SYSK’s Summer Movie Playlist: What's the deal with Bond, James Bond?

Summary

Podcast Summary: Stuff You Should Know
Episode: SYSK’s Summer Movie Playlist: What's the Deal with Bond, James Bond?
Release Date: June 27, 2025

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Introduction to the Episode

In the June 27, 2025 episode of Stuff You Should Know titled "SYSK’s Summer Movie Playlist: What's the Deal with Bond, James Bond?", hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant delve deep into the iconic world of James Bond. This episode serves as part of SYSK’s Summer Movie Playlist, aiming to explore the cultural and cinematic significance of the legendary British spy.

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Origins of James Bond

Josh and Chuck begin by tracing the origins of James Bond back to his creator, Ian Fleming. Fleming, initially a journalist and stockbroker, joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve during World War II, where he was assigned to intelligence work in Washington, D.C. This real-life espionage experience served as inspiration for his creation of James Bond.

Josh Clark (04:01): "He was the creator of James Bond in novel form."

Chuck Bryant (05:03): "James Bond is a romanticized version of a spy. Bill Stevenson is the real thing."

Fleming based Bond on real-life intelligence officers, notably William Stevenson, also known as Intrepid, and even Roald Dahl, who is better known for his children's books but also contributed to Fleming’s espionage activities.

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Development of the Character

The hosts discuss how Fleming shaped Bond's persona. Bond was envisioned as a playboy adventurer, embodying traits such as skiing, scuba diving with Jacques Cousteau, and leading an extravagant lifestyle in his Jamaican estate, Goldeneye.

Chuck Bryant (06:13): "He was a playboy, an island hopper, an adventurer... He dove with Jacques Cousteau and snow skied from the tops of mountains in Switzerland."

Fleming chose the name James Bond to ensure it was mundane and wouldn't overshadow the character's role as a "blunt instrument" for the British Crown.

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Portrayal by Various Actors

The episode extensively covers the evolution of James Bond through different actors, highlighting their unique contributions and how they influenced the character's portrayal.

• Sean Connery was the first to bring Bond to the big screen with "Dr. No" (1962). Initially not Fleming’s favorite, Connery won over the author with his suave demeanor, leading Fleming to revise Bond's backstory to include a Scottish father and Swiss mother, aligning with Connery’s nationality.

  Josh Clark (10:04): "He was a big fan. And he said, you know what? You are James Bond."

• George Lazenby took over in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969) but left after a single film, partly due to Bond’s marriage and subsequent loss.

  Chuck Bryant (30:08): "He wasn't much of an actor. He blew it."

• Roger Moore brought a lighter, more humorous touch to Bond, although opinions on his tenure are mixed among the hosts.

  Chuck Bryant (35:04): "I love Roger Moore."

• Timothy Dalton reintroduced a darker, more serious Bond in films like "The Living Daylights" (1987) and "Licence to Kill" (1989), aligning closer with Fleming’s original portrayal.

• Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig continued evolving the character, with Craig's portrayal especially noted for bringing physicality and emotional depth to Bond.

  Josh Clark (34:03): "I'm really happy with Daniel Craig's stuff so far."

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Iconic Traits and Gadgets

James Bond is renowned for his sharp dressing, preference for a "martini, shaken not stirred," and affinity for fast cars. The hosts discuss Bond's signature Walther PPK handgun and his martial arts skills, which vary with each actor's portrayal.

Chuck Bryant (14:05): "He is a martial artist. He's a gifted man with his fist and feet."

The "Q Branch" is another focal point, responsible for supplying Bond with his array of gadgets. The dynamic between Bond and Q often brings humor and tension, especially when Bond mishandles the advanced technology.

Chuck Bryant (24:58): "Q is the guy who in all the films gives James his gadgets."

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Notable Villains

Bond's adversaries are as iconic as the hero himself. The hosts highlight several key villains:

• Dr. Julius No from "Dr. No" (1962) – Bond's first nemesis.

  Chuck Bryant (18:15): "Dr. No was the first one to appear in the films. Dr. Julius No, right, he's an atomic scientist."

• Auric Goldfinger from "Goldfinger" (1964) – Known for his gold obsession and one of Bond's most memorable foes.

  Charles Bryant (18:33): "He was a big Goldfinger guy."

• Jaws from "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977) and "Moonraker" (1979) – A towering, steel-toothed henchman portrayed by Richard Kiel.

  Josh Clark (19:03): "He was in two of them. Right."

• Ernst Stavro Blofeld – Head of Spectre, appearing in multiple films with varying portrayals by actors like Telly Savalas, Donald Pleasence, and Max von Sydow.

  Chuck Bryant (20:25): "He was the bald guy. And he was the head of SPECTRE..."

Other villains discussed include Max Zorin from "A View to a Kill" (1985), played by Christopher Walken, noted for his genetic experiments and psychopathic tendencies.

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Allies and Support Characters

Bond's support system within MI6 is crucial to his missions. Key figures include:

• M – The head of MI6, portrayed by several actors over the years, including Runde Dame Judi Dench.

  Chuck Bryant (24:38): "M was the head of MI6 and there were several Ms."

• Q – Head of the Q Branch, responsible for Bond's gadgets. After the original Q's departure, John Cleese steps into the role.

  Josh Clark (25:22): "He's now been replaced by his former assistant, R. John Cleese."

• Felix Leiter – A CIA agent and Bond's confidant, portrayed by actors like Jack Lord and Jeffrey Wright.

• Miss Moneypenny – M’s personal assistant and Bond's recurring love interest, often the object of his flirtatious advances.

  Chuck Bryant (26:26): "Every day was Secretary's Day when James Bond was around."

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Bond Girls

The episode explores the archetype of Bond girls, typically two in each film: one as a potential love interest and the other as a femme fatale. These characters often have names with sexual innuendos and play significant roles in the narrative.

Charles Bryant (38:15): "She was the lady from the 70s show that was like one of the late Charlie's Angels replacements. Tanya Roberts."

Notable Bond girls mentioned include:

• Ursula Andress as Honey Rider in "Dr. No"
• Carrie Lowell in "Wild Orchid"
• Judi Dench as M’s assistant
• Solitaire Jane Seymour in "Live and Let Die" (1973)
• Holly Goodhead in "Moonraker" (1979)
• Tanya Roberts in "A View to a Kill" (1985)

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Theme Songs and Music

James Bond films are famous for their memorable theme songs. The hosts discuss favorite tracks and performers:

• "Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney and Wings – Highlighted by Chuck as a favorite.

  Charles Bryant (40:37): "Live and Let Die is probably my favorite."

• "Nobody Does It Better" by Carole Bayer Sager and Carly Simon from "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977).

  Josh Clark (41:20): "She did two."

• Shirley Bassey – Performed multiple themes including "Goldfinger," "Diamonds Are Forever," and "Moonraker".

• More recent themes by artists like Sheena Easton, Rita Coolidge, Rihanna, and Miley Cyrus are also mentioned, although the hosts express mixed feelings about newer contributors.

Chuck Bryant (42:07): "And now it's gotten to the point where they're just like... Miley Cyrus."

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Box Office Success

The discussion touches on the financial achievements of Bond films:

• "Thunderball" (1965) and "License to Kill" (1989) are noted for their impressive grosses.

  Chuck Bryant (43:24): "Thunderball in 1965 grossed $141 million."

• "Casino Royale" (2006) is highlighted by Josh as the highest-grossing Bond film when adjusted for inflation, having netted around $600 million worldwide.

  Josh Clark (43:12): "Casino Royale grossed $600 million."

Discrepancies in grossing figures lead to a light-hearted debate between the hosts about which films truly topped the box office charts.

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Fandom Theories

A notable segment of the episode delves into fan theories, particularly the Codename Theory, which posits that each actor portraying Bond is essentially a different individual assuming the James Bond identity. This theory attempts to explain the varying personalities and characteristics exhibited by Bond across different films.

Josh Clark (35:30): "If you ever noticed a similarity between Inspector Gadget and James Bond, you are dead on."

While the hosts find the theory intriguing, they also acknowledge its inconsistencies, such as Bond recognizing gadgets introduced in previous films, which would be unlikely if each Bond were a different person.

Josh Clark (36:51): "George Lazenby recognized gadgets that were debuted during Sean Connery's tenure."

They recommend fans interested in exploring such theories to visit dedicated Bond websites like commanderbond.net, mi6.co.uk, and jamesbondwiki.com.

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Listener Mail

Towards the end of the episode, Josh and Chuck read a letter from a listener named Thomas, who is a samurai enthusiast. Thomas appreciates the podcast's introduction to samurai culture but notes the omission of Miyamoto Musashi, a famed samurai and author of The Book of Five Rings. He provides detailed insights into Musashi's life, his combat skills, and his use of the wooden sword, bokken.

Thomas (46:11): "He was famous for winning some of his greatest battles with the wooden sword. Ow."

The hosts respond warmly, expressing gratitude for the detailed contribution and encouraging other listeners to share their knowledge.

Josh Clark (46:40): "If you have anything to tell us about James Bond that we missed, that we got wrong, that we need to know, we want to hear it."

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Conclusion

In wrapping up, Josh and Chuck reflect on the enduring legacy of James Bond, acknowledging both the character's evolution and the varying receptions of different portrayals. They emphasize the cultural impact of Bond films and invite listeners to continue exploring the vast world of James Bond through additional resources and community engagement.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Josh Clark (04:01): "He was the creator of James Bond in novel form."
• Chuck Bryant (06:13): "He was a playboy, an island hopper, an adventurer..."
• Josh Clark (10:04): "He was a big fan. And he said, you know what? You are James Bond."
• Chuck Bryant (14:05): "He is a martial artist. He's a gifted man with his fist and feet."
• Chuck Bryant (18:15): "Dr. No was the first one to appear in the films. Dr. Julius No, right, he's an atomic scientist."
• Charles Bryant (24:38): "M was the head of MI6 and there were several Ms."
• Charles Bryant (40:37): "Live and Let Die is probably my favorite."
• Chuck Bryant (43:24): "Thunderball in 1965 grossed $141 million."
• Thomas (46:11): "He was famous for winning some of his greatest battles with the wooden sword. Ow."
• Josh Clark (46:40): "If you have anything to tell us about James Bond that we missed, that we got wrong, that we need to know, we want to hear it."

---

This episode of Stuff You Should Know provides an engaging and comprehensive exploration of James Bond, blending historical context, character analysis, and fan perspectives to offer listeners a deeper understanding of one of cinema's most enduring icons.

Transcript

[Josh Clark]

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[Josh Clark]

Hey everybody, it's me, Josh and I'd like to welcome you to the stuff you should know Summer Movie playlist. It's summertime and we thought what better way to kick off one of the four greatest seasons of the year with a focus on movies. Because what screams summer more than a nice darkened, cool air conditioned theater and a great movie playing right in front of you? So we're going to start the whole thing off with our July 2010 episode on what's the deal with Bond. James Bond. Hope you enjoy.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Welcome to Stuff you should know from howstuffworks.com.

[Josh Clark]

Hey and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. Hi. With me is Charles W. Chuck Bryant.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Bryant. Charles Bryant.

[Josh Clark]

How is it going Chuck? It's an odd way to introduce yourself, don't you think?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Not if you're a super spy.

[Josh Clark]

Are you a super spy?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Actually, I wouldn't say James Bond was even a spy. Secret Service?

[Josh Clark]

Is that a spy? Really? No. He was an assassin and Just general plot disruptor, I would say.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

He was a blunt instrument of the crown.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. If you wanted the job done and you couldn't if you didn't have time to worry about the politics or diplomacy, that kind of thing, you sent James Bond.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Get JB on the phone, 007. He'll take care of business. Like Elvis.

[Josh Clark]

You could call him on his car phone long before any car had a phone.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, right. Oh, yeah. He was always predating technology.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. As a matter of fact, there's a James Bond theory of entrepreneurial innovation. I believe that in From Russia with love, 1963, he talked. I can't remember who he talked to, but he was in his car using the phone. Yeah, that was in his car. And audiences went nuts for it.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, yeah. They were like, oh, my God, he's on the telephone.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

In a car.

[Josh Clark]

But that's what they sounded like in England, though.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, yeah, well, sure.

[Josh Clark]

Possibly Ghana.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Right. So, Josh, where do we start here? We can't not start with Ian Fleming.

[Josh Clark]

Ian Fleming.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

That's where we got to start.

[Josh Clark]

Let's do it. No, there was a colon after that.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, Ian Fleming. Colon was. As everyone knows, and if you didn't, you need to get out from under your rock that you reside in right now. The creator of James Bond in novel form.

[Josh Clark]

He was also originally a journalist and a stockbroker. And World War II starts to come around, and he joins the naval volunteer.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Royal Navy.

[Josh Clark]

Royal Navy. And he was actually, Chuck, did you know, assigned as a spy himself in Washington, D.C. yeah.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Sort of a spy, you could call it. He was in intelligence, and he would. Occasionally he was an administrative guy, but sometimes they would send him out to do field work where he would take secret pictures of documents, just like in the movies.

[Josh Clark]

Do you know who was assigned to his spy unit?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

James Bond.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

No.

[Josh Clark]

The guy who was the inspiration for James Bond, his name was William Stevenson, AKA Intrepid. Right.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. One of many inspirations.

[Josh Clark]

Right. But in an interview in the times in 1962, Fleming said, you know, james Bond is this romanticized version of a spy. Bill Stevenson is the real thing.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Right, well, romanticized version of himself to an extent.

[Josh Clark]

Sure. Another member of that spy ring was a guy named Roald Dahl, who wrote James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And a bunch of body books. He also had the non children's books that were a little racier.

[Josh Clark]

Yes.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Not many people know that.

[Josh Clark]

So, Chuck, let's talk a little bit more about Ian Fleming. Give it to us, buddy.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, I mean, like I said, he sort of based James Bond on kind of, I think, who he wanted to be. He was a playboy. He was an island hopper, an adventurer. An adventurer, A skier. He dove with Jacques Cousteau and snow skied from the tops of mountains in Switzerland and had a place in Jamaica where he actually wrote all these books.

[Josh Clark]

Right. He named the place Goldeneye. And every year he would go to Jamaica and write a book. And I just want to dig him up and throttle him for that because, I mean, what a life. It's time for me to go to my estate in Jamaica and write a book that's going to just make me millions more.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, which he did. And he reportedly picked the name James Bond because he wanted the most boring name he could find for his super secret agent. I think he didn't want the name to compete with the actual character. Like, why bother giving him some fancy name? Just name him James Bond and have him kick butt.

[Josh Clark]

Right. You know what the opposite of that is? Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, you should have named him that.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, well, then it would have competed.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

With the character Duggan. Hacksaw Jim Duggan. I could hear that. So, yeah, he wrote. See, the article says 13 novels.

[Josh Clark]

Well, he wrote 13 books, I got 14. What's the 14th?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Well, I've got 12 novels plus two short story collections, for your Eyes Only and Octopussy and the Living Daylights was another collection.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

So it seems like it'd be easier to find this out, but I literally saw two different sets of information.

[Josh Clark]

Huh. So are we going to go with 14? Because you are quite the sniffer.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Let's. Let's go with 14 total.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

12 novels.

[Josh Clark]

All right. But he wrote, I think he wrote the novels first, maybe. Or did he write the short story books, like in between?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, they were in between. They were toward the end.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, so he was getting fat and lazy in Jamaica.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Interestingly, though, or maybe it's not that interesting, they made the movies way out of order.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, they did.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Dr. No was the first film, but that was the sixth novel.

[Josh Clark]

Right. But did you know that they originally, the people who made the official Bond movies, originally wanted to make Thunderball. Thunderball was a story that Ian Fleming came up with with another guy who, who wanted the rights to make a movie out of it.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, really?

[Josh Clark]

That fell through, but Ian Fleming went ahead and wrote the story anyway that they come up with as Thunderball. The guy sued his pants off and actually gained custody, gained the rights to the book Thunderball, which tied it up and made them opt for Dr. No to go first instead.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

There was a lot of litigation over the years in the Bond franchise.

[Josh Clark]

Yes, there was.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I guess when you have a franchise that long and that vast, there's going to be people suing people over something.

[Josh Clark]

Well, plus, it's legendary. He's a legendary character. And, you know, he's made a lot of money for a lot of people.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Absolutely. The other interesting thing, I thought, just before we move on, was that Moonraker was written in 1955.

[Josh Clark]

That was the third novel that is insightful.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And of course, there wasn't a space shuttle. Like, they changed the setting and all that stuff. But it did involve, like, a nuclear weapon, so, you know, kind of odd. And man with the Golden Gun, which was the. Roger Moore's second film, was the final novel and it was released after his death, so it was way out of order.

[Josh Clark]

And in that one, he predicted Herve Vioche, which nobody saw coming except Ian Fleming. Yeah, it's weird. Let's talk about James Bond a little bit.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Chuck the character, James Bond.

[Josh Clark]

So it turns out James Bond had a Scottish father, which he didn't originally.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

No, that came about because of Sean Connery.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Ian Fleming was not a big fan of Sean Connery at first. At first. And then Sean Connery was like, check this out. And he made one peck go up while the other went down a bunch of times. And Ian Fleming just, like, clapped and squealed and that was that.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Right, right.

[Josh Clark]

He was a big fan. And he said, you know what? You are James Bond. And he actually went back and changed James Bond's history to kind of match Sean Connery a little bit, because he came to see, like, this guy is Bond, Right?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

So he gave James Bond a Scottish.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Father, Andrew, and his Swiss mother, Monique Delacroix.

[Josh Clark]

Nice. Yeah. And they both died mountain climbing, Right.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yes. When Little James was 11 years old.

[Josh Clark]

And he went to the orphanage.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And he went to an orphanage. He was supposedly born on November 11, 1920, but there are different accounts of his birthday and when he was born. And clearly, when you have a franchise with Daniel Craig playing him in 2008, he can't be born in 1920.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Because bodies. The exhibition wasn't showing in Miami in, like, 1958 or anything.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

So, yeah, there's a sliding scale there, obviously, to make it viable. But James, much like his author namesake, Ian Fleming, not namesake, making James Bond, much like the author Ian Fleming, went to the Royal Navy in World War II, rose to the rank of commander.

[Josh Clark]

Yes.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

After the War that's when he entered the SIS known as MI6.

[Josh Clark]

Right. Which is the sixth branch of the Military Intelligence Directorate.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

You got that, buddy.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And his first two assignments, Chuck.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Were two taps, weren't they?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Assassinations. Right off the bat.

[Josh Clark]

So he. That's. Apparently you have to kill two people to get a double O status, which is the license to kill. And he got them, like you say, right off the bat.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And he was the seventh dude to get him. So that's where double oh seven comes from.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

The seventh agent. I shouldn't say dude because. Were there female agents? Yeah, there were female agents.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I'm pretty sure.

[Josh Clark]

And we should probably take the time here to explain. I like James Bond. I know that you like James Bond movies, too.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Is this the disclaimer?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

We're gonna get killed here.

[Josh Clark]

We are not members of James Bond fandom, I would say. Right.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I mean, I've seen all the movies, but no, I haven't studied the books.

[Josh Clark]

I've never read any of the books. I don't think I've seen all the movies. But I do like them in a very recreational manner. So that being said, we are not going to get every single thing right here. We are going to walk right past information. Sure. That we just don't know exists. So in a very friendly manner, if there is anything that you have to say that can round this podcast out even further. We love knowing new things, so please let us know, I guess, is what we're saying. Right?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, they'll let us know.

[Josh Clark]

They will.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Except for the three dudes that just turned it off and went, well, they have no business even attempting this thing. Right.

[Josh Clark]

And then they go, give us a one star rating on itunes.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

So back to Bond. He, as we all know, is a sharp dresser and he loves fast cars. He loves his martini shaken, not stirred. He loves women.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And do you know if you shake a martini instead of stirring it, you pretty much ruin it.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I disagree. I shake all my martinis.

[Josh Clark]

Dude. How does it ruin feathers? It, I think.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

What does that mean?

[Josh Clark]

It means it's screwed up.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

What does that mean? I like a good dirty martini myself.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, you like them dirty?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Gross.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Jared just said word.

[Josh Clark]

I like my martinis so light, it's basically just a vodka rock.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

So you just like the vermouth bottle just waved near the glass?

[Josh Clark]

Pretty much.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I like just a little vermouth, little olive juice, but no olives.

[Josh Clark]

No olive juice. I'll put in. I'll put three olives in usually.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Really? All right.

[Josh Clark]

But then I eat them so fast that they have no time to taint the martini.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Well, that's why you're not a super spy.

[Josh Clark]

No.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

So, Josh, James Bond, a couple of the other traits we should just mention. He is a martial artist. He's a gifted man with his fist and feet. Or if you're Roger Moore, a karate chop.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, he loved the karate chop.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh yeah, yeah. That was a big deal in the 70s. And he carried a. Famously carried a Walter PPK handgun.32 caliber.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And that's a little guy. Have you ever seen him?

[Josh Clark]

Oh, yeah. They're small and I've played goldeneye. I played Best game, I guess I just played goldeneye. It is a great game.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And you know they're bringing that back for Wii. I've heard Matt Frederick of Coolest Stuff on the Planet told us that they are bringing that back because it's still sort of the standard for first person shooters like 15 years on. Yeah, it's still a great game. So they're bringing it back as is. Like completely as it was, but with better graphics.

[Josh Clark]

That's gonna be fantastic for the Wii. Yeah.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Pretty exciting. Back to the real life.

[Josh Clark]

Yes.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Of the fake life of James Bond.

[Josh Clark]

That's what we should have titled this podcast.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

The Real Life of the Fake life.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Announcer]

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[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

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[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

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[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

This episode of Stuff youf Should Know is brought to you by Human Footprint Season two on pbs. And the PBS app. The Emmy nominated series returns to reveal the global impact of Earth's most ingenious and most destructive humans.

[Josh Clark]

Every coffee cup, every outfit, every glass of water connects to a global web of survival that will change how you see the world. Journey across continents with host and Princeton biologist Shane Campbell Staton and witness firsthand how our choices reshaped the planet.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

That's right. Go down the Colorado river to expose humanity's age old obsession with controlling water. Follow him from New York supermarkets to rural Thailand, discovering how grocery stores didn't just change shopping, they rewired civilization itself.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And discover Chile's textile graveyards where your shirt's true cost lies buried. Explore biotech labs and beaver ponds to uncover the species we've recruited as biological allies. And discover fossils entombed in tar and cells frozen in time. Tracing the arc of extinction from prehistory to the present.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

See your world differently. Watch Human Footprint Season 2 on PBS. How about let's talk about some of the enemies.

[Josh Clark]

Dr. No, he was the first one to appear in the films. Dr. Julius now, right, he's an atomic scientist.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, he was clearly Joseph Wiseman played him and he was a great, great villain. Goldfinger. You can't talk about Bond without talking about Goldfinger. He was eh. You don't like him?

[Josh Clark]

No, not really.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I was a big Goldfinger guy.

[Josh Clark]

Were you?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

He tried to laser the crotch of James Bond.

[Josh Clark]

Oh yeah, that's right.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Pretty hardcore.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. It's like Max Scorpio in that Simpsons where. Oh, yeah, Homer ends up going to work for the supervillain.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Right?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. He's like, no, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die and be a very cheap funeral.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Odd Job was one of my favorite. He was one of Goldman's henchmen in the Big Dude.

[Josh Clark]

I loved him, too.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Asian guy with the bowler hat that he could cut. Like the head off a statue.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

With his hat. Yeah. Very big dude. Jaws. We grew up with Roger Moore, so you can't not talk about Jaws.

[Josh Clark]

No, he was great, too. He was in two of them. Right. He was in Moonraker and the Spy who Loved Me.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I thought he might have been more than that, but he definitely.

[Josh Clark]

No, I looked it up. He was only in two.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Two. Really? God. Made quite an impression.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, he did.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

He found the girlfriend in Moonraker, I think, Right?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Falls in love or something.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. The little, like, nerdy girl.

[Josh Clark]

And then he pops up again in Happy Gilmore.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Was he in that? Yeah, I didn't see that.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, he was Happy Gilmore's boss, like, on the construction site. And he ends up becoming a fan. Wow.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Did he have the teeth?

[Josh Clark]

No, he didn't have the teeth for the movie, but he was a big guy.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yes. Lately, we've had more recent villains that I don't think the new villains compare, personally.

[Josh Clark]

No, they kind of come and go. You know, there's, like, in Casino Royale.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. I mean, they're okay, but they're all.

[Josh Clark]

Who the villain was.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Like, they're all decent, but they're not, like, iconic characters like they used to be.

[Josh Clark]

Right. Like Blofeld.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, well, Blofeld was the sort of legendary. I don't know how many movies he was in, but he was played by, like, Telly Savalas.

[Josh Clark]

Donald Pleasence.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Donald Pleasence was my favorite version.

[Josh Clark]

He was good.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And Max Van Sydow played him, I think, in Never say Never Again, maybe.

[Josh Clark]

Nice. Max Von Sydow. He's a class act.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. I was. What did I watch the other day? Oh, Shutter Island. He's in that. And I leaned over to him and I was like, you know, I want to see Max Van Sedal play, like, a kindly grandfather in a movie.

[Josh Clark]

I don't think he can solidify.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Anytime that dude pops up in the movie, you're like, oh, well, he's the evildoer.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

He's the villain.

[Josh Clark]

Or so you think. Until Shutter island falls apart at the end.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Don't ruin it. Yes. That was Blofeld. He was the bald Guy. And he was the head of spectre, which was the special executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion. Great villainous title there.

[Josh Clark]

That's not only, like, a great name, it's your mission statement.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. You know, all wrapped up into one.

[Josh Clark]

One of my favorites. Max Zorin, played by the great Christopher Walken. He was a. He was the Dude.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I know you love that movie.

[Josh Clark]

One of the best Bond movies ever.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

But that had the worst Bond woman ever.

[Josh Clark]

Grace Jones.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

No, Tanya Roberts.

[Josh Clark]

I don't remember her.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

She was the Bond girl.

[Josh Clark]

I don't remember.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

She was the lady from the 70s show that was like, one of the late Charlie's Angels replacements. Tanya Roberts. Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Who cares? It was the 80s. Nobody was paying that much attention.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

But it was a good song.

[Josh Clark]

It was. And Christopher Walken was in it. Grace Jones was in it.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

She was pretty scary in that.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, she was excellent. Talk about a martial artist. But Max Zorin is. Did you know he was the product of genetic experiments by Nazis? Walken was, well, not walking. Max Zorin.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, yeah.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I don't. I don't remember that.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And one of the unintended side effects was he was a complete psychopath.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I thought you were going to say one of the side effects was his use of punctuation.

[Josh Clark]

You are good, man.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Everybody does. Walking.

[Josh Clark]

I can't do it. Walking.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Let's hear it.

[Josh Clark]

It's really just an altered John Travolta. Why are you so weird, dude?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

That's great.

[Josh Clark]

Thanks. Of course, Chuck, there's 006. Alec Trevlin.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. What was he in? That was one of the Pierce Brosn ones, wasn't it?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I think. Yeah. Which. I don't remember those. I love Pierce Brosnan. Like, oh, he was good back that. Like, he wasn't James Bond earlier. He's like, oh, yeah, you're gonna cast Timothy Dalton, are you? Well, I'll go be Remington Steele. Jerks.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And then they tried to get him again, right? I think so.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And he was committed to Remington Steele, which was sort of like James Bond for tv.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, so did he do Remington Steele first?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, yeah, he did Remington Steele. Well, it goes back and forth. There was like, Timothy Dalton was offered the role before Roger Moore. Did you know that?

[Josh Clark]

No, I didn't.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

When he was 21 years old.

[Josh Clark]

Really.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

He was going to replace Sean Connery, and Dalton said, I'm too young to play James Bond. And then he comes around years later just like. Just like Brosnan did.

[Josh Clark]

Okay. But I am glad that Pierce Brosnan went in. I just happen to think that those. His period of movies were unfortunate.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I thought they were pretty good.

[Josh Clark]

I didn't like them. I'm really happy with Daniel Craig's stuff so far.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Well, you know, my statement on that is that was the only direction they could take that franchise. After the Jason Bourne movies, you couldn't have a guy like, winking at the camera like Roger Moore and like slapstick sounds and sound effects. You had to take him in like a real bad, bad direction.

[Josh Clark]

Yes. You mean like Seymour haya bad?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

So 006, Alec Trevlin, he is. I think he informs the character Alex Krajczyk from X Files.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

You think so, huh? Very nice, Josh.

[Josh Clark]

Thanks.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Alright, so those are some of the villains. Clearly not all. But we should also talk about some of the people that James Bond had working on his side at MI6.

[Josh Clark]

Right. Which we will call from here on out. The superfluous characters.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

No, dude, they're great. M, Q. Yeah. M was the head of MI6 and there were several M's. M was just a title. And EM was the one that's always frustrated with Bond. Yet he knows that he's the blunt instrument of choice, you know, pretty much in every movie.

[Josh Clark]

Right? Q, you should say he or she for M. True. Dame Judi Dench took over.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, man, she's doing a great job, too. Q is the head of the Q branch.

[Josh Clark]

Judi Dench. Did you hear that? Chuck just said you were doing a great job. So keep it up, keep it up.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Dane. Judi Dench. Dame. Dane.

[Josh Clark]

Dame.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Dame.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, she's a dame.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Q is the head of the Q branch. MI6's research and development branch. And Q, as you might know, is the guy who in all the films gives James his gadgets. There's always that great scene where James goes into the laboratory and starts messing around with the gadgets and exasperates Q. Because he's burning something or he's firing a missile inside and he shouldn't be. That's Q.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And he's now been replaced by his.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Former assistant, R. Right now is R. John Cleese.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, yeah. He's doing a good job, but he's the new Q. He just used to be rich.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Well, because Q died. Right, Lou Ellen.

[Josh Clark]

Yes, Chuck.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

That was the actor that played the original Q. Is that right? Or the Roger Moore Q that I loved.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Who else?

[Josh Clark]

We got Felix Leiter. Who I like Jack Lord, Jeffrey Wright both played him. CIA agent. And then there's another guy named Hayward Wade.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Was he CIA?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I thought they said they didn't know if he was DEA or CIA.

[Josh Clark]

He was around before the dea. Was.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Was he?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And then you've got. I think Jack Wade is his name. And he was actually played by a couple people, including Joe Don Baker.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Pierce Brosnan ones.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Yeah. He had a couple of American counterparts. That's a good point.

[Josh Clark]

And little known fact. Joe Dom Baker was in. I can't remember the name of the movie, but it was one of the greatest. Mystery science theater 3000.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, really?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Bad movie. And then, of course, we have to mention Moneypenny, who was M's personal assistant. And Moneypenny. You always knew Moneypenny because James would come in and flirt very much with her. And I always got the sense that if James were to ever settle down with anyone, which he clearly won't, it would have been Moneypenny.

[Josh Clark]

Sure.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Or at least he made her think that.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Every day was Secretary's Day when James Bond was around. He was always just so nice to her and bringing her things from his travels. Shot glasses and stuff.

[Josh Clark]

Right. Spoons. She had an extensive spoon collection.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Refrigerator magnets.

[Josh Clark]

Chuck.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Josh.

[Josh Clark]

Let's talk about the movie, shall we?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, sure.

[Josh Clark]

Let's talk about James Bond on screen. Because it wasn't necessarily just relegated to the movies.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, yeah. Good point.

[Josh Clark]

So James Bond first appears on screen, on the small screen, on a CBS TV series called Climax, with an exclamation point.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Really?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Wow.

[Josh Clark]

And he was first played by a guy named Barry Nelson. Barry Nelson, you may recognize as Mr. Ullman, the manager of the Overlook in Kubrick's the Shining, who tells Jack Torrance the ropes. That's the first guy to ever play James Bond.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Wow. Was he English? No, American.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. CBS TV series.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

So we've had a Scotsman, quite a few Englishmen, an American and an Australian. And. What?

[Josh Clark]

What do you mean, Australian?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I mean someone from Australia. That was George Lazenby, who was Australian.

[Josh Clark]

Was he. You know, what happened to him?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Well, he wasn't much of an actor.

[Josh Clark]

Well, it wasn't just that he. After the success of his Bond movie, I mean, he played James Bond and it was, you know, filmed and produced.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And released on Her Majesty, Secret Service.

[Josh Clark]

Right. He was like, holy cow, I'm James Bond and I'm going to buy a boat and sail around the world for a while. And he came back and his star had already faded because he did one thing, and that was that.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, really?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, he kind of blew it.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

He wasn't much of an actor either.

[Josh Clark]

It wasn't. But it wasn't just that. It was. Yeah, it was a combination of those two things.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

He was a bad dude, though. Like he. He got the role apparently because he impressed Ian Fleming because he had a faux fight scene with a wrestler for his audition and he actually punched the guy. Like got mad and punched him. And Fleming's like, this is our dude.

[Josh Clark]

Wow. Yeah. Because Fleming wrote the Bond character is much darker.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. The novel character for sure.

[Josh Clark]

Like Roger Moore took it in a very awful direction. Specific direction, you know, that was not the least bit like how Ian Fleming had written them.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

You're the ultimate Roger Moore apologist.

[Josh Clark]

I love Roger Moore.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

He's good in the Saint. And that's why I got the role, I think.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

The TV show the Saint.

[Josh Clark]

Alright, so Chuck, let's get back to the beginning again. So we talked about Barry Nelson and on the big screen, the first Bond ever was Sean connery. Right.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

In Dr. Well, they did a pilot though, on TV as well.

[Josh Clark]

That's the Barry Nelson one.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, it was called Casino Royale though.

[Josh Clark]

No, Right. It was based on Casino Royale for Climax.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Okay.

[Josh Clark]

Which I think, you know how they used to do. Like they would have the name of the series, but then there'd be like different. Like Wonderful World of Disney. Yeah, it was like the name of the series, but then there were different, like documentaries or cartoons or whatever.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Okay.

[Josh Clark]

I think it was like that.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And that flopped and it got.

[Josh Clark]

They didn't know what they were doing with TV back in the day.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

They had no idea. So. Yeah, you're right. Dr. No was the first film in 1962 and there's been 22 in total. No.

[Josh Clark]

Yes.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And we're waiting. And that's official Bond films because they parodied him and other things. Woody Allen played him, for heaven's sake.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, yeah. In the parody he did of Casino Royale.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

There's also a. An unofficial Bond film with an official Bond.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Right, let's hear it.

[Josh Clark]

Never say Never Again.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, that was Connery's. That was also fraught with lawsuits as well.

[Josh Clark]

You know, that was based on the Thunderball lawsuit.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, they remade Thunderball.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And they named it Never say Never Again because Connery had said after 1971 that he'd never play Bond again because he played Bond, what, for the first, like six movies? Something like that.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

1, 2, 3, 4, 5. And then George Lazenby. Then he came back and did Diamonds Are Forever.

[Josh Clark]

And then after that came Roger Moore.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yes.

[Josh Clark]

And then Roger Moore had a pretty good run. So? So Sean Connery stops playing Bond. George Lazenby comes along, does it once, leaves Sean Connery, has to come back another time. After Sean Connery, they get Roger Moore. In the midst of Roger Moore's run, Sean Connery makes another Bond film.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

That's when we were kids too.

[Josh Clark]

12 years after the last one he'd made. Yeah, right.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And yeah, Kim Basinger was the Bond chick in that one.

[Josh Clark]

Yes, she was. And they called it Never say Never Again because he'd said that he would never play Bond again.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Never.

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[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

This episode of Stuff youf Should Know is brought to you by Human Footprint Season 2 on PBS and the PBS app. The Emmy nominated series returns to reveal the global impact of Earth's most ingenious and most destructive humans.

[Josh Clark]

Every coffee cup, every outfit, every glass of water connects to a global web of survival that will change how you see the world. Journey across continents with host and Princeton biologist Shane Campbell Staton and witness firsthand how our choices reshape the planet.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

That's right, go down the Colorado river to expose humanity's age old obsession with controlling water. Follow him from New York supermarkets to rural Thailand, discovering how grocery stores didn't just change shop, they rewired civilization itself.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And discover Chile's textile graveyards where your shirt's true cost lies buried. Explore biotech labs and beaver ponds to uncover the species we've recruited as biological allies. And discover fossils entombed in tar and Cells frozen in time, tracing the arc of extinction from prehistory to the present.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

See your world differently. Watch Human Footprint Season 2 on PBS.

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[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

That's what he said, right? Timothy Dalton. I guess we might as well venture into his years.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I saw those when they first came out, like in the theaters and I didn't think anything of them. I don't know if they were over my head or whatever, but I didn't like them.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

They were pretty good. Living Daylights and License to Kill, they were both.

[Josh Clark]

Are they good? Really?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, I mean, it was definitely a more novelistic Bond, like he was darker and a little more bad dude. And that, I mean, it might have had something to do with. It was coming off the heels of Roger Moore in his vaudeville act that he brought to Bond and Dalton had a two picture run and then was replaced by who everyone thought should have been Bond before Dalton, Pierce Brosnan for 1, 2, 3, 4 films. And then they went the inevitable direction with a Blonde Bond with Daniel Craig.

[Josh Clark]

Is that inevitable, you think?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Well, I meant the inevitable way of making him a tough dude. But yeah, his blindness was not inevitable.

[Josh Clark]

You know, you make fun of Roger Moore, but he had a seven picture stint as James Bond.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And that was our childhood. Trust me, dude, at the time I loved it. But then when I got older, I revisited all of the Sean Connerys and then I saw the butt kickingness of Timothy Dalton and now Daniel Craig. And now I'm kind of like Roger Moore was kind of a joke to me.

[Josh Clark]

No.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

You still stand by it?

[Josh Clark]

I do. All right. I like Roger Moore.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Sam Neill was considered at one point.

[Josh Clark]

I could see him as James Bond.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

He would have been mad.

[Josh Clark]

He was great and dead calm.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, that was a good movie.

[Josh Clark]

You know, I don't know that this even qualifies as a podcast.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

People are gonna be like, you guys are just kind of chit chatting, Chuck.

[Josh Clark]

There's also theories, tons of them. Best one, actually, the only one I could find really is the codename Theory. Have you heard this? I have not cracked. Got a lot of publicity for it by. It's a fan theory that basically says James Bond is a name that goes along with 007. And there's. Each actor was playing an actual different person who had assumed this undercover name, James Bond.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Really?

[Josh Clark]

Which explains the changes in personality.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

It explains why Sean Connery was so suave and Roger Moore was so goofy.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Sure.

[Josh Clark]

It explains why Daniel Craig and Timothy Dalton were so violent.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Right, right.

[Josh Clark]

It explains a lot of stuff. Actually explains George Lazenby's departure because his wife, the only time James Bond has ever been married, died in that one. On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. He had a wife most people don't.

[Josh Clark]

Know, and she was killed by Blofeld. Right. So he leave after that. That explains that, right?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Absolutely.

[Josh Clark]

There's actually holes in that theory.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Do you know them?

[Josh Clark]

I know a couple. Like, for example, George Lazenby recognized gadgets that were debuted during Sean Connery's tenure. He was a new person. It would be new to him.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

He'd be like, what's this? Dart gun?

[Josh Clark]

Right? Exactly. And I think the Spy who Loved Me, Roger Moore is recognized from his college days at Cambridge is James Bond. Which would mean that he was using the name before then. But it's still a pretty cool theory. If you want any cool theory shot down, I recommend you go to commanderbond.net, mi6.co.uk or jamesbondwiki.com. those are some good sites.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I'm going to retract my Roger Moore bashing a little bit.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I actually liked like four out of seven of his films.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, let's see.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

So you're right. Sometimes I forget about the awesomeness of Live and Let Die and Man with the Golden Gun for your eyes Only. Those are all pretty good. It was like Octopussy, Moonraker was really silly. Does not age well at all. And you do a kill, I just can't get behind you.

[Josh Clark]

Do a kill is awesome. What about the Spy who Loved Me? That's the one with the underwater lotus.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, yeah. Great, great movie.

[Josh Clark]

And I have one last fact. Are you ready?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, yeah.

[Josh Clark]

The legendary Bond producer, co producer Albert Cubby. Broccoli.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

His family invented broccoli. They crossed cauliflower with rabe and invented broccoli. And he actually left the family farm to go to Hollywood to pursue his fortune when he was like, 18.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Are you making this up?

[Josh Clark]

I am not.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

He invented broccoli.

[Josh Clark]

His family did. His, like, parents, grandparents.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

That's a pretty good fact.

[Josh Clark]

Broccoli.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Very cool. Good for him. They're in trouble now. Though, because MGM is in trouble.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, but they're saying like it's just a blip on the radar. If you listen to any. Anybody who's attached to the bond 23.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, it'll happen at some point, but.

[Josh Clark]

It'S like it's fine.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. It's being delayed big time though, because MGM's and over their heads financially.

[Josh Clark]

If you know anything about mgm, if you're an insider, mgm, we want to hear from you. Let us know what's going on with Bond.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

That's funny. We gotta talk about Bond girls. That's one of the hallmarks of Bond films. And usually there's two Bond girls. @ least there's like a hot villain and like a hot. An aide that helps him out in some way. Sometimes she turns out to be a villain, but there's usually two Bond girls and he's equally attracted to both.

[Josh Clark]

Like Grace Jones.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, he was attracted to her for some reason. They are femme fatales. Like I said, Bond cannot help but fall for them, even though it might mean he has to eventually kill them after he makes sweet love to them. I'm going to go ahead and ask you what your favorite Bond girl is.

[Josh Clark]

I just recently realized that Carrie Lowell was a Bond girl and I used to have the biggest crush on her. When I would watch Wild Orchid. No Law and Order reruns on ae, they used to show like Law and order for like 8 hour blocks on A and E. And I'd be like, I'm not going to class today, I'm just gonna watch Law and Order. And she was on a lot of them. And yeah, she would be my favorite Bond girl.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I'm going with Ursula Andress. Yeah, she was hot, dude. Back in the day she played Honey Rider. And that's another hallmark of the Bond women is they usually had really awful names that hinted at sexual innuendo. Yeah, you know, Plenty o' Toole, Honey Rider, Pussy Galore. Actually Solitaire Jane Seymour. She was pretty good in Live and Let Die like that. She was actually a really good actor.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Moonraker, of course, had Holly Goodhead and A View to a Kill had Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton. They didn't even give her a cool name.

[Josh Clark]

So, Chuck, what's the best Bond theme song? Well, let me take a wild guess.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I'm gonna say Live and Let Die is probably my favorite.

[Josh Clark]

I would have put a thousand dollars on that.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Or what's her name? Carly Simon. Spy who Loved Me. Nobody does it better. Love that song, dude.

[Josh Clark]

Best Bond theme song. If it's not Dream to a kill if it's not that. It is Nancy Sinatra singing you Only Live Twice.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, that was awesome. Yes, it was Shirley Bassey. Just another little factoid.

[Josh Clark]

She did two.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

No, she did more than that. She did Goldfinger. She did Diamonds Are Forever, she did Moonraker.

[Josh Clark]

Moonraker.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

That's three total. I was also a big fan of Sheena Easton's for your Eyes Only.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, she did a good one.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And Rita Coolidge all Time high from Octopussy.

[Josh Clark]

Didn't Tom Jones do Thunderball or something?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

He did. Yeah, he did Thunderball.

[Josh Clark]

Quite a guy.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And since we're talking about the songs that have really gotten lame in recent years, like the Chris Cornel one and Garbage, you probably didn't even remember they did songs Garbage.

[Josh Clark]

Did the one for World Is Not Enough.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Pierce Brosnan.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And Sheryl Crow did one.

[Josh Clark]

Did she really?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Wow. It is lame.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And Madonna did one. And now it's gotten to the point where they're just like. Like the last one, they put Jack White with Alicia Keys.

[Josh Clark]

Up next is Miley Cyrus.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Oh, God. Say it ain't so.

[Josh Clark]

Bond 23.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

What else do we have here?

[Josh Clark]

This is the podcast that won't die.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

No, I do have that.

[Josh Clark]

It's like James Bond. It just goes on.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

I do have a couple more facts. Okay, well, first of all, before we move on, if we're going to talk about the songs, we need to talk about the opening sequences, the title sequences. When you're a young Baptist boy and there are naked silhouetted women jumping on trampolines.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, it's very titillating and arousing.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And arousing for a young boy named Chuck.

[Josh Clark]

I'm titillated and aroused.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

And then the opening sequence of the films typically is some awesome action scene and then the title sequence comes up, there'll be like a seven minute action scene, right?

[Josh Clark]

They call that a cold opening, buddy.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

A cold opening.

[Josh Clark]

Uh huh.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

That's very nice. And just got a couple more facts for you, Josh, and then I'll let you put this to bed. What would you say is the highest grossing Bond film of all time? Adjusted gross.

[Josh Clark]

Adjusted gross. I would say Casino Royale.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

No. Top two, all time Thunderball and Goldfinger.

[Josh Clark]

You're a liar.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Adjusted gross.

[Josh Clark]

You know, Casino Royale worldwide netted like almost $600 million so far.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Bunch of money. Thunderball and Goldfinger did more.

[Josh Clark]

Did they really?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, Thunderball in 1965, dude, grossed $141 million.

[Josh Clark]

What is that worldwide or us?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

That's worldwide. And that is Close to what License to kill grossed in 1989, that grossed like 150 something. And Thunderball 30 years more grossed 141 million. Right.

[Josh Clark]

But what I'm saying is casino royale grossed 600 million.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Well, I mean, yeah, that's not an adjusted gross though. You can't compare.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, I see. You're figuring inflation in.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, that's why it's called an adjusted gross. That's about it. We could say the cars he used real quickly, the Aston Martin, obviously my.

[Josh Clark]

Favorite is the Lotus.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

The Lotus, the Alfa Romeo, and then that new Audi. That's pretty cool.

[Josh Clark]

Do you like the Audi?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, I mean, it looks awesome.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

But I do miss the Lotus and the fact that it could also be a submarine.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And lastly, Chuck, I would like to say to all the kids of our generation, if you ever noticed a similarity between Inspector Gadget and James Bond, you are dead on.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, you think so?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Alright, so that's about it. If you want to know more about James Bond. Like I said, there are three, at least three really good websites for all things Bond fandom. You can check out our website by typing. James Bond brings up a bunch of stuff in the handy search bar. And now, if you can believe it, it is time for listener mail.

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Yes, Josh. I'm gonna call this samurai stuff from Thomas. Guys, I'm a total samurai geek. I practice Japanese sword based martial arts, kendo and Yaido. I've read all this material about samurai and your podcast was a very good introduction and I thank you for it. However, I am kind of surprised you did not mention the greatest samurai of all time, Miyamoto Musashi. This guy was the epitome of everything samurai were supposed to be. A dedicated soyvent, a poet, a painter, calligrapher, philosopher, a general, and an all round butt kicking killer. Not only did he write the Book of Five Rings, he also killed 60 men in single combat before age 40. Not to mention all the guys he killed in warfare. At one point in your podcast you talked about the wooden katana called bokun in Japanese. Yes, it was a practice sword, Josh, but it was also a weapon in its own right. Because Japan is such a wet climate, swords were sometimes destroyed by rust. Bokken were cheap and easy to replace. And Musashi was famous for winning some of his greatest battles with the wooden sword. Ow. I know. Can you imagine, dude? Ow.

[Josh Clark]

Getting smacked to death?

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

Well, he says instead of cutting someone's heads off, he would brain them. Which I guess means like you crack their skull up. Yeah, until their brains come out. Also, he was a big fan of using two swords at one time. Sometimes two katana, sometimes the short and the long. Whatever it took to do the job. You guys rock. I love your show. I'm grateful for the samurai show from Thomas.

[Josh Clark]

Well, thank you Thomas for the extra information. As I said, we are always interested in knowing everything we possibly can about a subject. So if you have anything to tell us about James Bond that we missed, that we got wrong, that we need to know, we want to hear it. Wrap it up and send it in an email. Don't forget to spank it on the bottom and maybe serve it a dry martini, shaken not stirred. Address it to [e-mail].

[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

For more on this and thousands of other topics, visit howstuffworks.com Want more HowStuffWorks? Check out our blogs on the howstuffworks.com homepage.

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[Charles W. Chuck Bryant]

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[Josh Clark]

This is an iHeart podcast.