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Burt, oh Burt

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  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,348
    suavejmf wrote: »
    Thunderball007 wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    mepal1 wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    mepal1 wrote: »
    James Bond is British, and at the very least no one outside of the British commonwealth should play the part.
    How would Americans like it, if British characters, played their iconic hereos e.g. Batman?

    Oh, you mean like the British Henry Cavill playing Superman or Napoleon Solo? Or Christian Bale playing Batman?

    ok.....i may of slipped up a little bit there.......thanks for pointing that out.........NOT!

    :)

    James Bond is somewhat different as a character though - his Britishness is part of what makes him unique. American heroes are a dime a dozen by comparison.

    Exactly! For me as an American, it is James Bond's distinct Englishness that is one of the many reasons I love the character, and what makes him so unique and entertaining.

    James Bond should always be entirely steeped in his exotic British culture. :)

    Never hear British being called exotic before! Ha ha! But yes agreed.

    Yes, I thought that, too. :))
  • UhOh007UhOh007
    Posts: 1
    Shark_0f_Largo wrote: »
    I really couldn't see Burt Reynolds as Bond and am glad that it never happened.

    I wonder how the Bond universe would look if that had happened?? Sheesh....

    LOL.......

    Jackie Gleason as Blofeld
    Sally Field as Pussy Galore
    Dom Deluise as Q

    (Theme song by Jerry Reed)
  • Thunderball007Thunderball007 United States
    edited November 2015 Posts: 306
    suavejmf wrote: »
    Thunderball007 wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    mepal1 wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    mepal1 wrote: »
    James Bond is British, and at the very least no one outside of the British commonwealth should play the part.
    How would Americans like it, if British characters, played their iconic hereos e.g. Batman?

    Oh, you mean like the British Henry Cavill playing Superman or Napoleon Solo? Or Christian Bale playing Batman?

    ok.....i may of slipped up a little bit there.......thanks for pointing that out.........NOT!

    :)

    James Bond is somewhat different as a character though - his Britishness is part of what makes him unique. American heroes are a dime a dozen by comparison.

    Exactly! For me as an American, it is James Bond's distinct Englishness that is one of the many reasons I love the character, and what makes him so unique and entertaining.

    James Bond should always be entirely steeped in his exotic British culture. :)

    Never hear British being called exotic before! Ha ha! But yes agreed.

    LOL! From the viewpoints of many people in America, the British culture is exotic and excting. I'm quite an Anglophile, anyway! :D

  • TubesTubes The Hebrew Hammer
    Posts: 158
    It's not if you are British, it's if you can play British. With UK actors playing characters of a variety of nationalities, it's certainly possible for Bond to be played by a non-Brit. After all, we already had Lazenby.

    As far as Burt, I have a hard time imagining him as Bond. To be fair, I have a hard time imagining him without his mustache, too. He does have the physical charisma and rugged sex appeal that Sean had.
  • ThomasCrown76ThomasCrown76 Augusta, ks
    Posts: 757
    Guy Hamilton was the Joel Schumacher of the bonds...until the die another day guy showed up
  • Lancaster007Lancaster007 Shrublands Health Clinic, England
    Posts: 1,874
    ThomasCrown76 wrote: »
    Guy Hamilton was the Joel Schumacher of the bonds...until the die another day guy showed up

    Oh god! could you imagine if Schumacher made a Bond…
  • JNOJNO Finland
    edited November 2015 Posts: 137
    Burt´s first assignment as 007 would´ve been to investigate evil beer bootleggers.

    "Ya know, they´re dealin´ some bad Bud from Florida to Texas! Goddamn! Gotta blow them trucks to hell"
  • bondsumbondsum
    edited November 2015 Posts: 3,334
    Of course, these are old rumours and I believe Burt 100% when he says he was approached after Lazenby. In fact, I recall reading this a long time ago in a Guy Hamilton interview. Burt was offered it first, then Clint Eastwood, who stated: “I was offered pretty good money to do James Bond,” he says. “But it did not seem right for me to be doing it — it was Sean’s deal.” Robert Wagner was another American invited to play Bond. He says he thought about it for about two seconds but realized he was not a good fit. “It is a great honour to be asked, but I am too American,” he said at the time, adding: “James Bond has to be English. Roger Moore is your guy.” Of course, the official documenaries aren't going to go through a long list of actors that rejected the role back in 1970 when a few names will suffice.

    Another actor who was under contract, and being paid a full salary right up until FYEO, was Michael Billington. You might remember him as the spy who gets killed at the beginning of TSWLM. He even screen-tested for Octopussy. Here's a section from an interview from Billington on the subject of making UFO:

    While working on U.F.O. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson were contacted by Harry Saltzman, then coproducer of the James Bond films, who was planning the Bond adventure Moonraker. "They took some footage from U.F.O. along to a screening with him and suggested that I might be suitable to take over from George Lazenby as there was a rumour that he would finish after On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

    "Before this I had been approached by a man called Bud Ornstein who was the head of production for United Artists Europe," continues the actor. "He had seen me in cabaret doing what would now be called stand-up and thought I might be right to take over from Sean Connery if he ever flew the coop.

    "He arranged for me to do a photo session in a Bond-like setting. I don't know if the photos ever got anywhere, but I was eventually called in to meet with Peter Hunt for On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I think they had George firmly in mind at that point and believed that Sean would give in so it never went any further. It wasn't until Live and Let Die that I was finally given the first of many subsequent tests that I did for Bond."
  • Lancaster007Lancaster007 Shrublands Health Clinic, England
    Posts: 1,874
    @bondsum - I think Michael Billington would have made a great Bond, he had the right look and style.
  • Problem_EliminatorProblem_Eliminator Ojai, CA
    Posts: 613
    As an American I completely agree that bond should never be played by an American It would be terrible.

  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    Agreed.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    "I was offered pretty good money to do James Bond,” he says. “But it did not seem right for me to be doing it — it was Sean’s deal.”

    I can't be the only one who read that in Clint Eastwood's voice :))
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,361
    Even though he's not British, I'd love to have seen a Clint Eastwood Bond movie. But only if it was a one off. :P
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    Ive just had a thought: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly would have been a great title for a Fleming chapter.
  • mepal1mepal1
    Posts: 1,098
    Murdock wrote: »
    Even though he's not British, I'd love to have seen a Clint Eastwood Bond movie. But only if it was a one off. :P

    Go ahead Blofeld...........make my day. :))
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    His weapon of choice would be a .44 Magnum rather than a PPK.

    Actually, his Dirty Harry reminds me a LITTLE of LTK Dalton at times.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    Clint Eastwood would also have been a pretty good Wolverine.

    fxQfL1e.jpg
  • TreefingersTreefingers Isthmus City, Republic of Isthmus
    Posts: 191
    I wouldn't mind an American Bond, but I cannot think of one single actor who could do the role justice.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,835
    Treefingers wrote: »
    I wouldn't mind an American Bond, but I cannot think of one single actor who could do the role justice.
    Johnny Depp?
    :))
    No, I can't either. He really rather HAS to be British. Lazenby was about as far from it as one could get & still make it work to a degree IMO. Mel Gibson in his prime might have worked.... :-?
  • TreefingersTreefingers Isthmus City, Republic of Isthmus
    Posts: 191
    @chrisisall Yeah, he'd have to be an unknown. A rather needle-in-the-hay scenario, and they could easily look for that in the UK. So basically this would only happen if they purportedly wanted an American, which I doubt.

    By the way, how would you guys feel about a Canadian Bond? They have always been more Realm friendly...
  • Mathis1Mathis1
    Posts: 7,624
    I presume most people have seen James Brolins audition, when Cubby was screentesting actors for OP? God, he was so boring in that few moments,(in a scene from FRWL) it would have been hard to stomach him for two hours!
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    I presume most people have seen James Brolins audition, when Cubby was screentesting actors for OP? God, he was so boring in that few moments,(in a scene from FRWL) it would have been hard to stomach him for two hours!

    He was a plank of wood in those scenes.....With no effort at all to put on an Enish accent....Yogguurrrrtttt.
  • JNOJNO Finland
    Posts: 137
    The James Brolin audition?

    I´m still having nightmares!!
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,348
    JNO wrote: »
    The James Brolin audition?

    I´m still having nightmares!!

    Not his finest hour of acting I would guess.
  • mepal1mepal1
    Posts: 1,098
    Treefingers wrote: »
    @chrisisall Yeah, he'd have to be an unknown. A rather needle-in-the-hay scenario, and they could easily look for that in the UK. So basically this would only happen if they purportedly wanted an American, which I doubt.

    By the way, how would you guys feel about a Canadian Bond? They have always been more Realm friendly...

    The 'Bond' people have always said they would hopefully pick an actor from the British Commonwealth countries.........so, yes a Canadian actor would be ok, if there was a suitable applicant.

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Burt Reynolds would have made a very good Bond. Not a fan of his usual self in most films, but he could have pulled it off.
  • bondsumbondsum
    Posts: 3,334
    Lancaster007 wrote: »
    @bondsum - I think Michael Billington would have made a great Bond, he had the right look and style.

    Agreed, @Lancaster007. I always thought it a shame Billington wasn't given a chance, especially as Cubby obviously saw him as Moore's ideal replacement if he decided to not renew his contract through out the 70's. As much as I love Roger Moore, I always saw him as The Saint and not really as 007. Whereas Billington would've been the ideal replacement as he had no former baggage, looked great and could act. Those who have no idea what Billington looked like in the late 70's I've supplied a photo.

    oV6PKJzHcbkEdzFEimg-9mcKgUMm2s3RqxnVRcDAgONsEfTKP7NpJ5vEkir9zaa1ZyPNelb6183WLMqaN9DuX8r3EZdWzFI9AXuPWaXsP0kQYVev0klzBoEs8Ca017aR=w297-h366-nc

  • bondsumbondsum
    Posts: 3,334
    Murdock wrote: »
    Even though he's not British, I'd love to have seen a Clint Eastwood Bond movie. But only if it was a one off. :P

    As crazy as it sounds, I'm with you on that, @Murdock. I was, and still am a huge Eastwood fan. Some might say The Eiger Sanction was his Bond movie.
  • TreefingersTreefingers Isthmus City, Republic of Isthmus
    Posts: 191
    Has Eastwood ever played a British person or a non-american? I wonder if he's ever done it. He is just like the quintessential American action hero, it just seems odd to picture him otherwise

    @murdock the good thing is that at least he could direct one, a much fitter role imo.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    edited January 2022 Posts: 17,835
    Lancaster007 wrote: »
    Murdock wrote: »
    I agree he wasn't right for the part but he does have Connery's rugged handsomeness. Hamilton probably saw him in White Lightening and thought he could be Bond.
    2013-06-08-02-14-19-pm-s1m.jpg

    In the documentary he mentions seeing him in a TV show at the time. Don't know what one that would be, but it would have aired around 70-72. Only really know Burt from his films, of which Sharkey's Machine [about 1980ish] stood out at the time, though I've not seen it for about 30 years now! And of course when he was considered for Bond (shudder) Smokey was a few years down the line…oh, and what was that Bond parody he did, played a stuntman (that's a stretch for a former stunt man!) I think?

    Speaking of Sharkey's Machine, Going through a bit of a Burt Reynolds phase here...
    I just ordered a Blu Ray of it. I consider it to be his finest film (Bernie Casey & Henry Silva are SO good in it....).
    Another favourite one is Shamus (what a killer Goldsmith score!). I would have said Fuzz, but that not a 'Burt Reynolds' film- more of an ensemble piece.
    Malone is a lot of fun. Heat was interesting.
    I've seen 'em all, but these are the ones I actually bought.

    Reynolds fans sound off!
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