Edge of Darkness: various 007 connections

Edge of Darkness, Mel Gibson’s first starring role since 2002, has multiple James Bond connections. The advertisements stressed how this was “From the Director of Casino Royale” (Martin Campbell). That meant that two-time 007 director Cambell would include Phil Meheux, who worked as director of photography with Campbell on GoldenEye and Casino Royale; film editor [...]

The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. makes list of 15 worst spinoff series

Entertainment Weekly has come out with a list of the 15 worst spinoff series. The only spy series, and one of the oldest series on the list, is The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., which ran in the 1966-67 series. We’d excerpt except there’s not much text. Essentially, it says Stefanie Powers’s April Dancer comes across as [...]

1973: Time profiles the new James Bond

In January 1973, Time magazine thought the impending debut of a new James Bond, in this case Roger Moore, was important enough to merit to merit a 1,200-plus-word article and multiple photographs. (As we discussed previously, Time panned Live And Let Die after it came out.) For most people, Sean Connery, who played 007 in [...]

Salute to Martin Grace, 007 stuntman

This week, the 007 film world lost Martin Grace, 67, a veteran stuntman who was Roger Moore’s primary stunt double from The Spy Who Loved Me through A View To a Kill. The MI6 Web site reported he died Jan. 27, two months after an accident where he fractured his pelvis. He had suffered a [...]

New Orleans Saints pull a James Bond — intercept Brett Farve with 0:07 to go

The New Orleans Saints pulled a James Bond — they intercepted the Minnesota Vikings and QB Brett Farve with 0:07 to go in the game. It’s tied 28 all at the end of regulation. The NFC championship game is going into sudden-death overtime. UPDATE: The Saints win the game 31-28 in overtime. The Vikings never [...]

1968: Time analyzes Mission: Impossible’s appeal

Few people remember Bruce Geller today. He created Mission: Impossible, developed Mannix and was viewed in his heyday as a brilliant television producer. His series were known for very stylized title sequences. In fact, it’s his hand who strikes the match that lights the fuse in the M:I title sequence of the original TV series. [...]

1965: Time describes Bondomania

For James Bond fans, 1965 was quite a year. In the U.S., Goldfinger played well into the year after a December premier; United Artists circulated a double bill of Dr. No and From Russia With Love; the television special The Incredible World of James Bond (airing in the timeslot of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., then [...]

More about MGM’s worsening finances

Bloomberg.com has a story today (Jan. 21) providing more details about the deteriorating finances at MGM, which controls half of the James Bond franchise. The story by Kristen Haunss and Sarah Rabil starts thusly: Jan. 21 (Bloomberg) — Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.’s $3.7 billion term loan has fallen about 5 cents on the dollar this month, according [...]

1965: Time predicts big things for Robert Vaughn

In early 1965, Time magazine was expecting big things for Robert Vaughn, the star of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a series that had been pitched to NBC executives as “James Bond for television.” Bond is not hard to copy, however, and—given the mass audience of television—the actor who plays Solo may soon be even more [...]

Conan O’Brien drops Blofeld reference into monologue

In what is probably one of his last shows on NBC, Conan O’Brien dropped an Ernst Stavro Blofeld reference into his Jan. 19 monologue. On The Tonight Show, O’Brien again took a shot at his soon-to-be-former network, NBC. He began the bit by saying there were reports that he couldn’t say anything unflattering about NBC. [...]