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“Happy birthday to Shirley MacLaine! It’s true we had a brief romantic dalliance, but that seems like lifetimes ago. And for Shirley, maybe it was.” — Martin Wellbrock

“This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for Warren and Annette’s hospitality, residuals, and you, the fans!” — Martin Wellbrock

“Happy birthday to Robert Vaughn and Rodney Dangerfield–a dashing actor who’s best known for playing an American secret agent and I guy who got no respect…I’ve always identified with both of them.” — Martin Wellbrock

“In 1983 we were as close to a thermo nuclear apocalypse as we’d been since the Cuban Missile Crisis—a godsend to Starcke. The Cold War was getting some heat, and so was Starcke. The planet in jeopardy meant job security for me. The Arms Race had America terrified of nuclear war, and the Starcke Franchise would take that terror to the bank. This era produced the likes of CATCH A RISING TSAR, RUSSIAN TO JUDGEMENT, and DEFEKTOR GENERAL. And is wasn’t just the threat of world wide nuclear war with the Soviets, but nuclear weapons in general had captured the imagination of the American public, and put asses in seats. This was also the era of megalomaniacs bent on wanton destruction or atomic blackmail, as we saw in DELIGHT AT THE END OF THE WORLD and A MONTH OF DOOMSDAYS, respectively.

But by 1989, I could see the writing on the Berlin Wall and by 1991 Gorbachev had ushered in a new era of partnership with the West—completely dismantling the Evil Empire and my film career. The Arms Race was over, and much to my dismay, peace was at hand.

Fortunately, throughout the former Soviet republics the transition was not without incident. There was enough revolution, assassination, and military coup d’etats to squeeze out BALKAN AT DEATH.

Starcke was clearly at a crossroads. He and I were facing the big questions. Could a super spy still be relevant in a post Cold War world? And how would I pay my palimony and gambling debts without a regular gig?”  — from TALL STARCKE AND HANSOME, MY LIFE IN MOTION PICTURES by Martin Wellbrock

“When it comes to industry recognition and awards, I was always a bridesmaid never a bride.  So imagine my surprise when just last night I was humbled to be a Seventies Center Honoree.  It was an especially great moment  because the award was presented by my pal Richard Roundtree.  In my acceptance speech, I dedicated the award to my mentor, Mr. Charles Bronson, who brought me out of my early ’80s depression by teaching me that type-casting may crush the artistic soul, but that’s where the money is.” — Martin Wellbrock

“After directing the minor successes of PREDATOR and DIE HARD we thought John McTiernan had earned the opportunity to helm a Starcke picture and our next project, DEFEKTOR GENERAL (1990), seemed like a good fit. To our surprise and great disappointment he declined, saying the time had passed for Cold War thrillers and a picture about a Soviet defector wouldn’t play.  In any case, he was unavailable, having already committed to direct something called THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER.” —  from TALL, STARCKE, AND HANDSOME by Martin Wellbrock

“Welcome, Starcke Fans! Here’s a blast from the past. I blasted myself, right in the foot.   It didn’t matter that Conley was ripping me off, the industry saw me as ungrateful and biting the hand that fed me.  That was before I realized my contract forbid me from working with anyone with any talent.  Clearly, I should have chosen my words more carefully.  McQueen had been dead for two years.” — Martin Wellbrock