Happy Anniversary Bond, James Bond!!

I wrote this blog in November as you can see by the date and just getting around to finishing it and publishing it! I hope you enjoy it.

In October, the film world celebrated the 50th Anniversary of one of its most iconic characters, James Bond. This weekend, the twenty third film in the series, Skyfall opened with a $90 million box office take. The best weekend of any Bond film, ever. I have been a fan of the series and have probably seen every film at least three times.

To date, there have been six men to officially play the agent with the "license to kill". Twenty three films, including Skyfall have been produced and a possible twenty fourth will come within the next couple of years.

What many people did not know is that Bond creator Ian Fleming got to see his creation not on the big screen, first but the small screen. He got his wish, well, sort of when the Americans got to meet Bond, Jimmy Bond.

I mentioned earlier, six men have played James Bond. Actually there were eight men. In 1958, the CBS series Climax featured an adaptation of the first Bond novel, Casino Royale. The actor playing 007 would be American actor, Barry Nelson. The character would not be a member of the British Secret Service, but a CIA agent. The great character actor, Peter Lorre would portray Le Chiffre, the paymaster for the SMERSH-controlled trade union. Bond's mission would be to play a high-stakes baccarat game in France.

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity for the first time to watch this version of Casino Royale and of course, it was nothing like the James Bond I was accustomed to, at all. There was no M, Moneypenny, Q, gadgets, nothing.

Another version of Casino Royale would be released in 1966. It would star the eighth man to play Bond, David Niven. This version was a spoof rather than a thriller and had nothing to do with Ian Fleming's novel. The film also starred Peter Sellers, Orson Welles, Woody Allen and THE original Bond girl, Ursula Andress. I could not see the Bond films as a wacky 60's comedy. It actually looked like a sketch from Benny Hill.

While growing up as a child, I wanted to see the Bond films in a theater. My mother refused (for good reason) to allow us see the films at the local theater and so, I had to wait for them to come to television. As a teen, I would stay up late on Sunday nights when ABC received the rights to air the Bond films. Needless to say, I was pretty tired the next day going to school.

It was said that the first person you see playing a character would be the one you consider as the best person to play him. So, was the case with James Bond. If you saw Sean Connery as James Bond, he was your Bond. By the way, Connery was not Ian Fleming's first choice to play him. He was virtually unknown when he was signed to film Dr. No. Fleming thought Cary Grant or the aforementioned David Niven would be better choices. However, producers Albert "Cubby' Broccoli and Harry Saltzman said Connery was their man. It was rumored that Broccoli's wife saw a screening with Connery and was asked whether he was sexy. She answered, that he was.

Connery would play Bond for six films to include, Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice (YOLT) and Diamonds Are Forever DaF).

Between YOLT and DaF, Connery decided to leave the series. He felt typecast and wanted more money. Of course, EON Productions let him go. Gone was who many people thought was James Bond and that no one could ever replace him.

Along comes George Lazenby, a New Zeland fashion model, who literally walked into the role. He wasn't as cool as Connery, but he starred in one of the most emotional films of the series, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. In this film, our hero falls in love and get married. But, it doesn't end well. It was Lazenby's only film and what many have called (including myself) the best film in the series.

Connery returned in DaF for a cool million dollars. It was 1971, 9 years since Dr. No. You can see that Connery had aged. His jet Black hair had now tints of gray and his once slim athletic body had become a little heavier. I don't know whether it was the script or direction, but he did not seem as cool or as ruthless as in past adventures. More or less, it looked as though he was there to collect a paycheck, then move on. Connery would go on to star in films like Robin and Marian, Meteor, The Hunt for Red October and The Untouchables (he won a Best Supporting Oscar).

The next film would change the direction of the series. A friend of Cubby Broccoli, Roger Moore would take the mantle of Bond. Moore was a familiar face to television viewers for his roles as Beau Maverick, the British cousin of James Garner's Maverick and as Simon Templar, The Saint.

Moore brought a sense of humor to the role and many folks thought the series lost his coolness. Roger Moore has played Bond in seven films starting with Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy and A View to a Kill. When he left the series, Roger Moore was 57 years old. He recently wrote a book entitled Bond on Bond.

In the 1980's there was a surprising turn in the history of the series. The writer and producer of Thunderball, Kevin McClory wanted to bring Bond back separate from EON Productions. The result was Warner Brothers, Never Say Never Again. And oh by the way, they were able to lure Sean Connery to return to the role he made famous.

Never Say Never Again was actually a remake of Thunderball, with some modifications. It was well received, but it just wasn't the same Bond movie. No gun barrel sequence, I missed Monty Norman's James Bond theme and the supporting characters did not feel right.

After Roger Moore's tour of duty was over, a search for a new Bond was on. Broccoli thought he found his man in Irish actor, Pierce Brosnan. However; there was a problem. Brosnan was the breakout star of NBC's Remington Steele. There was rumor that the show was going to be cancelled by the network and Brosnan (whose wife appeared in Octopussy) was ready to go. NBC kept the series and Brosnan would have to wait to get his "license to kill".

Enter Timothy Dalton, a Shakespearean actor who would bring a more serious angle to the role. Some say, he was too serious. His two films, The Living Daylights and License to Kill were not box office disappointments, but fans were not happy with them either. It was said that Dalton himself was not happy with the direction of the character.

After Dalton was gone, Pierce Brosnan, free from Remington Steele was able to walk into his dream job or playing Bond. His first film was Goldeneye (named after Ian Fleming's retreat in Jamaica) was a box office hit. Brosnan would star in four films to include, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day. Brosnan said he was ready to go for another film, however; EON Productions decide it was time to move on.

The search for the latest James Bond would take another dramatic turn. Many folks were hoping that Clive Owen, best known for his role as "The Driver" in those great BMW ads at the time would get the role. But it was Daniel Craig, a blond, blue-eyed actor who would be chosen, much to the dismay of fans. Craig had been a staple on British TV and played a drug dealer trying to go straight in the film Layer Cake. (BTW if you have not see that film, I highly recommend it.)

With the success of Batman Begins, which told the story of how Bruce Wayne became the Dark Knight, EON Productions decided to take the same approach with Bond. Starting from the beginning with Casino Royale. According to the producers, Barbara Broccoli and her stepbrother Michael Wilson, Casino Royale is a close to the book as possible.

Critics who hated the choice of Craig were highly pleased with the results of Casino Royale. The film was a smash and Craig was called the best Bond since Connery.

Next was Quantum of Solace (QofS), the first true sequel to any Bond film. Only DaF came close in that regard with the pre-title sequence of Bond on the hunt for the murderer of his wife, Blofeld. While I enjoyed QofS, many were disappointed with the film. QofS also had the distinction of being the shortest film in length of the series.

The latest adventure,Skyfall is a stand alone film and does not continue the story line established by Casino Royale and QofS. Like OHMSS, it contains an emotional and personal element seen in a Bond film. However, I hope the producers will revisit that story line and not leave fans of the series in limbo. An enemy has been established and we would like to know how Bond and MI6 will handle them. I highly recommend Skyfall and cannot wait for the next Bond adventure.

In February, the Academy Awards saluted the series with a montage of the films. Dame Shirley Bassey, who sang the theme songs for three Bond films (Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever and Moonraker) brought the crowd to their feet with a rousing rendition of Goldfinger. What the fans wanted to see was all six men to grace the stage of the Kodak Theater. Well, we can't have it all!! Anyways, Happy Anniversary 007!!