The final credit-as-censor is placed atop his bikini area as he jumps into a pool and the action moves squarely into the realm of Busby Berkeley musical. In a moment, a hand is grasping a large banana, the cyan credit for “Music Supervisor” bursting nearby, and two rabbis are slicing a large brisket as Austin winces in the background. When Austin enters a dining room, a man holds a nutcracker and a walnut just so, a “Casting By” credit erupting from it. "Psychedelitype 5882" specimen (1968) from typography foundry Photo-LetteringĪustin shakes and shimmies through the lobby and past crowds in formalwear, the credits acting as perfectly placed censors, echoing the typography of 1960s film Barbarella. The typeface Doobie, also known as BellBottom and Scorpio, was originally designed by Ed Benguiat and released in 1968 as “Psychedelitype 5882” under the foundry Photo-Lettering. The titles, designed by Robert Dawson, appear atop and alongside Austin’s bits in bright pops of a typeface now known as Doobie. Evil returns and Vanessa, Austin’s love, is revealed to be a fembot, Austin celebrates his newly regained bachelor status by stripping down to his kibbles n’ bits and cavorting majestically through an elegant hotel. In this way, the film begins on a fantastic one-two punch, riffing on the longest running and the top-grossing film franchises in history, Bond and Star Wars, respectively. Simultaneously, the first notes of a Goldfinger-esque ballad can be heard, performed and written by rock band They Might Be Giants with Robin Goldwasser on vocals, her soulful timbre reminiscent of Bond theme singer Shirley Bassey. This nod to Star Wars was carried over into the film proper, with the opening images featuring a starfield and yellow typography.
This proved a ripe moment for parody, leading to a hilarious teaser trailer that encouraged audiences to see both the new Star Wars and the new Austin Powers. Unfortunately, so was the reboot of the Star Wars franchise. It was set to release in the spring of 1999. Soon a sequel was greenlit and Austin Powers creator Mike Myers and screenwriter Michael McCullers crafted a new story for the superspy: The Spy Who Shagged Me, a saucy play on the James Bond title The Spy Who Loved Me. But thanks to VHS and DVD rentals – as well as a plethora of infectious catchphrases – it became a cult success. In 1997, when the first Austin Powers film came out, it did not have a successful opening weekend. But the swingin’ sequel wasn’t always in the cards. Moving smoothly from one ode to another, it gestures rapidly toward its influences: Star Wars, James Bond, Barbarella, The Party, becoming a seamless blend of cinematic appreciation. The opening of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, the sequel to 1997’s International Man of Mystery, is a rambunctious celebration of film history, the 1960s, and visual comedy.
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