The Doll Squad

Director Mikels claims this was the inspiration for "Charlie's Angels." Maybe so or maybe not, but this film turns out to be a fairly standard 3 girl/4 girl formula exploitation acioner. Some funny scenes, like the exploding enemy agents. Satana is wasted in a supporting role. This one probably satisfied the drive in crowd in 1973, but it doesn't have too much to recommend it now, even to fans (like me) of this stuff, because it's a bit too clunky.

THE DOLL SQUAD is a low rent action movie by Ted V. Mikels, a director whose product is generally so bad that this is perhaps a highlight of his career. It's been much discussed that this film helped inspire the creation of CHARLIE'S ANGELS and whether this is true or not, it's certainly one of the earlier 'team of women' action vehicles. The plot sees a bunch of statuesque ladies teaming up to fight saboteurs on behalf of America. They have a fine line in natty costumes and also more than a few karate skills that allows them to dispatch bad guys in some stock low rent action scenes. In other scenes they use their feminine wiles to seduce enemies before taking them out. It's all complete nonsense, of course, and yet it plays out with a fast pace and an appealing kitsch style that makes it a little more bearable than the usual genre films.

THE DOLL SQUAD is the perfect Ted V. Mikels movie. A team of beautiful, female karate experts must save the world from the nefarious Eamon O'Reilly (Michael Ansara) and his plot to destroy humanity. Led by Sabrina Kincaid (Francine York) and featuring the astonishing Tura Satana as Lavelle Sumara, TDL kicks, chops, and shoots their way into our hearts. We even get a smidgen of Ms. Satana's exotic dance routine! Tassels and all! In fact, the only real drawback to this film is the smallish role that she plays. Mikels certainly knew of her Varla character in FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!. Tura should have been the leader! Still, not a terrible movie. Is it schlock? Of course, but it's enjoyable schlock! Recommended for the cult film connoisseur...

One of schlock film master Ted Mikels' best bad films. Not as famous or fun as the Astro Zombies, but certainly worth checking out. Mikels is said to have sued TV Mogul Aron Spelling over Doll Squad, claiming Spelling created "Charlie's Angels" based on this film! That gives Spelling way too much credit. Don't know what ever came of the law suit, but I would like to listen to Mikels' legal arguments! Typical Grade Z government actor types program a big secret super computer to choose the ideal squad of secret agents to save the world, and it comes up with 4 fighting bimbos for the job. They use their sex appeal and unconvincing martial art skills to get the bad guy and titilate the audience. Everything in the movie has a very brown-orange shag carpet 1970's look. I'm sure Mikels was the first on his block to get a leisure suit.

The Doll Squad was an Americanized spin on the James Bond film series. It could've been a cinematic inspiration for Charlie's Angels. Well received among movie goers in it's day, The Doll Squad was a popular movie. If you are unfamiliar with older films in you should try watching this one. Doll Squad is straight forward and fun. It's not an avant guard art film, it's an action spy movie from the 70's.

The only other Ted V. Mikels film I had seen before this is "Blood Orgy of the She-Devils". And the only thing I remember about it is that it was completely awful. Thankfully, "The Doll Squad" is considerably better. It is crudely directed, with often poor continuity and laughable "special effects" (low points: the fake explosions). But it is also ahead of its time: how many films do you suppose had been made before 1973 featuring female commandos using guns, explosives and martial arts to wipe out small armies of bad men? Not many, that's for sure. Whether dressed in their bikinis or in their tight, form-fitting uniforms, the women in this film look good, and handle their basic action scenes fairly well. So "The Doll Squad" may not be art (far from it, in fact), but from a female action cinema fan's perspective, it delivers where it counts. (**)