Happy 83rd birthday, Sean Connery

Sean Connery, circa 1963

It’s a day early but here’s wishing a happy 83rd birthday to Sean Connery (b. Aug. 25, 1930), the first screen James Bond.

Sir Sean is only seen occasionally in public these days. While his Bond work is a prominent part of his resume, he’s often noted for his non-007 work as well. If you do a SEARCH FOR HIS NAME ON IMDB.COM, it lists him as “(Actor, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989))”.

Even in the world of Bond fandom, there has been a shift. The $1.11 billion box office take of Skyfall has been cited as having the top 007 box office even adjusted for inflation, displacing Connery’s Thunderball. Many fans say the 21st century Bond films of Daniel Craig are much more sophisticated than previous films, the first Connery movies included.

Also, Barbara Broccoli, co-boss of Eon Productions is on record as saying Daniel Craig, the current 007, is the best James Bond ever. (Click HERE, HERE and HERE.)

To be clear, nobody says “Sean Who?” But Connery and his six films for the Eon Productions series aren’t necessarily held with the same reverence as even 10 years ago. Occasionally, you’ll see some younger fans tell older ones who still hold Connery as the No. 1 007 that they need to let it go.

It’s easy to forget, however, how Connery’s Bond early movies — Dr. No through Thunderball, released annually — were a phenomenon. By the mid-1960s, in the days before home video, his 007 adventures seemed to run non-stop in theaters, whether they be new releases or double feature re-releases. Connery, aided and abetted by talented crew members, made a huge impact on popular culture.

So happy birthday, Sir Sean. The blog has posted the following before. It’s Connery’s appearance in the fall of 1965 on the CBS prime-time game show What’s My Line?

By this point, Connery was tiring of Bond and working for producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. Thus, Connery talks more about his other projects at the time, including The Hill, which was about to open. But during this mystery guest sequence (where blindfolded panelists try to guess the celebrity’s identity) there’s also banter about how the Bond films were constantly in theaters.

1965: Sean Connery tries to stump the What’s My Line? panel

Sean Connery in 1965 faced off against a panel of Dorothy Kilgallen, Ralph Meeker, Arlene Francis and Martin Gabel on the Mark Goodson-Bill Todman game show What’s My Line? The 007 star appeared just before the drama The Hill was to open in New York and he was in the city filming A Fine Madness.

As it turned out, he didn’t pull it off. Gabel, who was also Miss Francis’s husband, had worked with Connery in the Alfred Hitcock film Marnie. So it was Gabel who successfully guessed the mystery guest’s identity.

On this particular evening, there was little talk about the Bond movies. Both Francis and host John Daly comment about how films such as The Hill and A Fine Madness must be nice breaks from the world of 007. In any case, it’s fun to watch, particularly with Sir Sean talking in a high-pitched voice to try to fool the panel. See for yourselves:

Happy birthday, Ursula Andress

Today, March 19, is the 74th birthday of the first Bond film heroine, Ursula Andress.

She shows up here, the trailer for Dr. No:

And here’s how she made an impression on a generation of moviegoers as Honey Rider:

UPDATE: And here she is as the mystery guest on What’s My Line? She appeared on the show to promote the then-upcoming 1967 comedic verfsion of Casino Royale:

Woody Allen, fresh from filming Casino Royale, goes on What’s My Line?

For those unfamiliar with it, What’s My Line? aired from 1950 until 1967 on CBS and from 1968 until 1975 in syndication. Toward the end of its CBS run, Woody Allen, having completed filming in the 1967 Casino Royale did a turn as the mystery guest. Did he stump the panel? Take a look:

Now if somebody could find that Sean Connery appearance on WML?….

A salute (sort of) to the 007 parody Alligator

There have been a number of parodies of Ian Fleming and James Bond over the years. But one that resonates decades after its publication is Alligator, a Harvard Lampoon send-up of Goldfinger.

It’s easy to see why. First take a look at the cover. The Lampoon, which published Alligator in 1962, modeled it after the New American Library paperback versions of Fleming’s novels. The novel’s hero, J*mes B*nd consumes seemingly even more alcohol than Fleming’s Bond did.

The parody’s supposed author was I*n Fl*m*ng. In reality, it was co-written by Michael K. Frith and Cristopher B. Cerf. Cerf’s father was book publisher Bennett Cerf (1898-1971), perhaps best known as a panelist on the long-running (1950-1967, in its CBS incarnation) game show What’s My Line?

As it turns out Christopher Cerf’s brother, Jonathan, also appeared on the game show. Jonathan Cerf worked at the Harvard Lampoon along with Peter Gabel, the son of WML? panelist Arlene Francis. We wish the connection were closer but it’s an amusing clip:

UPDATE: Of course, Arlene Francis’s husband, Martin Gabel, was in the Sean Connery-Alfred Hitchcock movie Marnie. On another occasion, it was Martin Gabel who figured out that Connery was the mystery guest on What’s My Line?

UPDATE II: We would be remiss if we didn’t note that Christopher Cerf went out to a career in writing for children’s programs such as Sesame Street and The Electric Company. You can get the details by checking out Mr. Cerf’s IMDB.COM PAGE.