h/t to David Leigh of The James Bond Dossier who researched the founding date of Eon Productions.
2022 will mark the 60th anniversary of the first James Bond film, Dr. No. But in one sense, the 60th already is underway when it comes to key events that led to the movie.
What follows is a sampling (hardly a comprehensive list) of key dates.
June 29, 1961: United Artists issues a press release that it will distribute a series of James Bond films to be produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. A partial image of the press release is shown in Inside Dr. No, a documentary included in Bond film home video releases.
The producers earlier agreed to join forces. Saltzman held a six-month option on most of Ian Fleming’s Bond novels. But he had been unable to reach a deal with a studio.
Broccoli had been interested in the Bond novels for years. He was introduced to Saltzman. Broccoli was unable to buy out Saltzman’s option. So they approached UA together.
July 6, 1961: Eon Productions is incorporated. It is the Broccoli-Salzman company that will produce the Bond films. A separate company, Danjaq, was formed to control the copyright to the movies.
Aug. 18, 1961: Eon receives a script by Richard Maibaum adapting Thunderball, Fleming’s most recent Bond novel. However, the novel had been based on material from an unmade film. Thunderball would generate legal fights. Eon would switch gears and begin its Bond series with Dr. No instead.
Aug. 23, 1961: Broccoli sends a note to Saltzman. “Blumofe reports New York did not care for Connery feels we can do better.”
The note appears in both Inside Dr. No and When the Snow Melts, Broccoli’s autobiography.
Blumofe may refer to Robert F. Blumofe, a West Coast-based UA executive from 1953 to 1966.
A 1961 article in The New York Times described him as “Hollywood symbol of cinematic revolution.” That referred to how UA provided producers and filmmakers more autonomy than other studios.
Connery, of course, was Sean Connery who got the Bond role. UA would soon change its mind about Connery’s suitability for the part.
UPDATE: Last year, Eon’s official Twitter feed listed Nov. 3, 1961 as the date when Connery’s casting was announced.
Filed under: James Bond Films | Tagged: Albert R. Broccoli, Dr. No, Eon Productions, Harry Saltzman, Ian Fleming, United Artists | 9 Comments »
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