Condorman
Just finished watching "Condorman" released by Walt Disney Studios.
Walt Disney Studios was in a downward spiral back in the late 1970s, much like they are today, but for entirely different reasons. So to improve their bottom line, Walt Disney Studios decided to produce and release a series of PG rated movies that were met with mixed critical and financial success at the box office.
"Condorman" was one of those movies. Curiously, Walt Disney Studios stated that "Condorman" was "Suggested" by Robert Sheckly's counter-spy novel "The Game of X" which has a strong cult following.
Likewise, "Condorman" also has a strong cult following among Disney fans, in part due to the overall 1960s campiness and overall badness of the movie, which follows the misadventures of comic book publisher, writer, and illustrator Woodrow "Wood" Wilkins as he stumbles into international intrigue when a beautiful Soviet KGB agent requests his help in defecting to the West because of a series of misunderstandings that led her to believe that he is the highly lethal American Spy Condorman.
"Condorman" earned it's PG rating due to the "adult" jokes in the movie and it's portrayal of sexual desire.
"Condorman" bombed at the box office. It was released on DVD by Anchor Bay and then the Disney Movie Club, but is now out of print. I was fortunate enough to find a brand new mint, unopened still in shrink wrapped copy for jut $24.95 on Walmart.com - and no, I am not getting a percentage of the sales by mentioning where I got my copy of "Condorman" from. I'm just showing that it is possible to find something that is out-of-print for a reasonable price, provided you are willing to search for it.
Perhaps most the most memorable part of "Condorman" is the theme music and title song by the late, great Henri Mancini. And this is one of those rare pre-Phantom of the Opera performances by Michael Crawford where he's not singing.
It's worth noting the Disney has paid homage to "Condorman" over the years with visual references sprinkled throughout several movies, including the Toy Story franchise.
It would be amusing to see Disney's MCU make a reference to "Condorman" like "The Guardians of the Galaxy" did with Howard the Duck. [It would also be amusing to see Zack, my Number One Minion, dress up as Condorman - he and a bunch of his other friends dress up as superheroes and visit children in hospitals.]
Here's the odd thing about "Condorman": Walt Disney Studios had previously proven that they could do an adult spy movie "The Omega Connection" which was released in theaters overseas as "The London Connection" for their weekly Wonderful World of Walt Disney television show and have that movie be a huge ratings success and have a successful theater run overseas.
Even then, Disney didn't want to learn the lessons of its successes and failures.
"Condorman" is an interesting part of Disney movie history.
Sadly though, NOT RECOMMENDED.
Two Stars for what Walt Disney Studios attempted, but failed.
https://www.amazon.com/Condorman-Mich...
Walt Disney Studios was in a downward spiral back in the late 1970s, much like they are today, but for entirely different reasons. So to improve their bottom line, Walt Disney Studios decided to produce and release a series of PG rated movies that were met with mixed critical and financial success at the box office.
"Condorman" was one of those movies. Curiously, Walt Disney Studios stated that "Condorman" was "Suggested" by Robert Sheckly's counter-spy novel "The Game of X" which has a strong cult following.
Likewise, "Condorman" also has a strong cult following among Disney fans, in part due to the overall 1960s campiness and overall badness of the movie, which follows the misadventures of comic book publisher, writer, and illustrator Woodrow "Wood" Wilkins as he stumbles into international intrigue when a beautiful Soviet KGB agent requests his help in defecting to the West because of a series of misunderstandings that led her to believe that he is the highly lethal American Spy Condorman.
"Condorman" earned it's PG rating due to the "adult" jokes in the movie and it's portrayal of sexual desire.
"Condorman" bombed at the box office. It was released on DVD by Anchor Bay and then the Disney Movie Club, but is now out of print. I was fortunate enough to find a brand new mint, unopened still in shrink wrapped copy for jut $24.95 on Walmart.com - and no, I am not getting a percentage of the sales by mentioning where I got my copy of "Condorman" from. I'm just showing that it is possible to find something that is out-of-print for a reasonable price, provided you are willing to search for it.
Perhaps most the most memorable part of "Condorman" is the theme music and title song by the late, great Henri Mancini. And this is one of those rare pre-Phantom of the Opera performances by Michael Crawford where he's not singing.
It's worth noting the Disney has paid homage to "Condorman" over the years with visual references sprinkled throughout several movies, including the Toy Story franchise.
It would be amusing to see Disney's MCU make a reference to "Condorman" like "The Guardians of the Galaxy" did with Howard the Duck. [It would also be amusing to see Zack, my Number One Minion, dress up as Condorman - he and a bunch of his other friends dress up as superheroes and visit children in hospitals.]
Here's the odd thing about "Condorman": Walt Disney Studios had previously proven that they could do an adult spy movie "The Omega Connection" which was released in theaters overseas as "The London Connection" for their weekly Wonderful World of Walt Disney television show and have that movie be a huge ratings success and have a successful theater run overseas.
Even then, Disney didn't want to learn the lessons of its successes and failures.
"Condorman" is an interesting part of Disney movie history.
Sadly though, NOT RECOMMENDED.
Two Stars for what Walt Disney Studios attempted, but failed.
https://www.amazon.com/Condorman-Mich...
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