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[Napoleon Solo]

In some cases, the Helm movies copied from Bond, but in others, Helm actually got there first. Some of this is probably attributable to coincidence.

You Only Live Twice (1967): Bond uses mini-copter Lilly Nellie to investigate.
The Wrecking Crew (1969): Matt Helm uses mini-copter to combat villain.

Murderers' Row (1966): Ironhead (Tom Reese) has steel on the top of his head. He meets his end when a giant magnet picks him up and Helm tosses a bomb his way.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977): Jaws, who has steel teeth, is picked up by a giant magnet guided by Bond. Bond uses the magnet to drop Bond off in a shark-infested tank, but it's hardly the end of Jaws.


Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965): Bond's special car, an Aston Martin DB5, is specially equpped with machine guns, ejector seat, etc.
The Silencers (1966): Matt Helm's car, a Ford station wagon, is specially equipped with a bar.
Murderers' Row (1966) Matt Helm's car, a Ford Thunderbird, is specially equipped with a device that causes whatever Matt says into a microphone to be shown on the taillights.


Murderers' Row (1966): Villain gets around on a hovercraft.
Diamonds Are Forever (1971): Bond takes a hovercraft from the U.K. to the Netherlands.

The Ambushers (1967): Matt Helm has a fight in an industrial setting, a beer brewery.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997): James Bond has a fight in an industrial setting, a newspaper printing plant.


The Silencers (1966): Villain's base of operations is inside a mountain.
You Only Live Twice (1967): Villain's base of operations is inside a volcano.

The Silencers: crew and cast consists of Albert R. Broccoli's former partner (producer Irving Allen); a director passed over for Dr. No (Phil Karlson, reportedly someone United Artists was interested in, whose asking price was $75,000); and the villain was played by Richard Maibaum's recommended choice for Goldfinger (Victor Buono).

The Silencers: Dean Martin's $1.2 million paycheck, which stems from the fact that producer Allen had to make him a partner in the film, gets the attention of Sean Connery, paid approximately $500,000 for the much-more successful Thunderball.