MGM/Arena. 92 minutes.

US TV: A two-part episode of the Man from U.N.C.L.E show, titled "The Five Daughters Affair," originally airing 3/31 and 4/7/67. (In production in Los Angeles from 2/7/67 to 3/9/67.)

Released theatrically in the US: April 7, 1967.

DVD releases:

9/8/03 (Region 2 only) as part of 3-disc set of 5 U.N.C.L.E. movies.

8/23/11 (US Region 1) as part of 4-disc/8-movie Warner Archive set including Joan's "Karate Killers."

Cast: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Joan Crawford (cameo), Curt Jurgens, Herbert Lom, Telly Savalas, Terry-Thomas, Leo G. Carroll, Kim Darby, Diane McBain, Jill Ireland.

Credits:  Story by Norman Hudis and Boris Ingster. Producers: Norman Felton (executive), Boris Ingster. Director: Barry Shear. Cinematography: Fred Koenekamp. Original Music: Gerald Fried, Jerry Goldsmith. Art Direction: George W. Davis, James Sullivan. Editing: William B. Gulick, Ray Williford.

IMDb page

TCM page

Wikipedia page

TVguide.com:

This is simply a few episodes of the popular "Man from UNCLE" television series spliced together for theatrical release. The spies from THRUSH are after a professor and his formula for changing sea water into gold. It's an enjoyable and exciting romp, though it clearly belongs on the smaller screen. Watching the stars is good fun, and Crawford, in a small role, gives it her all. Surprisingly, this proved to be a much-needed boost for her career, stopping its steady downslide.

Stephanie Jones (December 2024)

Rating: of 5

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was a successful "spy spoof" TV series that ran on the US network NBC from 1964 to 1968. Because of the show's high ratings, 8 theatrical films were released both in Europe and the US during this same time period, each based on 2 of the previously shown TV episodes (though with a bit of added sexual content and violence for theater audiences). Joan's The Karate Killers film was the 6th of 8 U.N.C.L.E films. It was released in 1967, but originally appeared on NBC TV on Friday, March 31, and Friday, April 7, in 1966, as parts 1 and 2 of "The Five Daughters Affair" episodes.

The Karate Killers film itself is pretty mediocre. It's basically a dumbed-down version of Bond films of the same period (and also very similar in style to the Batman series ['66 to '68] on US TV). Lots of cartoonish fights and sex and spy-gear, often set in "exotic" locales. Oh, and a couple of "swinging" scenes, like the nightclub where Every Mother's Son is performing "Come on Down to My Boat"!

In this film, Dr. True is a scientist who has developed a secret process for the desalinization of seawater, which also creates gold. He keels over while the U.N.C.L.E. agents (Robert Vaughn and David McCallum) are there to make sure the process doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

We're then taken to the home of Dr. True's new widow, Amanda (Joan), as she greets her lover (the wicked THRUSH agent "Randolph," played by Herbert Lom, who has already appeared wordlessly hanging around in the film's opening club scenes). Amanda guiltily thinks that she herself has killed her husband because, right before he died (supposedly of a heart attack), she revealed her affair with Randolph and desire to divorce True. She funnily reminisces about how she and True met in Stockholm: He was there collecting his 2nd Nobel prize, and I was picking up my 4th divorce...

After Randolph presses her for more information about the secret formula he's more concerned with, Joan's Amanda shrugs and replies blithely: After five marriages, if a woman hasn't, well, learned to appear to listen to a man without actually having heard one word, then she might just as well turn in her wedding ring.

Joan's entire "Special Appearance" (as she's credited) only totals about 5 minutes during the first 15 minutes of this film, but she's worth every minute! Her initial glib reminiscences of her dead husband turn into teary-eyed shock as she realizes that the wicked Randolph has only wanted her all this time for her husband's secret formula, AND that Randolph also contributed to her husband's death via spiked pills! Upon realization of this perfidy, she attacks Randolph with a knife... After which he coolly, funnily responds (before calling on his henchmen, who appear en masse throughout the rest of the film): No need to be melodramatic about it.

Great, well-acted cameo from Joan, whose only other scene comes a few minutes later, when the U.N.C.L.E agents find her dead, open-eyed body on the floor. (In the TV version, any dead bodies' eyes were closed, but the film version opened them for us.)

The rest of the film is a cartoonish hunt for five daughters across the globe who might each hold a piece of their father's secret formula. U.N.C.L.E. men encounter the evil Randolph and fight with his henchmen at every turn, whether in Rome, London, Austria, or Rio (though the budget couldn't even attempt a generic Rio background!)---plus the final Arctic showdown. A very mediocre film, but for a Joan fan, her 5 minutes are worthy of seeking out if you're curious about one of her last film appearances (after this, only Berserk and Trog remained).

Jack Boyd  (November 2009)

Rating:   of 5

After watching the first fifteen minutes of The Karate Killers, I realised that what I thought would be a spy thriller with Joan Crawford was really just a five-minute appearance.

But although Crawford lasts just through the beginning of the film before getting bumped off, she definitely makes the most it. This proves Miss Crawford can act brilliantly, even though she has very little time to make an impression on the film. She turns on the waterworks and makes us pity her, then tries to kill her husband's murderer, which makes us like her.

The film itself is basically an average '60s "Bond"-type film. It isn't a film that could make history, nor is it an engrossing and entertaining one -- although it was watchable, mostly just to see Joan.

I rate the film itself 2 stars out of five, but I would rate Crawford's performance 4 stars, as she gives it her all.