Astrid’s Simply Bassey #107

Today I’m playing a special request for my fellow German, Jonas. He has asked me to play “My Liquidator” – the less well known these from the movie “The Liquidator”

Shirley Bassey sings this more tender version of the title track as the closing screen credits are played during the movie.

Viel Spass Jonas!

The Liquidator (1966) was an M-G-M spy spoof starring Rod Taylor as “Boysie” Oakes, a cowardly assassin who takes orders from Trevor Howard and falls for Howard’s secretary, future “Bond girl” Jill St. John. The film was a black-comic look at the secret agent milieu popularized by the James Bond series, filmed in England and on the French Riviera, directed by noted cinematographer Jack Cardiff, and based on the novel by John Gardner.

Scoring The Liquidator was the composer who would become iconic for another ’60s spy franchise, Mission: Impossible—Lalo Schifrin. The Liquidator was one of Schifrin’s first feature-film assignments, which he tackled with his characteristic jazz/symphonic panache, combining eclectic, tuneful source cues with dramatic, avant-garde score—all with a gloriously ’60s flair. Schifrin did not attempt to emulate the James Bond scores, but provided his own sense of danger and excitement, making use of many of England’s finest jazz players.

The Liquidator soundtrack does acknowledge the James Bond films in one major way, which is the presence of Shirley Bassey (Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever) singing the main and end titles. Schifrin wrote a memorable title theme (lyrics by Peter Callendar) which fits gloriously into the ’60s spy-film tradition—an unusual, dance-like melody, almost a tango—and is belted out with gusto by the distinctive Bassey.

Cover Image

This is the title theme of the 1965 movie ‘The Liquidator’ released in December 1965 on the soundtrack album.

This is the end title of the 1965 movie ‘The Liquidator’.