Gaps Getting Filled

Today was enjoyable as I went over to Canoga Park to rummage around a very nice used bookstore, Next Chapter Books.

I found a Signet paperback edition of Ian Fleming's James Bond novel, The Man With The Golden Gun. So now I have only one Fleming Bond book to get to complete my collection, Thunderball. The gaps are almost filled.

The story's plot, according to the back cover, is vastly different than the movie version that came out in 1974 with Roger Moore. I'll give it a review once I finish reading it.

I picked up two other books. One was for my roomie, 365 Ways To Cook Chicken by Cheryl Sedaker (Harper Collins) and one for myself, Nixon In Winter by Monica Crowley (Random House). Nixon In Winter covers former President Richard Nixon's final four years.

I started reading the Crowley book. It has been interesting, so far. One interesting tidbit about Nixon during my initial scan of the book: Nixon's favorite holiday was Halloween.

For Your Eyes Only

A trip to Pasadena today was productive. My roomie had a culinary club meeting in connection with her cooking school there. So, I had an hour or so to browse around.

Fortunately, there's a used bookstore nearby and I did some rummaging around.

Last summer, I read the Ian Fleming James Bond books I have (except a couple I already read). There's a few that I don't have: Thunderball, The Man With The Golden Gun and For Your Eyes Only.

At the used bookstore, I found a Signet paperback of For Your Eyes Only (pictured above). I was snagged it for $5.00.

For Your Eyes Only is a collection of five short stories. They are:

From A View To A Kill

For Your Eyes Only

Quantum Of Solace

Risico

The Hildebrand Rarity

This book should be sufficient enough for a good night's (or two) reading.

The James Bond Films: 50th Anniversary

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.

Ian Fleming Inspired By 1951 Superman Episode?

Above, the edition of "The Spy Who Loved Me" in my collection.

A woman is terrorized by two mobster thugs at a tourist cabin resort near the Canadian border. She is going to be killed unless she is rescued. Eventually, she is rescued in the nick of time.

Sound familiar? Well, it should. It is the plot to a 1951 episode of the Adventures of Superman titled "Night of Terror" (photo below) starring George Reeves and Phyllis Coates. Lois Lane is terrorized by two mobster thugs at the Restwell Tourist Cabins until Superman comes to the rescue.



It is also the plot to Ian Fleming's James Bond novel, "The Spy Who Loved Me." The story is written through the eyes of "a passionate woman" named Vivienne Michel.

Nowhere in the novel are undersea cities, submarines, Soviet agents, Stromberg, Egypt or Jaws (as in the movie version). The novel's story takes place in the Adirondacks on a route from Canada through the United States. The thugs arrive at the tourist cabins to torch them for insurance money and terrorize clerk Michel. There's no Vivienne Michel in the movie version.

Following a completed assignment in Canada, James Bond arrives at the resort due to a flat tire and for a night's sleep.

It was an entertaining and fast read. Bond does not show up until about 2/3 of the way through.

I wonder if Fleming watched the Adventures of Superman and got his inspiration for this story from "Night of Terror"?

Next: "You Only Live Twice"

On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming was finished (finally!) last night.

It is one of Fleming's best James Bond novels and I found that the 1969 movie with George Lazenby (as Bond) and Diana Rigg (as Tracy) was pretty close to the book, with some changes here and there.

The next book (in the order of publication) I am going to read is You Only Live Twice, which is set in Japan. It will be interesting to see the differences between the movie (with Sean Connnery (as Bond) and Akiko Wakabayashi) and the book.

Left, Akiko Wakabayashi.