The Ambushers (Movie) – 1967
When a government-built flying saucer is hijacked mid-flight by Jose Ortega, the exiled ruler for an outlaw nation, secret agent Matt Helm and the ship's former pilot Sheila Sommars are sent to recover it.
Once in Acapulco, Helm and Sommers get a tour by Ortega's frontman Quintana, through the brewery he operates. Sommers notices the the strange contraptions several workers are 'wearing' whilst loading beer barrels into trucks.
Quintana: "Fantastic, Isn't it? It gives the average man the strength of a giant. It can handle a 1500 lb load.
………"Its controlled by Hydro-mechanical servo valves." (All very much the specification of GE's Hardiman concept. You can see the orange-brown Hardiman concept models here.)
Along the way, they must deal with Ortega's henchmen, Francesca Madeiros (an operative for Helm's main nemesis Big O), who poses as a model and seduces Helm, an assassin named Nassim, plus a tough thug named Rocco.
Later, we see Sheila Sommers 'manning the man-amplifier' (the phrase sounds odd when Janice Rule is the operator!) rolling beer kegs like 10-pin bowling balls at Ortega to stop him from shooting at her and Helm.
Cast:
Dean Martin … Matt Helm
Senta Berger … Francesca Madeiros
Janice Rule … Sheila Sommers
James Gregory …MacDonald
Albert Salmi … Jose Ortega
Kurt Kasznar … Quintana
It's not until 19 years later we see a similar plot line with Ripley and the Power Loader in Aliens (1986).
Mr. Hoggett, what a great way of sharin’ a bit ’bout “The Ambushers.” Know that your efforts are bein’ shared this day at ilovedinomartin…