Trunk to Cairo

1965 Israeli film

28 December 1966 (1966-12-28)

Running time

103 minutesCountriesIsrael
West GermanyLanguageEnglish

Trunk to Cairo (German: Einer spielt falsch) is a 1965 Israeli-West German international co-production spy film directed by Menahem Golan and starring Audie Murphy and George Sanders. It was distributed by American International Pictures.^[1] It was Murphy's first non-western or war film since The Quiet American in 1958.

Plot

Mike Merrick (Audie Murphy) is an American agent who is sent to meet with Professor Schlieben (George Sanders) a German scientist. During the mission it is revealed that the professor is developing a weaponized rocket that can be used against the Western world. Merrick now must destroy the rocket plans hidden in Schlieben's lab. Things are further complicated when Radical Muslims insist on destroying the rocket themselves and killing Merrick. After kidnapping Schlieben's daughter he must now escape Middle Eastern intelligence agencies against impossible odds.

Cast

Audie Murphy as Mike Merrick
George Sanders as Professor Schlieben
Marianne Koch as Helga Schlieben
Hans von Borsody as Hans Klugg
Joseph Yadin as Captain Gabar
Gila Almagor as Yasmin
Eytan Priver as Jamil
Bomba Zur as Ali
Zeev Berlinsky as Benz
Shlomo Vishinsky as Jacob
Tikva Mor as Christina
Elana Eden as Hadassa
Mona Silberstein as Hostess
Yoel Noyman as Egyptian Colonel
Anna Schell as Belly Dancer
Suzanna Ratoni Fräulein Bruckner
Menashe Glazier as Mahmud

Production

It was shot at the Spandau Studios in Berlin and on location in Rome and Israel from June to July 1965.^[2] The film's title was inspired by the 1964 discovery at Rome Airport of a bound and drugged man inside a trunk sent from the Egyptian Embassy at Rome to Cairo, marked "diplomatic mail."^[3]

Soundtrack

The film score was by Dov Seltzer and featured a song "Dangerous Woman" written by Jean Raskin and sung by Ouela Gill.^[4]

References

^ "Trunk to Cairo". audiemurphy.com. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
^ p. 201 Larkins, Bob & Magers, Boyd The Films of Audie Murphy McFarland & Co Inc. 31 May 2004
^ "Victim of Kidnapping in Trunk Identifies Himself as an Israeli". The New York Times. 20 November 1964.
^ The Films of Audie Murphy - Page 212 0786445084 Bob Larkins, Boyd Magers - 2004 ... Daliah Priver; Sound Recording: Z. Naghtigal; Hair Stylist: R. Rimmel; Music: Dov Seltzer; Song: "Dangerous Woman" by ... such was the demand that even the shoddiest European co-production could find a willing market, so Trunk to Cairo .