Rare George Reeves Photo Acquired

by Armand Vaquer

Above, Armand with a photo of George Reeves with his rifle collection. Photo by Jes.

This week, I managed to obtain a photo print (the details of which are confidential) from a photo shoot by former 1930s child actor Bill Seay (known then as Billy Seay) (1922-2012) of Adventures of Superman star George Reeves in his Benedict Canyon home.

Reeves is pictured in a tuxedo (sort of like James Bond, but this pre-dates the first Sean Connery Bond, Doctor No, by 3 years) with his rifle collection.

The photo was taken during a photo shoot by Seay purportedly on the weekend before Reeves's June 16, 1959 death. The photo session included the below well-known photo of Reeves sitting on his front porch.

Above, George Reeves on the front porch of his Benedict Canyon home.

It is a nice print and I will be matting and framing it shortly.

Who Did James Bond Look Like According To Ian Fleming?

by Armand Vaquer

Above, Ian Fleming.

Ever since Sean Connery became super-secret agent James Bond 007 of Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1962, and through the ensuing years of Roger Moore to Daniel Craig, people have wondered how author Ian Fleming envisioned what Bond looked like.

According to Wikipedia, Fleming envisioned that Bond should resemble American singer/songwriter Hoagy Carmichael and...himself.

Their source?

One source was the novel, Casino Royale in which Vesper Lynd is quoted, "Bond reminds me rather of Hoagy Carmichael, but there is something cold and ruthless."

The second source was in the novel, Moonraker where Special Branch officer Gala Brand thought that Bond was "certainly good-looking ... Rather like Hoagy Carmichael in a way. That black hair falling down over the right eyebrow.  Much the same bones.  But there was something a bit cruel in the mouth, and the eyes were cold."

Baby-boomers and later generations probably have no idea what Hoagy Carmichael looked like. So, not to keep anyone in suspense, here is what Carmichael looked like:

Above, Hoagy Carmichael.

Some present-day fans feel that actor Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln) resembles Carmichael and would be an ideal James Bond.

Can you picture James Bond looking somewhat like Hoagy Carmichael? Yes, when a facial scar is added (in the Fleming books, Bond has a facial scar down his right cheek).

What James Bond Did For Japan

by Armand Vaquer

Above, Akiko Wakabayashi and Sean Connery at the sumo stadium in "You Only Live Twice."  Photo: United Artists.

In 1967, James Bond 007 (in the form of Sean Connery) had a mission to stop the hijacking of U.S. and U.S.S.R. space capsules by S.P.E.C.T.R.E. to prevent a war between the two nations.  That mission took him to Japan.  The movie was You Only Live Twice.

As this year is the fiftieth anniversary of the James Bond movies, the Japan Times took a look at what Bond did for Japan in "The Gentleman In The Tux and What He Did For Japan."

Along with Connery, Toho actresses Akiko Wakabayashi and Mie Hama were featured as Japanese agents Aki and Kissy Suzuki respectively.

The article starts out with:

In 1967, James Bond made his official Japan debut in "You Only Live Twice": The gentleman spy came to Tokyo and Fukuoka, saw some sumo, consorted with ninja and got intimate with two homegrown Bond girls. Directed by Lewis Gilbert, "You Only Live Twice" goes down in Japan's collective memory as the one and only time 007 made it to these shores.

The movie version of You Only Live Twice is quite different from Ian Fleming's novel, although both are centered in Japan.

On working with Connery, Wakabayashi said in my interview with her, "James Bond in the movie is a ladies' man, but Sean-san is a warm-hearted honest man. He has a clear vision as an actor. He can be stubborn from time to time, but he is a real man with a bit of old-fashioned taste."

One bit of trivia:  the location used for Osato Chemicals in Tokyo was the New Otani Hotel.

To read the full article, go here.

The James Bond Films: 50th Anniversary

by Armand Vaquer



There's one thing that movie fans or, specifically, James Bond fans, can look forward to this year is the 50th anniversary of Eon Productions' James Bond franchise.

Above, Ursula Andress.

It was in 1962 that the franchise was launched by the first movie based on Ian Fleming's British Secret Service agent 007, Doctor No. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli. That movie made Sean Connery an international star and it featured Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder, Jack Lord as CIA agent (and Bond pal) Felix Leiter, Joseph Wiseman as Doctor No, Bernard Lee as "M" and Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny. Desmond Llewelyn did not join the regulars as "Q" until the next movie, From Russia With Love.



Doctor No introduced the iconic "James Bond Theme" and the Maurice Binder "gun barrel" Bond opening sequence. It had a budget of one million dollars (low-budget by today's standards) and was released on October 5, 1962.

It will be fun to see what may be in store this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the James Bond films.



Left, Sean Connery in his first James Bond outing.

Sean Connery Is 80 Today!

by Armand Vaquer

Bond, James Bond turns 80 today.

No, not the Ian Fleming character, but the original movie James Bond, Sean Connery.

Described as a "man's man," Connery created the movie James Bond template that has endured the ups and downs of the movies and successor actors including Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and, currently, Daniel Craig. (Bond 23's production is being held up due to financial problems of MGM.)

My parents took me to see a double-bill of 1962's Dr. No and 1963's From Russia With Love (both starring Connery) and I've been hooked ever since. When it was announced that Goldfinger was about to be released, I already knew what to expect and looked forward to seeing it.

I have most of the Ian Fleming Bond novels (I hit the jackpot one day at a used book store).

It is generally conceded that Connery's Goldfinger (1964) is the best of the Bond movies. I think he hit his stride in that one although the aforementioned Dr. No and From Russia With Love were good movies.

Connery's last Eon Productions Bond movie was Diamonds Are Forever (1971). It had its moments, but it showed that the series was beginning to get into the silliness of the Roger Moore (who took over in the next film, Live and Let Die in 1973) years. He then went on to distinguish himself in other films such as The Man Who Would Be King, The Untouchables (he won a supporting actor Academy Award for that one), amongst others.

Connery's last outing as Agent 007 was in the independently-produced Never Say Never Again in 1982. In that movie, he showed that he still had the Bond touch.



Akiko Wakabayashi, who co-starred with Connery in 1967's You Only Live Twice (set in Japan), said in a G-FAN interview (by yours truly and Brett Homenick) of Connery, "James Bond in the movie is a ladies' man, but Sean-san is a warm-hearted honest man. He has a clear vision as an actor. He can be stubborn from time to time, but he is a real man with a bit of old-fashioned taste."

Connery says his acting days are over (almost sounds like one of his final lines in Never Say Never Again). He is enjoying his retirement. Perhaps, if the right project and role should surface, he could be persuaded to make a comeback. Never say never!

Happy Birthday, Sean Connery!