Operation Kid Brother (1967)

It must have seemed a good idea at the time: Have Sean Connery’s younger brother, Neil, play himself as the younger brother of 007 in a spy spoof movie and surround him with ex-James Bond girls, villains and associates such as Adolfo Celi (Thunderball), Daniela Bianchi (From Russia with Love), Bernard Lee (“M”) and Lois Maxwell (Miss Moneypenny).

Unfortunately, Neil Connery can’t act, and the story – something about Neil, a plastic surgeon who does a bit of hypnotism in his spare time, being blackmailed by Allied powers into smashing an international criminal conspiracy run by Thair aka “Beta” (Celi) and Alpha (Anthony Dawson) from an underground atomic city – just marks lethargic time between one lame lampoon and the next.

Some gadgets are fun, and the sets are stylish, but numerous technical and continuity errors don’t help Italian director Alberto De Martino’s mishmash rise above its rudimentary camp level.

The dubbing into English is terrible with lip movements very rarely matching the dialogue.

Dr Neil Connery
Neil Connery
Maya Rafis
Daniela Bianchi
Thair (“Beta”)
Adolfo Celi
“Alpha”
Anthony Dawson
Mildred
Agata Flori
Cmdr Cunningham
Bernard Lee
Alpha
Antonio Margheriti
Max
Lois Maxwell
Yachuco
Yachuco Yama (Yee-Wah Yang)
Juan
Franco Giacobini
Lotte Krayendorf
Ana María Noé
Kurt
Guido Lollobrigida
Wilson
Aldo Cecconi
Ben Ahmed
Leo Scavino
Gamma
Mario Soria

Director
Alberto De Martino