13 Frightened Girls
| 13 Frightened Girls | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | William Castle |
| Produced by | William Castle |
| Screenplay by | Robert Dillon |
| Story by | Otis L. Guernsey Jr. |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Van Alexander |
| Cinematography | Gordon Avil |
| Edited by | Edwin H. Bryant |
Production company |
William Castle Pictures |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
13 Frightened Girls (also known as The Candy Web) is a 1963 Pathécolor Cold War spy film directed and produced by William Castle. Kathy Dunn stars as a teenage sleuth who finds herself embroiled in international espionage.
Castle was famous for promoting his films with gimmicks, and this one was no exception. He generated publicity by advertising for girls from 13 different countries to compete for parts as daughters of diplomats. As usual, he stretched the truth to suit his needs. Not all of the girls were from the countries they represented (for example Judy Pace was an American, not a Liberian). Also, there were 15 girls in all.
Plot
After a 16-year-old girl Candy Hull (Kathy Dunn) develops a crush on an intelligence agent Wally Sanders (Murray Hamilton), she helps him to uncover a plot against the United States.
Cast
- Murray Hamilton as Wally Sanders
- Kathy Dunn as Candace "Candy" Hull (United States)
- Joyce Taylor as Soldier
- Hugh Marlowe as John Hull
- Khigh Dhiegh as Kang
- Charlie Briggs as Mike
- Norma Varden as Miss Pittford
- Garth Benton as Peter Van Hagen
- María Cristina Servera (Argentina)
- Janet Mary Prance (Australia)
- Penny Anne Mills (Canada)
- Alexandra Bastedo as Alex (England) (as Alexandra Lendon Bastedo)
- Ariane Glaser (France)
- Ilona Schütze as Ilona (Germany)
- Anna Baj (Italy)
- Aiko Sakamoto (Japan)
- Gina Trikonis as Natasha (Russia)
- Judy Pace (Liberia)
- Luz Gloria Hervias (Mexico)
- Marie-Louise Bielke (Sweden)
- Ignacia Farias Luque (Venezuela)
- Lynne Sue Moon as Mai-Ling (China)
- Emil Sitka as Ludwig (uncredited)
Reception
Bosley Crowther of The New York Times noted that "The young Mata Hari is vigorously played by pretty Kathy Dunn" and suggested that the film would be a good double bill with another Columbia release, Gidget Goes to Rome.[1] Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club called it "a fun cold war relic".[2]
Home media
It was released on DVD in 2009 as part of The William Castle Film Collection.[3] Also, Sony released a DVD of the film by itself.
See also
References
- ↑ Crowther, Bosley (September 12, 1963). "Gidget Goes to Rome (1963)". The New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
- ↑ Phipps, Keith (November 11, 2009). "The William Castle Film Collection". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
- ↑ Mike Clark (November 1, 2009). "New on DVD: 'Z,' 'Rock and Roll Hall of Fame' and 'Easy Rider'". USA Today.
External links
- 13 Frightened Girls at the Internet Movie Database
- 13 Frightened Girls at the TCM Movie Database
- 13 Frightened Girls at AllMovie
- 13 Frightened Girls at the American Film Institute Catalog