coproductions , such as : Murders in the Rue Morgue , Simon Bolivar , Krakatoa: East of Java, Crack in the World , Bikini Paradise , Pyro, The Thin Red Line , among others . However, Barcelona is wasted because the exteriors of the city are hardly seen , being mostly photographed inside the scenes and mainly at a second-class hotel . As well as evocative and atmospheric musical score by composer Paul Misraki . This is a mediocre Spanish/French co-production from Production Companies Alfonso Balcázar Producciones Cinematográficas and Intercontinental Productions/Alexander Salkind regularly directed by Etienne Périer , though it has some flaws , gaps and failures . He was a director and writer who shot all kinds of genres , being known for Bridge to the sun (1961), Meurtre en 45 tours (1960) , Too many lovers ! (1957) , Un si joli village (1979), La part du feu, L a main à couper , Boys and Girls , Louisiana , Maigret , The Day the Hot Line Got Hot and his best film was the thrilling Zeppelin (1971) . Rating : 4.5/10 . Well worth seeing for completists of the long careers starred by these giant actors : Robert Taylor and Charles Boyer .
