The latest issue of the popular British sci-fi, cult and nostalgia magazine Infinity includes a profile of one-off James Bond actor George Lazenby. The Australian actor starred, of course, in James Bond movie no. six, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (OHMSS), directed by Peter Hunt. The movie hit the big screen at the end of the 1960s and gave us, albeit briefly, a new face to 007 and possibly one of the most faithful film versions of an Ian Fleming novel until Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale.
Indeed, its influence on the ‘gritty’ and Flemingesque version of 007 seen in the Craig Bond movies was especially evident in his final adventure, No Time To Die (NTTD), which saw NTTD composer Hans Zimmer use the famous and iconic Louis Armstrong love song from OHMSS, ‘We Have All the Time in the World’.
The new issue of Infinity contains a glossy profile of Lazenby and his 007 movie, penned by Mark Timbs. As Timbs points out, everyone has their favourite Bond actor and, often, the man in the tux portraying Fleming’s suave secret agent is the one they grew up with: for any millennial, Daniel Craig is the man, for example, while, in the 1960s, Connery shaped many fan’s perceptions of Bond; similarly in the 1970s and 1980s, Roger Moore had legions of fans, and in the 1990s many people grew up with Pierce Brosnan’s interpretation. It was less easy for Timothy Dalton, as he only had two films to build up a following. Moreover, given that George Lazenby played Bond for just one adventure, many assume Bond actor number two has remained the ‘hidden’ Bond. However, as Timbs ably points out, this is a misreading of things. Lazenby’s OHMSS has developed a small army of followers over the years and has grown in cult status, to the point where many fans rate it as one of the best Bond movies.
In fact, the late, as Lazenby himself has acknowledged, the late, great Peter Hunt (1925-2002) was a key part of this success story. In many ways, when he was given the opportunity to direct Lazenby’s Bond adventure, Peter Hunt was already a Bond veteran, having been an editor on the Connery cycle of 007 films in the 1960s. Highly respected for his pioneering editing style, Hunt put this to excellent use in his approach to overseeing and shaping OHMSS.
There are many stories associated with Lazenby’s tenure as Bond. As the Infinity profile of Lazenby’s 007 movie notes, filming commenced on OHMSS in October, 1968, in the Swiss Alps, using the magnificent scenery of Piz Gloria, and: ‘Being stuck on a mountain, the 29-year old George Lazenby (the youngest Bond) enjoyed the perks of the job, stranded with the 12 Angels of Death (which included Angela Scoular, Catherine Schell, Joana Lumley, Julie Edge and Jenny Hanley)’. Importantly, due to Lazenby’s lack of acting experience, Peter Hunt ensured that he surrounded him with actors of a high stature, including Telly Savalas as Blofeld and Diana Rigg as the future Mrs. Bond.
What was also apparent was that George was naive and often acted the star, possibly encouraged to do so by others. In hindsight, as Lazenby has himself admitted in interviews over the years, this was a big mistake. Tellingly, EON co-producer Cubby Broccoli became so frustrated at this behaviour that he is reported to have said to Lazenby: ‘You’re only a star when I say you are’. As Timbs observes, the producers took a huge financial risk on the young Lazenby and what they didn’t expect afterwards was for him to refuse to sign on for more Bond movies. Both Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli tried to persuade Lazenby to stay on as Bond and offered him a huge amount of money to do so, but Lazenby had become convinced that he did not need Bond now and could break into the film industry by starring in other types and genres of movie.
The rest, as they say, is Bond history: Lazenby completed the picture, but – despite the lobbying of the Bond producers – decided to leave the role anyway. In the meantime, Hunt had helped to craft a truly superb James Bond film, even though relations were not always great between the director and his 007 star. In fact, Hunt had managed to give the world a 007 movie which remains a firm fan favourite even today. Moreover, it is a myth that OHMSS did not perform well at the box office: it was the number one box office hit of the year when released in the UK, for example, and ranked number 11 in the USA, despite only being released in mid-December, 1969. The movie has had a thorough re-appraisal over the last twenty years or so, and ranks very highly in surveys of Bond fans. As Infinity points out, it would have been nice to have seen a Diamonds Are Forever with Lazenby still as 007 and in full-on revenge mode, going after Blofeld to avenge his wife’s death. Bond movie history would have been very different. Alas, it was not to be.
The latest issue of Infinity (no. 62) is on sale at all good retailers, priced £4.50 in the UK and $11.99 in the USA.
Peter Hunt behind Diana Rigg and Lazenby at the OHMSS premiere