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What got you into Bond?

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  • Mathis1Mathis1
    Posts: 7,430
    It was definitely Goldfinger on television, March 1978 i think! Loved the film, then Thunderball! (I actually remember not sticking watching it, i must have been dissatisfied with the pace, appreciated it more with multiple viewings)
  • cooperman2cooperman2 Uk
    Posts: 380
    Showing my age a little but it was spring 1972 on holiday in Rhyll, North Wales. The local cinema was showing Diamonds Are Forever and as i had seen clips of the car chase on tv and thought it looked exciting,i spent most of the week begging my mom to take me to see it. At first she said no, knowing that i was at that age (8) scared of the dark. Eventually she gave in and along we went. What an experience that was, i loved every second of it. Not just the film but the whole experience of being in a cinema. I have since been a lifelong fan of Connery, of Bond and most of all cinema itself.
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    edited September 2016 Posts: 4,007
    I sort of grew up half heartedly liking them. The first Bond I saw was when my dad took me to see LALD at the tender age of 6. Funnily enough I missed both MR, TSWLM and FYEO at the cinema. Although I'd seen DN, FRWL and GF on TV and enjoyed them I preferred stuff like Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

    I got the Bond bug when I saw OP at the cinema which I really enjoyed.

    I caught up with the stuff I'd missed on video and really liked FYEO, OHMSS and NSNA.

    When my brother got a few old Pan Bond novels at a jumble sale I started reading them and couldn't believe what I'd been missing!

    When I saw TLD at the cinema I was completely hooked and have been a massive 007 fan ever since.
  • SeanCraigSeanCraig Germany
    Posts: 732
    In the 1980s the first Bond movies (the Connery ones) appeared on german television. Being around 10 years old by then I was allowed to watch them (recorded on VHS) with my dad and became a fan right then. The mix of action, suspense, humour and great locations was just something that was ahead of other films and as I see today with my own kids, it works with kids around that age as well as for adults - however some preferences changed during the years. While I loved YOLT as a kid and found FRWL kinda boring it's the complete opposite today.

    I really liked at least one film per actor (an easy task in case of Lazenby ;-))- but the strongest impact had the Connery and Craig ones on me. That's why my Top 5 list reads GF, TB, CR, SF, FRWL.

    Starting with LTK I saw the movies in the theatre and enjoyed all of them - however the strongest "wow" moment since I saw GF as a kid was CR when I saw it. I was against Craig and wanted Pierce to come back ... but it completely refreshed my "Bondmania" so to speak.

  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    edited September 2016 Posts: 4,423
    Here's an interesting video, I came across looking for the VHS trailer on Youtube -



    Here's the one I was looking for -



    Ah, the sweet smell of nostalgia! This was a later run of VHS, prior to TWINE -



  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Hamilton was Bond for you at first.

    Yes, that was how it all started for me as a Bond fan. There's maybe a certain irony there given the fact that I am today a dyed-in-the-wool Fleming purist.
  • fire_and_icefire_and_ice
    Posts: 6,432
    When I was a kid my parents frequently watched The Saint, The Persuaders, The Avengers, The Man From Uncle and The Champions as well as James Bond films, I was hooked on espionage very early in my life.

    My mum had numerous hard back and paper back editions of Fleming I read those books at a early age and watched the movies to death. Live and Let Die was the first Film I saw, and quickly saw the other available films at the time... ;)
  • LordBrettSinclairLordBrettSinclair Greensleeves
    Posts: 167
    For Your Eyes Only

    Saw it at the cinema in 1985 when they showed past Bond films.
    I already have known Roger Moore from tv-show Simon Templar.

    I walked out of the cinema demanding of my father to immediately buy all Bond films thinking all of them were with Roger Moore!
    At Christmas my present was all of the films on VHS. I spend days just studying the covers and every word written on it, ha ha.
    Many of my friends from school were so jelaous and always wanted to come watch the films in my place!
  • BondStuBondStu Moonraker 6
    Posts: 373
    When I was a kid I'd seen a few Bonds (was especially fond of Moonraker) but generally speaking they were just cheesy old films that were on telly on a dreary old Bank Holiday Monday.
    Then Goldeneye came out when I was a teenager and I went to see it on a date. Didn't convert me overnight but it did sort of make me sit up and take them seriously again.
    Then flashforward a couple of years. I get a Nintendo 64 with the Goldeneye game and enjoy the hell out of Tomorrow Never Dies...
    And I guess it went from there.
  • JamesCraigJamesCraig Ancient Rome
    Posts: 3,497
    After seeing Goldeneye with my dad in 1995, I became a fan.

    I had seen some of the films already on tv, but GE sealed it for me. ;)
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 4,007
    Octopussy was the first Bond film I'd seen at the cinema since I'd seen LALD at the age of 6 and it piqued my interest to watch all the Bond films and then devour the books.

    Never missed a Bond film at the cinema ever since.

    If OP got me started it was TLD that kept me there!
  • IGotABrudderIGotABrudder UK
    Posts: 631
    My parents’ bookshelf back in the early 1970s. They had knackered paperback copies of Casino Royale and FRWL. I had read both by the time I was 9 or 10 and one of my distinct childhood memories is overhearing my mum say to my dad “isn’t he too young for those?” My favourite bit was the FRWL chapter in which Grant explains the plot to Bond in the train carriage.

    Only after that was I allowed to watch a Bond film on TV, Thunderball was the first I think.

    Then TSWLM was released when I was 10 and we had a big family trip to the cinema to see it.

    Oddly though these days my favourites are DAF, LALD and MWTGG, probably the sleaziest three of the lot. Ah well. Tastes change as you get older.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,847
    For me it was seeing the movies on TV.

    Many of you in the US may remember that, in the 1970s/80s, ABC would always showcase a Bond movie as their “Sunday Night Movie.” They did this 3-5 times a year! With my mother being a major fan of Sean Connery, Shirley Bassey, etc.., those viewings became a major event in my household.

    Wanting to know more about the movies, around 1982 or so, I purchased Steven Jay Rubin’s “The James Bond Films” book. From there, I’ve never looked back.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,433
    Dwayne wrote: »
    For me it was seeing the movies on TV.

    Many of you in the US may remember that, in the 1970s/80s, ABC would always showcase a Bond movie as their “Sunday Night Movie.” They did this 3-5 times a year! With my mother being a major fan of Sean Connery, Shirley Bassey, etc.., those viewings became a major event in my household.

    Wanting to know more about the movies, around 1982 or so, I purchased Steven Jay Rubin’s “The James Bond Films” book. From there, I’ve never looked back.

    We might be the same vintage @Dwayne cause I vividly remember those ABC Sunday Night at the Movies and they were a big deal. I loved the announcer who would tease the movie at the start and then do all the commercial buffers. Great stuff!
  • BondStuBondStu Moonraker 6
    edited August 2019 Posts: 373
    IGotABrudder wrote: »
    My parents’ bookshelf back in the early 1970s. They had knackered paperback copies of Casino Royale and FRWL. I had read both by the time I was 9 or 10 and one of my distinct childhood memories is overhearing my mum say to my dad “isn’t he too young for those?”

    Mate... if my kids had read those by that age I would be DELIGHTED. And I think I can speak for a lot of other parents on that one too! Considering how my kids are glued to that BLOODY XBOX behind me as a type this - and I'm sure that's a frustration many of the parents on this forum share!

    I didn't read the Bond books properly until I was in my late 30s, and whilst I'm glad I have... I so regret not doing it when I was younger. And it's not like I didn't read when I was younger so I've got no excuse really.
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,167
    Birdleson wrote: »
    I remember them well, also. So exciting. Watching the promos on YouTube kind of brings back that “tingle”. By the ‘80s I was off in college and not watching television, but that first go round in the ‘70s, as they were first aired in drips and drizzles, was magical. Most I had already seen at the drive-in in the ‘60s, but ABC SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES was where I first saw FRWL and OHMSS (the bastardized version that had everyone hating the film, including me, for decades; when the original cut was finally widely released on VHS, then DVD).

    There was an airing of FRWL on the BBC America station this morning. The Gypsy Camp girl fight was so truncated it brought back memories of ABC. Except, ABC removed that entire section of the film along with the shooting of Krilenco.
  • MazouniMazouni
    Posts: 235
    Family member brought over Goldfinger to watch it. I never seen a 007 movie before and after that I have been hooked on James Bond.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,847
    Its nice to see that I’m not the only one that remembers the ABC “Sunday Night Movie” and James Bond. I was a bit surprised when in 2012, during Bond’s 50th anniversary, ABC didn’t make note of their long association with the franchise.

    In 2002, for a short time anyway, ABC started to rebroadcast the Bond movies on Saturday nights. The movie intros were hosted by the cast of “Alias” (dear GOD, Jennifer Garner was, and still is, cute as a button!).


  • fjdinardofjdinardo
    Posts: 1,970
    Goldeneye & The World Is Not Enough video games.
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    edited September 2019 Posts: 5,185
    The Almighty Goldeneye 64
    kly8vv9.jpg?w=1642&h=1200&crop=1
    ^:)^
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,167
    Dwayne wrote: »
    Its nice to see that I’m not the only one that remembers the ABC “Sunday Night Movie” and James Bond. I was a bit surprised when in 2012, during Bond’s 50th anniversary, ABC didn’t make note of their long association with the franchise.

    In 2002, for a short time anyway, ABC started to rebroadcast the Bond movies on Saturday nights. The movie intros were hosted by the cast of “Alias” (dear GOD, Jennifer Garner was, and still is, cute as a button!).


    I remember the 2002 airings. Plenty's panties were digitally altered black for the DAF airing.
    Back in the '80's the ABC Sunday Night Movie broadcasts of the Bonds were an event. The Connery films were edited heavily, though NSNA was actually more intact than most others.
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    Posts: 17,756
    We had the (then) complete set of Bond films on VHS when I was a kid, so I was aware of Bond at a very early age. Those VHS's had the original poster artwork on them, so I can remember being really fascinated by the fantastic artwork by Frank McCarthy and Robert Mcginnis. The TMWTGG artwork in particular stuck with me back then – and it was the first Bond film I saw some years later.

    However, the thing that really got me into Bond was the John McLusky comic strips that were being released in album format when I was 7-8 years old. McLusky's artwork was dramatic and realistic – in contrast to many of the other comics I read at that age. It really made an impression.

    0807-foryoureyesonly1.jpg
  • BondStuBondStu Moonraker 6
    Posts: 373
    00Agent wrote: »
    The Almighty Goldeneye 64
    kly8vv9.jpg?w=1642&h=1200&crop=1
    ^:)^



    \m/
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    We had the (then) complete set of Bond films on VHS when I was a kid, so I was aware of Bond at a very early age. Those VHS's had the original poster artwork on them, so I can remember being really fascinated by the fantastic artwork by Frank McCarthy and Robert Mcginnis. The TMWTGG artwork in particular stuck with me back then – and it was the first Bond film I saw some years later.

    However, the thing that really got me into Bond was the John McLusky comic strips that were being released in album format when I was 7-8 years old. McLusky's artwork was dramatic and realistic – in contrast to many of the other comics I read at that age. It really made an impression.

    0807-foryoureyesonly1.jpg

    We got something in common then, but for me it was Horak.
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    edited September 2019 Posts: 17,756
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    We had the (then) complete set of Bond films on VHS when I was a kid, so I was aware of Bond at a very early age. Those VHS's had the original poster artwork on them, so I can remember being really fascinated by the fantastic artwork by Frank McCarthy and Robert Mcginnis. The TMWTGG artwork in particular stuck with me back then – and it was the first Bond film I saw some years later.

    However, the thing that really got me into Bond was the John McLusky comic strips that were being released in album format when I was 7-8 years old. McLusky's artwork was dramatic and realistic – in contrast to many of the other comics I read at that age. It really made an impression.

    0807-foryoureyesonly1.jpg

    We got something in common then, but for me it was Horak.

    Horak was great too! Very different style of course, but he did a great job with those comic strips. This is panel in particular sticks out for me as very Bondian:

    b0236bcf8c339d2001b6f5bcab2ffabf--comic-artist-comic-strips.jpg
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    We had the (then) complete set of Bond films on VHS when I was a kid, so I was aware of Bond at a very early age. Those VHS's had the original poster artwork on them, so I can remember being really fascinated by the fantastic artwork by Frank McCarthy and Robert Mcginnis. The TMWTGG artwork in particular stuck with me back then – and it was the first Bond film I saw some years later.

    However, the thing that really got me into Bond was the John McLusky comic strips that were being released in album format when I was 7-8 years old. McLusky's artwork was dramatic and realistic – in contrast to many of the other comics I read at that age. It really made an impression.

    0807-foryoureyesonly1.jpg

    We got something in common then, but for me it was Horak.

    Horak was great too! Very different style of course, but he did a great job with those comic strips. This is panel in particular sticks out for me as very Bondian:

    b0236bcf8c339d2001b6f5bcab2ffabf--comic-artist-comic-strips.jpg

    I agree and @Lancaster007 actually has that particular Horak image as his avatar, albeit with an amusing personalised speech bubble!
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    edited September 2019 Posts: 17,756
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    We had the (then) complete set of Bond films on VHS when I was a kid, so I was aware of Bond at a very early age. Those VHS's had the original poster artwork on them, so I can remember being really fascinated by the fantastic artwork by Frank McCarthy and Robert Mcginnis. The TMWTGG artwork in particular stuck with me back then – and it was the first Bond film I saw some years later.

    However, the thing that really got me into Bond was the John McLusky comic strips that were being released in album format when I was 7-8 years old. McLusky's artwork was dramatic and realistic – in contrast to many of the other comics I read at that age. It really made an impression.

    0807-foryoureyesonly1.jpg

    We got something in common then, but for me it was Horak.

    Horak was great too! Very different style of course, but he did a great job with those comic strips. This is panel in particular sticks out for me as very Bondian:

    b0236bcf8c339d2001b6f5bcab2ffabf--comic-artist-comic-strips.jpg

    I agree and @Lancaster007 actually has that particular Horak image as his avatar, albeit with an amusing personalised speech bubble!

    A great pick for a profile picture by @Lancaster007 there; the personalised speech bubble makes it even better!
    ________

    What I like about Horak's artwork is his effective style, with contrasting thick and thin lines. It's a joy to look at:

    scan61.jpg
    d3e7e1c00d7a35aa2bab38ec2c8ee155.jpg

    (Sorry for going off topic here!)
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