Posted on 10/04/2009 5:12:04 PM PDT by Perdogg
Fusing together entries on Fleming’s famous 00-agent and detailed information on cases of espionage, real-life spies, MI5, SIS, CIA, KGB, and others, Historical Dictionary of Ian Fleming’s James Bond asks the question: What proportion of Fleming’s output is authentic, and what comes directly from the his imagination?
(Excerpt) Read more at commanderbond.net ...
I’ll be heading over to Amazon for this. Thanks for the post.
I just bought the “Battle for Bond” - look that one up.
Will come back later to read comments.
I did find an interesting site one time about Ian Flemming and his thoughts about his James Bond character.
He did not consider him a ‘good’ person. Too many vices.
That gun in the picture looks exotic but isn’t it a Walther Air Pistol?
If James Bond were a real agent he would have his clearance taken away for drinking waaay too much. At the beginning of Thunderball, Bond said he was up to 60 cigarettes a day.
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Interesting
The first Bond films were made on a shoestring
In “Dr. No” the Sunbeam Alpine that 007 drove was an inexpensive local rental
James Bond films made tremendous profits
I never knew that, but a little research says that it is:
“The famous pose of Sean Connery holding a gun across his chest had to be redone at the last minute. The Walther PPK was left at the studio, but the photographer had an old air pistol in his car. The gun in the picture is the air pistol.”
One website identifies it as a Walther LP53 air pistol.
“The battle for the soul of Thunderball”
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article3099637.ece
“If James Bond were a real agent he would have his clearance taken away for drinking waaay too much.”
You think so? I remember reading in one of Victor Marchetti’s books that alcoholism was seen as a common “occupational hazard” in the CIA and heavy drinking was pretty much the rule rather than the exception for field agents. Maybe the Brits took it more seriously?
Wish I had the url to the site I spoke of. It was quite long. Since Ian Flemming didn't ‘admire’ the Bond character you could ‘think’ he might have based it on an actual person.
Otherwise, he was indulging his fantasies, lol.
But you never saw him drunk in a movie, as I recall.
Three packs a day, chain smoker!
I always thought “Dr. No” was the best of all the Bond films. It was also by far the closest to the book in fact some of the dialogue was taken word for word from the book.
The next few didn’t stray too far from the books but the last twenty or so have had no connection at all to them. They also have all been awful. More cartoons than real stories.
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Fleming did not want Sean Connery to play 007
After the film was made he admitted Connery was James Bond
A amusing note is that personally Ian Fleming preferred American cars - like his T-Birds and his Studillac
Ian Fleming, “Thrilling Cities”
Does that have a Studebaker front and a Cadillac back, or vice versa, lol?
What you wrote was probably in the article I read. Connery was the best Jame Bond.
I wonder what was in that letter?
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Fleming had a custom 50s hotrod
A Studebaker Coupe - with a mucho bigger Caddy engine installed
I’d say it was painted black - he liked fast sporty black cars
I imagine we both read some of the same sites
In the “Goldfinger” book - 007 drove an Aston-Martin DB3 (not a BB5) - the girl drove a Truimph TR3 (not a Mustang)
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