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Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!faqserv From: psambrakos@bigfoot.com (Panos Sambrakos) Newsgroups: alt.fan.james-bond,alt.answers,news.answers Subject: alt.fan.james-bond FAQ Supersedes: <james-bond/FAQ_875789459@rtfm.mit.edu> Followup-To: alt.fan.james-bond Date: 18 Oct 1997 10:18:26 GMT Organization: none Lines: 1054 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Expires: 16 Nov 1997 10:06:58 GMT Message-ID: <james-bond/FAQ_877169218@rtfm.mit.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: penguin-lust.mit.edu Summary: This posting answers Frequently Asked Questions in the alt.fan.james-bond newsgroup. It covers James Bond movie history and publications of the James Bond novels. X-Last-Updated: 1997/09/22 Originator: faqserv@penguin-lust.MIT.EDU Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.fan.james-bond:50430 alt.answers:29719 news.answers:114906 Archive-name: james-bond/FAQ Posting-Frequency: 15 Days Version: 3.1 URL: http://www.ianfleming.org/afjbfaq.htm *************************************************************************** ALT.FAN.JAMES-BOND FAQ v 3.11 [Created September 18th, 1996, Updated September 23, 1997] by Panos Sambrakos, Bryan Krofchok, David C. Morefield and Deane Barker *************************************************************************** Welcome to the new and improved alt.fan.james-bond Frequently Asked Questions. This is an original work partly based on version 1.0 by David Marsh first created in November 1994. As new members come online every day -- some old Bond fans, some new ones -- there's a need to answer questions beginners have, and cover the history of this group and what it is all about. As of version 2.2 the FAQ has been promoted to the status of an "official" Internet FAQ. It has now been approved by the moderators of the "news.answers" newsgroup, it is crossposted to the news.answers and alt.answers newsgroups and it is being archived at many places around the net. - ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/james-bond/FAQ - ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/alt.fan.james-bond/alt.fan.james-bond_FAQ You can also get it by email by sending a message to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu writing in the body: "send usenet/news.answers/james-bond/FAQ" Since version 2.7 there's a fabulous German Web version of the FAQ translated by Gregor Mima at his excellent 007 site. See it at http://plweb.htu.tuwien.ac.at/007/ Version 3.0 is now availiable in Swedish too! Thanks to Vedad Milisic, you can now see it at http://www.privat.katedral.se/~nv96vemi/faq.htm More importantly the FAQ has it's own place on the Web. A part of "MR. KISS KISS BANG BANG! The Web Magazine of The Ian Fleming Foundation" Visit us at: http://www.ianfleming.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Updates in version 3.11. Only some URLs and email addresses) This document has been divided into several sections, which are listed below. NOTE: Please use a monospaced typeface so that lists appear properly. 1] What is alt.fan.james-bond? 2] What's with all the initials? 3] Just who is this James Bond guy anyway? 4] So what are the movies? 5] Some of these actors look awfully old. When were they born? 6] Of the five actors, who made the best Bond? 7] Hey! I heard a new James Bond film is being made! Any news? 8] Pardon me if this has been asked before, but... 9] Who's Kevin McClory and why does NSNA look like "Thunderball"? 10] Why did George Lazenby star in only one Bond film? 11] Why Timothy Dalton only made two? 12] Who else was offered the Bond role? 13] So what are these novels everyone keeps talking about? 14] That's a lot of books! What order should I read them in? 15] Double-oh this, double-oh that ... just how many '00' agents are there? 16] Does Ian Fleming have a cameo appearance in the film FRWL? 17] Who was the woman who really wrote "The Spy Who Loved Me"? 18] Which is correct, SPECTRE or S.P.E.C.T.R.E.? 19] Is there a James Bond fan club? 20] Is there a James Bond Web site? 21] Is there a James Bond IRC channel? 22] I'm dying for a 007 Desktop theme and screensaver! Is there one? 23] Why was Casino Royale a really bad comedy with Woody Allen? 23] Who really wrote the famous James Bond theme? 24] Have the Bond Films ever won an Oscar? 25] Has anyone else noticed that some actors have played more than one part in the Bond films? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1] WHAT IS ALT.FAN.JAMES-BOND? Alt.fan.james-bond (its full name includes "On Her Majesty's Secret Service ... and secret linen too" for reasons that are now, thankfully, lost to history), was originally created in 1992. It is a newsgroup devoted to all things Bondian. Anything even remotely having to do with Bond is considered a valid topic of discussion. You name it: movies, books, spoofs, etc. Bond novelists Ian Fleming, Kingsley Amis, John Gardner, and Raymond Benson are also fair game, as are any of the people connected with the Bond films. In general, any topic that would cause your family members or friends to roll their eyes toward the heavens and exclaim, "Oh, no... not BOND again!" is welcome here. (All other topics should be referred to the alt.sex.bondage newsgroup.) PLEASE NOTE: alt.fan.james-bond is *not* a moderated newsgroup. Never has been, and hopefully never will be. Thus, lots of stupid flame wars start when people pay us a short visit just to annoy everyone. *Whenever* someone starts saying things like "James Bond sucks," "What the hell are you all talking about in here?," etc., please do NOT respond. It only makes the guy stay longer. Just ignore him totally or -- if you must -- answer via private email. (Note: Posts advancing the theory that James Bond sucks usually bear a creative subject line like...well... "James Bond Sucks." This will be your tip-off.) Also, please avoid responding to folks asking "How many Bond films are there?," etc. Just point them to the FAQ (that's what it's here for!) or one of the many Bond Web pages. And try to avoid the same old "My TOP-TEN list" posts. Try to say something original, or at least *review* the films or books. Don't just list them. 2] WHAT'S WITH ALL THE INITIALS? There are several acronyms that are used to save space (and typing!). Some are common to all newsgroups, like LOL (Laughing Out Loud), ROFLOL (Rolling On Floor Laughing Out Loud) BRLCFH (Broke Ribs Laughing -- Call For Help), but others are more "Bond specific." They represent the titles of the various Bond movies and are listed, along with the movies in Section 4. There are some others you might come across. Some real ones: -EON: Eon Productions Ltd., "Everything or Nothing". The company formed by Broccoli and Saltzman in 1961 to produce the Bond films. -DANJAQ: Danjaq, S.A., "Dana - Jacqueline" (Broccoli's and Saltzman's wives' names). Swiss company made up of Eon Productions and United Artists. And some fictional ones: -SPECTRE: The Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion. Criminal organization Bond comes against in the later novels and most of the early movies. Lead by Ernst Stavro Blofeld. -SMERSH: Conjunction of two Russian words: "Smyert Shpionam" ("Death to Spies"). Soviet Secret Service's murder organization that Bond comes against in most of the early novels. 3] JUST WHO IS THIS JAMES BOND GUY ANYWAY? James Bond, 007, is a fictional British secret agent created by Ian Fleming in the 1950s. His first appearance was in the novel "Casino Royale" (1953), but he did not gain the large following he now enjoys until the late 1950s. As a possessor of the coveted 'Double O' prefix, James Bond is one of an elite number of British Secret Service members with a 'licence to kill'. James Bond has appeared in books and movies for over four decades, earning a legion of fans in the process. Ian Fleming wrote 14 books about Bond, and only stopped when he died on 12 August 1964. Well known British author Kingsley Amis was then offered a chance to continue the series, but he bowed out after producing only one book (under the pseudonym Robert Markham). It was not until 1981 that the Bond series was revived once again, with British author John Gardner publishing a new novel almost every year until the Spring of 1996 (he retired upon reaching his 14th book). American Raymond Benson, author of the famed "James Bond Bedside Companion," has now assumed the mantle of Ian Fleming with a new book released in 1997. James Bond first appeared on the big screen in 1962 in "Dr. No," starring Sean Connery as 007. Over the following years, James Bond has appeared in 17 "official" films starring five different actors. (Two "unofficial" films currently hover just outside the canon, starring more "James Bonds" than we care to count.) 4] SO WHAT ARE THE MOVIES? TITLE YEAR STAR TIME ACRONYM ----- ---- ---- ---- --------- Casino Royale (A) 1954 Barry Nelson 60 (none) Doctor No 1962 Sean Connery 111 Dr. No/DN From Russia With Love 1963 Sean Connery 118 FRWL Goldfinger 1964 Sean Connery 111 GF Thunderball 1965 Sean Connery 129 TB You Only Live Twice 1967 Sean Connery 116 YOLT Casino Royale (B) 1967 David Niven 130 CR On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969 George Lazenby 140 OHMSS Diamonds Are Forever 1971 Sean Connery 119 DAF Live And Let Die 1973 Roger Moore 121 LALD The Man with the Golden Gun 1974 Roger Moore 125 TMWTGG The Spy Who Loved Me 1977 Roger Moore 125 TSWLM Moonraker 1979 Roger Moore 126 (C) For Your Eyes Only 1981 Roger Moore 127 FYEO Octopussy 1983 Roger Moore 130 OC Never Say Never Again (B) 1983 Sean Connery 137 NSNA A View to a Kill 1985 Roger Moore 131 AVTAK The Living Daylights 1987 Timothy Dalton 130 TLD Licence to Kill 1989 Timothy Dalton 135 LTK GoldenEye 1995 Pierce Brosnan 130 GE Tomorrow Never Dies 1997 Pierce Brosnan TND (A) James Bond first appeared on the small screen. A television production of "Casino Royale" appeared as part of the CBS Climax! anthology series on the 21st of October, 1954. (B) Non-canonical entries. The film version of "Casino Royale" was a James Bond spoof, while "Never Say Never Again" was a remake of "Thunderball." (C) No common acronym exists, but since nobody really cares for this film anyway, it doesn't really matter... 5] SOME OF THESE ACTORS LOOK AWFULLY OLD. WHEN WERE THEY BORN? You're right. They "are" old! (The fact that Roger Moore is older than Sean Connery is an essential piece of trivia that can be used to win bets.) ACTOR BIRTHDATE -------------- ------------------ Roger Moore October 14, 1927 Sean Connery August 25, 1930 George Lazenby September 5, 1939 Timothy Dalton March 21, 1946 Pierce Brosnan May 16, 1953 6] OF THE FIVE ACTORS, WHO MADE THE BEST BOND? What are you trying to do ... start a holy war? Whenever a question along these lines is posted to alt.fan.james-bond, the thread usually goes something like this: A1: Sean Connery! The first and "still" the best! A2: Roger Moore! He took Bond to new heights of fun! A3: George Lazenby! He was never given a chance! A4: MAKE A BAZILLION DOLLARS AN HOUR HARVESTING EAR FUNGUS! A5: Timothy Dalton! He was the closest to the books! A6: Pierce Brosnan! He was always meant to play Bond! A1: Roger Moore sucks! Sean rules! etc., etc., ad nauseam... Everyone has a favorite Bond, and it all depends what you like. As the old saying goes, everyone is entitled to their own opinion -- just as long as they agree that Sean Connery was the best James Bond. ;-) 7] HEY! I HEARD A NEW BOND FILM IS BEING MADE! ANY NEWS? "Tomorrow Never Dies" is the title of the 18th EON productions James Bond film. It started filming April 1st at locations in Europe, Southeast Asia, Mexico and Florida. Pierce Brosnan stars in it and the script by Bruce Feirstein has been revised a number of times. Roger Spottiswoode is directing. The Bond girl is Michelle Yeoh and the villain is Jonathan Pryce. It's supposed to hit cinemas by Christmas 1997! For more information visit the "007 News" TND page at: http://www.ianfleming.org/007news/tnd/ or visit the new TND official site at http://www.tomorrowneverdies.com 8] PARDON ME IF THIS HAS BEEN ASKED BEFORE, BUT... Hey look, if you even *think* it's an old question, then it probably is. With new folks constantly wandering through, a number of questions are bound to keep popping up again and again. Just remember that some of us have been here for a long time, and these topics lose their appeal the hundredth time around. Most folks in the group will tolerate an old question with a mere sigh, but a few of us are close to snapping, so to avoid being painted head to toe with gold paint, or force-fed a compressed air pellet and inflated, to death, please check here first for the answer to your question. For instance: Q: What's the name of Blofeld's cat? A: We don't know, okay? The cat's name is never mentioned in the films (and Blofeld doesn't even HAVE a cat in the books), so any other answer is just a guess. The cat might look cool on film, but let's face it, any name at all would've been a distraction. ("This control room is now impregnable, Mr. Bond. Isn't that right, Fluffy?") Q: Hey! In DAF, Bond's car goes in the alley on the right set of wheels and comes out on the left set! Is this a blooper? A: Yes and no. The filmmakers attempted to correct this error with a brief segment showing a close-up of Bond and Tiffany as the car tilts from one side to the other. However, this should still be impossible considering the width of the alley. Q: Is it true that the Bond girl in FYEO used to be a man? A: Again, yes and no. One of the bikini-clad women hanging out at Gonzales' pool is a British actress named "Tula," who later grabbed headlines by revealing she had started life as a man. Although the world press played up the Bond angle ("Even 007 can't tell the difference!"), Tula's role in the film was actually very minor. The actual "Bond girl" of the film is Carole Bouquet, today a respected actress in her native France, where historically it is easier to tell the gals from the guys. Q: Is that a gun-barrel, a gun-sight, or an eye? A: It's a gun-barrel! Maurice Binder, the designer of almost all the Bond films' titles, has said in numerous interviews that it is a gun-barrel. He says that he designed that sequence in a hurry because he had a meeting with the producers in twenty minutes, back when they were making Dr.No. He apparently went into a lot of trouble while shooting it. They tried photographing it by punching a hole in a piece of cardboard but when one end was in focus the other wasn't! So they used a real gun-barrel. Binder borrowed a gun from a shop at Piccadilly and opened the barrel so the camera could look into it. He originally filmed it with Bob Simmons, Sean Connery's double. Over the years there have been another 6 times the gun-barrel opening was filmed. In 1965 for Thunderball, with Sean Connery this time, as the sequence was filmed for the scope format. In 1969 with George Lazenby for OHMSS. In 1973 with Roger Moore for LALD. In 1977 again with Moore for TSWLM since they had to do it again for scope. In 1987 with Dalton for TLD. And most recently with Pierce Brosnan in 1995 for GoldenEye, the first time the gun-barrel was a computer generated image designed by Daniel Kleinman since Binder is not with us anymore... Q: I heard they wanted Jimmy Stewart to play Bond in "Dr. No." What were they, nuts? A: It is true that a "James Stewart" once appeared on Ian Fleming's "short list" of actors he felt suitable for the role of Bond. However, this was NOT the American actor we know from "It's A Wonderful Life," but a young Britisher who later went on to fame in films like "King Solomon's Gold" under his new name, Stewart Granger. Q: Was that Blofeld in the opening sequence of FYEO? A: We're meant to think so, but in 1981 EON was legally barred from mentioning Blofeld by name (a court had ruled that "Blofeld" and "SPECTRE" were owned by rival producer Kevin McClory). How this "Blofeld" returned to the bald and crippled state of OHMSS (1969) after a healthier, hairier turn in DAF (1971) is anybody's guess. Q: ...and what's with that crack about a "stainless steel delicatessen?" A: Oy, what a headache THIS one is! Maybe "Blofeld's" making an in-joke about the way all the Bond-villains' hide-outs seem to be decorated in stainless steel. Or maybe he thinks Roger Moore would be at home among other "hams." Whatever the case, the deli joke is a half-baked piece of bologna that most Bond gourmands find indigestible. Q: Is it true that Blofeld's cat used to be a man? A: No, this is only a rumor. However, Largo's sharks were actually disguised otters. 9] WHO'S KEVIN McCLORY AND WHY DOES "NSNA" LOOK LIKE "THUNDERBALL"? Kevin McClory is a film producer who first made plans with Ian Fleming to produce the first ever James Bond feature film back in 1958. He wrote a script along with Fleming and screenwriter Jack Whitingham originally called "Longitude 78 West" in 1959. When the project fell through Fleming used the story as the basis for his 1961 Bond novel "Thunderball", without however mentioning either McClory or Whitingham. McClory, having read an advance copy, unsuccessfully attempted then to block Jonathan Cape's publication of "Thunderball" in March of 1961 -- less than a week before the book's debut in the UK. This resulted in the famous 1963 trial (which caused much damage to Ian's already pour health) and the outcome was that all future publications of the novel would state that "It is based on a screen treatment by Kevin McClory, Jack Whitingham, and Ian Fleming", in *that* order. Furthermore McClory acquired all movie rights to the story and its various treatments referred to as "The film scripts". He has ever since, with one way or another, been trying to make Bond films based on those rights. He first made it with his 1965 collaboration with EON productions for which he co-produced "Thunderball". In exchange he abandoned all claims for another 10 years after the initial release of the film. When in January 1976 the rights came back to him he started making plans for another Bond film. This time he wrote an original script along with Len Deighton and Sean Connery himself, called "Warhead 8". When legal battle started again by EON he was finally forced to only produce a direct remake of "Thunderball". The result was 1983's release of "Never Say Never Again". Also, McClory is supposedly the owner of SPECTRE and Blofeld, thus EON has never used it since the early 70's. (The villain in TSWLM was originally SPECTRE). Blofeld made a cameo appearance in 1981 in the precredit sequence of FYEO although he was never really identified as being Blofeld. Desposing of him early in the film was the way Broccoli was saying Bond could go on without SPECTRE. McClory has been continuing his efforts to make more out of his rights, even to the present day. Back in the Dalton days he was said to have approached Brosnan to play Bond in his own independent film! You can always expect further developments in the years to come... Speaking of the devil, only months ago he announced that he'll have a new Bond film next year titled "Warhead 2000 AD" He's reportedly said that Timothy Dalton is considered for the role of 007!... 10] WHY DID GEORGE LAZENBY STAR IN ONLY ONE BOND FILM? The short answer is: because Lazenby met with a cold reception from audiences and critics who felt he didn't measure up to Sean Connery's 007. The longer answer includes behind-the-scenes bickering between Lazenby and several key figures at EON. Stepping into the Bond role at a mere 29 years of age, Lazenby possessed the physical presence and athletic agility of a good Bond, but not the level of acting experience the role demanded, nor the emotional maturity to deal with sudden stardom. Shortly after being cast in OHMSS, he told LIFE magazine, "I'm really looking forward to being Bond, for the bread and the birds." Lazenby soon found that being Bond was also about hard work -- and often tremendous pressure -- on the set. When he decided that director Peter Hunt wasn't sympathetic to his needs, he complained publicly. Friction grew between the two men, and eventually spilled over into other relationships on the film, egged on by an eager press. International headlines featured tales of a "running feud" between Lazenby and Diana Rigg, stories both stars deny to this day. Eventually Lazenby managed to tick off the producers as well, like when he insisted on sporting long hair and a beard to OHMSS's American premiere. But ultimately, it all came down to the box office. OHMSS was released in 1969 to public indifference and negative reviews. Although many things factored into this, including the absence (for the first time ever) of Connery, and a bold deviation from the expected Bond formula, most folks were content to blame the whole thing on Lazenby, and the producers by now were in no mood to defend him. For 1971's DAF, Connery was cajoled into the role once more, and in 1973 the producers broke with the tradition of casting unknowns, electing instead to hire international television star Roger Moore. Lazenby would go on to spoof the Bond image in various projects over the years, appearing as a thinly disguised "007" in, among other things, the TV movie "Return of the Man from UNCLE" and the recent CD-ROM game, "Spy Hunt" In time, many Bond fans would come to regard OHMSS as a high point in the series. 11] WHY TIMOTHY DALTON ONLY MADE TWO? Timothy Dalton was first approached for the Bond role back in 1971 after Sean Connery said he'd "never" do it again. Dalton was making a name for himself in those days with his work in such films as "The Lion in Winter." In a 1987 interview on the "Good Morning America" show, (and elsewhere), Dalton said he turned down the role in '71 because he was "too young" for it, and because of the imposing legacy of his predecessor. ("You don't follow Sean Connery!" he reasoned). Roger Moore accepted the role, and by some accounts, EON flirted with Dalton several more times, whenever Moore threatened to leave the series. In 1986 Roger Moore retired from the part for good and Dalton finally said "yes" to Bond, after EON's first choice --Pierce Brosnan -- was forced to leave the running. Dalton's first Bond film, "The Living Daylights," was written with Brosnan in mind and a number of changes had to be made at the last moment. His next, "Licence To Kill" was written to showcase his particular strengths as an actor, but ultimately the film was a box-office disappointment in the US. Many opinions have been offered to explain this, but much of the blame can be pinned on the lackluster advertising campaign mounted by MGM/UA, easily the weakest ever for a Bond film. The studio was at the time embroiled in huge legal and financial troubles that would more than once put them at odds with EON, and most of its efforts were aimed at merely staying afloat. Still, in a summer where Bond would have to battle Batman and Indiana Jones for box office bucks, this inattentiveness proved devastating. Nonetheless, LTK enjoyed huge popularity abroad and plans proceeded for "Bond 17," with Timothy Dalton still signed on for that film and at least one more. Then MGM/UA struck again, selling the television rights to the Bond series to broadcaster Ted Turner, and incurring the anger of the Broccoli camp. Legal battles began that would continue in various forms to create an unprecedented five year draught during which no 007 pictures would be made. When at last these issues were resolved and work resumed on Bond 17 (eventually known as "Goldeneye"), Dalton surprised many by announcing he would NOT return as Bond. The public, he said, had associated him with the role for eight years, and that was long enough for him. He was eager to move on to new challenges. He left the 007 family in the spring of 1994 (although off-screen he remains a close friend of the Broccoli family). EON initiated a "hunt" for the new Bond and in June they announced (to almost no one's surprise) that Pierce Brosnan would at last be handed the "licence to kill". Rumors that Dalton was forced out of the role, either by Broccoli or MGM/UA, are just that: rumors. Cubby Broccoli and his daughter (now series producer) Barbara Broccoli have stated many times that they were disappointed to lose Dalton. The official account endorsed by Dalton, EON, and MGM/UA, is that Dalton left the series of his own accord. Anything else is idle speculation. 12] WHO ELSE WAS CONSIDERED FOR THE BOND ROLE? Sometimes it seems like every good-looking actor who has (or can fake!) a British accent has been mentioned as "the next James Bond." But it can be difficult telling who were the real contenders, thanks to (a) unfounded rumors from gossip columns and usenet posts, (b) false claims by actors looking to jump-start their careers and (c) EON's eternal insistence that whoever currently has the role was "the only choice right from the beginning!" (Yeah, right!) The following is a partial list of wannabes and also-rans who have some connection to 007 that can be documented by more reliable sources. MICHAEL BILLINGTON: best known for his role on the cult favorite TV show "UFO," he screen-tested to play Bond in LALD. Cubby Broccoli was impressed enough to later cast him as Sergei Barsov, lover of Agent XXX and victim of Bond's lethal ski-pole in TSWLM. (Billington's "UFO" co- star Ed Bishop appeared in YOLT as a NASA technician and in DAF as "Klaus Hergesheimer, checking radiation shields.") JAMES BROLIN: yes, you read that right: the American star of "Hotel" and current spokesman for a chain of transmission repair shops actually got as far as a screen test opposite Maud Adams when Roger Moore threatened to bail out of "Octopussy." If that thought doesn't tie a knot in your stomach, you're made of sterner stuff than we are! JOHN GAVIN: on paper, at least, he actually WAS James Bond. In 1970 he was signed to play 007 starting with DAF, but stepped aside when Connery was wooed into a comeback. Gavin impressed audiences with his work in "Psycho" and "Spartacus," but his greatest role came much later, as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico during the Reagan Administration. (On the other hand, he let Franz Sanchez come to power, so how great was he, really?) JULIAN GLOVER: yep, the evil Kristatos of FYEO said in a 1981 interview with Starlog Magazine that he was one of many to try out for Bond in LALD. But he admitted, "we all knew Roger would get it." Don't feel too bad for him -- unlike most failed Bonds, Glover got his revenge, dragging Roger Moore across a corral reef in FYEO and shooting Sean Connery in the gut in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." Beats crying in your beer any day. DAVID HASSELHOFF: Just kidding! But it got your attention, didn't it? PATRICK MCGOOHAN: here's a guy who just couldn't get away from the spy biz -- after turning down the Bond role in "Dr. No" for "moral reasons," he ended up starring as not one but TWO of TV's greatest superspies -- "Danger Man" (a.k.a. "Secret Agent Man") and "The Prisoner." SAM NEILL: having made his mark as "Reilly, Ace of Spies," Neill screen tested in 1986, and in the wake of collapsed negotiations with Pierce Brosnan, a TLD casting director told PEOPLE magazine that Neill stood "a very good chance indeed" of becoming Bond. But less than two weeks later Timothy Dalton got the nod. JOHN RICHARDSON, HANS DE VRIES, ROBERT CAMPBELL, ANTHONY ROGERS -- four of the five finalists for the Bond role, as featured in the October 11, 1968 issue of LIFE magazine (titled "Who Would YOU Pick To Be the Next James Bond?"). The job went to finalist number five, George Lazenby (inspiring the obvious response, "I demand a recount!"). These four fellows most likely took up residence in the Milli Vanilli Home for Victims of Career Disasters. 13] SO, WHAT ARE THESE NOVELS THAT EVERYONE KEEPS TALKING ABOUT? There have been several fictional works featuring James Bond. Ian Fleming wrote them in the 50s and 60s, Kingsley Amis tried his hand at it in 1968, and John Gardner continued the series in the 80s and 90s. This year, renowned Bond fan and computer game designer Raymond Benson will try his hand as he assumes the mantle of the "Man With The Golden Typewriter." Title Author fn. Year ---------------------------------- -------------- --- ---- Casino Royale Ian Fleming 1953 Live And Let Die Ian Fleming 1954 Moonraker Ian Fleming 1955 Diamonds Are Forever Ian Fleming 1956 From Russia, With Love Ian Fleming 1957 Doctor No Ian Fleming 1958 Goldfinger Ian Fleming 1959 For Your Eyes Only Ian Fleming 1960 Thunderball Ian Fleming (A) 1961 The Spy Who Loved Me Ian Fleming 1962 On Her Majesty's Secret Service Ian Fleming 1963 You Only Live Twice Ian Fleming 1964 007 In New York (short story) Ian Fleming (B) 1964 The Man With The Golden Gun Ian Fleming 1965 Octopussy And The Living Daylights Ian Fleming (C) 1966 Colonel Sun Kingsley Amis (D) 1968 The Spy Who Loved Me Chris Wood (E) 1977 Moonraker Chris Wood (E) 1979 Licence Renewed John Gardner 1981 For Special Services John Gardner 1982 Icebreaker John Gardner 1983 Role Of Honour John Gardner 1984 Nobody Lives For Ever John Gardner 1986 No Deals, Mr. Bond John Gardner 1987 Scorpius John Gardner 1988 Win, Lose Or Die John Gardner 1989 Brokenclaw John Gardner 1990 Licence To Kill John Gardner (E) 1990 The Man From Barbarossa John Gardner 1991 Death Is Forever John Gardner 1992 Never Send Flowers John Gardner 1993 SeaFire John Gardner 1994 GoldenEye John Gardner (E) 1995 Cold (Cold Fall in the U.S.) John Gardner 1996 Blast From The Past (short story) Raymond Benson (F) 1997 Zero Minus Ten Raymond Benson 1997 Tomorrow Never Dies Raymond Benson 1997 The Facts Of Death Raymond Benson 1998 (A) Based on a treatment by Kevin McClory, Jack Wittingham, and Ian Fleming (B) This one only appears in American Editions of Fleming's "Thrilling Cities" (C) Some versions of the book are simply titled "Octopussy," and often contain a third short story, titled "The Property Of A Lady." (D) Under the pseudonym of Robert Markham (E) A novelization of the film (F) Published in the January 1997 issue of "Playboy" magazine 14] THAT'S A LOT OF BOOKS! WHAT ORDER SHOULD I READ THEM IN? Everyone seems to have a different idea on this as well. The books follow a chronological sequence, and later books occasionally refer to other earlier books, but you can read most of them in any order you like. However, it is highly recommended that you at least read "From Russia, With Love" before "Dr. No" (and be grateful that you do not have to wait for a year between novels!). Also, please be aware that "Thunderball," "OHMSS," "YOLT," and "TMWTGG" form a loose 'quadrilogy' that should be read in order. 15] DOUBLE-OH THIS, DOUBLE-OH THAT ... JUST HOW MANY '00' AGENTS ARE THERE? The OO Section of the British Secret Service is undoubtedly one of the most exclusive "clubs" in the world, consisting of a handful of agents who have earned the coveted "licence to kill" in the line of duty. According to Ian Fleming, James Bond was originally the senior member of only three agents in the Section. At the time of the "Moonraker" mission, 008 (known only as 'Bill') had just escaped from East Berlin, while 0011 had vanished in Singapore just two months before. Although 008 surfaced again in "Goldfinger" (listed as Bond's replacement, should he have failed), 0011 was never heard from again. 009 was briefly mentioned in "Thunderball." In the "Bond of Bond Street" chapter of Fleming's OHMSS, the introduction of Mary Goodnight provides us with the information that Bond was even odds to "get" her first --with an ex-Royal Marine Commando who was 006, making Fleming's total of 00 agents --including 007-- five. Also, according to Kingsley Amis' "Colonel Sun", the head of station G in Athens, had served as "005" before "an eye defect had begun to impair his ability with firearms". (Submitted by Donal Rogers <rogers@clubi.ie>) In the James Bond films, a number of 00 agents have been depicted over the years: 002 - Bill Fairbanks, assassinated in Beirut by Francisco Scaramanga in 1969 (The Man With The Golden Gun); replaced by another agent who is quickly captured during a training mission on the island of Gibraltar (The Living Daylights) 003 - Found dead in the Siberian ice by 007 (A View To A Kill) 004 - Assassinated by a Russian agent during a training mission on the island of Gibraltar (The Living Daylights) 006 - Alexander Trevelyan, killed at the hands of Soviet Colonel Ourumov during a mission with 007 to blow-up a Soviet nerve gas factory ... or was he? (GoldenEye) 008 - Bond's replacement, should he be unable to complete his mission (Goldfinger and The Living Daylights) 009 - Assassinated in West Berlin by a circus knife-thrower after stealing a Faberge egg (Octopussy) 16] DOES IAN FLEMING HAVE A CAMEO APPEARANCE IN THE FILM FRWL? This one remains an open question, and no new facts have surfaced since Bryan Krofchok submitted the following for issue #3c of the Ian Fleming Foundation's "Shaken, Not Stirred" newsletter in March 1995 (reprinted by permission of the author): "The curious notion of Fleming's cameo is mentioned in Roger Ryan and Martin Sterling's book of Bond trivia, 'Keeping The British End Up', under the heading 'Brief Encounter'. The scene in question pops up when the Orient Express must stop for a truck that has stalled across the tracks (originally, part of Grant's escape route). Watch for an oddly placed gentleman wearing a white top and dark pants, who seems to be holding some sort of walking stick. His mode of dress is suspiciously identical to that of Ian Fleming's in the well know photos of his visit to the set of the film during shooting of the Orient Express. I say that the man is oddly placed, because he seems to have no part in the plot, and cannot simply be brushed off as someone merely out for a casual stroll due to the apparent desolation of the surrounding area. I also find it quite odd that although the train is passing fairly close to him, the man has his back to it and is looking the other way." 17] WHO WAS THE WOMAN WHO REALLY WROTE "THE SPY WHO LOVED ME"? No one. Like he did with in a couple of other instances, Ian Fleming promoted "The Spy Who Loved Me" in a witty fashion. As the book is the most left-field of the Bond novels, with the first two-thirds detailing the tormented life of Vivienne Michel and Bond only appearing at the end to save her, Fleming had written it as a first person accounting by Vivienne. Fleming told the press that he had "found the manuscript" sitting on his desk at the Goldeneye retreat he owned in Jamaica. It was a cute ploy even though the reaction to the book was not highly favorable and distressed Fleming himself. He was not especially proud of "The Spy Who Loved Me" but he wrote every word himself. The only Bond novel not entirely credited and stemming from Fleming is "Thunderball," which began as a series of film scripts by Fleming, Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham. (Submitted by Michael Reed - luckyman@ix.netcom.com) 18] WHICH IS CORRECT, SPECTRE OR S.P.E.C.T.R.E.? Hm... the SPecial Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion. This one is a bit of a thorn in the sides of more than a few Bond fans. Since the 'P' in S.P.E.C.T.R.E. doesn't actually represent a word, the intervening periods don't seem to make a heck of a lot of sense. Unfortunately, we seem to be stuck with the little buggers, since they can be found in the original British Cape edition of Fleming's "Thunderball" (though they were dropped in Fleming's later books), and continue to crop up in various books about the Bond series. Next time on "Bondian Inconsistency Theatre": the great 'M' vs. 'M.' debate, 007 vs. OO7, Anne vs. Ann Fleming, and why anyone should even be the least bit interested. Stay tuned... 19] IS THERE A JAMES BOND FAN CLUB? There are several. Before joining any of them, however, you might want to ask around the newsgroup for opinions, since some clubs have better reputations than others. The James Bond 007 Fan Club PO Box 007 Addlestone Weybridge Surrey KT15 1DY ENGLAND The Bondmanian Society (in the U.S.: The Bondmanian Society ) 15 Crathie Place ( 1807 Augusta Ct., Apt. 10) Wrexham, Clwyd, Wales ( Lexington, KY 40505 ) The Ian Fleming Foundation (http://www.ianfleming.org) PO Box 6897 Santa Barbara, CA 93160 Club James Bond 007 (in the U.S.: Club James Bond 007 ) BP 6090 ( BOX 205 ) 96468 Lyon Cedex 06 ( 263 Central Avenue Jersey City) FRANCE ( NJ 07307 USA ) 20] IS THERE A JAMES BOND WEB SITE? There are a LOT of Bond web sites these days, with a new one seemingly cropping up every other week. Here's a list of "recommended" sites: - "MR. KISS KISS BANG BANG!" The Web Magazine of The Ian Fleming Foundation (http://www.ianfleming.org) From the people that bring you this FAQ. On the cutting edge of HTML and graphic design, with rare multimedia and original content. - OO7 News (http://www.ianfleming.org/007news/) Now a part of MKKBB, 007 NEWS brings you all the latest in the world of James Bond. - The Official James Bond 007 home page (http://www.mgmua.com/bond/home.html) MGM/UA in an attempt to create the ultimate Bond page! - Tomorrow Never Dies (http://www.tomorrowneverdies.com) The official site for the new Bond film. With handsome designs and an awesome animated GIF, this site offers some real thrills for Bond fans, with lots more on the way. - James Bond Agent 007, OHMSS (http://www.mcs.net/~klast/www/bond.html) The "Yahoo!" of the Bond sites. Everything is in here! - The Bond Index (http://www.gsu.edu/~mccbmk/Bond) The definitive work on the printed Bond (and we're not just saying that because its maintainer also happens to contribute to this FAQ!). Runs the gamut of books directly and indirectly related to Bond, and also features a new "Bond chronology." - The James Bond Movie Page (http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dcs3pjb/jb/jbhome.html) The first Bond website. A great place for beginners, covering all of the films in detail. With some rare photos, and film reviews. - Her Majesty's Secret Servant (http://www.hmss.com) Masterminded by alt.fan.james-bond celebrities Tom Zielinski and Paul Baack, this magazine-format site is a very welcome addition to the 007 web scene. - Nuv's OO7 Shrine (http://www.nuvs.com/jbond/) Has *many* multimedia files. QuickTime movies of Bond trailers, radio spots, the works! - The Name is Bond. James Bond. (http://plweb.htu.tuwien.ac.at/007/) A German speaking site. Fantastic use of HTML and breathtaking graphics. - Commanders Club (http://www.commanders.com/) Features a unique Bond collection on-line, among other original things. - Bond and Beyond. (http://users.ids.net/~wfh/intro.html) Newly updated and redesigned by Bill Hatfield, B&B offers a more "personal" perspective on the world of 007. - 007 Forever. (http://www.Mindspring.com/~icebreaker/intro.html) Lots of exclusive TND info and pictures among other things. - Universal Exports (http://www.UniversalExports.net) Maintained by Greg Goodman this Bond site has soul. It features sound files, photos and reviews from the films. It's updated regularly but needs a redesign to become more appealing. - MGM/UA GoldenEye Site (http://www.mgmua.com/bond/dossier_cover.html) The official GoldenEye site, with lots of graphics and multimedia. Very well designed (for 1995 standards). - James Bond Movie Posters (http://www.musicman.com/mp/jb/jb.html) Has online photos of almost *all* the various Bond film posters. - James Bond Agent 007, OHMSS (http://www.mcs.net/~klast/www/bond.html) Includes many pointers to other pages, and is frequently updated. - The Next James Bond Movie (http://www.islandnet.com/~corona/films/details/jb18.html) Bond 18 "rumor page." 21] IS THERE A JAMES BOND IRC CHANNEL? IRC channels are created "on-air". They are dynamic and can be created by anyone and will stay on as long someone is in them. In the past, some Bond fans used to have IRC discussions on channel #goldeneye in the days when the film was still in production. We can recommend a time and place for all of usto meet, however: Join the #goldeneye channel, Saturdays and Sundays from 19:00 to 20:00 CET (Central European Time, Paris), which is 13:00 to 14:00 EST (Eastern Standard Time, New York). It would be a good idea if you could all connect to an "undernet" IRC server. A small list of servers follows: Vancouver.BC.CA.undernet.org Manhattan.KS.US.undernet.org Austin.TX.US.undernet.org Washington.DC.US.undernet.org Pittsburgh.PA.US.undernet.org Chicago.IL.US.undernet.org Chicago-1.IL.US.undernet.org Phoenix.AZ.US.undernet.org Sandiego.CA.US.undernet.org Atlanta.GA.US.undernet.org Saltlake.UT.US.undernet.org Amsterdam.NL.EU.undernet.org London.UK.EU.undernet.org Espoo.FI.EU.undernet.org Luxembourg.LU.EU.undernet.org Undernet IRC FAQ - ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/alt.irc.undernet For IRC help/Undernet information, check out http://www.undernet.org Also look out for the #Bond-007 channel on server IRC.Dal.Net 22] I'M DYING FOR A 007 DESKTOP THEME AND SCREENSAVER! IS THERE ONE? Yes! There's an answer to your prayers. The guys who lately produced the "ULTIMATE JAMES BOND, An Interactive Dossier" CD-ROM from MGM/UA have recently made available a wonderful 007 Desktop theme for Windows 95, a screensaver, and a number of cool wallpapers. You can download those and any future editions from MGM's Bond site. http://www.mgmua.com/bond/dossier 23] WHY WAS "CASINO ROYALE" A REALLY BAD COMEDY WITH WOODY ALLEN? The rights to Fleming's first novel were sold in the mid-fifties. Sold twice, actually. The television rights were sold for $1,000 (which resulted in the 1954 television adaptation), and the film rights for $600. The buyer died sometime after, and his widow passed the rights on to Charlie Feldman. Feldman approached Sean Connery and Cubby Broccoli in 1964 about making in the film. However, Connery wanted at least $1 million, and there was a disagreement over who would receive production credit. When no agreement could be reached, the movie was released as a spoof in 1967. Who owns the rights now? Good question. United Artists purchased certain rights from Feldman which may conflict with the rights held by Columbia -- the company that made the 1967 version. To produce the film, one of the two companies would likely have to sell its rights, or the two companies would have to cooperate and share the profits. This issue makes it unlikely the film will ever see the light of day. For more information, see "James Bond in the Classroom" in Bondage, Issue 17. 24] WHO REALLY WROTE THE FAMOUS JAMES BOND THEME? It was written by either Monty Norman or John Barry... or by both -- no one is completely certain. A theme was originally written by Monty Norman. However, the producers were dissatisfied with the piece (some say they hated it), and John Barry was hired to "arrange" it. The resulting work reportedly bore little resemblance to the original. This theme was featured in Dr. No and has appeared in every official Bond film since. Barry wrote it without ever seeing the film and based it on his previous work "Bees Knees." But due to contractual obligations, Monty Norman would always receive credit. (Monty Norman's original theme can be heard on the Dr. No soundtrack -- it's track number 17.) Predictably, however, some say that Norman had much more input into the piece, and others say that Barry threw out Norman's work and wrote the final theme entirely from scratch. In fact, no two sources quite agree on who deserves credit. Attempts to find out the truth have met with little success as neither party is terribly interested in discussing the issue, and their stories would likely contradict each other anyway. 25] HAVE THE BOND FILMS EVER WON AN OSCAR? Our man Bond has had a bit of luck with the Academy Awards... but not much. While the films have been wildly successful with audiences the world over, critics have always been hesitant to warm up to them. Consequently, the Bond films tend to get passed over in favor of more "critically acceptable" selections. All told, Bond films have been nominated nine times - five times in technical categories and four times in musical categories. Only two nominations came up winners: Film Year Category --------------------------------------------------- Goldfinger 1964 Best Sound Effects Thunderball 1965 Best Visual Effects However, at the risk of sounding pessimistic, both wins were tainted by the fact that there was only one other nominee. The other seven nominations were: Film Year Category Lost to --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diamonds Are Forever 1971 Best Sound Fiddler on the Roof Live and Let Die 1973 Best Original Song "The Way We Were" The Spy Who Loved Me 1977 Best Set Direction Star Wars The Spy Who Loved Me 1977 Best Original Score Star Wars The Spy Who Loved Me 1977 Best Original Song "You Light Up My Life" Moonraker 1979 Best Visual Effect Star Trek For Your Eyes Only 1981 Best Original Song "The Best That You Can Do" The Hollywood Foreign Press Association -presenters of the Golden Globe Awards- has ignored the Bond films even more than the Oscars. Only two nominations have been given: George Lazenby - believe it or not - was nominated for a "Best Newcomer" Golden Globe in 1969, while "The Spy Who Loved Me" got a "Best Score" nomination in 1977. While the individual films may have been slighted, the father of the series has had more luck. In 1982, Cubby Broccoli was awarded the coveted Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for his filmmaking career. Homage was paid to both the Bond films and to the many successful films that Broccoli made prior to Dr. No. The Award was presented by the reigning Bond at the time, Roger Moore. Likewise, in 1989, Timothy Dalton presented Broccoli with a lifetime achievement award from the British Academy of Film and Theatre Arts. And finally, we may be stretching here, but Pierce Brosnan was honored (?) in 1996 with a win as "Best Action Actor" in the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards. (We know, we know -it's a just a movie rental store, but an award's an award-) 25] HAS ANYONE ELSE NOTICED THAT SOME ACTORS HAVE PLAYED MORE THAN ONE PART IN THE BOND FILMS? Yes, Joe Don Baker was merely the latest in a long line of "repeat offenders," having apparently decided "if you can't beat Bond, join him." Years earlier, Charles Gray went in the opposite direction, trading in the wooden leg and silk kimono he wore as a friend (Dikko Henderson in YOLT) for high heels and pumps and dreams of world domination (as Blofeld in DAF). In FRWL, Walter Gotell's SPECTRE career as "Morzeny" landed him in hot water; however, things went swimmingly when he transferred to Russian intelligence, this time as "General Gogol" (TSWLM, MR, FYEO, OP, AVTAK, TLD). And of course Maud Adams bounced back remarkably well from a bullet wound in the head(?) (sustained as Andrea in MWTGG) to become the wealthy circus-owner Octopussy (and yes, despite the opinion of some critics, she was indeed alive in this film). But the biggest promotion goes to Robert Brown, a British admiral in TSWLM who rose to the post of "M" in "Octopussy." Besides these major characters, a host of others have popped up in minor roles, including Martine Beswick, Shane Rimmer and Ed Bishop. To see where they fit into the scheme of things, and for a complete list of "repeat offenders," check out Matthew Newton's James Bond Actors page at http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/bond/jbactors.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, that's about it. Please send a message pointing out errors to Panos Sambrakos via e-mail (address below). These will be fixed in the next version. All kinds of comments, suggestions and discussions on the contents of this document are welcome in the newsgroup alt.fan.james-bond. Panos Sambrakos - psambrakos@hellasnet.gr - Athens, Greece Bryan Krofchok (krofchok@gsu.edu) "Bond's Bookshelf" David Morefield (dmorefie@saturn.vcu.edu) "Do you expect me to talk, Goldfinger?" "Yes, Mr. Bond. And if that laser keeps moving, I expect it will be in a very high voice!" Deane Barker UniversalExport@msn.com The World of James Bond on MSN, manager _________________________________________________ M R . K I S S K I S S B A N G B A N G ! The Web Magazine of The Ian Fleming Foundation _________________________________________________ http://www.ianfleming.org