007 - Not 25 Questions from 25 Films, Part I Quiz

Answer: Stunt coordinator

Bob Simmons was a former army physical training instructor who initially tried to become an actor, before deciding that stunt work would be a better option in terms of guaranteed employment. Having had a lengthy career in the industry, he was hired by Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli, the co-producer of "Dr No", to serve as the film's stunt coordinator, as well as doubling for a number of actors in the film, including Sean Connery.

As part of his work on the film, he was brought in by Maurice Binder, the designer of the film's title sequence, to appear as the silhouetted figure of James Bond in the "gun barrel sequence" that opened the film.

The original sequence filmed with Simmons was subsequently used in both "From Russia With Love" and "Goldfinger" before a change in the aspect ratio format of filming required a new version to be shot for "Thunderball", which featured Sean Connery himself. Simmons worked on every "Bond" film with the exception of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and "The Man With The Golden Gun" until his death in 1987.

Answer: Thunderball

Although Bob Simmons was primarily a stuntman, he had a number of small acting roles in the "Bond" films, usually in sequences that required either some element of action, or on-set effects (such as explosions). The largest of these uncredited roles, and the only one for which his character was named, came in the fourth film of the series, "Thunderball".

In the pre-title sequence, James Bond, played by Sean Connery, is at the funeral of the SPECTRE assassin, Colonel Jacques Bouvar, who has apparently died of natural causes. Bond immediately realises that Bouvar has in fact faked his own death and is masquerading as his own widow. Bond subsequently fights Bouvar, played by Bob Simmons, and is able to despatch the SPECTRE operative before escaping using a one-man jet pack. Simmons made three more acting appearances in the series, this time alongside Roger Moore, most notably as an unnamed henchman in "For Your Eyes Only" who is blown up when trying to break into Bond's Lotus Esprit Turbo.

Answer: Anthony Dawson

Anthony Dawson was a Scottish actor who, after graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, made his film debut in 1943's "They Met In The Dark". He appeared in a number of classic post-war British films before moving to the United States in the early 1950s.

He appeared as Charles Swann in the Broadway production of "Dial M for Murder", and was subsequently requested specifically by Alfred Hitchcock to play the same role in the film version in 1954. He was also regularly cast in various films by director Terence Young, which led to his being hired to play Professor Dent, the geologist henchman of the eponymous villain in "Dr No". Young hired Dawson again to play Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE, in the two films he subsequently directed, "From Russia With Love" and "Thunderball", with the actor uncredited to preserve the character's mystery, as his face was never shown.

However, although Dawson played Blofeld on screen, his voice was dubbed by Austrian actor Eric Pohlmann, who was also uncredited.

Answer: False

Of the six films produced during by Eon Productions in the 1960s, four of them saw actresses cast in the "main" female role for whom English was not their first language - Ursula Andress (Swiss), Daniela Bianchi (Italian), Claudine Auger (French) and Mie Hama (Japanese).

Although all either spoke English well, or had lessons to improve as part of the production process, it was decided that they should be dubbed in the final cuts of the films in which they appeared. Bianchi, who appeared in "From Russia With Love", was dubbed by English actress Barbara Jefford, while the other three had voices provided by German voice-over artist Nikki van der Zyl.

The remaining two, Honor Blackman and Diana Rigg, were both British, and were well known owing to their roles in the television series "The Avengers", which led to them not being dubbed in the films that they appeared in.

Answer: Dionne Warwick

During the production of "Thunderball", John Barry, who was writing the film's score, and also had responsibility for the main title theme, decided that he was unable to come up with an idea incorporating the film's title, which he felt was a vague and undefined concept that he couldn't get a handle on.

Therefore, alongside lyricist Leslie Bricusse, he came up with an alternative song that described the character of James Bond, which was titled "Mr Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang", after a term used by an Italian journalist in 1962.

Originally recorded as a demo by Shirley Bassey, the final version intended for use in the film was recorded by Dionne Warwick. Barry then began producing and recording the score, which he based on the original song. However, producers 'Cubby' Broccoli and Harry Saltzman were concerned that a theme song without the film's title would not work, and so asked Barry to produce a new song incorporating the title. Barry then wrote the song "Thunderball" with lyricist Don Black, which was performed by Tom Jones. Warwick's version of "Mr Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" went unreleased until 1992, when it was included on the 30th anniversary collection "The Best of Bond... James Bond".

Answer: True

"You Only Live Twice" was primarily set in Japan, and so featured a significant number of Japanese cast members in leading roles, including two of the three main female characters (the third, Helga Brandt, was played by German actress Karin Dor). These two roles went to experienced Japanese actresses Mie Hama, who was cast as Suki, the assistant of 'Tiger' Tanaka, the head of the Japanese Secret Service, and Akiko Wakabayashi, who was to play Kissy, the Japanese agent who poses as James Bond's wife to help him find and infiltrate the headquarters of SPECTRE. Prior to filming starting, both actresses went to the United Kingdom for intensive language classes to improve their English.

However, Hama had more difficulty mastering the language than Wakabayashi, and so it was proposed that the two should swap roles, as the role of Kissy was a smaller one with less dialogue.

This was done, and, to thank Wakabayashi, her new character was renamed from Suki to Aki.

Answer: Angela Scoular

"Casino Royale" was produced by Charles K. Feldman as a result of the original film rights to Ian Fleming's novel being sold separately from the rest of his works. The film featured a large cast, which included a significant number of actors that had previously appeared in films in the Eon series, including Ursula Andress, Vladek Sheybal and Burt Kwouk. Also forming part of the cast was British actress Angela Scoular, who played Buttercup, one of the SMERSH agents of Doctor Noah tasked with attempting to seduce Sir James Bond (played by David Niven) - in the film, she shares a bath with Sir James. Two years later, Scoular appeared as Ruby Bartlett in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" opposite George Lazenby as James Bond.

In this role, Ruby is a patient at the allergy clinic located at the Piz Gloria in Switzerland, but in reality is one of Ernst Stavro Blofeld's unwitting "Angels of Death", who have been brainwashed to contaminate the world's food supply. Ruby is one of two of the "patients" to be seduced by Bond, who is posing as genealogist Sir Hilary Bray.

Answer: Roger Moore

James Bond's relationship with Aston Martin in the film series began when the character was issued with the DB5 in "Goldfinger". During the 1960s, the marque appeared in three films, with its final appearance coming in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (although it also briefly appeared in a background shot in "Diamonds Are Forever"). Bond did not have a regular car until 1977's "The Spy Who Loved Me".

At the time, the producers were looking for a new car to use, so the head of public relations at Lotus Cars drove one of the prototypes of the new Lotus Esprit to Eon's offices; upon seeing it, 'Cubby' Broccoli requested that it be obtained for the new film.

This led to its famous use as a submersible, and saw the Lotus Esprit become synonymous with Roger Moore's portrayal of Bond.

The Lotus was used a second time in "For Your Eyes Only", after which Bond did not utilise a specifically issued car until Timothy Dalton's debut, "The Living Daylights", which saw Bond return to using an Aston Martin for the first time in eighteen years.

Answer: Spectre

Bond was first issued with an Aston Martin when he received the DB5 in "Goldfinger", which subsequently made a second appearance in "Thunderball". Although the DB5 was quickly replaced as Aston Martin's main GT model, its fame in the "Bond" films saw it reintroduced into the series in 1995's "Goldeneye", where it featured as Bond's personal vehicle.

In this capacity, it appeared in "Tomorrow Never Dies", "Skyfall", "Spectre" and "No Time To Die", while in 2006's "Casino Royale", Bond wins a left-hand drive DB5 in a card game. Bond's personal vehicle in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is the Aston Martin DBS, a GT car produced between 1967 and 1972 that was intended as a replacement for the DB6.

It is this car that Bond and his new bride Tracy use to depart from their wedding at the end of the film.

In "The Living Daylights", Bond drives an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, a GT car produced between 1977 and 1989. This car also makes an appearance in "No Time To Die". "Die Another Day", released in 2002, saw Bond reunited with Aston Martin for the first time since 1987, when he received a new Aston Martin V12 Vanquish (dubbed "Vanish" due to its so called 'adaptive camouflage' designed to make it seem invisible).

In "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace", Bond drives the new DBS V12, which replaced the Vanquish as Aston Martin's flagship GT model. The last distinct model Bond drives in the series comes in "Spectre", when Bond uses an Aston Martin DB10, which was a custom made, limited edition model designed and built specifically for use in the film, and to celebrate Aston Martin's then fifty-year relationship with Eon Productions and the "James Bond" series. In "No Time To Die", although Bond doesn't get the chance to drive it, Aston Martin's brand new Valhalla is also seen in the film in 'Q's workshop.

Answer: Robert Brown

In Ian Fleming's novels and short stories, the real name of 'M' is not revealed to begin with - in the novel "Moonraker", the character's name is written out as M**** M*******, showing that his initials are M.M. It is only in Fleming's final novel that 'M's full name, Vice-Admiral Sir Miles Messervy, is revealed.

In the films, the original character is played by Bernard Lee; he appears in "You Only Live Twice" in the uniform of a vice-admiral, and is referred to as Miles by his Soviet counterpart, General Anatol Gogol, in "The Spy Who Loved Me", clearly showing that this is the same Miles Messervy as was created by Fleming. Following Bernard Lee's death in 1981, the character of 'M' was recast for 1983's "Octopussy", with Robert Brown taking over the role.

It was never explicit whether the two played the same character, or whether the second 'M' was a different person, but a theory exists that Brown's character is in fact Admiral Hargreaves, a character played by Brown in "The Spy Who Loved Me".

In 1995, Judi Dench was cast as 'M' in "Goldeneye" opposite Pierce Brosnan as Bond. She remained unnamed for the seven films she appeared in up to her character's demise in "Skyfall", but in the following film, "Spectre", her name is revealed as Olivia Mansfield, following her bequeathing items to Bond. She is replaced as 'M' by Gareth Mallory, the former head of the government's Intelligence and Security Committee, played by Ralph Fiennes.

Answer: Pierce Brosnan

Felix Leiter's first appearance came in the first film in the series, "Dr No", when the character was played by Jack Lord. He made subsequent appearances opposite Sean Connery in "Goldfinger" (played by Cec Linder), "Thunderball" (played by Rik van Nutter) and "Diamonds Are Forever" (played by Norman Burton). Leiter also appeared in Roger Moore's first appearance as Bond, "Live and Let Die", where the character was portrayed by David Hedison, after which it was another fourteen years and six films before he reappeared, when John Terry played him opposite Timothy Dalton in "The Living Daylights". Leiter also appeared in "Licence to Kill", again played by David Hedison, but then did not appear in the series until the first film of Daniel Craig's tenure as Bond, "Casino Royale" in 2006, played by Jeffrey Wright.

In the films starring Pierce Brosnan, the role of Bond's CIA contact is taken by a new character, Jack Wade, played by Joe Don Baker, who appears in "Goldeneye" and "Tomorrow Never Dies"

Answer: False

Ian Fleming wrote a total of 14 books featuring the character of James Bond, consisting of twelve novels and two collections of short stories. In 1961, Fleming sold the rights to his catalogue of work to producers 'Cubby' Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, with the exception of his first novel, "Casino Royale", which had been sold separately.

The first eleven films produced by Broccoli and Saltzman's company, Eon Productions, were named for the eleven novels to which they had the rights. The twelfth film, "For Your Eyes Only", was named for the short story which also gave its title to Fleming's 1960 collection of short stories.

The following three films, "Octopussy", "A View to a Kill" and "The Living Daylights", also used short story titles either from the "For Your Eyes Only" collection, or the posthumously published 1966 collection "Octopussy and The Living Daylights".

The 1989 film "Licence to Kill" was the first film in the series to use an original title, a trend continued for all four of the films to star Pierce Brosnan.

The 2006 Eon version of "Casino Royale" was the first to use a Fleming title since 1987, and was followed by "Quantum of Solace", which is the title of another short story from the "For Your Eyes Only" collection. This leaves a total of four of Ian Fleming's works that have yet to give their title to a film produced by Eon - "The Hildebrand Rarity" and "Risico" from "For Your Eyes Only", and "The Property of a Lady" (rumoured to have been the planned title of Timothy Dalton's aborted third film) and "007 in New York" from "Octopussy and The Living Daylights".

Answer: Universal Exports

Universal Export (singular) was originally used by Fleming in his novel series as a cover for British field operatives. Introduced in "Live and Let Die", it is one of a number of such cover stories. In the film series, Universal Exports is introduced in "Dr No"; the building containing the offices of the British Secret Service has the logo of Universal Exports at its entrance, hiding its real purpose, while on his arrival in Jamaica, Bond telephones Government House to introduce himself as a representative of the company. Reference is made to Universal Exports in a number of films throughout the series - "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and "The Living Daylights" also depict the entrance of Universal Exports (located in Trafalgar Square in London), while in "Licence to Kill", "The World is Not Enough" and "Quantum of Solace", Bond either identifies himself as a representative of Universal Exports, or has credentials identifying him as working for the company.

Answer: Peter Hunt

Peter Hunt's career in the film industry began during the Second World War when he went to work for the producer Alexander Korda as an assistant editor. Having worked on a number of B-movies, in 1956 he was appointed as the editor of "A Hill in Korea".

The following year, he was the editor of "The Admirable Crichton", directed by Lewis Gilbert, with whom Hunt subsequently collaborated on a number of films including "Sink the Bismarck!" and "Ferry to Hong Kong". In 1962, he was hired to edit "Dr No", which marked the start of a long collaboration with 'Cubby' Broccoli and Harry Saltzman that saw him serve as editor of the first four "Bond" films, as well as several other movies produced by the pair. Following his work on "Thunderball", Hunt requested the opportunity to direct "You Only Live Twice".

Although Broccoli and Saltzman turned this request down, they persuaded Hunt to take on the duties of second unit director, as well as promising him the chance to direct a future "Bond" film. When Lewis Gilbert, who had directed "You Only Live Twice", turned down the offer to direct "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", Broccoli and Saltzman instead asked Hunt to direct the film.

This proved to be Hunt's last work with the series, as he turned down numerous offers from Broccoli to direct subsequent films.

Answer: Tomorrow Never Dies

In "Dr No", Bond is relieved of his Beretta 418 by 'M' in favour of the larger Walther PPK. The PPK was a smaller version of the Walther PP (Polizeipistole), a standard sidearm manufactured for police use by Walther beginning in 1929. The weapon's use in the series made it almost as synonymous with the character of James Bond as Aston Martin.

However, in "Tomorrow Never Dies", Bond relinquishes his PPK in favour of the then brand new Walther P99, which had been designed to replace a number of older models.

The P99 becomes Bond's favoured sidearm for the next three films - "The World is Not Enough", "Die Another Day" and "Casino Royale". In "Quantum of Solace", Bond returns to using the PPK, which the character uses throughout the remainder of Daniel Craig's time as the character, ending in "No Time To Die".