001 destination Jamaïque

EuroSpy adventures with Larry Pennell and Brad Harris

After the great success of the James Bond films from 1962 onwards, many copycat productions were made, which are summarized under the term EuroSpy. This copy was created under the direction of producer Ernst von Theumer Sr. And was released in Italian cinemas on September 4th, 1965. The film was shot on location in Jamaica and in film studios in Rome and Madrid.

Ernst von Theumer Sr. Created something like the blueprint for the upcoming KOMMISSAR X film series, which was then produced by Theo Maria Werner and his Parnass Film. Take two rowdy daredevils with big upper arms and transport them as secret agents / police officers / private detectives to an exotic location (here: Jamaica) under some pretext and let them decimate their numerous opponents there by beating and shooting. One of the two rascals (here: Larry Pennell) is also well received by the lovely feminine and doesn't let anything go wrong. The other one (here and in many other films: Brad Harris) is more of a correct guy who sticks to the rules, ensures law and order and is secretly jealous of his buddy's enormous amount of women. The plot and setting are then interchangeable. The main thing is that there is a convincing villain (here: the as always great Wolfgang Kieling, who a year later in "The Torn Curtain" would become one of the best murder victims in an Alfred Hitchcock film). Beautiful women (here: Margitta Scherr, Barbara Valentin, Christine Schuberth, Linda Sini) should also be seen in rows, but only one of the two daredevils falls around the neck, almost without will.

The American actor Larry Pennell (1928-2013), who was also seen as Stewart Granger's opponent in "Old Surehand" (1965), but was otherwise only employed in supporting roles or television series, is lucky in this film. As a powerful womanizer, he does a pretty good job. Brad Harris (1933-2017) plays here for the first time a role that he would bring to perfection in the seven films of the KOMMISSAR X series (1966-1969 and 1971, alongside Tony Kendall): the good buddy, whose fists are just as loose as those of his comrade-in-arms, but who can only look at the beautiful women he picks up without batting an eyelid.

The fact that director Theumer did not use the series potential of this constellation himself and thus served it to his competitor Theo Maria Werner on a silver platter is due to a crucial error in the plot, which should not be revealed here.

For fans of the genre, this film is definitely worth seeing. It's certainly not a masterpiece, but it offers good entertainment.

When I first saw this movie on TV in 1972, I was hooked. This movie has everything a Spy Fan could ask for. Great Jamaican scenery, the Playboy Club in Montego Bay, car chases, explosions and more. I was shocked when I first saw that BRAD HARRIS gets killed. The hero of many Hercules / Goliath movies gets blown up. Unthinkable!!! I have never understood why the producers didn't include this movie in the Kommissar "X" series which followed. With a little editing this would have fit right in. I have posted several B&W stills above for you to enjoy. I watched this again last week and still enjoyed it. Watch it on Y/T for a great escape experience. Larry Anderson

Has AUSTIN POWERS created a demand for obscure 1960s secret-agent movies? I hope so, because OPERATION JAMAICA is one of the best, most enjoyable films in the genre. Larry Pennell (who had been in the RIPCORD tv series, but is best known for playing "Dash Riprock" on the Beverly Hillbillies), who vaguely resembles Elvis, is perfectly cast as the super-cool, self-absorbed/male chauvinist secret agent, quick with his fists and with a gun, and hitting on any female within his reach. The film is well-paced with enough fistfights, gun battles, double-crosses, and spy gadgetry to keep any action fan hooked. It also features a wonderfully loud and booming faux-Bond score by the multi-talented Marcello Giombini, who did hundreds of other film scores in the 60s and 70s (my favorite being the Yardbirds-ish psychedlic score to the German Stewart Granger spy film "Target For Killing"). The cast also includes American Brad Harris, best-known for the peplum films he did before this and the westerns and Kommissar X spy films he did after this. If that's not enough, the location shooting in Jamaica is gorgeous. OPERATION JAMAICA has everything a fan of 60s European spy films could want. If I had my own cable network, I'd show it during prime time this coming Friday night!

My very brief plot synopsis: After Agent 009 is killed in Jamaica while looking into gun smuggling, Agent 001 Ken Stewart (Larry Pennell) is sent in to investigate.

I watched Our Man in Jamaica last night and, overall, quite enjoyed the experience. Not, it's not James Bond and it's not even one of the better Eurospy films I've seen, but it is fun enough that I got a decent amount of entertainment from it. A few things that make Our Man in Jamaica work: 1. Larry Pennell - He's got the personality and the physical attributes to believably play the lead in a spy film. Whether it's one of the many fight scenes or romancing a lady, Pennell looks the part. Teaming Pennell with Brad Harris, who would go on to make a bunch of these movies, was smart. 2. Location - The 1960s era Jamaica locations are stunning - from the beaches to the resorts to the downtown areas - it all looks very nice. I often wonder when I watch one of these movies what the locations look like today. 3. The reveal - I admit that the final reveal of the head baddie caught me off guard. It's well played. 4. Pacing - With a lot of what I'm going to call lesser Eurospy films, there's sometimes too much standing around talking because the budget wouldn't permit anything else. Our Man in Jamaica certainly has its budget limitations, but director Ernst Ritter von Theumer (as Richard Jackson) keeps things moving along quite nicely.

So, to sum it all up, Our Man in Jamaica isn't the best Eurospy you're likely to run across, nor is it the worst. Pennell makes a good lead, the Jamaican locations are often stunning, the plot has some interesting bits, and the movie is competently directed. A solid 6/10 from me.