THE DELTA FACTOR - "It's All Greek To Me" (1970)

This weeks Saturday Night Special is a real zinger called "The Delta Factor," or in Spanish,

 "El Factor Delta!"

"The Delta Factor" is a Mickey Spillane Production, and it's also based on a story written by Mickey Spillane.

The star is Christopher (Project X) George as a fast talkin' ladies man and thief named Morgan! I'm not quite sure why, but I've never been a big Christopher George fan, maybe it's because he has two first names! Christopher died at the age of 52 from a heart attack that was caused by an injury he got 16 years earlier when his Jeep flipped over while working in one of his most famous roles, that of Sgt. Sam Troy on the very popular TV series, "The Rat Pack."

"The Delta Factor might not be the best movie in the world, but it's got an awesome cast that includes Rhodes (King Kong Escapes) Reason as Dr. Fredericks. Rhodes Reason is the younger brother to another very popular actor Rex (This Island Earth, The Creature Walks Among Us) Reason. One of Rex Reason's finest accomplishments was marrying the sensational Sanita (Missile To The Moon) Pelkey, so Rhodes got to be her brother-in-law.

Morgan has an eye for the ladies, and one of them is Yvonne (Lily Munster) De Carlo in a very small role as Valerie!

Morgan had just escaped from jail where he was doing time for a 40 million dollar heist of unrecovered  money that he claims he's innocent of. After getting caught, he's given a chance to to get a reduction in time if he helps the government rescue a Doctor being held prisoner on a remote island nation. He's assigned to work with an agent named Stacy, who just happens to also be a beautiful woman!

Dungeon Fave Yvette Carmen Mimieux has the role of agent Kim Stacy!

This is about the most excitement I've ever seen at the craps table as displayed by Diane (Pinky Pinkston) McBain. I will always remember Diane for her role as Daphne Dutton on the TV show "Surfside 6."

If they're going to pull this off, Morgan and Kim really have to act like newlyweds when they are out in public!

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen brings us to what I believe is the whole reason for this film even being made!

This is Rosa as played by Sherri Spillane. Sherri was Mickey Spillane's wife at the time, and I think this movie was made mostly just to showcase her talents, and jump start her career. I can't find any corresponding truth to my theory, but it just makes sense, if you think about it!

Five years before this, Sherri had the role of 'girl' on an episode of the TV series "The F.B.I." but no other earlier credits.

But I guess it didn't work, because even though I thought she was pretty good in this role, she only ever had two more credits in the next nine years, one on an episode of "Police Woman," and one on a show called "Hello, Larry." Sherri and The Mick were married for 19 years, and called it quits in 1983.

 This is the scene where they explain the title of the movie. Morgan has been out, and Kim says to him, "You are the X Factor, the essential unknown quantity, and you smell funny, a girl smell. I was wrong, it isn't the X Factor at all, it's the Delta Factor." Morgan replies, "I'm sorry, but that's all Greek to me." Then Kim says, "The Greek letter D, the phallic symbol for woman, the geometric design that identifies the female for the male." What really makes it funny is that I read on IMDB that Christopher George's parents were Greek immigrants, and so he only spoke Greek until he was six years old, because that's the only language they spoke in his home.

Got themselves some pretty fancy spy gadgetry, aka a hotel serving cart!

Time to visit the dark and dank prison where the Doctor is being held!

This long chase scene involves a VW Bug and a Mustang on a windy mountain road, and the VW seems to handle just like a Porsche. 

This shot just cracks me up because these two bad hombres look to me like they just got on a roller coaster ride!

By some kind of miracle, they manage to get the Doctor out and on his way to safety!

Joseph (Hang 'Em High) Sirola is Morgan's two timing old pal Sal Dekker, and the one responsible for most of his misery!

Yep! That's right, believe or don't, Kim and Morgan fall in love, because, you know,

it's "The Delta Factor!"

THE THREE STOOGES In "Matri-Phony" - 1942

Well, it's Friday and the clock on the Dungeon wall sez it's time for our favorite guys, The Stooges. In this adventure, the boys live in ancient Erysipelas, in the reign of  the Rash Emperor Octopus Grabus! Also with Marjorie (TARZAN'S NEW YORK ADVENTURE) Deanne and Vernon (441 acting credits starting in 1919!) Dent.

What do you know, here we are at Ye Olde Pottery And Stone Works in ancient Rome.

Curleycue goes out to put up his 'Dollar Day' sales sign but gets scared by a snake charmer using a coil of rope instead, and he runs back inside.

In the meantime, Roman soldiers post this proclamation from the Emperor.

Moehicus goes out and pulls down the banner just in time to get caught by a guard. The guard is very angry until redhead Diana comes walking by. The guard tries to get ahold of her but she's really quick and she evades the brute.

She eventually runs into the boys' shop and Mohicus and Larrycus hide her in a large pot, unknown to Curleycus who tries to sell the guard something after he comes in looking for the girl.

The guard ends up crashing head first into the pot and discovers Diana there. He calls the cops with his whistle and everyone's taken to see the Octopus...

Diana will do anything to get away. Here, she stomps the toes of the guards that are holding her and she breaks loose. Funny stuff!

As the boys are kept in place by the soldiers spears, the Emperor calls them mongrels and orders them to be executed! But, they get away anyhow.

The boys need to get rid of this guard, so...

They make it to Diana's room (where a wedding is to take place between the Emperor and Diana) and Curleycue is hungry. He starts with an olive, the main entrée, a crab, takes the olive and replaces it with the pit...

Things get worse though, like the crab squeezing pickle juice in Curleycue's face and being attacked after our hero conks it with a mallet and puts it into a huge bread roll.

Octopus Grabus shows up, ready to go. But he falls down and breaks his glasses, and he can barely make things out. He tells Curleycue, who has replaced Diana, that, without his glasses, 'she' looks ravishing!!

Curleycue plays it up and the Octopus is getting frisky!

Supposedly, they are married now! After Curleycue slaps him in the face, Octopus says I love a girl with spirit...

Locked out, Mohicus uses his sword to try and open the door and Curleycue pushes the Emperor right into it!

It's really not a fun ending as most of the others are. Looks like the boys have met their demise in this one. Oh well, they'll be back in another laff filled adventure real soon!

THE PROTECTORS - "Disappearing Trick" (1972)

It's a Wonderful Wednesday down in The Dungeon, and the focus tonight is on a 1970's British TV show called "The Protectors," that didn't air on broadcast TV in the U.S. so unless you're a fan, you've probably never heard of it, or unless you've got a friend like Lord Litter to tell you about it!

 

Episode four aired in October of 1972, and was titled "Disappearing Trick."

"The Protectors" was on for two seasons, and was only a 30 minute show, so each episode was only 25 minutes long, and because of that, they didn't waste a lot of time. There were three stars, but the one at the top was Dungeon Hero Robert Vaughn as a gentleman named Harry Rule.

Harry Rule's partners were Tony (Space:1999) Anholt as art expert Paul Buchet.....

..........And Nyree Dawn (Madame Bovary) Porter as the lovely Private Detective Contessa Caroline di Contini.

 

"The Protectors" was one of the few 'live action' and non-Science Fiction productions that Gerry (Thunderbirds) Anderson ever produced. The whole series was based on a single line given to him by ITC TV Film Productions mogul Lew Grade that said "There is a small group of private detectives who are able to work more efficiently because they are operating outside of the law."  

That's it! That's the whole premise for 52 episodes!

This episode starts with "The Protectors" busting this idiot coming out of the woman's bathroom dressed like a woman in an attempt to disguise himself!

This dude bets his friend that he can disappear just like that guy was trying to do, but only be successful at doing it! This is Derren (The Giant Behemoth) Nesbitt as spoiled rich guy Brad Huron.

Brad Huron tries to get "The Protectors" to make him disappear, and although Harry Rule isn't interested in the job, The Contessa decides to take him up on it, just to prove a point to Harry!

The Contessa is taking Brad to this place in the country where even Harry and Paul won't find him, and they need to stop for gas. Brad shows that he's got a weird side to him when he kills the gas station attendant just for fun, but The Contessa doesn't know it happens! 

Nice shoes!

Brad's Father lets Harry know that Brad ain't right in the head, and could possibly be quite violent, so they try and find The Contessa as soon as possible. After a series of incidents and a long chase, they find the dead guy and are now hot on the trail, using a couple of dirt bikes that were at the gas station.

Harry does his best to convey the information to The Contessa, because she doesn't know that Brad is a freak!

But that all changes soon enough, when Brad shows his true colours!

And The Contessa pretty quickly sees the error of her ways!

Let's just say that Brad gets what's coming to him!!

If you'd like to know more than you could ever think of about "The Protectors," then check out this page from The Official Gerry Anderson Website, and while you're there, don't forget to listen to the ending credits music sung by Tony Christie.