The Triple B Series is a franchise of twelve films that focus around the DEA agents based in Hawaii and later the secret activities of a secret U.S. spy agency known as L.E.T.H.A.L (Legion to Ensure Total Harmony and Law). Because of the spy agency acronym, the series is sometimes referred to as the L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies series with the final two films in the series carrying the L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies name above the title in some territories.[1] All but two films in the franchise are directed by Andy Sidaris. Although some of the films feature returning characters, some actors appear throughout the series in different roles and there is little effort to maintain series continuity between instalments.
Films
edit| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malibu Express | March 1, 1985 | Andy Sidaris | Andy Sidaris | Andy Sidaris |
| Hard Ticket to Hawaii | March 27, 1987 | Arlene Sidaris | ||
| Picasso Trigger | February 25, 1988 | |||
| Savage Beach | October 1, 1989 | |||
| Guns | November 9, 1990 | |||
| Do or Die | June 28, 1991 | |||
| Hard Hunted | June 12, 1992 | |||
| Fit to Kill | October 27, 1993 | |||
| Enemy Gold | November 22, 1993 | Christian Drew Sidaris | Wess Rahn & Christian Drew Sidaris | Andy Sidaris & Arlene Sidaris |
| The Dallas Connection | October 4, 1994 | Christian Drew Sidaris | ||
| Day of the Warrior | October 1, 1996 | Andy Sidaris | Andy Sidaris | Arlene Sidaris & Christian Drew Sidaris |
| Return to Savage Beach | October 4, 1998 |
Malibu Express (1985)
editMalibu Express is a 1985 American action film starring Darby Hinton, Sybil Danning, Lori Sutton, and Art Metrano. It was directed, written, and produced by Andy Sidaris and is the first installment in the Triple-B series.[2] The film features 1980s Playboy Playmates Kimberly McArthur, Barbara Edwards, Lorraine Michaels, and Lynda Wiesmeier. The film is described as a "erotic spy tale" by Eleanor Mannikka in her review in All Movie Guide.[3]
The film follows wealthy playboy/private investigator named Cody Abilene is hired by a government intelligence operative to investigate a lead into who is selling computer technology to the Russians. While investigating rich socialites, amorous naked vixens, and an ex-con with a penchant for blackmail, and keeping it all from his sexy lady cop friend Beverly Mcafee, Cody puts himself in the crosshairs of the traitorous tech spies who will gladly kill to stay in business.[citation needed]
Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987)
editHard Ticket to Hawaii is a 1987 American action film and the sequel to the previous year's film Malibu Express, although it features no returning characters. This sequel introduces Ronn Moss as Rowdy Abilene, the brother of Darby Hinton's Cody Abilene from Malibu Express. Like the previous film, it features several former Playboy Magazine centerfolds, Playmates of the Month Speir (Miss March 1984), Carlton (Miss July 1985), Brimhall (Miss October 1985), and Patty Duffek (Miss May 1984).[4] Paste magazine named the film the "best B movie of all time."[5]
When two drug enforcement agents are killed on a private Hawaiian island, Donna and Taryn, two operatives for The Agency, accidentally intercept a delivery of diamonds intended for drug lord Seth Romero, who takes exception and tries to get them back. Soon other Agency operatives get involved, and a full-scale fight to the finish ensues, complicated by the escape of a very dangerous snake infected by deadly toxins from cancer-infested rats.[citation needed]
Picasso Trigger (1988)
editPicasso Trigger is a 1988 American action film. It is a direct sequel to Hard Ticket to Hawaii with Dona Speir and Hope Marie Carlton returning as Donna and Taryn, but features another Abilene brother, Travis (played by Steve Bond) as its new lead. The film also stars Roberta Vasquez, Cynthia Brimhall, and Harold Diamond. The film was released in Philippines under the title Secret Agent 7.[citation needed]
Hawaiian agents Donna and Taryn join a Travis Abilene, who is out to stop a criminal mastermind and assassin seeking out a valuable piece of artwork.[citation needed]
Savage Beach (1989)
editSavage Beach is a 1989 American action film. It is the first film in the series to feature Shane Abilene, played by Michael J. Shane, who would remain with the series up to Fit to Kill. Despite the inclusion of another Abilene brother, Donna and Taryn are featured as the main characters. It also marks the first appearance of Bruce Penhall as CIA agent Bruce Christian, who would join the agency and feature in future films. 1998's L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies: Return to Savage Beach serves as a direct sequel to the plot of this film, but features only one returning character, Rodrigo Obregón as Rodrigo Martinez.[citation needed]
Donna and Taryn are sent to the Philippines to deliver a much needed vaccine. However, on their return journey they crash land on a remote island in the pacific and right into the middle of an adventure with a shipwrecked WW2 Japanese soldier, a secret army detachment headed by Captain Andreas and Philippine treasure hunters all involved with a lost detachment of gold bars lost during the war.[citation needed]
Guns (1990)
editGuns is a 1990 American action film about a group of female agents who are sent to take out a South American gun runner. It is the first film since Malibu Express not to feature Hope Marie Carlton as Taryn, but features Roberta Vasquez as new agent Nicole Justin. It stars Erik Estrada, Dona Speir, Devin DeVasquez, Bruce Penhall, and Danny Trejo.[citation needed]
International crime lord Juan Degas, also known as Jack of Diamonds, stages a brutal murder to lure federal agents away from Hawaii in an attempt to smuggle assault weapons from China to South America through their territory.[citation needed]
Do or Die (1991)
editDo or Die is a 1991 American action film starring Dona Speir, Roberta Vasquez, Cynthia Brimhall, Bruce Penhall, Pat Morita and Erik Estrada. Despite Estrada playing villain Juan Degas in the previous film, here he plays Richard 'Rico' Estevez - a member of the Agency.[citation needed]
A bounty has been placed on the head of agents Donna and Nicole by Japanese crime lord Masakana 'Kane' Kaneshiro and six teams of lethal assassins are hunting them down. It is up to their agency colleagues to thwart Kaneshiro's evil plans.[citation needed]
Hard Hunted (1992)
editHard Hunted is a 1992 American action film starring Dona Speir, Roberta Vasquez, Cynthia Brimhall, Bruce Penhall and Geoffrey Moore.[citation needed]
Martin Kane smuggles a nuclear trigger out of China and agrees to sell it to a terrorist in the Middle East. The US Intelligence Services send a special undercover agent to steal the device from Kane, but she fails and is found murdered. A team of three further agents, Donna Hamilton, Nicole Justin, and Edy Stark, is then sent in to try to retrieve the situation, fighting a gang of hi-tech smugglers with a deadly array of weaponry and erotic charms.[citation needed]
Fit to Kill (1993)
editFit to Kill is a 1993 American action film starring Dona Speir, Roberta Vasquez, Cynthia Brimhall, Julie Strain, Bruce Penhall, Chu Chu Malave and Geoffrey Moore. It is a direct sequel to Hard Hunted featuring returning villain Martin Kane (Geoffrey Moore). It was intended to be the last film in the series and is the last appearances of all of the agents from previous entries, although some cast members such as Julie Strain and Bruce Penhall would appear in later instalments as different characters.[citation needed]
International arms dealer Martin Kane seeks a Russian imperial diamond which was stolen by a Nazi officer from a Leningrad museum during WWII. It is up to the Agency to stop him in one last, daring mission.[citation needed]
Enemy Gold (1993)
editEnemy Gold is a 1993 action/adventure film directed by Christian Drew Sidaris (Andy Sidaris's son, sometimes referred to simply as Drew Sidaris)[6] and written by Wess Rahn and Sidaris. It is the first film in the series not to be directed by Andy Sidaris, although he did produce the film. Bruce Penhall stars as a new federal agent, Chris Cannon.
Three Federal agents go in search of gold supposedly hidden by Quantrell during the Civil War after they are suspended by a corrupt official for excessive force during a drug raid. Meanwhile, a vicious drug lord hires a lethal assassin to kill the three for interfering with his operations.[citation needed]
The Dallas Connection (1994)
editThe Dallas Connection is a 1994 action/adventure film and sequel to Enemy Gold directed by Christian Drew Sidaris. Bruce Penhall and Mark Barriere return as federal agents Chris Cannon and Mark Austin.[citation needed]
Scientists in charge of a sophisticated, state-of-the-art, military satellite are being assassinated one by one. It's up to a team of federal agents to protect the last surviving scientist able to activate the satellite before the assassin strikes again.[citation needed]
Day of the Warrior (1996)
editDay of the Warrior is a 1996 action/adventure film, also known as L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies: Day of the Warrior[7] The film is written and directed by Andy Sidaris and starring Kevin Light and Julie Strain.[8] It is the first film since Savage Beach not to feature Bruce Penhall in any role.
A team of female agents at top spy agency L.E.T.H.A.L (Legion to Ensure Total Harmony and Law) must stop the scheme of the Warrior, a former CIA agent turned criminal freelancer, who stole the agency's computer database and is now going after undercover agents one by one.[citation needed]
Return to Savage Beach (1998)
editReturn to Savage Beach is a 1996 action/adventure film, also known as L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies: Return to Savage Beach is a 1998 action film written and directed by Andy Sidaris, a sequel to Sidaris' Day of the Warrior. It features the return of much of the original cast, including Marcus Bagwell reprising the role as Warrior but this time working on the side of the L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies, as well as the addition of former Playboy Playmate Carrie Westcott as the mysterious Sofia. It is the final film in the series.[citation needed]
A stolen computer floppy disc filled with information about the location of a mythical treasure in Savage Island will lure both villains and L.E.T.H.A.L. Agents into a dangerous treasure hunt with a familiar face from the past pulling all the strings.[citation needed]
Recurring cast and characters
edit| Cast Member | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malibu Express | Hard Ticket to Hawaii | Picasso Trigger | Savage Beach | Guns | Do or Die | Hard Hunted | Fit to Kill | Enemy Gold | The Dallas Connection | Day of the Warrior | Return to Savage Beach | |||
| Darby Hinton | Cody Abilene | |||||||||||||
| Sybil Danning | Contessa Luciana | |||||||||||||
| Art Metrano | Matthew | |||||||||||||
| Lori Sutton | Beverly McAfee | |||||||||||||
| Skip Ward | Dick (uncredited) | Skip | ||||||||||||
| Ronn Moss | Rowdy Abilene | |||||||||||||
| Dona Speir | Donna Hamilton | |||||||||||||
| Hope Marie Carlton | Taryn | |||||||||||||
| Cynthia Brimhall | Edy Stark | |||||||||||||
| Wolf Larson | J.J. Jackson | |||||||||||||
| Patty Duffek | Pattycakes | |||||||||||||
| Harold Diamond | Jade | |||||||||||||
| Rodrigo Obregón | Seth Romero | Miguel Ortiz | Rodrigo Martinez | Large Marge | Pico | Mikael Petrov | Santiago | Antonio Morales | Manuel | Rodrigo Martinez | ||||
| Rustam Branaman | Kimo | Glen | ||||||||||||
| Steve Bond | Travis Abilene | Rustam | ||||||||||||
| Bruce Penhall | Hondo | Bruce Christian | Chris Cannon | |||||||||||
| John Aprea | Salazar | Captain Andreas | ||||||||||||
| Roberta Vasquez | Pantera | Nicole Justin | ||||||||||||
| Kym Malin | Kym | Kym | Cowboy's Hostess | |||||||||||
| Liv Lindeland | Inga | Ace | ||||||||||||
| Michael J. Shane | Shane Abilene | |||||||||||||
| Al Leong | Fu | Raven | ||||||||||||
| Eric Chen | Erik | Ninja #2 | Chen | |||||||||||
| Paul Hospodar | Duke | Duke | Kidnapper | |||||||||||
| Lisa London | Rocky | |||||||||||||
| James Lew | Agent #1 | Ninja #1 | Lew | |||||||||||
| Erik Estrada | Juan Degas/Jack of Diamonds | Richard 'Rico' Estevez | ||||||||||||
| William Bumiller | Lucas | |||||||||||||
| Chu Chu Malave | Cubby | Bodreaux | Wiley | Evel | ||||||||||
| Richard Cansino | Tito | Herbert | Coyote | Kenevil | J.P. | |||||||||
| Pat Morita | Masakana 'Kane' Kaneshiro | |||||||||||||
| Carolyn Liu | Silk | Alice | Silk | |||||||||||
| Ava Cadell | Ava | Ava | ||||||||||||
| Geoffrey Moore | Kane | |||||||||||||
| Tony Peck | Lucas | |||||||||||||
| Gerald Okamura | Commando | Fu | ||||||||||||
| Cassidy Phillips | Thug #1 | Platter Puss | Chaz | |||||||||||
| Julie Strain | Blu Steele | Jewel Panther | Black Widow | Willow Black | ||||||||||
| Mark Barriere | Gregor | Mark Austin | ||||||||||||
| Tom Abbott | Rip | Tom | ||||||||||||
| Ron Browning | Slash | Ron | ||||||||||||
| Julie K. Smith | Cobra | |||||||||||||
| Christian Letelier | J. Tyler Ward | |||||||||||||
| Shae Marks | Tiger | |||||||||||||
| Marcus Bagwell | Warrior | |||||||||||||
| Paul Logan | Doc Austin | |||||||||||||
| Carrie Westcott | Sofia | |||||||||||||
| Kevin Eastman | Harry the Cat | |||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ Kane, Joe (2000). The Phantom of the Movies' Videoscope: The Ultimate Guide to the Latest, Greatest, and Weirdest Genre Videos. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-8129-3149-5.
- ^ Coffman, Jason (2012), "The Early Films of Andy Sidaris", Cashiers du Cinemart Issue 17, Impossibly Funky Productions, ISBN 978-1300351405
- ^ "Malibu Express". allmovie.com. All Movie Guide. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ^ "ANDY SIDARIS DOUBLE FEATURE! Hard Ticket to Hawaii + Picasso Trigger". brownpapertickets.com. Retrieved December 14, 2016
- ^ Vorel, Jim. "The 100 Best "B Movies" of All Time". pastemagazine.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
- ^ Enemy Gold (1993) | MUBI (in Portuguese), retrieved September 30, 2023
- ^ Kane, Joe (2000). The Phantom of the Movies' Videoscope: The Ultimate Guide to the Latest, Greatest, and Weirdest Genre Videos. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-8129-3149-5.
- ^ Evans, Nick (2020-01-14). "Film Company Has To Apologize After Announcing Actress Julie Strain Died (She Didn't)". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 2023-09-30.