Andy Sidaris
1931 - 2007Andrew W. "Andy" Sidaris (February 20, 1931 – March 7, 2007) was an American television and film director, film producer, actor, and screenwriter.
Sidaris was best known for his Bullets, Bombs, and Babes or Bullets, Bombs, and Boobs (BBB for short) series of B-movies produced between 1985 and 1998. These films featured a rotating "stock company" of actors mostly made up of Playboy Playmates and Penthouse "Pets", including Julie Strain, Dona Speir, Hope Marie Carlton, Cynthia Brimhall, Roberta Vasquez, Julie K. Smith, Shae Marks, and Wendy Hamilton. Several of his films were done wholly or largely in Shreveport using many local actors or actors with local ties.
Before the B-movies, Sidaris was a pioneer in sports television. He directed coverage of hundreds of football and basketball games, Olympic events, and special programs and won seven Emmy awards for his work in the field. His best known work was with ABC's Wide World of Sports; he was the show's first director, and continued in that post for 25 years.
Sidaris pioneered what he called the "honey shot", close-ups of cheerleaders and pretty girls in the stands at sporting events. He won an Emmy Award in 1969 for directing the Summer Olympics. He expanded into dramatic television in the 1970s, directing episodes of programs like Gemini Man (1976), CBS's Kojak (mid-1970s), ABC's The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (late-1970s) and ABC's Monday Night Football.
He expanded into film, specializing in action flicks featuring buxom gun-toting Playboy Playmates and Penthouse Pets with titles like Fit to Kill and Savage Beach. Most of Sidaris' "Triple B" series (later given the title L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies) focused on the adventures of a team of secret agents and were mostly filmed in Hawaii. Several entries in the series were merely produced by him and were written and directed by others. Although the series featured recurring characters, continuity between films was not a priority and it was common for an actress who played a villain (and was killed off) in one film to re-appear in a subsequent film as a hero.
With his wife, Arlene T. Sidaris (born ca. 1942) as his production partner, Sidaris made twelve films. After Sidaris' death, she runs the official websites of his twelve films.
Popatopolis
Clay Westervelt
Monique Parent, Glori-Anne Gilbert
In 20 years, he's directed more films than Martin Scorsese, He's produced more profitable movies than Jerry Bruckheimer, And he's infuriated more actors than Alfred Hitchcock. The ultimate B Movie Documentary, focusing on B Movie Giant Jim Wynorski (and B Movie Celebration Mentor) and his attempt to make a feature film in 3 days. He's directed seventy feature films, but he's never made one... in THREE DAYS. Jim cuts the shooting schedule, has the actors cook their own food. A documentary featuring B-Movie legends Roger Corman, Andy Sidaris, Julie Strain, Julie K. Smith and Stormy Daniels, Popatopolis follows Jim Wynorski as he begins to film one of his many opuses "Witches of Breastwick" Jim's frenetic pace demands 100 setups per day (the Hollywood standard is 20), and he reduces his electric package to just two lights so he can concentrate on the task at hand.A great overview of a true master at work and in many ways a laser sharp dialectic on the state of B filmmaking today.
Popatopolis
Two-Minute Warning
Larry Peerce
Charlton Heston, John Cassavetes
A psychotic sniper plans a massive killing spree in a Los Angeles football stadium during a major championship game. The police, led by Captain Peter Holly and the SWAT commander, learn of the plot and rush to the scene.
Two-Minute Warning
Hard Ticket to Hawaii
Andy Sidaris
Ronn Moss, Dona Speir
A Molokai-based civilian pilot and an undercover DEA agent intercept a delivery of diamonds intended for druglord Seth Romero. Seth, his henchmen, and other island undesirables launch a full-scale assault on the duo. If they're going to survive, they'll need the help of agent Rowdy Abilene and his partner/kickboxing expert Jade.
Hard Ticket to Hawaii
Picasso Trigger
Andy Sidaris
Steve Bond, Dona Speir
Double agent Picasso Trigger is assassinated in Paris by double-crossing bad guy Miguel Ortiz. Then Ortiz begins eliminating agents of The Agency who were involved in his brother's death. The Agency (belatedly) springs into action to stop Ortiz' heinous activities. The usual gunplay, romance, and nifty toys with bombs ensue.
Picasso Trigger
Savage Beach
Andy Sidaris
Dona Speir, Hope Marie Carlton
Donna and Taryn are federal drug enforcement agents based in the Hawaiian isles. Upon the success of a drug bust, they receive a call from Shane Aviation to fly an emergency package of vaccine from Molokai to Knox Island. Unbeknownst to them, Philippine representative Martinez has convinced Captain Andreas to use a reconnaissance satellite to locate a sunken ship laden with gold that the Japanese had pilfered during World War II. Meanwhile, a storm forces Donna and Taryn to land their plane on a remote island which harbors the gold. The hijinks ensue when they are joined by a host of nefarious types who have learned of the gold’s location.
Savage Beach
Do or Die
Andy Sidaris
Pat Morita, Erik Estrada
Asian crime boss Kaneshiro captures two voluptuous undercover federal agents, Donna and Nicole. But instead of liquidating them, he gives the busty duo a head start in a deadly cat-and-mouse game involving six other assassin teams. The heated action takes them from Hawaii to Las Vegas and Louisiana.
Do or Die
Hard Hunted
Andy Sidaris
Dona Speir, Roberta Vasquez
A nuclear trigger has been smuggled to the Middle East by an evil mastermind named Kane, and the weapons could upset the delicate balance of power in the region if they fall into the wrong hands. It's up to three bombshell federal agents to avert disaster and restore the precarious balance.
Hard Hunted
L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies: Return to Savage Beach
Andy Sidaris
Julie Strain, Rodrigo Obregón
A stolen computer disk contains the location of a hidden tresaure trove. It's up to the sexy ladies of LETHAL (Legion to Ensure Total Harmony and Law) to find the treasure before the bad guys do.
L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies: Return to Savage Beach
Day of the Warrior
Andy Sidaris
Shae Marks, Julie Strain
The Legion to Ensure Total Harmony and Law (L.E.T.H.A.L.), is tracking a criminal mastermind known only as The Warrior. While investigating his combination diamond smuggling/art theft/porn production industry, the agents discover that he has cracked their secret database and has stolen the files on all of their agents. With the help of their martial arts intructor Fu, agents Tiger, Willow and Cobra take on the case while also taking every opportunity to remove their bikini tops.
Day of the Warrior