Roger Moore Fleming's first choice for Bond

[adam]

Thanks for the link Jake. I was'nt able to get into it. Maybe you tell me some juicy facts.

[harrypalmer]

Dec 15, 2008 13:52:17 GMT -5 adam said:

Thanks for the link Jake. I was'nt able to get into it. Maybe you tell me some juicy facts.

Here is a working link adam - Jake accidentally put an extra full stop on the end!!

www.klast.net/bond/newbond.html

[Stockslivevan]

I stand corrected Kadov, on certain things.

Dec 15, 2008 14:17:17 GMT -5 harrypalmer said:

Dec 15, 2008 13:52:17 GMT -5 adam said:

Thanks for the link Jake. I was'nt able to get into it. Maybe you tell me some juicy facts.

Here is a working link adam - Jake accidentally put an extra full stop on the end!!

www.klast.net/bond/newbond.html

Orlando Bloom... *shudder* That's just as bad as Cavill.

[Kadov]

Dec 15, 2008 13:42:51 GMT -5 Jake said:

Didn't Fleming like the idea of Stewart Granger also? It seems like all the names the creator of James Bond liked were as far away from Daniel Craig as it's possible to get.

Thanks Jake for the photos. This is interesting.
I remember reading an article about Stewart Granger, that he was one of the names that Fleming tossed around. Based on that photo, the young Stewart Granger had a Bondian kind of look.

The research that Robert Sellers did for his book The Battle For Bond certainly shows that Fleming (in letters to associates) was aware of the the movie stars of the day and favored the likes of Richard Burton, even Dirk Bogarde (apparently, Bogarde was a box-office star in England at the time).



A side note: Fleming didn't like Trevor Howard (suggested by McClory), explaining that the actor was too old. Ironically, years later, Cubby Broccoli thought that Trevor Howard was too craggy when the actor was brought up during the casting for Dr. No. Hmmm...there's an eerie thing going on here.

But most of the actors at that time had the look of the classic male image--the tall, handsome movie-star look. There's an interesting analysis from an article called "Two Views from the Hotel Splendide":

source: n007.thegoldeneye.com/two_views_casino_royale.html

The literary Bond, Chancellor explains [in James Bond: The Man and His World], is also a reflection of the male models that appeared everywhere when Fleming was writing the books: “Advertisements for suits, whisky, cars, cigarettes all showed a tall, dark man with comic-book good looks, whose muscular frame looked good in a single-breasted suit.” In films, “this type of man was Gregory Peck, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper—a type of male omnipresent before the 1960s skinny rock star” (63). Even the Bondian figure on the covers of Fleming’s paperback editions feature the same type of character (presumably, a depiction that the author accepted because of its frequent use): the darkly handsome hero, generic enough to be something of an all-encompassing image for the movie stars of the day.

[Stockslivevan]

I was actually watching The Spy Who Came in From the Cold awhile ago and Burton's characterization to me resembled the worn out older Bond in the later Fleming books.

[Gambit]

Dirk Bogarde was James Bond in this very clever hoax website about a fifties Moonraker adaption involving Orson Welles;

www.geocities.com/simonbermuda/

[Jake]

Dec 16, 2008 14:11:17 GMT -5 Gambit said:

Dirk Bogarde was James Bond in this very clever hoax website about a fifties Moonraker adaption involving Orson Welles;

www.geocities.com/simonbermuda/

I fell for that hoax myself. The Stanley Baker v Dirk Bogarde contest for the role of 007 seemed convincing given the era. I'm not sure Baker would have been altogether perfect for the part but I think we can safely say that he would have been a tougher Bond than old Dirk.

[alex]

I don't think Baker was quite handsome enough to be Bond. I like him in Zulu though.

[adam]

Seeing these other names mentioned just makes me think Moore would have been one of the best options back in 1962. Along with Connery. Maybe Moore turned down Bond ! Afterall Bond was'nt an established film franchise before 1962and there was no garantee of Dr No being a success. The longer term financial security of 'The Saint' t.v. seris may have been more appealing.

[Gambit]

Roger would have been a very young looking Bond in the sixties although he is actually a bit older than Sean.

[adam]

Watching 'The Saint' repeats I don't think Moore looked too young or old to play Bond. He was in his 30's, and looked it. Maybe Salzman, Brocoli and Fleming made overtures to him without offering him the part. Moore then took the offer of 'The Saint'. At that time he was'nt in a position to pick and choose so probably accepted the first decent offer. Connery was then chosen for Dr No. Or maybe Morre turned it down outright and has sworn to secrecy !

[Stockslivevan]

What would be the point of Moore hiding it? EON ran with it in 1973 to prop him up so shouldn't Moore go along with it? There could be two explanations. 1) It really was a plant by EON and Moore knew it enough to debunk it. Or 2) Moore really was considered a candidate in '62 but feels modest about it.

I was thinking it was possible that EON wanted to keep it under wraps therefore not make it seem that Connery was a "second choice" to Moore, but the fact that they ran with it in '73 discredits that theory.

Either way, Moore definitely wasn't Fleming's first choice because of his fondness for David Niven, who was mentioned in YOLT as the kindest actor in Hollywood.

[harrypalmer]

Kadov wrote:
A side note: Fleming didn't like Trevor Howard (suggested by McClory), explaining that the actor was too old. Ironically, years later, Cubby Broccoli thought that Trevor Howard was too craggy when the actor was brought up during the casting for Dr. No. Hmmm...there's an eerie thing going on here.

[adam]

I suppose Harry and Cubby may have asked him to keep it quiet in 1962. Moore being the gentleman he is, no doubt agreed. Or maybe actors have to sign a pre interview/screen test contract saying they can't discuss what went on. The public finding out actors were turning down the part, is negative publicity and will affect the success. Connery turned out to be so popular the fact Moore was (maybe) first choice has never seen the light of day.

Imagine if he had starred in Dr No and retired after AVTAK. That's 14 films & 23 years !

[JackBurton]

I don't know if Moore was Fleming's original choice but I daresay his name popped up in the mix. Moore has said in interviews that he was approached to take over from Connery in the mid to late sixties but his television contract and a delay eventually put paid to this idea and it wasn't until much later in 1972 that the Bond role unexpectedly came his way again. In theory, OHMSS could have starred Roger Moore!