When Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman began as independent producers, they created, with Dr. No, a low budget masterpiece. Their surprise hit could have gone off in any number of directions, but they stood solidly by a vision that was uniquely theirs.
Saltzman and Broccoli brought something new into the world, inventing their own genre and transforming cultural consciousness the world over. Dr. No’s premiere changed the concept of the spy genre.
Moreover, Broccoli and Saltzman brought together a team that worked uniquely well together, and they nurtured that team through many movies. There is no gossip suggesting anything except that working on Bond films is a terrific experience for cast and crew, so much so that practically the only people who don’t come back for more films are actors whose characters are killed off. And even that didn’t stop such folks as Charles Gray or Joe Don Baker. People like John Barry, Ken Adam, Peter Hunt, Maurice Binder, Vic Armstrong, and John Glen stayed with Bond for the long haul, because the Bond “family” nurtured creativity and made the working environment exciting.
It was Saltzman and Broccoli together, and then Cubby alone, and then the Broccoli family, who held the franchise together, handling not only the business end, but the dynamic creative team: A whole package of actors, musicians, stuntmen, designers, and so on, all treated with sufficient respect and decency to make them eager to stay a part of the group.
Both Saltzman and Broccoli were dynamic, tough businessmen, but in their partnership, it was often Saltzman who was bombastic, and Broccoli who smoothed things over. He was renowned for treating his film crew as a family, most famously when he made a huge spaghetti dinner for cast and crew on location in Egypt during the filming of The Spy Who Loved Me.
When you read Hollywood gossip a lot, you can get a feel for who is, and is not, genuinely likable. In interviews, stars will almost invariably say that everyone they’ve ever met was wonderful, talented, friendly, and professional. Yet for all that, the stories get out. Sooner or later, if someone is mean-spirited, mercurial, violent, or cold, it’ll see print. Nothing of the sort ever saw print about Cubby Broccoli. Sure, he was tough; all successful business people have to be, but he was also genuinely beloved.
Cubby Broccoli was awarded the prestigious Irving J. Thalberg Award in 1981. This award is given to major film producers at the Oscars ceremony, but is not awarded every year. He passed away in 1996 (Saltzman had died two years earlier). By this time, his step-son, Michael Wilson, was already a vital part of the Bond team and co-producer. Wilson and Broccoli’s daughter Barbara continue to helm the Bond pictures. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) was dedicated to Cubby Broccoli’s memory.
–
Deborah Lipp, March 14, 2009
Author – The Ultimate James Bond Fan Book
Material expanded upon and adapted from The Ultimate James Bond Fan Book by Deborah Lipp.
–
