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American Morning
James Bond Movies at 40
Aired June 28, 2002 - 09:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN CONNERY, ACTOR: Bond -- James Bond.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It has been now four decades since the first James Bond, movie, "Dr. No," and a bit later this year, the 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day," is going to be out, starring the current Bond, Pierce Brosnan -- and Halle Berry also with a big role in that film.
There's a big party in town tonight. Later in London -- we were talking about Richard Quest, about this earlier today -- going to celebrate 40 years of 007.
Entertainment reporter Susan Campos now joins us live, here in New York, with more on the rather successful film franchise.
Good to see you back from L.A., first of all.
SUSAN CAMPOS, ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Good morning.
HEMMER: OK. We've been doing these quizzes throughout the day, here...
CAMPOS: Right.
HEMMER: trying get our viewers up to speed on the whole 007 deal. Listen, we asked earlier today to name all five James Bonds, and I think some people can probably do a few of those. I mean, Sean Connery's obvious. Roger Moore is pretty -- how about the guy in the middle?
CAMPOS: George Lazenby, who, actually, only did one James Bond movie, and then, of course, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan. But yes, George Lazenby is the one nobody can ever remember because he only just did the one.
HEMMER: Which probably surrounds more trivia than any other trivia regarding James Bond.
Listen, we went out on the streets of Manhattan trying to figure out, just kind of folks on the street, who they thought was the person they remember and recognize the most. Here's what we found out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roger Moore was -- he's sort of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to the role. He didn't sort of -- I mean, a lot of the people liked the way that he portrayed the character. Personally, I think Sean Connery's way was the best. Pierce Brosnan's a definite close second, the way he's doing it now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sean Connery was the best. Pierce Brosnan took it up at the end. He wasn't so good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would have to say Sean Connery.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Timothy Dalton. I just though he was a lot better. Preferred him because he was more of the action-type Bond, and he's a lot more actiony than the rest of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: You notice everybody's got to slide into character when they talk about Sean Connery.
CAMPOS: I know.
HEMMER: Listen, why did he walk away from this?
CAMPOS: I think he just didn't want to be typecast, so he walked away, and obviously, it didn't hurt his career. But people who know him say he really is James Bond, that he's so sophisticated and suave, and that I guess to this day people still walk him to him -- you know, fans -- and say, please say, "Bond -- James Bond." And when he does, they go crazy.
HEMMER: I have a friend who says he could listen to Sean Connery read the phone book. Probably a lot of folks who go to movies do too.
Another quiz question for you, Susan. In which movie does James Bond get married?
CAMPOS: "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," he gets married, but his wife dies at the end of the movie.
HEMMER: That's the trick. ...
CAMPOS: Yes. That is the trick there.
HEMMER: And the star of that movie -- George Lazenby.
CAMPOS: Again -- and here's -- he has a very funny history. He basically was a guy who lived in Australia, and somebody said, you know, you're such a good-looking guy, really, you should be a male model. He becomes a huge model in London. And then his agent says, I know you've never, you know, done any acting, but why don't you try out for the role of 007? He does, and he gets the job.
HEMMER: Was he good? Was he bad? Was he average? What?
CAMPOS: You know, I think that he was OK, but the other problem, I think, that it went to his head, from what I hear, very quickly.
HEMMER: Thought he was the star -- got it. Bond girls, quickly. Talk about Sean Connery. We ask some folks who they remember.
CAMPOS: Right.
HEMMER: They couldn't remember names, but they remembered characters. Here's what we found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONNERY: Who are you?
HONOR BLACKMAN, ACTOR: My name is Pussy Galore.
CONNERY: I must be dreaming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: No kidding!
CAMPOS: Honor Blackman. That's who that is. Honor Blackman. She got the role, and she got the name with the role. And basically, that was "Goldfinger," which I think is a favorite for many people. But the woman I think a lot of people remember as the Bond girl is the first Bond girl, from "Dr. No," who is Ursula Andress. And if you just remember her, she was that woman who you say getting out of the water in that bikini. And so it was so kind of '60s -- and here she is right here -- and that scene everybody remembers. So I really do think when you think of the Bond girl, she kind of epitomizes it. And she looks amazing.
HEMMER: Kind of tough to forget.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Listen: Halle Berry -- thumbs up, thumbs down? Good score for them?
CAMPOS: Oh, it's a big score for them because look at her. And again, they're kind of doing...
HEMMER: There we go.
CAMPOS: ... that same scene because take -- you know, same kind of bathing suit, same kind of look. I would say big score for them. They not only have a beautiful actress, but they have an Oscar-winning actress.
HEMMER: Yes.
Listen, I want to go through these quizzes quickly, here. I'm running out of time, here. What is actor Barry Nelson's relationship with Bond?
The answer: The first actor to play Bond, in the 1954 CBS movie "Casino Royale." We talked about that earlier today.
"Dr. No" was the first James Bond movie, but not the first James Bond book. Which number was it? It was ...
CAMPOS: Six.
HEMMER: ... number six. Ian Fleming wrote a children's book. What is the name of the children's book?
CAMPOS: "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." Can you believe that?
(CROSSTALK)
CAMPOS: And a very successful musical as well.
HEMMER: Got it.
Listen, also online, Susan asking our viewers about their results about their favorite Bond. Let's put those up. George Lazenby -- who? Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Dalton, and Brosnan.
CAMPOS: Look at that.
HEMMER: And we see quite clearly, Susan. Look at that.
CAMPOS: Sixty-five percent.
HEMMER: He is so associated with the role of James Bond. Forty years. Who would have guessed it?
Thanks for coming in.
CAMPOS: Thank you.
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