12/15/1966 After the Fox escapes

December 15, 1966.  Today saw the release of After The Fox, a wild comic caper novel written by Neil Simon, and directed by Vittorio de Sica.  Peter Sellers plays Aldo Vanucci, a criminal mastermind who escapes from a prison to help smuggle a shipload of Egyptian gold into Italy.

His plan?  Pose as a movie director and hire a cast and crew to film a movie to be called "The Gold of Cairo."  It makes one wonder if the CIA agents who dreamed up the Canadian egress from Tehran saw this flick. 

There's some wonderful stuff in this movie but my heart belongs to Victor Mature, bravely playing an over-the-hill star hoping for a comeback in Vanucci's alleged masterpiece.

"Aagghh! If only I could steal enough to become an honest man!"