Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery the film: it may be found in James Wallerstein's "The Cactus Wildcat" (1954) and E.B. White's "The Trumpet of the Swan" (1970).) Daniel Craig, who has portrayed James Bond on screen since 2006, credited the Austin Powers franchise with the relatively serious tone of later Bond films. "We had to destroy the myth because Mike Myers fucked us," Craig said in a 2014 interview, making it "impossible to do the gags" of earlier Bond films which Austin Powers satirized. "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" received positive reviews. The film received a 70% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on
The Silencers (film) released the previous month. The Helm series has been cited as one of the principal inspirations for the Austin Powers spy comedies of the 1990s and early 2000s. Released at the height of James Bond mania, "The Silencers" was a major box office hit in 1966, earning $7 million in United States rentals that year. There were three follow-up films, including "Murderers' Row" (also released in 1966), "The Ambushers" (1967) and "The Wrecking Crew" (1969). A fifth film, "The Ravagers", was announced, but never produced. Elmer Bernstein provided the score. The title song is performed by Vikki Carr, though Cyd