Thunderball: Film – Trivia- Kevin McClory, Ian Fleming and Jack Whittingham collaborated on an original story and screenplay for what would have been the very first 007 film, entitled “James Bond, Secret Agent”. McClory reportedly wanted Richard Burton to play James Bond. For whatever reasons, the film was never made. Fleming had previously cannibalized plots prepared for two other abandoned Bond spin-off projects, a newspaper comic strip and a television series, for 007 novels, and similarly turned this one into his novel “Thunderball”. However, in this case his right to do so was not so clear. When Harry Saltzman bought the film rights to the Bond novels from Fleming and went into partnership with Albert R. Broccoli, McClory initiated legal action. Although this production is a fairly faithful adaptation of the published novel, McClory’s suit resulted in only the earlier screenplay being credited as source material. McClory’s producer credit is probably just another term of the settlement. The case was settled out of court.
- Final James Bond film directed by Terence Young.
- Claudine Auger’s English was deemed too French-thick by the filmmakers after shooting initial scenes of her. Hence, Nikki Van der Zyl, who dubbed Ursula Andress’ voice in Dr. No (1962), was brought back to dub Auger’s lines.
- James Bond does not drink a vodka martini shaken not stirred in this film but he does order a Dom Perignon 55 champagne by a swimming pool whilst dining with Domino.
- Vehicles featured included the return of the silver birch Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger (1964); Fiona Volpe’s BSA 650cc A65 Lightning motorbike and light sky blue Ford Mustang convertible; the Disco Volante hydrofoil yacht; Morris Minor 1000 Cabriolet; Count Lippe’s black 1957 Ford Fairlane Skyliner; Bell Aerosystems Rocketbelt jet-pack; Lincoln Continental convertible; Sikorsky S-62; Boeing B-17 plane and Avro Vulcan B.1 aircraft; Ford Bell 47J and 1965 Ford station wagon; speedboats and underwater sledges.
- The original name of the rocket-propulsion Jet Pack seen in the film was the Small Rocket Lift Device (SRLD). The technical model name for the jet pack seen in Thunderball (1965) was the Bell Aerosystems Rocketbelt jet-pack.
- The rocket-propulsion Jet Pack seen in the film was originally designed and invented for military use. The original intention as conceived during the 1950s was for soldiers to be able to improve their agility, depth of field and ability to commandeer terrain by being able to jump over impeding landmarks and waterways.
- SPECTRE stood for Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion.
- It took almost thirty years for the complete soundtrack for the film to be released. This was because composer John Barry was still scoring the second half of the picture when the music for the recording of the soundtrack was required. Practically no music from the second half of the film appeared in the original score’s release.
- Some release prints did not show ‘James Bond will be back On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)’ at the end of the film’s credits. This was because a late change meant filming of that film due to difficulties in scheduling shooting during winter meant that film was postponed. You Only Live Twice (1967) became the title of the next James Bond film. The solution put forward by editor Peter R. Hunt was simply to remove the name of the title from the final credits.
- Cameo: [Kevin McClory] [a man seated smoking a cigar at the Nassau Casino when James Bond arrives.]
- Cameo: [Charles Russhon] The military adviser and technical consultant for most of the early films in the series appears as an Air Force Officer. He appears camera right of M during the conference with all the double-O agents.
- The only Bond film in which Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman are not credited for their work done as producers. They are instead only credited as executive producers. This is the only EON Productions James Bond film to have Kevin McClory credited as a producer.
- This is the first James Bond film to be shot in a widescreen process, Panavision.
- A GI Joe doll was popular in the toy market at the time of Thunderball’s production so when the film was released, the first ever James Bond action figure was manufactured as part of the film’s merchandising. The film’s massive collectible merchandising continued the boom which had started with Goldfinger.
- The only individual James Bond film to win a Visual or Special Effects Oscar (Academy Award). It was for Best Effects, Special Visual Effects and awarded to John Stears in 1966. Moonraker (1979) was nominated for Best Effects, Visual Effects in 1979 but did not win. Albert R. Broccoli received the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy for producing the group of James Bond films in 1982. Goldfinger (1964) won the first Bond Oscar for Sound Effects.
- The Jump Jump location in the film was re-named the Kiss Kiss Club so as to match the name of the then title song, “Mister Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” sung by Shirley Bassey. This song was eventually replaced by the Tom Jones song “Thunderball” but still retained in the film but in different mixes. Its existence within the film as an instrumental melody is a major part of the film’s score despite the fact it was replaced due to an ‘Albert R Broccoli’ mandate that the film’s main song must include the title of the film.
- During the recording of the title song “Thunderball”, Tom Jones asked the song’s writer what the “strikes like thunderball” line meant. The song’s composer allegedly replied that he didn’t know. Jones reportedly fainted after recording the high note at the end of recording the song.
- The jet-pack flight goes for twenty one seconds.
- United Artists arranged one of the Bell Jet-Pack pilots to fly off the marquee of the Paramount Theater at 1501 Broadway in Manhattan to promote the release of the film in 1965. As they did not seek permission, a number of personnel were arrested
- The title song was originally to be “Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” sung by Dionne Warwick, but was changed at the last minute to “Thunderball” sung by Tom Jones. Four different versions of the song were recorded, including a version sung by Shirley Bassey and two different instrumental versions; the two instrumental versions were eventually released on disc, while Dionne Warwick’s version was used in the opening credit sequence of an unreleased version of the film. This version can be heard on Audio Commentary Track Two on the DVD during the opening titles.
- Luciana Paluzzi was originally considered for the role of Domino, but was cast as evil Fiona Volpe instead.
- Raquel Welch was originally cast as Domino; however 20th Century Fox Production Chief Richard D. Zanuck asked producer Albert R. Broccoli to release her from contract as a favor so she could star in Fantastic Voyage (1966).
- For the first time, Sean Connery performs the gunbarrel opening sequence. In the first three Bond films, the job was done with stuntman Bob Simmons.
- The budget for this Bond film was more than the combined budgets of the first three Bond films.
- In the underwater scenes where Bond encounters sharks, Sean Connery was supposed to be protected by clear plastic panels shielding him from sharks in close-ups. However, the panels only extended about three feet in height and sharks could swim over them; as a result in some scenes (notably during the pool fight at Largo’s mansion) Connery got much closer to real sharks than he wanted – director Terence Young said in an interview that scenes used in the film where Bond reacts in fright at the approach of a shark were miscues in which Connery was reacting with genuine terror as a shark approached unobstructed by plastic shielding.
- In the scene where Bond and Domino meet underwater and disappear behind a rock, the scene was originally supposed to show Domino’s bikini float out from behind the rock. Producer Albert R. Broccoli vetoed this because he felt it was too suggestive.
- There is debate over who provides Blofeld’s voice in this film. Some sources say Joseph Wiseman. Other sources give credit to Eric Pohlmann. In any event, Anthony Dawson, who provided Blofeld’s body in From Russia with Love (1963), makes a return appearance.
- In this film, as with From Russia with Love (1963), James Bond does not say “Bond, James Bond”.
- Principal photography at Château d’Anet, Anet, Eure-et-Loir, France coincided with the French Premiere of the previous James Bond film, _Goldfinger_ . As such, members of the production attended the French launch.
- _Goldfinger_ director Guy Hamilton was originally offered the directing job by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli. However, due to fatigue at the time, he felt he could not add anything more, and turned it down.
- Molly Peters, while behind the shower screen in the film, became the first major Bond Girl to appear naked in a Bond film.
- The film’s worldwide release was delayed, being released in December 1965 instead of October 1965.
- Stuntman Bob Simmons appeared to have made a very narrow escape from the car explosion stunt during filming at Silverstone Racetrack, Northamptonshire, England. Director Terence Young raced to the scene whereupon Simmons surprised him from the side road as a gag. People watching the stunt generally didn’t see Simmons exit the vehicle before the explosion, probably due to his exit-point being in a blind-spot to the point-of-view of those overseeing the stunt.
- As overseen by John Stears, the special effects explosion of the Disco Volante was so powerful it blew out windows about thirty miles away in Nassau’s Bay Street where the film’s Junkanoo Mardi-Gras sequence was filmed. Reportedly, he had not known how potent and strong a mix the experimental rocket fuel was in order to create the explosion.
- Martine Beswick had previously appeared as one of the gypsy girls in From Russia with Love (1963).
- The film had two major re-releases with two other James Bond films: The first was with From Russia with Love (1963) in 1968 and the other was with You Only Live Twice (1967) in 1970.
- Ford produced a promotional film A Child’s Guide to Blowing Up a Motor Car (1965) (TV) as a promotional film to tie-in with the release of the film. The seventeen minute gently humorous short film was about a boy’s visit with his godfather Uncle Denis to one of the film’s filming locations at Silverstone Racetrack, Northamptonshire, England. The end credits state “Made for the Film Library of FORD OF BRITAIN”. It is available on the Thunderball DVD Ultimate Edition.
- A promotional film, The Incredible World of James Bond (1965) (TV) was aired on American television on 26 November 1965, one month before the release of the film. Narrated by Alexander Scourby, the 48 minute documentary aired as a one hour special. It included footage of the filming at Silverstone Racetrack, Northamptonshire and of the fight aboard the Disco Volante at Pinewood Studios; media coverage of Martine Beswick, Luciana Paluzzi and Claudine Auger; and archive footage of Ian Fleming at ‘Goldeneye’, Jamaica. It is available on the Thunderball (1965) DVD Ultimate Edition.
- A special charity premiere was held on the 10th of February 1966 in Ireland at the Savoy Theatre in Dublin. Production personnel attending included Albert R. Broccoli, Kevin McClory, Luciana Paluzzi and Molly Peters. Frogmen wearing harpoons and underwater wet-suits adorned the screening whilst an after party was held at the Gresham Hotel.
- The literal translations of some of the film’s foreign language titles include “Fireball” (Germany); “Operation Thundersky” (Norway); “Calm Down, Mr Bond” (Netherlands); “Atomic Ball” (Portugal); “Agent 007 into the fire” (Denmark); “The Ball of Thunder” (Israel) ; “007 averts SPECTRE” (China) ; “Thunderball Fighting” (Japan) and “Operation Thunder” for Belgium, France, Italy and Spain.
- When Bond says goodbye to Patricia Fearing with the phrase “another time, another place,” he is making an in-joke reference to another Sean Connery film, Another Time, Another Place (1958).
- A timely reference to the recent British train robbery was inserted into the script at the last minute. This can be heard during the SPECTRE meeting after the opening credits.
- Stuntman Bill Cumming was paid a $450 bonus to jump into Largo’s shark infested pool.
- The Shrublands resort was actually a converted hotel near Pinewood Studios.
- Intended to be the first 007 film, but legal wrangles with its co-author lead to Dr. No (1962) being chosen instead.
- The many underwater scenes stem from writer Kevin McClory’s interest in diving.
- Claudine Auger was a former Miss France, but being French her voice was dubbed. See also From Russia with Love (1963).
- First 007 film in which Bond doesn’t smoke. Interestingly though, a large papier-mache Marlboro box can be spotted on the right side of the screen during a festival.
- One of the atomic bombs reads “Handle like eggs”.
- This film was Sean Connery’s own favorite performance as 007.
- Martine Beswick is well-tanned in the film, but before shooting she was pale white due to years of stage work in England. So before filming in Nassau she was required to spend some two weeks sunning herself to get the proper tan of a native girl.
- CAMEO(Bob Simmons: The series regular stuntman in an uncredited part as Boiter, the man who disguises himself as his own widow whom James Bond fights in the pre-title sequence. Before the widow gets punched, the part is played by Rose Alba, explaining why “his” legs look so good in a dress. Up until this film Simmons had appeared as James Bond in the gun-barrel sequence in the first three films in the series.
- Julie Christie, Faye Dunaway, Yvonne Monlaur, Gloria Paul and Maria Grazia Buccella were all contenders for the role of Domino. Faye Dunaway would later be a contender to play Octopussy.
- The large ship that fires a cannon at the Disco Volante at the end can be identified as the Royal Navy frigate HMS Rothesay from its pennant number (F 107).
- According to “Bond-Gadget-Designer” Ken Adam, the jet pack that Bond uses to escape his enemies was no nice special effect but a real jet pack provided by the US Air Force. Initially Sean Connery was to fly the jet pack without a helmet (and some publicity photos of him with the jet pack were made with him without a helmet). This was because he would have looked more debonair. It was later decided he wear a helmet in the scene. This was for risk / safety reasons as the pilot refused not to wear a crash helmet and the scenes had to match.
- It’s rumored that a Royal Navy engineer approached the producers after the film’s release to ask them how they designed the mini-rebreather. Apparently he had been working on something similar but could not figure it out. He was devastated when the producers told them their secret – the actors were holding their breaths.
- Adolfo Celi (Largo) had his lines dubbed over by Robert Rietty.
- The only Bond film where we get a glimpse of all 00 agents in one shot. They are summoned to M’s briefing and 007 is the last to join in. He sits down in the only available chair – the seventh from the left.
- Coinciding with the release of the film, Milton Bradley marketed a “Thunderball” board game, having marketed a “James Bond” board game the previous year. These were just two of numerous 007 tie-ins introduced on the market at the height of the early Bond boom.
- In the trailer for the film, Bond says the line, “The things I do for England.” The line was cut from the final version of the film, and then used in the next Bond film, You Only Live Twice (1967).
- Singer/actor Burl Ives was originally chosen to play Largo when author Ian Fleming and producer Kevin McClory first started to get the Bond series up and running.
- The film was originally supposed to have had its premiere at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London in September 1965. It was delayed until December because the film could not be completed in time.
- The aircraft that plucks James Bond and Domino out of the life raft was a highly modified B-17G (and was a prototype for the USAF/NASA Satellite Airborne Recovery Project).
- The character of Count Lippe is a reference to Ian Fleming’s old friend from his days as an intelligence officer, Prince Bernhard of Holland. Bernhard was born as Bernhard von Lippe Biesterfeld. Prince Bernhard was very pleased by the reference.
- According to Behind the Scenes with ‘Thunderball’ (1995) (V), in the scene were Bond climbs out of the shark tank right as a shark makes a run at him, the shark in question is dead, and pulled by a wire.
- The production staff screened The Silent Enemy (1958) several times to glean tips on underwater warfare for the film. “Silent Enemy” dealt with British VS Italian Frogmen in the Mediterranean during the second world war.
- The license plate number of the BSA Lightning Motorcycle that Fiona Volpe rode was BOJ 443C.
- Reginald Beckwith, who plays the minor part of Kenniston, died while filming for this film was still going on. His scenes were already shot, but it was to be his last part and he never saw the result of it.
See also:- This entry has been read 768,554 times.
- Entry created: December 28, 2006; 0:07; Last modified: August 15, 2009; 0:52
- Suggested citation: "Thunderball: Film – Trivia", BondUnlimited, bondunlimited.com; Downloaded from https://bultd.write2kill.in/thunderball-film-trivia.html at Sunday, October 6, 2024, 12:59 pm IST
- Source / copyright: © Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses collated material from various entries taking off from the Wikipedia article James Bond.
© No copyright claims are made on the content of the BondUnlimited.com site. The text on this site is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses collated material from various entries taking off from the Wikipedia article James Bond. All images are copyrighted material of the producers of the respective films. Contact us at bondunlimited(a)gmail(dot)com.