It’s an immortal line of dialogue that’s thrived through the delivery of no less than six leading men.
But can you imagine “Bond…James Bond” being uttered by the most suave of movie stars, Cary Grant?
Producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, a friend of Grant’s, could in 1961, when he and partner Harry Saltzman first purchased the rights to Ian Fleming’s sophisticated super-spy. But he balked when he realized he could only lock the star into a single-film contract. Broccoli envisioned a franchise, and he rued the prospect of either renegotiating with the notoriously money conscious Grant or re-casting the role.
So with Fleming’s blessing a relatively unknown Scotsman named Sean Connery was cast — albeit with a toupee — and the rest is screen history.
In honor of Quantum of Solace, Bond’s 22nd foray into film, we’ve declassified 22 surprising “For Your Eyes Only” facts surrounding the secret agent’s missions into the most dangerous territory imaginable: Hollywood.
KEEP READING: Gee, Bond, You Sure Look a Lot Like …
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Gee, Bond, You Sure Look a Lot Like …
007’s creator Fleming drew upon various real-life British intelligence agents for inspiration, borrowed the name of an American ornithologist for his famed spy and added a romanticized dash of his own jet-setting, womanizing habits. But when it came to the visual template, he went straight to Hollywood. Oscar-winning pop songwriter, composer, singer, film star and television host Hoagy Carmichael, best known for enduring standards like “Stardust” and “Heart and Soul,” had the dark look Fleming was looking for. The author alluded to the inspiration in Casino Royale, where Vesper Lynd remarks that “Bond reminds me rather of Hoagy Carmichael, but there is something cold and ruthless,” and again in Moonraker, where Bond is described as “rather like Hoagy Carmichael in a way … but there was something a bit cruel in the mouth, and the eyes were cold.” Carmichael’s most famous film role is in To Have and Have Not, a Bondian title if ever there was one.
KEEP READING: The Spy Who Loved Her …
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The Spy Who Loved Her … and Her … and Her …
Holly Goodhead. Xenia Onatopp. Kissi Suzuki. Mary Goodnight. Whether they be allies, enemies or eye candy, the Bond Babe has become a cinematic icon. Among the most enduring: the prototypical BB was Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) in 007’s first romp, Dr. No, outfitted in a bikini but toting a nasty knife at her hip; circus crime czar Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) and gold-plated Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) in Goldfinger; Teresa “Tracy” Draco Bond (Diana Rigg), who Bond loved, married and lost in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service; crossbow-toting avenging angel Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) from For Your Eyes Only; Chinese undercover agent and martial artist Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) from Tomorrow Never Dies; and tragic treasurer Vesper Lynde (Eva Green) in Casino Royale. Among the least convincing of 007’s paramours: Grace Jones (pictured above) as sado-masochistic menace May Day in A View to a Kill and Denise Richards as nuclear physicist Dr. Christmas Jones in The World Is Not Enough.
KEEP READING: On Mr. President’s Secret Service
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On Mr. President’s Secret Service
Since his inception, England’s greatest spy has loyally served Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, but he owes much of his initial popularity in the U.S. to an American president. Fleming’s friends in the British government invited him to a party in Washington, D.C., in 1961 where the author encountered the newly elected commander-in-chief John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a suave, dashing former Naval hero who also had a way with women and taste for the finer things in life. After listening to Fleming’s imaginative scheme to rid the world of Fidel Castro, Kennedy promised to read some of the novelist’s spy stories — he did, and later listed From Russia With Love as one of his 10 favorite books in Life magazine, which landed Bond on the bestseller list in America. The film version was the last movie JFK ever saw, screening it at the White House on Nov. 20, 1963 — just two days before his assassination.
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Numbers Up
Scotsman Sean Connery was 31 years old when he was cast as the first film 007, is the tallest of the Bondsmen at 6’2.5”, and headlined six official films in a decade — he briefly left the series at age 37, again at age 41 and returned for one non-canon movie at age 53. Australian George Lazenby was 29 and just a half-inch shorter than Connery when he was licensed to kill for a single film. Londoner Roger Moore inherited the role at age 44, standing at 6’1” — he’s the technically longest running Bond with seven official films over 12 years to his credit, and retired the part at age 58. Welshman Timothy Dalton, 6’2”, appeared in two films over three years, while Irishman Pierce Brosnan, 6’1”, took the role at age 41 and starred in four films over eight years, exiting Bondage at age 49. At 37, Brit Daniel Craig become both the first blonde James Bond and the shortest — at 5’10” — appearing in two films thus far in five years.
KEEP READING: Holy Career Choice, Batman!
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Holy Career Choice, Batman!
Adam West, who rose to pop superstardom as the star of the campy 60s TV series Batman, was offered the role of Bond for 1970s Diamonds Are Forever after George Lazenby’s controversial turn. West, who first caught Hollywood’s attention as the spoofy Bondian spy Captain Q in Nestle Quik TV ads, was already struggling with being typecast as the Caped Crusader and worried about the effect another pop icon would have on his acting career, and felt strongly the role should be played by a Brit. Robert Wagner deflected the offer for the same reason, but it was a Scot who filled the role when Sean Connery decided to reclaim the mantle.
KEEP READING: Shaken, Not Starred
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Shaken, Not Starred
Another 60s TV star, Patrick McGoohan of The Prisoner, declined the role of Bond for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service because he was concerned the character’s morality might be an unhealthy influence for his young daughters. American actor John Gavin was signed to replace George Lazenby until Sean Connery accepted a small fortune to return, and another Yank, James Brolin, was contracted for Octopussy until Roger Moore chose to re-up.
KEEP READING: Live and Let Drive
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Live and Let Drive
The Q branch has made certain that Bond’s means of transportation is not only reliable, it’s as sleek, sexy and well-armed as 007 himself. The most prominent make favored by 007 is the legendary Aston Martin — the DB5 appeared as Bond’s ride in Goldfinger, Thunderball and Diamonds Are Forever and resurfaced in Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies; he drove a DBS in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service; tried out a V8 Vantage Volante for The Living Daylights and a V12 Vanquish for Die Another Day; and won a DBS V12 for Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Other autos favored by Bond include BMW’s Z3 (Goldeneye), 750il (Tomorrow Never Dies) and Z8 (The World Is Not Enough), the Lotus Esprit (The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only) and the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow (Licence to Kill).
KEEP READING: Bond and the Bunny, Part 1
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Bond and the Bunny, Part 1
007 always favors the company of pretty young things, so it’s no surprise he’s enjoyed an exceptionally close relationship with Playboy magazine. Both Bond and Playboy debuted in 1953, and six years letter Ian Fleming wrote a letter to Hugh Hefner saying “If he were an actual person, Bond would be a registered reader of Playboy.” They joined their considerable forces in 1960 when the magazine serialized Fleming’s The Hildebrand Rarity, marking Bond’s first major exposure to an American audience and one of 14 Fleming-penned adventures in the magazine. To promote Thunderball, Sean Connery agreed to a sole interview — in Playboy; Bond is seen as a card-carrying member of the Playboy Club and Casino in Diamonds Are Forever and admiring Playmate Lorrie Menconi’s centerfold in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
KEEP READING: Bond and the Bunny, Part 2
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Bond and the Bunny, Part 2
James Bond and Hugh Hefner clearly like to share their little black books, because several Playmates, Bunnies and actresses have moved between 007’s big screen adventures and the pages of Hef’s magazine. Miss October 1961 Jean Cannon was the first, appearing as a bikini-clad beachcomber in Goldfinger, while that film’s actress Margaret Nolan (aka Vicky Kennedy), who played Dink, returned the favor by appearing in Playboy’s November 1965 issue. That same year Dr. No’s Ursula Andress unclothed for her first pictorial. When producer Cubby Broccoli saw the layout of Miss April 1971 Lana Wood (sister of actress Natalie Wood), he was moved to cast her as Plenty O’Toole in Diamonds Are Forever, a film that also featured Jill St. John as Tiffany Case (pictured above) — St. John showed her skin in the March 1960 issue (which happened to feature the mag’s first Fleming Bond story). Gloria Hendry, one of the first black Bond girls as Rosie Carver in Live and Let Die, was a former Bunny at one of Hef’s Playboy Clubs. Maud Adams had already been a background Bond Girl in The Man With the Golden Gun, and after her nude shoot in 1981 she was elevated to the title role of Octopussy. Actresses Barbara Bach (The Spy Who Loved Me), Corrine Clery (Moonraker) and Maryam D’Abo (The Living Daylights) posed for Playboy to promote their films. Meanwhile, a gaggle of famous Bond Girls showed their gadgets for the magazine over the years. Among them: Kim Basinger, Denise Richards, Barbara Carrera and Jane Seymour.
KEEP READING: Ursula’s Undress
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Ursula’s Undress
Few films moments are as unforgettable as the sequence in Dr. No when Andress’ Honey Ryder emerges Venus-like from the Caribbean in a distinctive white bikini as 007 watches admiringly. The sequence was paid homage in two later Bond films: Die Another Day, where Halle Berry’s Jinx splashes to the surfaces in a similarly styled orange two-piece, and Casino Royale, where the bodacious babe in question was buff Bond himself (Daniel Craig) in blue swim trunks. Other notables tributes include Mariah Carey in appropriately titled music video “Honey,” and Heather Graham and Mike Myers in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Do they all make you horny, baby?
KEEP READING: Titles Are Forever
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Titles Are Forever
Seventeen of the 22 Bond movie titles are derived from novels and short stories written by Ian Fleming (Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds Are Forever, From Russia With Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger, For Your Eyes Only, From A View to a Kill, The Quantum of Solace, Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, You Only Live Twice, The Man With the Golden Gun, Octopussy and The Living Daylights) although the plots are often loosely adapted or bear little to no relation to the films’ storylines. The remaining titles were primarily designed to evoke a Bondian feel, although Goldeneye derives from the name of Fleming’s real-life estate in Jamaica, and The World Is Not Enough comes from the Latin phrase “Orbis non sufficit,” which according to Fleming’s novel On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the motto on the Bond family coat of arms.
KEEP READING: Never Say “Never Say Never Again”
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Never Say “Never Say Never Again”
One of the most bizarre chapters in Bond film history came in 1983 with the release of Never Say Never Again, an unofficial entry in the franchise that nevertheless starred Sean Connery as 007. Kevin McClory worked with Ian Fleming and others on the screen story to Thunderball, which was adapted into Fleming’s ninth Bond novel and intended to become the first official film. But when McClory failed to receive credit, he sued and won; part of the settlement that allowed Thunderball to go forward as a film also enabled McClory to remake the movie’s storyline after 10 years had passed. Over the objections of the official producers, EON Productions, the film was greenlit once Sean Connery shocked everyone by agreeing to reprise the Bond role at age 53. The film actually opened in theaters opposite Roger Moore’s Octopussy, leading to much press ballyhoo over “The Battle of the Bonds.” The title famously refers to Connery’s conversation with his wife after filming Diamonds Are Forever when he insisted he’d “never” play Bond again, and his wife offered a prescient response: “Never say ‘never’ again.”
KEEP READING: You Only Live Seven Times
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You Only Live Seven Times
Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the scarred head of the terrorist group SPECTRE who favors a clean shaven pate and stroking white angora cats, is Bond’s most persistent enemy and he’s seen as many actor incarnations as 007 himself — though unlike his nemesis, his physical changes are attributed to a penchant for plastic surgery. Blofeld was seen only abstractly in his first two Bond appearances in From Russia With Love and Thunderball (acted and voiced by two different, uncredited actors) before being brought to life in his iconic form by actor Donald Pleasance in You Only Live Twice. Telly Savalas took over the part for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, while Charles Gray played him with a full head of hair in Diamonds Are Forever. It was back to being only seen in glimpses via anonymous actors when he was finally done in by Roger Moore’s Bond in For Your Eyes Only’s title sequence, then resurrected in the form of Max Von Sydow in the unofficial Bond film Never Say Never Again. And of course Mike Myers’ Dr. Evil famously parodies the distinct Blofeld look in the Austin Powers films, with a dash of Lorne Michaels thrown in for good measure.
KEEP READING: The Man With the Gold Record
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The Man With the Gold Record
The franchise’s famous title sequence songs have been performed by an awesome array of A-listers, including Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, Garbage, Madonna, Chris Cornell and Jack White and Alicia Keys. The highest charting Bond song was Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill” which hit #1 in 1985, followed by #2-scoring “Live and Let Die” by Paul McCartney and Wings and “Nobody Does It Better” in 1973 by Carly Simon in 1977. The latter two tunes scored Oscar nominations for Best Original Song, as did Sheena Easton’s “For Your Eyes Only” in 1981. Fifteen title songs mirror the film titles, while five have distinct names.
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Dressed to Kill
No spy has ever been as sartorially splendid as 007. Fleming never labeled-dropped in the novels but clearly modeled Bond’s wardrobe after his own sense of style: lightweight, single-breasted suits presumably from bespoke Saville Row. Dr. No director Terence Young exerted a strong influence on Bond’s cinematic clothing, employing his own tailor Anthony Sinclair to craft slimline, single-breasted, two-button lightweight navy and gray wool suits in London’s waisted “Conduit Cut” — simple, sober and contemporary. Roger Moore’s preferred tailor, Cyril Castle of Mayfair, modified the look for the new 007, adding contrasting sports jackets and slacks and introducing the distinctive turnback cuff shirts that would become a Bond staple. Tailor Douglas Hayward — who made a name handsomely dressing Brit stars like Michael Caine and Peter Sellers — brought Bond back down to earth after Moonraker, with sober traditional three-piece suits that rarely seem dated. Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming came aboard when Pierce Brosnan became Bond, and the secret agent became favoring Italian menswear designer Brioni’s luxurious hand-sewn suits, Ballantyne cashmere sweaters and accents like Omega watches, which made 007 look like the best-dressed man in any room. When Daniel Craig suited up as Bond the dandy look was dressed down into more simple, subtle casual and formal wear — but still top-shelf, with Brioni suits, Ted Baker ties and trousers, Omega watches, Armani leather jackets, Sunspel resort wear, Persol sunglases and John Lobb shoes, and for Quantum of Solace, world-famous designer Tom Ford was called in to specially tailor bespoke suits for Craig. One sartorial staple shared by all the actors playing Bond: evening shirts and bowties by venerable British clothier Turnbull & Asser.
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Bond Got Game
007 loves his high-tech, cutting-edge gadgets, so it’s no surprise he’s starred in a series of video games, and his actor alter egos have occasionally gotten into the act. After his image appeared in various games, Pierce Brosnan lent his voice to Electronic Arts’ popular, original 2004 game Everything or Nothing, which also starred Dame Judi Dench as M, John Cleese as Q, Willem Dafoe, Shannon Elizabeth, Heidi Klum and Richard Kiel reprising his role as the classic Bond villain Jaws – released two years after Die Another Day, the game technically marked Brosnan’s farewell performance as 007.
KEEP READING: The Laughing Daylights
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The Laughing Daylights
The enormous international popularity and profound pop cultural impact of the 007 film franchise inspired many imitators — the most successful of which were parodies. James Coburn (pictured above) starred as Derek Flint in two highly successful satires, 1966’s Our Man Flint and 1967’s In Like Flint, even putting a beat-down on a Connery-esque character. Also in the late 60s, crooner Dean Martin caroused his way through four Matt Helm movies — The Silencers, Murderers’ Row, The Ambushers and The Wrecking Crew — taking Donald Hamilton hard-boiled literary agent and tweaking him into a boozy, “broad”-minded spoof. On the small screen, Mel Brooks and Buck Henry created the Emmy-winning TV show Get Smart to send up secret agentry via bumbling but dedicated Maxwell Smart (Don Adams). Decades later, all of these series heavily influenced Mike Myers’ trio of hugely successful films starring swinging secret agent Austin Powers.
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Quantum of Solo
The Man From U.N.C.LE., one of TV’s seeming Bond imitators from the ‘60s, actually comes with a pedigree that marks it as a not-too-distant cousin: Ian Fleming penned the original concept and created the Napoleon Solo character (played by Robert Vaughn) — the show was originally intended to be titled Ian Fleming’s Solo, but producer Sam Rolfe added the U.N.C.L.E. organization and Russian sidekick Ilya Kuryakin (NCIS’ David McCallum). A discarded character from Fleming’s original concept, April Dancer, was revived as the star of the spin-off series The Girl From U.N.C.LE., played by Stefanie Powers.
The producers paid homage to Fleming’s contribution in the 1983 reunion telepic The Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E by featuring a cameo by an unnamed British secret agent driving an Aston Martin DB5 bearing the vanity plate “J.B.” — played with a wink by George Lazenby.
KEEP READING: We Will Cast No Bond Before His Time
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We Will Cast No Bond Before His Time
Roger Moore caught the eye of the Bond producers as early as 1967, thanks to his role as the wry British thief Simon Templar in the TV series The Saint, but he did not inherit the mantle until 1973’s Live and Let Die. Pierce Brosnan first met the Bond team when his late wife Cassandra Harris appeared in 1981’s For Your Eyes Only, and the producers hoped to tap him as 007 after Roger Moore retired in 1985, but the publicity caused a surprise renewal of Brosnan’s TV series Remington Steele and his contractual obligations kept him from accepting – he finally got licensed to kill in 1995 for Goldeneye. Timothy Dalton was reportedly offered On Her Majesty’s Secret Service but declined because he thought he was too young, and was approached again in 1986, but his role in the comic strip film Brenda Starr forced him to decline – after Brosnan had to bow out Dalton became available again for The Living Daylights.
KEEP READING: Bond Got Game, Part 2
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Bond Got Game, Part 2
Even Sean Connery was curious enough about the new gaming technologies to reprise his role as James Bond for the first time in 22 years, lending both his likeness and his voice to EA’s From Russia With Love, which also featured the images of other classic Bond actors from the original film: Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Robert Shaw and Lotte Lenya.
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Zero Tolerance
Bond may be the most high-profile of the 00 secret agents MI6 has licensed to kill, but there are several more On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Other 00s first appear in film in Thunderball, where there are nine chairs assembled for the agents (at least one of which, 003, is a woman). The first mentioned in film was 008 (known only as “Bill”), who was to be called in as Bond’s replacement if he failed his mission in Goldfinger. 002 Bill Fairbanks was assassinated in Beirut by The Man With the Golden Gun, while 003 Jason Walters was killed stealing a microchip in Siberia in A View to a Kill. 004 Frederick Warder and a second 002, Glyn Baker, trained with 007 in Gibraltar in The Living Daylights, where both were murdered. Another agent, 009 Peter Smith, was murdered while wearing a clown suit in Octopussy – a replacement 009 appears in The World Is Not Enough. The most notorious is 006, is Alec Trevelyan – played by Sean Bean in Goldeneye – the only known rogue agent of the bunch, faking his death and attempting to betray MI6 to the Communists.
KEEP READING: The Spider-Man Who Loved Me
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The Spider-Man Who Loved Me
Marvel Comics’ superhero Spider-Man may be as potent a fantasy figure — and powerhouse movie franchise — as Bond himself, but it took a last-minute assist from 007 to bring the wall-crawler to the big screen. In the ‘80s Marvel sold the rights to their most popular property to various independent production companies who subsequently went bankrupt — as did the the comic book publisher itself, and the subsequent legal claims to the character’s film future became as tangled as one of his own webs. After eight years of legal wrangling, on the eve of trial, Bond’s film home MGM relinquished its claim on Spidey in 2000 to Sony Pictures, which had inherited the rights to endlessly remake Thunderball, itself a singularly bizarre legal situation. In exchange for the return of all Bond-related rights (and various other settlement terms), MGM sent Spider-Man over to Sony, which turned it into one of the largest money-making film series in history. Ironically, four years later Sony purchased MGM outright, meaning James Bond and Peter Parker now share the same not-so-secret headquarters in Hollywood.
