Nancy Galore? Or Pussy Pelosi? The GOP is asking…

From those geniuses that brought you the Patriot Act, “legal” waterboarding, domestic spying, the Iraq war, etc., etc., etc. … Oh well, at least it’s nice to see that, after 45 years, the imagery from Goldfinger still remains so iconic. POSTSCRIPT May 31: After more than a week of mockery, the GOP finally decided to [...]

Ian Fleming — Master of the Occult?

In March of 2008, best-selling author Philip Gardiner published The Bond Code: The Dark World of Ian Fleming and James Bond, a fascinating deconstruction of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels by their occult properties. Doing extensive research into Fleming’s life, Gardiner shows the future thriller writer as a youth awash in [Carl] Jungian psychology and [...]

“He played a Penfold!”

If you’re a golfer, and would prefer to use the same gear James Bond did, you’re in luck. In honor of the Ian Fleming Centenary, the good folks at Penfold Golf are bringing back the famed “Penfold Heart” ball, made famous as 007′s ball of choice in the 1964 film Goldfinger. “Mine’s the Penfold heart,” [...]

Happy 101st, to Ian Fleming and Ernst Stavro Blofeld

May 28th marked the 101st anniversary of the births of Ian Fleming (real) and Ernst Stavro Blofeld (fictional, as disclosed in the Thunderball novel). What the hell — happy birthday gentlemen!

Craig and Jackman to do play; so when does Craig play 007 again?

From a Chicago Sun-Times story: James Bond and Wolverine are headed for Broadway. Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman are set to star in Keith Huff’s play “A Steady Rain” slated for this fall. Barbara Broccoli, the daughter of legendary “James Bond” film producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, is set to produce. Well, that’s just great. No [...]

Happy 100th, Richard Maibaum

Tomorrow, May 26, is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Richard Maibaum, who worked as a screenwriter on 13 of the first 16 James Bond movies produced by Eon Productions. Maibaum was among a group of crew members — Ken Adam, Peter Hunt and John Barry were among the others — whose talents were [...]

The Bumps and Bruises of the Bond Business

The Times Online has a nice little piece on the Powell family, who for the past two generations have done stunt work for the James Bond movies. The Powell family is among the best-kept secrets in film, having performed Bond’s stunts for more than 40 years. In 20 films, Fred “Nosher” Powell, 80, and Dennis [...]

Ken Adam and Maurice Binder discuss Bond films, circa 1980

Ken Adam and Maurice Binder gave an interview in 1980 and discussed their work on the Bond films. Much of what they talked about concerned Moonraker. We have to credit “Mr. Wint” on the Commander Bond Web site’s message boards for finding this.

A Peter Gunn influenced by Maurice Binder?

In 1967, Peter Gunn got the big-screen treatment. Gunn came out six years after the 1958-61 series ended. Craig Stevens even reprised the role, even though all the supporting characters were recast. Being a movie meant a longer version of the famous Peter Gunn Theme by Henry Mancini. But the main titles may have also [...]

Moonraker’s 30th anniversary

Hard to believe (at least for those of us who saw the initial theatrical release) but this is the 30th anniversary of Moonraker. The fourth Roger Moore 007 movie often doesn’t get a lot of love (CLICK HERE for one example). Still, the movie has its fans who speak up for it on message boards. [...]