1966's "The Venetian Affair" is often thought of as just another theatrical feature derived from television's THE MAN FROM U. N. C. L. E. Due to the presence of Robert Vaughn in the lead, actually turning out to be a rather low key and underdeveloped adaptation of Helen MacInnes' 1963 best seller of the same name, the big screen debut of director Jerry Thorpe. Much of its cast also contributes to that small screen sheen, such as Edward Asner, Roger C. Carmel and Felicia Farr, while international starlets like Elke Sommer and Luciana Paluzzi are totally wasted in throwaway roles. A peace conference in Venice concludes abruptly with 13 people blown up, Asner's security chief requiring the presence of former CIA operative Vaughn because of his ex-wife's suspected involvement, the marriage dissolving when she opted to become a Communist agent. He's no Napoleon Solo, a battered, world weary alcoholic seemingly moving in a daze, reduced to being a wire services correspondent who manages to escape the numerous traps devised for his demise. Only by the one hour mark do we see the actual culprit and his method of mind control, a drug that can make a cat afraid of a mouse, or a peace loving American diplomat become a suicide bomber with the flick of a pen. Shooting began Apr. 13 on location in Italy, while the surprise appearance of Boris Karloff preceded a flurry of activity in the fall of 1966 on episodes of THE WILD, WILD WEST, THE GIRL FROM U. N. C. L. E., I SPY, and especially Chuck Jones's half hour rendition of Dr. Seuss' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (already in the can were animated characters in a pair of Rankin/Bass titles, "The Daydreamer" and "Mad Monster Party?"). Confined to only three scenes totaling nearly 7 minutes screen time as political scientist Dr. Pierre Vaugiroud, the actor first pops up for a full 5 minute sequence opposite Vaughn to reveal knowledge of the recent bombing, then in the latter stages to urge Vaughn to work with the villains, and finally in full hypnotic mode, frantically insisting that he be allowed to offer up his own report to a room filled with vulnerable diplomats, unaware of the bomb secreted in his briefcase. It's a rare straight role during a horror filled decade and one of the more noteworthy performances in a film lacking much intrigue despite the exotic Venetian locations (at least Luciana Paluzzi actually speaks Italian). Robert Vaughn was already an Oscar-nominated actor, and would succeed with his next role in Steve McQueen's "Bullitt," later playing Lord Byron Orlock opposite Roger Corman-shot Karloff footage in the 1989 "Transylvania Twist."
Review of The Venetian Affair
