Few franchises are as iconic as that of James Bond. And 007’s first screen appearance in 60 years has spawned a popular culture phenomenon that has grossed over $7 billion in theaters. Here then, to welcome the release of James Bond vs. Dr. No May 8, 1963 in North America, what you need to know about the very first Bond.
Contrary to what one might think, it was not Sean Connery who interested producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, but Cary Grant. Bad luck, the latter’s fee was equivalent to the film’s total production budget, which amounted to… US$1 million! Also, Grant didn’t want to commit to three feature films. The two men then began to look elsewhere before making their choice on Sean Connery, an unknown at the time. On the other hand, Ian Flemming, the author of the novels, was not convinced, the actor being too far from his British character and coming from a bourgeois family. It was when he saw the film that he changed his mind.
Ursula Andress, legendary Honey Ryder and became a sex symbol after this role, was an unusual choice to say the least. Indeed, his Swiss German accent was so pronounced that it was out of the question to be heard. So it was Nikki van der Zyl who dubbed all of her dialogue. Moreover, Andress did not know how to sing and it is Diana Couplan that we therefore hear humming Underneath the Mango Tree. And for those interested in gossip, know that Ursula Andress and Sean Connery had an affair while filming James Bond vs. Dr. No which they ended when the actor’s wife became pregnant.
The famous music, now synonymous with James Bond, is not the work of John Barry as one might think. In fact, composer Monty Norman composed the notes for bad sign good sign for a musical adaptation that never saw the light of day. John Barry then rearranged it and the melody became the spy anthem. And, for the record, we note that it is not Sean Connery who appears in the credits – the famous opening sequence seen from the barrel of a weapon – of James Bond vs. Dr. Nobut a stuntman named Bob Simmons…until Thunderbolt.
Sylvia Trench, played by Eunice Gayson, is the woman James Bond meets at the baccarat table and ends up in his bed. She was, normally, to return in the following films and to take the place of official mistress of the secret agent. But the producers changed their mind after Kisses from Russia. In addition, Eunice Gayson must have been naked when Sean Connery opened the door to her hotel room and she was playing golf… an initiative that the censors of the time quickly banned.
The decorations of James Bond vs. Dr. No impressed none other than legendary director Stanley Kubrick. So he decided to hire production designer Ken Adam for his Doctor Strangelovereleased in 1963.
And finally, the cult line “Bond, James Bond” was improvised by Sean Connery. The actor found that the intended words “My name is James Bond” did not have the necessary scope for his character.