Actors, a Film Release and a Producer….Day 178 of Bond 365

Happy Saturday one and all! Today started out with yours truly participating in a monthly podcast with three other independent scholars called H.P. Lovecast and as you can probably easily deduce, we chat about horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. This morning, we discussed the short story, Herbert West – Re-Animator, which was serialized in 1922 in the publication Home Brew. We had much to discuss and an hour went quickly. Next month, tentatively scheduled for Saturday, July 18, we will discuss The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (1926). If you have an opportunity, I hope you’ll check out the first three episodes over at our YouTube station. Now, for some highlights from the world of Bond.

Peter Bayliss from The Suits of James Bond website

 This day in 1922, English actor Peter Bayliss was born in Kingston upon Thames. Bayliss had 80 acting credits to his name according to his IMDB profile that spanned almost 60 year. His first role was an Aide to Mithridates in the film Caesar and Cleopatra (1945). He worked on the small and large screens as well as the theatre. For this blog, Bayliss was cast in the role of Benz in From Russia With Love (1963).

Debbie Letteau (IMDB)

This day in 1956, American blond beauty Debbie Letteau was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her very first role was ‘Girl on the Corner’ in Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and she subsequently had 8 other credits that included television, film and a short film. Her other standout role was the ‘Professor’s Daughter’ in Nicolas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976).  Letteau’s most recent appearance was in North Country (2005) as a ‘Hockey Game Guest’.

This day in 1973, the theatrical release of Live & Let Die opened in the United States and in the UK in early July. It was the eighth James Bond film and marked the debut of Sir Roger Moore. Guy Hamilton was back behind the camera lens and Bernard Lee as M and Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny back again. Desmond Llewelyn was appearing in a television series at the time and although the tv producers wrote him out of three episodes so he could film his parts as Q, Bond producers Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli decided to downplay the gadgets angle. Another person unavailable for this film was composer John Barry. Paul McCartney and George Martin were asked to write the theme song and it was performed by McCartney, his wife Linda and his group Wings. It marked the first time the theme was a rock and roll song.

Live & Let Die cast (Wiki)

This day in 1996, long time producer Albert R. Broccoli passed away at his home in Beverly Hills. The cause was heart failure and he was 87. A number of cast members attended the funeral to pay their respects and Broccoli is interred at the Hollywood Hills Cemetery. See this link to his birthday on April 5.

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