To this day, I can remember sitting in front of the television at the age of five, mesmerized by the movie playing out before me. I could not quite understand what story was being told; I only remember vivid images and moments. A giant Union Jack parachute. The pyramids. A submarine. None, however, compared with the single most frightening image I had ever seen—an image that would haunt me for the next six years. That image was a man, a gigantic man, a gigantic man with jagged steel teeth—and he struck more fear into my heart than any other movie character ever dared to do. This man was “Jaws.”
Thus began my experience with the James Bond series. For several years, I vowed never to watch a James Bond movie for fear that it might be that James Bond movie, the dreaded The Spy Who Loved Me. I thought I’d been scarred for life (the sage-like wisdom of a five year old shining through). Eventually, though, I did manage to gain some maturity and several years later my dad asked me to sit down with him and watch one of his favorite movies: Goldfinger. This time, I was hooked.
Since that day in my adolescent childhood, the Bond phenomenon has been a major interest in my casual life. It simply stuck with me, and I was hungry to watch every movie (Yes, even The Spy Who Loved Me), read every novel, get every snippet of news about the presumed “new movie.” While Bond is merely a casual interest in my life, it is something that I am thankful for; without it, I’d have been stuck in a room getting paler by the minute while being consumed by Nintendo and Sega. Bond is a major lore for me, and I know many here and all over the world relate.
While I am most grateful to Ian Fleming for conceiving of the Bond character and writing a wonderful library of stories about his exploits, I will never be able to express enough gratitude to the man who risked so much to bring Fleming’s spy to screen—Albert R. Broccoli. Broccoli, in partnership with Harry Saltzman, brought Bond to life. In 1962, Broccoli staked his reputation on a fairly unknown story and an extremely unknown lead actor when he produced Ian Fleming’s Dr. No, starring Sean Connery. I daresay much of the world would never have heard of James Bond had it not been for “Cubby” Broccoli. It was due to his initial gamble and courage, and later his perseverance, that we are able to boast that Bond has lasted for a solid forty seven years. Through the best of successful times and the worst of nearly disastrous times, Broccoli hung in there, never giving up on the franchise that had won so much love from the world.
When I think of how much pop culture has stemmed from the Bond films, I find myself in utter awe of the impact they made. “Spy” is now a household word. The gadget-laden sports car became an instant icon. The only thing men can think when they first don a tuxedo is to say their own name to themselves, last name first (and, in many cases, with an overdone “Shhcottish” brogue). The world would never have been the same without Albert R. Broccoli. I wish I could share anecdotes about his warm personality or his dedication to the cast and crew of his films; while I have heard many, I can simply say for myself that I will always be thankful to him for the impact that Bond has had on my life. I hope the Broccoli family has a wonderful time rejoicing over Broccoli’s life on this centennial day, and I hope he is at peace wherever he is.
Thanks to Charles Helfenstein for the photo!
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Hunter Graybeal, February 28, 2009
Editor – FelixLeiter.com
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