the decade with which James Bond is most closely associated. The films, debuting in 1962, brought Ian Fleming and James Bond into the lives of millions of people in almost every country in the world. The novels' sales rose rapidly as a result, and James Bond, by the middle of the decade, was big business. The James Bond "image" was appealing and the media were quick to catch on to the fact Playboy magazine began serializing Fleming's novels very early in the decade, and later featured pictorial spreads from the films. (In many ways, the Playboy image was fed by James Bond and vice versa.)Millions of dollars were made by merchandisers of James Bond toys and novelties in the mid-sixties. "Bondmania," as it was called, reached a peak in 1966 and remained high throughout the decade. Many books and articles were written attempting to analyze the cult and why the phenomenon existed. Ian Fleming would actually be "studied" in university sociology and psychoanalytical courses. Parodies of the Bond books even began cropping up. The most notable of these were Alligator by I*n Fl*m*ng, published by the Harvard Lampoon (it was actually written by Michael K. Frith and Christopher B. Cerf), and Cyril Connolly's "Bond Strikes Camp," which appeared in the April 1963 issue of London Magazine. In this latter short story, Bond is forced to dress in drag to catch a Russian spy.
At the beginning of 1960, Ian Fleming may not have realized the tremendous scope with which his creation would become a cult figure. Kevin McClory, however, somehow sensed the James Bond potential. That January, McClory visited Fleming at Goldeneye in order to find out what was happening with the film project. As reported in John Pearson's biography of Fleming, Fleming told McClory he wanted to hand the screenplay to MCA with his and Bryce's joint recommendation for McClory to produce the film. But if a studio rejected the film on the basis of McClory as producer, then it was up to McClory to sell himself to the studio, back out, or go to court. McClory, feeling rejected and betrayed, left Goldeneye only hours after he had arrived. For Fleming, the film project completely died in the next few months. But the Xanadu Productions experience would return to haunt him.
Ian Fleming's new novel that year, the ninth James Bond book, was THUNDERBALL, based on the screenplay, Longitude 78 West ,that had been written by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, and himself.
John Pearson suggested a possible reason for Fleming's not acknowledging the story's source. He was accustomed to using discarded film or TV scripts as bases for novels. DOCTOR NO was originally a film script written for producer Henry Morganthau III. Four of the short stones in FOR YOUR EYES ONLY were adapted from his television scripts. The consequences, however, were not revealed until THUNDERBALL was published a year later in the spring of 1961.
In March of 1960, Ian Fleming met an important fan of his books. Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a good friend of Mrs. Marion "Oatsie" Leiter, with whom Fleming was well acquainted. Mrs. Leiter happened to be dining with the Kennedys on March 13 and Fleming had come by to see her in Washington on his way back from Jamaica. He had come to the city on the invitation of Henry Brandon, the Sunday Times correspondent there. While Mrs. Leiter and Fleming were driving through Georgetown, they saw the senator and his wife walking down a street. Mrs. Leiter stopped the car and asked if she could bring a visitor to dinner. When Kennedy learned that the visitor was Ian Fleming, he connected the name with James Bond and replied, "By all means." The men took to each other, and Fleming soon also came to know Robert Kennedy and Eunice Kennedy Shriver. In the future, Fleming sent them all signed copies of his books.
In April, FOR YOUR EYES ONLY was published. The jacket, again by Richard Chopping, featured an eye looking through a hole in an unpainted wooden door. The book received
At the beginning of 1960, Ian Fleming may not have realized the tremendous scope with which his creation would become a cult figure. Kevin McClory, however, somehow sensed the James Bond potential. That January, McClory visited Fleming at Goldeneye in order to find out what was happening with the film project. As reported in John Pearson's biography of Fleming, Fleming told McClory he wanted to hand the screenplay to MCA with his and Bryce's joint recommendation for McClory to produce the film. But if a studio rejected the film on the basis of McClory as producer, then it was up to McClory to sell himself to the studio, back out, or go to court. McClory, feeling rejected and betrayed, left Goldeneye only hours after he had arrived. For Fleming, the film project completely died in the next few months. But the Xanadu Productions experience would return to haunt him.
Ian Fleming's new novel that year, the ninth James Bond book, was THUNDERBALL, based on the screenplay, Longitude 78 West ,that had been written by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, and himself.
John Pearson suggested a possible reason for Fleming's not acknowledging the story's source. He was accustomed to using discarded film or TV scripts as bases for novels. DOCTOR NO was originally a film script written for producer Henry Morganthau III. Four of the short stones in FOR YOUR EYES ONLY were adapted from his television scripts. The consequences, however, were not revealed until THUNDERBALL was published a year later in the spring of 1961.
In March of 1960, Ian Fleming met an important fan of his books. Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a good friend of Mrs. Marion "Oatsie" Leiter, with whom Fleming was well acquainted. Mrs. Leiter happened to be dining with the Kennedys on March 13 and Fleming had come by to see her in Washington on his way back from Jamaica. He had come to the city on the invitation of Henry Brandon, the Sunday Times correspondent there. While Mrs. Leiter and Fleming were driving through Georgetown, they saw the senator and his wife walking down a street. Mrs. Leiter stopped the car and asked if she could bring a visitor to dinner. When Kennedy learned that the visitor was Ian Fleming, he connected the name with James Bond and replied, "By all means." The men took to each other, and Fleming soon also came to know Robert Kennedy and Eunice Kennedy Shriver. In the future, Fleming sent them all signed copies of his books.
In April, FOR YOUR EYES ONLY was published. The jacket, again by Richard Chopping, featured an eye looking through a hole in an unpainted wooden door. The book received
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