February 18, 1966: "The Silencers" Is Strong at the Rear

February 18, 1966: The Silencers premieres, directed by Phil Karlson, and starring Dean Martin in his first appearance as American superspy Matt Helm. The films vary from the Helm novels, written by Donald Hamilton, in that they're obviously trying to copy James Bond.

This film features Nancy Kovack as a woman Matt finds in his hotel room, wearing only a man's dress shirt. She tries to seduce him, and kill him, but is shot and killed by another agent, played by Israeli actress Daliah Lavi. As Nancy falls, she provides what may be the first exposed rear end in mainstream cinema since the Hays Code clamped down in 1934.

The film also includes Stella Stevens, Cyd Charisse, James Gregory, Roger C. Carmel, and, as the main villain, Victor Buono. Gregory and Carmel would both play villains on Star Trek; Carmel and Buono, villains on Batman.

The film The Bible: In the Beginning… showed a naked Adam from behind, an Eve shown from the waist up with long hair covering her breasts, and both of them wearing nothing but fig leaves, but that film was released a few months later.

Anthony Ray, the boy who would become the rapper Sir-Mix-a-Lot, known for his tush-appreciation song "Baby Got Back," was 2 years old at the time. Jennifer Lopez would be born in 1969; Kim Kardashian, in 1980.

UPDATE: Speaking of assassinations, successful and otherwise: In 2024, Ryan Routh was arrested for planning to assassinate Donald Trump. He was born on February 18, 1966.

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February 18, 1966 was a Friday. Baseball and football were out of season. And no games were scheduled in the NHL.

There were 3 games played in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Detroit Pistons, 120-118 at Cobo Hall (now Huntington Place) in Detroit.

* The Baltimore Bullets beat the Cincinnati Royals, 118-114 at the Baltimore Civic Center (now the CFG Bank Arena). Oscar Robertson scored 44 points in defeat for the Bullets.

* And the San Francisco Warriors beat the Boston Celtics, 128-106 at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium (now the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium).