All language subtitles for Icons.Unearthed.S05E02.The.Man.Who.Wouldnt.Be.King.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-BTN_track4_[eng]

[Gloria Hendry] With the first
three installments

of the James Bond franchise,

box offices worldwide
had shaken and stirred

to the tune of more than
a quarter of a billion dollars.

I got the impression someone
had been selling tickets.

It became like
a license to print money.

[Hendry] Sean Connery's
portrayal of the smoldering spy

has solidified 007

as the most famous character
in film history.

I couldn't agree with them more.

[Hendry] And while audiences
were enamored

with the world of fast cars,
exotic locations,

and beautiful women...

My name is Pussy Galore.

I must be dreaming.

[Hendry] ...none of that
impressed this guy.

He got a lot of girls,
that Connery guy.

[Hendry] The only thing
that excited him was...

I used to be screwing one,

and one would be
banging on my wall.

"Stop that,
you're making me horny!"

[Hendry] With
an inexperienced actor...

It was April and it was cold.

Freezing. I could tell
by the size of my dick.

It's true!

[Hendry] ...causing trouble
behind the scenes...

I'd pull a chick,
take her to a hotel,

and give them the bill.

[Hendry] ...the producers
were taking a shot in the dark.

He said, "Okay, you two,

knock the fuck
out of each other."

[Hendry] And with a franchise

that was careening
toward the edge...

[Matthew Field] You've got two partners
that are not getting on,

and you've got a star
that wants out.

[Hendry] ...everything
was riding on one film.

[John Glen] When he walked
in there,

I think he fired half of them
straight away.

[Hendry] All the while
wondering if the public

would accept a different 007.

It's kind of petering
out a little bit.

The story had gotten
a little tired.

[Hendry] Or
would this new recruit

kill James Bond forever?

Ever... ever...

[Hendry] In nine short years,

Ian Fleming's James Bond
had found his way

from the page to the screen.

Dr. No is a hit.

Thank you.

From Russia With Lovebecomes the highest grossing

film ever released in England,

then Goldfinger comes out.

[Hendry] The films
were such a success,

that by the mid '60s,

James Bond's
finely-tailored suit

was getting wrinkled
by imitators

on the big and small screen.

[Lee Pfeiffer] Get Smart,
Mission: Impossible.

We had I Spy.

And we had
The Man from U.N.C.L.E,

which became a phenomenon
within the spy phenomenon.

From the music,
John Barry's soundtrack album

knocked The Beatles
off number one,

Bond's fashion,
Bond's champagne.

[Hendry] But behind it all,
was the suave

and magnetic Scotsman
who brought Bond to life.

It's always impossible
to have a discussion about it

without Sean Connery coming up.

I have no objection.

[Wisniewski] It left
an indelible impression

on film characters,

and probably will
for a long time.

"Everything he touches turns
to excitement," as the ads went.

[Hendry] And then in 1965,

a rival British superspy movie
called The Ipcress File

was so hot and so real,

it was almost as if
it had been produced

by Cubby and Harry themselves.

Somebody's trying to frame me.

[Hendry] Which is
actually partly true.

And more than partly a problem
for the producing pair.

[Chowdhury] Cubby and Harry then
started to irritate each other.

The problem was, Harry Saltzman,

he wanted to do other things.

And Broccoli said,

"You're not able to
concentrate on the Bonds."

[Field] Cubby Broccoli was quite
content just making Bond films.

But Harry Saltzman
on the other hand,

he had other ideas.

He had fingers
in all sorts of pies,

not just in films,
but other businesses.

When something becomes
extraordinarily successful,

people start thinking,
"Well, he's living off me,"

and "He's not doing his share"
and blah, blah, blah.

[Hendry] But even with
cracks forming

behind the scenes at Eon,

there was still the matter

of where James Bond
was off to next.

As it so happens,
Ian Fleming had written

12 James Bond novels,

any of which could be made
exclusively by Cubby and Harry.

Except for these two.

[Field] Kevin McClory
won the rights to Thunderball.

against a court case
with Ian Fleming.

[Hendry] And as for the film
rights for Casino Royale...

[Pfeiffer] They ended up
with a producer

named Charles Feldman.

[Hendry] ...who ended up
with them by way of...

Jimmy Bond, they call you.

[Hendry] Oh, no, no, no.
Not Jimmy Bond.

The Ratoffs,

who'd acquired the rights
from Fleming for $6,000.

And with Bondmania
gripping the world,

Feldman was ready to cash in.

Along with anybody else
who could.

Feldman then approached
Broccoli and Saltzman

and said,
"Why don't we do it together?"

What would it take for you
to see things my way?

But Feldman wants too big
of a slice of the pie.

[Hendry] An enormous
75% of the pie.

A lot more than you've got.

[Hendry] And as for
Kevin McClory,

they couldn't possibly
work with him.

Because of the bad blood between
McClory and Fleming.

However, in 1964,
Ian Fleming dies.

[Hendry] And suddenly
the bad blood stopped flowing.

Because you can't
piss off a dead man.

[Hendry] And so,
McClory sat down

with Broccoli
and Saltzman and said...

"Why don't we produce
this picture

"under the Eon banner
with Sean Connery?"

So, in December '64,
he cuts a deal

to make Thunderball
as the next film.

[Hendry] Part of the deal gave
McClory full producer's credit.

And a more reasonable
20% of the profits.

And one more little detail.

Part of his deal
is that ten years

after Thunderball the movie,

he would get the rights back,

and would be able
to remake that film.

[Hendry] Remake the movie
ten years later?

Oh, Never Say Never Again.

With the details and fine print
out of the way,

McClory, Broccoli and Saltzman
set off to make

the next James Bond film.
And as for Feldman...

And they say
to Charles Feldman,

"If you just hadn't
been so greedy,

"we could've
made the movie with you."

[Hendry] It was looking like
Feldman had played a bad hand.

Someone has to lose.

[Hendry] Meanwhile,

with Kevin McClory aboard,
Thunderball was rolling.

They were hoping
that if it it was done properly,

Kevin McClory's film
wouldn't damage

the vision of Bond
for the future.

[Hendry] Well,
to help with that,

they went to the director
who created the vision of Bond.

They went to Terence Young

to see if he would
want to come back

after directing Dr. No,
and From Russia With Love.

[Hendry] And also, the legendary
editor of previous Bond movies.

They went back
to Peter Hunt to see

if he'd be interested
in editing.

[Hendry] Thunderballmay have had

the same director and editor,

but it didn't have
the same budget,

weighing in at almost six times
the price tag of Dr. No.

It was so big

and so out of control
in certain respects.

[Hendry] The bigger budget
allowed for even bigger

set pieces and stunts,
and most notably...

Thunderball begins
with a jet pack.

Cubby Broccoli's US liaison,
Colonel Charles Russhon,

actually sourced it
for their picture.

And for the first time,
audiences around the world

saw this wonderful device
that allows a man

powered flight
for a few minutes.

No well-dressed man
should be without one.

[Hendry] Where Dr. No'sJamaican shoot

was a bit of a muddled mess,

McClory's Bahamas

were disproving the notion
of trouble in paradise,

as director Terence Young
was eager to call home about.

When they got all the bills
and the accounting in,

Terence Young
had been chewed out

by the producers
for how much money he had spent

on his telephone bill
down in the Bahamas.

They ripped him up one side
and down the other.

I'm truly sorry
to have to dash off like this,

but there's been a bit
of a flap at the office.

Terence Young left the movie.

[Hendry] Luckily,
principal photography
was completed.

And the film was left
in the hands of the editor,

so he could fix it in post,
and shoot a few pick-ups.

Peter Hunt had to step in

and do a few little
minor reshoots.

[Norman Wanstall] He had ideas

that he might one day
be given the chance to direct.

And he started to spend
more time on the set.

And he had to pull
the editing

of the film together
by himself.

[Hendry] And pull together
he did.

Christmas 1965,Thunderball opens everywhere

and even out-grossesGoldfinger.

It's almost as if...

As if it was intended.

[Hendry] Thunderballhad exploded on the screen.

Pulling in
more than $140 million,

and solidified Bond's reign
as the king of espionage.

And becomes the highest grossing
Bond film of all time,

and one of the highest grossing
movies of all time.

You seem to be unbeatable,
Mr. Bond.

It became like
a license to print money.

[Hendry] So much money,
that there was another partner

in the Bond franchise

who was starting to have
some issues of his own.

Sean Connery, he feels
that his slice of the pie

does not reflect
the success of these films.

[Hendry] Worldwide ticket sales
for the first four Bond films

broke $400 million.

Yet, Connery was locked
into his same original deal

and not very happy about it.

As Connery said,
"There are too many

"fat producers making money

off of the lean backs
of actors."

[Hendry] And like Harry,

Sean Connery had been keeping
himself busy between Bonds.

[Pfeiffer] He had done
some good movies

in between Bond films,
but they didn't do well.

[Hendry] Although the role
of 007 had rocketed Connery

to unimaginable heights
of stardom...

He always likened himself
to The Beatles.

And Sean Connery said, "I was
like them, the problem was,

"there was only one of me,
there were four of them."

[Hendry] All of this
came to a head

when the fab one,
or rather fab 007,

aired his grievances
to the public.

[Pfeiffer] Connery
really let loose

in the 1965 issue of Playboy.

[Chowdhury] He believed
he should have a share

of the Bond production company.

[Hendry] And in one
of the boldest,

riskiest decisions
of their producing career,

Harry and Cubby exclaimed...

"We think James Bond
is the star of these movies.

"We don't think
Sean Connery is the star."

[Hendry] But Connery had
a strong hand and went all in.

Connery called
their bluff and said,

"You Only Live Twice
will be my last Bond film."

[Hendry] Broccoli and Saltzman
were betting it all

on the idea that it was Bond,
not Connery,

who was the star
of the franchise.

And it remained to be seen
if they were right.

[Hendry] While Sean Connery
was looking to cash out...

Connery called
their bluff and said,

"You Only Live Twice
will be my last Bond film."

You never say that
as if you meant it.

Charles K. Feldman
was looking to cash in

by making Casino Royale

without Connery,
Harry or Cubby.

Charles Feldman initially wanted

to do a straightforward
Bond film,

and he hired a screenwriter
named Ben Hecht.

He turned in that first draft
to Charles K. Feldman,

and died within the day.

[Hendry] And after having been
spurned by Cubby and Harry

in favor of McClory's
Thunderball,

Feldman decided to take
a different approach.

Feldman decided to create
this gargantuan spoof

informed by his mid-'60s comedy,What's New Pussycat?

[Hendry] What's New Pussycat?was an irreverent

comedy musical
with an ensemble cast,

and pretty much
the polar opposite

of any Bond movie ever made.

It was a whacky film,
but it made a lot of money,

because no one had ever seen
anything quite like it.

[Hendry] With the rights to just
that one movie,

Feldman had nothing to lose.

So he decided to make
James Bond his way.

Casino Royale
is not what we think of

when we think
of a James Bond movie.

[Villain] So James Bond is back
with his morals, his vows,

and his celibate image.

[Edlitz] It's a comedy

with multiple actors
playing James Bond.

Welcome to the James Bond
007 training school.

The James Bonds in that movie
include Peter Sellers...

That's the nicest thing
that anyone's ever said to me.

...David Niven...

- I am Sir James Bond.
- ...Woody Allen...

You realize this means
an angry letter to The Times.

Woody Allen
had a statement to the effect

that Charles K. Feldman
is not trying to make
a James Bond film,

he's trying to make a film

that will destroy
the James Bond films.

[Hendry] And for this
rival Bond film

that isn't really a Bond film,

Feldman decided to bring back

the leading lady
from the first Bond film,

Ursula Andress.

And as per the contract
she had drafted

after being dubbed in Dr. Noby Nikki van der Zyl...

She eventually
had it put in her contract

that Nikki van der Zyl
could not dub.

[Hendry] ...this time,

Ursula came
through loud and clear.

Never trust a rich spy.

[Hendry] But everyone

would have to speak up
on this chaotic set.

There were so many
people on the set.

Everybody seemed
to come out of the woodwork

to watch what was going on.

It was just chaos.

We'd be filming one day,
and all of a sudden,

Peter O'Toole
would turn up on the set.

"Let's put you in a costume
and get you in a scene."

- Are you Richard Burton.
- No, I'm Peter O'Toole.

[Hendry] And the chaos
wasn't limited to casting.

Even the special effects were
caught up in the crossfire.

We were filming
in the control room
with Orson Welles,

and I rigged it all with sparks
and flames and flashes.

So, I talked him through
where everything was,

and I said, "Put one hand here
and one hand there,

"but don't put them over there."

And he put his hands right next
to one of the charges

and burnt his hand.

[Hendry] To make matters worse,

there was a revolving door
of directors.

Casino Royale
had five directors...

Working in different studios
all over England.

Literally, I used to get up
in the morning

and have to try and remember
which studio to drive to today.

[Hendry] And while Feldman
was busy running a circus,

the unlikely trio of Cubby,
Harry and Connery

were suiting up to begin
You Only Live Twice,

Connery's last ride
as Bond... perhaps.

When they start work
on the fifth James Bond film,

you've got two partners
that are not getting on,

and you've got a star
that wants out.

It became apparent
that the only way

Cubby and Harry
could work together,

was if they took the lead
on consecutive Bond films.

[Pfeiffer] They were still
fully a partnership,

but increasingly,

they were on the set together
on fewer and fewer occasions.

[Hendry] And this time...

[Jackson] Cubby was going to be
the main producer

on You Only Live Twice.

[Hendry] And so producing solo
in Japan,

Cubby raced to get
You Only Live Twice

into the theaters.

But it wouldn't be before
Feldman's chaotic Casino Royale

hit the big screen,
premiering in April, 1967.

The result was a debacle.

Well, nobody's perfect.

There are fun sequences.

You get many complaints
from the neighbors?

Then there are
real stupid sequences.

It's just out of control.

The film, to me,
never made any sense.

I've always found it
to be quite enjoyable.

A lot of people hate it.

[Munro] It's very farfetched
and very over the top.

It's such a funny romp.

[Hendry] Well, having played
his final hand,

Casino Royalewas the big payday

Feldman had been waiting for.

Casino Royale is actually

pretty successful
at the box office.

This shows
just how popular Bond was,

even the spoof version
of James Bond.

[Hendry] However, in the end,

it was fate
who dealt the final blow.

Charles Feldman died
the year after

Casino Royale was released.

[Hendry] But Casino Royale,

of course, would live on,
but we'll get to that.

In 1967, just two months after

the release of Casino Royale,

You Only Live Twicehad a royal premiere,

dripping with glitz
and glamour.

But as it hit theaters,
the double dose of 007

left audiences confused

as to which film
was the real deal.

The marketing campaign
for Casino Royale

didn't always overtly show
that it was a madcap comedy.

Peter Sellers
is James Bond.

A lot of people thought that was

the official James Bond movie
that year.

[Hendry] A mistake
Feldman and company

were more than happy
to embrace.

This is extortion.

[Villain] Extortion
is my business.

[Hendry] But for
Cubby and Harry,

this misunderstanding
had a very negative effect

on ticket sales for
You Only Live Twice,

bringing in about 20% less
than Thunderball.

You Only Live Twice

becomes this place
where Bond plateaus.

[Hendry] Whether it was the
competition of Casino Royale,

or the loss of collaboration
of Broccoli and Saltzman,

Bondmania seemed
to be dying down.

We shall see a new power
dominating the world.

The story had gotten
a little tired.

[Hendry] But perhaps
this was an opportunity

for Eon to change things
up a bit.

Cubby and Harry were confident
that they could pursue

James Bond without Sean Connery.

[Hendry] So confident
that they began

their search for a new man
to fill the 007 shoes.

But there was still
a burning question

facing Cubby and Harry.

How was anybody gonna follow
Sean Connery as James Bond?

[Hendry] Nonetheless,
the show had to go on.

[Field] In 1968,
the biggest casting call

in movie history began
to find the next James Bond.

[Hendry] Almost
every leading man

anyone could think of
was suggested.

The attempts to replace Connery
were all over the place.

Everybody's name
was in the ring.

Can you imagine Adam West?

Of course, how clever.

- Burt Reynolds.
- Got a good ol' American life.

- Oliver Reed.
- You kill Buckingham,

or have him killed,
it's no matter to me.

Clint Eastwood as James Bond?

- I know what you're thinking.
- I don't know.

[Sherman] Tim Dalton
who was young and in his 20s

and they loved him and he said,
"I'm a baby, I can't do this."

How could I know?

Can you imagine
Dick Van Dyke

as James Bond?

Oh, it's you. Hello!

[Hendry] Ah, you get the idea.

Pretty much everybody
was under consideration.

[Hendry] But a big star
would demand

a big salary and contract,

and might quickly
grow tired of the role

just as Connery had.

But what if...

They could take an unknown

and make him James Bond.

And they would stick
with this role

and they would be groomed
to be Bond and grow in the role,

and everybody
would end up happy.

[Hendry] And while a challenge

finding a replacement
for Connery was expected,

where they'd end up
would be anything but.

[Hendry] In 1968,
producers Cubby and Harry

were facing
the ultimate dilemma.

How was anybody gonna follow
Sean Connery as James Bond?

[Hendry] And as they
scoured the globe

searching for that perfect
blend of charm and suavity,

they encountered a candidate

who was nothing like
they had seen before.

This is George Lazenby.

I'm George Lazenby.

And I did a lot of things
for money.

[Hendry] At the time,
to earn some money...

There was a chocolate candy
known as Big Fry.

♪ Big Fry's a comin' by

- ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪
- ♪ Big Fry ♪

And Lazenby was the guy
who played the Big Fry man.

Didn't have a lot of experience
as an actor, he was a model.

I didn't know anything
about the film business.

[Hendry] But...
He was the right height,

the right build.

He's Australian.

And the story's incredible.

[Hendry] And that story starts

with a suggestion from
an astute would-be renter.

I was renting my place out
in King's Road, London,

and there was a guy
who wanted to rent it

called Ronan O'Rahilly.

He said to me,

"You'd make a good James Bond,
they're looking for one."

He introduced me
to Maggie Abbott.

She was the one that
persuaded George Lazenby

to go and see the film's
casting director, Dyson Lovell.

[Hendry] So,
to prepare for the role,

he did all he could
to look the part.

Starting with his part

at the barbershop
in the Dorchester Hotel.

[Sherman] George
went to the barber

where Sean Connery got
his hair styled, and he said,

"I want to cut my hair to look
like James Bond in Dr. No."

[Hendry] Next stop
was Anthony Sinclair,

the tailor who famously made
the simple conduit cut suits

Sean Connery wore
as James Bond.

I found out where Connery
got his suits made.

And they were ridiculous,
they were like ten week's wages.

And I was walking out the door,
and the guy said,

"Hang on a minute,
I got one that he didn't want."

Next thing I know, I tried it on
and it fit perfectly.

[Hendry] With the look complete,
all George had to do

was get past the casting
director's secretary,

which should have been no real
challenge for a fledgling spy.

[Field] George Lazenby turns up,

and he doesn't even
have an appointment.

He runs past the secretary,

up the stairs,
and into the office,

where he found Lovell
on the phone to Harry Saltzman.

Dyson Lovell looked him
up and down and said,

"I think we may
have a contender."

Harry said, "Bring him over
straight away."

By his force of will,
he earned a spot

as a potential candidate
for James Bond.

I shall be happy
to start straight away.

I had a "fuck you" attitude,
and that they liked.

[Hendry] Now
an official candidate

for the role
of Britain's favorite spy,

his first call,
dear ol' mom and dad.

[Lazenby] I called 'em up,

I said, "Don't tell anybody,
but I'm up for James Bond."

And Mum says,
"Oh, are you, son? That's good."

[Hendry] But he hadn't
won the role yet.

George Lazenby went through
a very rigorous screen test

to actually win the part.

I was a karate guy,
and I could shoot a gun.

I was playing James Bond
in life.

He rode horses, he did swimming.

They tested me in every
which way you can imagine.

[Hendry] Some ways,
it was hard to imagine.

They even sent a girl around
to see if I was gay.

This guy, he knocks on my door
at the Dorchester

and he says, "There's a girl
here who wants to know you."

She comes in,
and she's getting undressed.

I said, "Jesus,
does she wanna know me quick."

When I'd finished I said,
"Come on, it's your turn."

And he said,
"No, no, I'm fine."

And he left with her,
and I thought that was strange.

It was when the pill came out

and there was nothing
that'd kill you.

It was great times.

[Hendry] But there was still
the matter of the audition.

And George would beat everyone
to the punch.

One day, they were
screen testing George...

And they wanted to rehearse
him for a fight scene.

And I'd never done
a fight scene.

And he came at me,
and I just hit him on the chin,

and down he went.

Harry comes over
and grabs ahold of me and said,

"We're going with you.

"Tell anybody,
and the deal's off."

I hope I can live up
to your high standards.

I'm thinking,
"God, what about him?"

They didn't give a shit.

[Hendry] And while George
was certainly lucky

to land the role of a lifetime,

as it turns out,

he was lucky to even be there
in the first place.

I was told that I was gonna die
before I was a man,

'cause I only got half a kidney.

[Hendry] Doctors told
George's parents

he would be lucky
to live beyond the age of 12.

I went through life
thinking I was gonna die.

I thought, "Well, I'm gonna die,

"I might as well have
a good time."

[Hendry] With their
new Bond in place,

Eon Productions made the move
to lock in their new star.

They tried to get Lazenby to
sign for a multi-picture deal.

[Hendry] Cubby and Harry
would try to convince George

to commit to the role
of Bond long-term.

[Lazenby] But I didn't really
care for either of them.

You know, they were ruthless.

[Hendry] But Eon was persistent.

[Lazenby] "Sign my fucking
contract," they'd say,

and I said,

"I'll sign the contract when
I get my lawyer to look at it."

[Hendry] Surely, the lawyers
could iron out the details.

After all,
they were all on the same team.

Contracts don't necessarily
adhere to production schedules.

You know, we're all basically
on the same page here,

now we have
to hammer out a contract.

[Hendry] In the meantime,
Saltzman and Broccoli

still had a movie to cast,

and they started
by bringing back
the original actors

who played M, Q,
and Moneypenny

from the Connery films...

Same old Moneypenny.

[Hendry] ...to make sure
the audience knew

this was a bona fide Bond film.

Next on the docket
was the villain of the film.

Pete Hunt said
he did not like Don Pleasence,

and wanted someone
more threatening.

For one thing,
Donald Pleasence was 5'7".

[Hendry] And with George
standing eye to eye with Sean,

they'd need a more imposing
Blofeld than Donald Pleasence,

who played the role
in You Only Live Twice.

So, Telly Savalas
was brought in.

Who's American, and speaks with
a slight New York accent.

You'll be very useful at helping
to convince the authorities

that I mean what I say.

[Hendry] With the villain
out of the way,

producers turned their eyes
to the next Bond girl.

But this wasn't
just any Bond girl.

This was to be
James Bond's wife.

Will you marry me?

[Hendry] 'Til death
do they part.

Oops, spoiler!

The idea was that

when Sean Connery
was going to make it,

he was going to star
opposite Brigitte Bardot.

When George Lazenby,
an inexperienced actor,

takes on the role,

they feel they want someone

much more experienced than him.

They cast Diana Rigg
as his co-star.

Diana Rigg had recently
been on The Avengers.

I'm here to talk to you
about the Avenger initiative.

[Hendry] No,
not the Marvel Avengers.

This was a television series
born from Bondmania.

And it made Diana Rigg

a pop culture figure
all on her own.

As it had also done
for Honor Blackman,

who went on to play
Pussy Galore in Goldfinger.

It can't be a coincidence

that she was starring
in The Avengers,

having taken over
from Honor Blackman,

who found stardom
in The Avengers

and quit to do Goldfinger.

Business before pleasure.

[Hendry] But Diana Rigg
would be more than just

another Bond girl
to fans of the series.

I'm not interested
in your opinion of me, Mr. Bond.

Tracey di Vicenzo

is one of my favorite women
in the franchise.

She's somebody who's going
through some deep emotions,

and someone who is greatly
empowered over time.

[Hendry] Diana Rigg's character
would be an equal to 007,

taking up far more screen time

than most other Bond girls
had in the past.

[Funnell] I've always
argued that

we've already had
our first woman Bond.

I think that
she's a stronger character,

she's more compelling,
she's got better fashion sense.

It's the strength
of Diana Rigg's acting.

No sign of them yet.

Or someone saying "thank you."

This was an experienced actress

that could bring a lot
of emotion to the role.

[Hendry] Producers were counting
on the seasoned supporting cast

to elevate their young star.

And the idea is,
have great actors around him

who are gonna help him
lift his performance up.

[Hendry] But as it turns out,
this amateur agent

would find himself stumbling
throughout the production.

Yeah, that's a problem

when you're an actor
like Lazenby.

The filmmakers surrounding you
don't have the confidence

that you're gonna
be able to pull it off.

That had to have
been unnerving for him.

[Hendry] With a cast
full of seasoned actors,

and a first time lead,

in late 1968...

Eon Productions was able to make

the film they'd been
intending since 1964.

[Hendry] It was a story
that would find Bond

falling in love,
battling the sinister Blofeld,

and ultimately losing
his new wife to the villain.

[Sherman] On Her Majesty's
Secret Service

is one of the Bond films
that's incredibly close

to the original
Ian Fleming novel.

[Hendry] And maybe,
most importantly...

Cubby and Harry were willing
to allow somebody

that had never directed
a feature film before,

the reins of a James Bond film.

[Hendry] Eon was turning
to their long time editor,

Peter Hunt,

to take the reins of this next
installment of Bond.

They thought by the timeOn Her Majesty's came along,

that he was ready for it.

[Hendry] And ready or not,

it wouldn't be a walk
in the park

for the new director.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

had a lot of things
going for it,

but a lot of things
going against it.

[Hendry] And the first thing
going against it

was their new star.

Lazenby had a swagger
and an arrogance about him,

but I think also
an insecurity about him.

Does this mean
you've lost confidence in me?

[Hendry] Insecurity isn't
something 007 is known for,

but could anyone
really blame George?

[Sherman] He hadn't acted
for more than 30 seconds

before making
a James Bond movie,

one of the biggest movies
in the world.

It was like Sean Connery's gig,
and I broke into it.

[Hendry] And
Sean Connery's shoes

were anything but easy to fill.

This never happened
to the other fella.

I mean, you can imagine,

you're constantly
being compared to Connery.

At a certain point,

you might want to flex
your muscles a little bit

and say, "I am James Bond."

My name's Bond, James Bond.

He would tell you himself that
he let his ego overtake him.

I got to the point
where I could do anything.

I'd taken over.

[Hendry] But it wasn't all bad.

Up on the snowy peaks
of the Alps,

the actors were settling into
their roles and their lodging.

We were in the most
beautiful scenery

of the Alps in Switzerland.

Staying at a very nice hotel.

All the girls,
we got along brilliantly.

So, it was like a party.

[Hendry] A party that George
was starting to grow tired of.

Well, I was very happy
when we got to Switzerland,

but then, after being on that
mountain for about a month,

I was like "Geez,
I gotta get off this thing."

Why did you want
to get off the mountain so bad?

Because I'd fucked
all the girls.

The ones that were there.

I used to be screwing one,

and one would be
banging on my wall.

"Stop that,
you're making me horny."

Now after you've been through
the ten or 12 girls up there,

you're looking for another one.

What'd you say?

Oh, he had so many girls,
but I didn't see any of that.

He came, he worked,
he went home.

I was young and crazy for women.

I said,
"Give me the helicopter."

So I could go into Switzerland
and have some fun.

We'd go to clubs and pubs,

and I'd pull a chick,
take her to a hotel,

and give them the bill.

[Hendry] George pursued
his insatiable appetite

with wild abandon.

Those were great times.

[Hendry] As a side note,
not without consequence.

[Lazenby] One day, a girl,

she came
and knocked on my door,

and said, "My mother just
told me, you're my father."

And I thought, "Jesus...

"How many of these
have I got around the place?"

[Hendry] Well,
leaving George to contemplate

his life choices,

back on the set,
they still had a movie to make.

And it wasn't exactly
going swimmingly.

Peter Hunt had
some friends up on the set

while they were shooting.

[Lazenby] And Peter Hunt,

he had a bunch
of gay guys around.

And George asked that the set

be cleared of everybody
who was unnecessary.

They disappeared,
all the gay guys.

That irked Peter Hunt off.

[Lazenby] Peter Hunt,
he didn't like me. He's gay.

I don't know whether that
had anything to do with it.

I never said anything
against homosexuals,

I said, "Geez,
the more the better,

"more women for me."

[Hendry] Tensions between
the director and the new star

grew worse and worse each day.

Lazenby, a lot of the time,
wasn't engaged

about the part
or the role he was playing.

[Pfeiffer] According to what
Peter told me,

that was all one-sided.

[Hendry] Despite the tension,
producers were still

trying to convince
the reluctant George

to sign a long-term contract.

The fact is,
they wanted to rehire him.

They wanted him to come back,

so his behavior
can't have been that bad.

They offered me movies and money

and everything
to do another Bond movie.

[Hendry] And that was
in no small part

due to George's ability
to perform stunts.

[Sherman] He slid on the ice
carrying a machine gun,

he's jumping
out of a helicopter,

and he mixed up
in the fight scenes.

He wanted to make it authentic.

He was a big,
burly Australian guy,

and they limited
the use of stunt men

for that film to replace him.

Lazenby dislocated
his shoulder a few times.

Peter Hunt said,
"You're a big boy,

"you're from Australia,
just go out there and act."

[Hendry] But the problems
continued.

Winter of '68 in Switzerland
was unusually mild

and there wasn't enough snow
to film the action scenes.

But time is money,
so much of the crew

moved back to England
so they could continue to film.

But with work still to do
in the Alps,

Peter Hunt hired his long-time
collaborator, John Glen.

to help clean up the mess left
back on the Swiss mountain.

[Chowdhury] John Glen
had grown up in British film,

had done a lot of spy TV.

[Glen] Peter Hunt
was an old colleague of mine,

we were both
young assistant editors.

And when he was
in a bit of trouble

on Her Majesty's,
he thought of me.

[Hendry] Peter Hunt knew
from experience the benefits

that the path from editor
to director could yield.

David Lean was a film editor

who became one of
the world's greatest directors.

So, it's a very good way
into becoming a director.

[Hendry] First on the docket
for John,

the bobsled chase
between Bond and Blofeld.

It was on the site of
an original bobsleighing course.

[Hendry] And that course
had been closed

for some rather
unfortunate accidents.

They had several fatalities
on the course,

so they closed it down.

So, we resurrected it.

[Hendry] But John would be faced

with many of the same
weather delays

that Peter had experienced
in the Alps.

When the sun
eventually did come out,

you couldn't shoot
after two o'clock
in the afternoon

because the ice
started to melt.

[Hendry] And melting ice
would render the bobsled track

too risky to use.

But John,
he was there to do a job,

and he wasn't about to
slack off on the company dime.

I filled in the time
by shooting inserts, you know,

like close shots of hands
on the steering for the bob run,

bullet hits
on the cowling of the bob.

You keep shooting,
no matter what.

[Hendry] All the while,
there was another unit

filming in the Alps
alongside John.

But they weren't exactly
utilizing their time well.

When you have
continual bad weather,

the unit really gets quite,
not lazy,

but they start playing cards

and they forget
what they're there for.

[Hendry] And those
impromptu card games

would still provide
a valuable lesson

the day Cubby Broccoli
came to the set.

The other second unit,
they got to a stage

where they didn't even bother
to go up to the unit

in the morning
if the weather was bad.

So, when Cubby arrived
on the set,

there wasn't a soul to be seen.

[Hendry] Cubby arrived
at the hotel lounge

to discover the other
second unit

sitting around filming nothing.

I think he fired half of them
straight away.

[Hendry] With half the crew
now unemployed,

Cubby would turn
to resourceful John

to apply
his time management skills

to the rest of the filming
in the Alps.

I took over the whole direction

of the rest
of the action sequences.

He was inventive
and resourceful.

And this was duly noted
by Cubby Broccoli at the time.

[Hendry] With that order
of business out of the way,

Cubby looked around the set
and found another

equally important
executive producer task,

testing out the bobsled.

He came up onto the bob run
one day and he said to me,

"I'd like to travel down."

So, we got
the four-man bob out.

And Cubby occupied two seats
in the center of the bob.

Unfortunately, I was forced
to do it as well.

[Hendry] Perhaps flying
down the bobsled

was just what John Glen needed

to inspire him to direct
the now legendary ski chase

as Bond escaped
from Piz Gloria.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

was the first major movie
to employ ski action sequences.

[Hendry] Partially shot by Hunt,
John Glen was tasked

with covering
all the stunt work

to complete the scene.

And George's inexperience
would mean

John would have to
think on his feet,

even if the actors didn't.

[Glen] The most difficult thing
I had with George

was keeping him off the skis.

He desperately wanted to ski.

And he hadn't been
trained as a skier.

I'm not
a sporting man, Fraulein,

even when I'm at my best.

I had a sledge specially made.

The actors could kneel
on the sledge

and then we had
all these ace skiers

all dancing around off-camera,

throwing up snow
to make it look realistic.

[Hendry] But what's the point
of realistic action

if you can't even see it?

[Glen] The scene where
Telly Savalas lets off a flare,

when I shot those scenes,

I had to change the script
to incorporate the flares.

And I called Peter in Portugal,
and he said "Yeah, go for it."

Peter absolutely trusted me.

[Hendry] And Peter's
trust in John would pay off.

We end up with all of this
incredible skiing footage

from cameramen skiing
forwards, backwards.

And it probably made
for one of the most exciting

ski chase sequences

that's ever been
committed to film.

[Hendry] With John Glen
handling the snowy stunts
in Switzerland,

Peter Hunt was in Portugal,

concentrating on
the emotional core of the film.

When we got to Portugal,

the wedding scene
was the first thing that we did.

[Hendry] Shooting out of order

and cutting straight
to the nuptials.

If there's anything
you ever need...

Thank you, Q, but this time
I've got the gadgets.

[Hendry] And there's wasn't
a dry eye in the house

as Bond took his vows
to have and to hold,

'till death do they part.

Oh, yeah, well,
we'll get to that part later.

Up next was...

The fight scene on the beach.

George and I
went down the beach.

Peter said,
"Okay, boys, go in the sea,

"and let's see some action."

It was April, and it was cold.

Freezing. I could tell
by the size of my dick.

[Mountain] So George
said to Peter,

he said, "Peter, look,
we're freezing cold,"

he said, "Can't you get
two stunt boys to do this?"

Peter said, "George, this is
the opening scene of the film.

"You've got to do
your own stunt work."

Peter Hunt came back
with two bottles

of Portuguese brandy.

"Now, come and have
a real good port."

[Hendry] After
the liquid courage,

director Peter Hunt
gave one more quick pep talk.

[Mountain] He said,
"Okay, you two,

"knock the fuck
out of each other."

[Hendry] And knock they did,

putting their hearts
and livers into their work.

[Mountain] Sorry
about the profanities,

but it would be the same
if I didn't "F."

[Hendry] And Terence had to hold
his breath for a while, too.

That was filmed three months
later in the studio.

And would you believe,

it was Peter Hunt
holding me under the water?

Not many people know that.
But now you know.

[Hendry] But there was
one more scene to film.

The traditional James Bond
cinematic ending.

[Jackson] There was
sort of a Bond formula,

and that formula is that Bond

ends up with a woman
in his arms.

When Bond marries
Tracy di Vicenzo,

she does shortly after
in the film.

Bond is holding a woman
in his arms at the end.

But it's a dead woman,
the woman he's loved.

Blofeld.

George Lazenby, he played it
at first crying with tears,

and was told by Peter Hunt,

"James Bond does not cry."

The final version you see,
he has cried, his eyes are wet.

I think it creates
a wonderful moment.

There's no hurry, you see.

We have all the time
in the world.

It certainly felt
very different.

But were audiences that were
going to see that film

ready for an ending like that?

[Hendry] Whether or not
audiences would accept

a bleak Bond ending

would have to wait
for the film's release.

And as for how fans would
react to the new face of 007,

it was up in the air
as to whether Lazenby

was going to stick around
and find out.

Lazenby had been irritated
by the end of the film.

[Hendry] And with the film
almost complete,

there was still the now
rather pressing matter

of that contract George
was having his lawyers look at.

As the picture
was being finished,

Lazenby says
that not only Saltzman,

United Artists
told him to sign the contract.

[Hendry] And they did everything
they could to sweeten the deal.

[Lazenby] They upped the money,

they'd give me any film
I wanted to do in between.

I mean, they made me offers
like you can't believe.

Harry Saltzman offered him

a million dollars
for a five-picture deal.

But I don't need
a million pounds.

Stupido!

I never signed it.

To this day, I've not signed it.

[Hendry] Having refused
to sign Eon's contract

for more Bond films,

George announced it
to the world.

Lazenby declared, "I'm not
returning as James Bond."

I have the honor to request

you will accept my resignation
effective forthwith.

[Chowdhury] Lazenby was
an unknown male model

who no one
could have ever believed

that he would not sign
the contract.

[Hendry] As it turns out,
the potential tenant

that had first inspired George
to try for the part of Bond,

was now assuring him

that there were greener
pastures on the horizon.

Ronan O'Rahilly said,

"Don't sign
the freaking contract."

Lazenby was advised
by his close associates

that it was a moment
for the counter culture.

Easy Rider, Peter Fonda,

motorcycle films,
that's the way to go.

Bond'll never last
into the '70s.

Quit while you're ahead,
do the one film.

Get some name recognition
and get out.

[Hendry] And Eon's perspective
on the matter?

[Pfeiffer] They were
passing around

the word that he didn't quit,
that they fired him.

[Hendry] To say Broccoli
and Saltzman took it personally

is an understatement.

If I was working on a movie,
they'd call up

and say, "You'll never
release your movie,

"he's under contract to us."

Because I wouldn't sign
their contract.

So, I couldn't get
a job anywhere.

And being James Bond

and not having any money
is weird.

[Hendry] And George's antics

didn't win him any favors
with the director either.

[Lazenby] I saw Peter in London.

And I said,
"Hey, Peter, it's me!"

And he says, "I know."

And kept walking.

[Hendry] Eon may have been done
with their new James Bond,

but they still needed him
to fill theaters.

Cubby said, "We were left
with the dilemma

"of having to promote
a new James Bond,

"but one that no one
was ever gonna see again."

[Sherman] On Her Majesty's Secret Service

had a fascinating marketing
campaign unique to the Bonds.

Like posters, rich art,

and all these
hand-drawn paintings

and photos and things.

But no face shown.

It's certainly not Sean Connery,

but could be a not very good
painting of Sean Connery.

[Hendry] And to make
matters worse...

He is saying things in the press

that are not particularly kind.

Well, the people around me
weren't, um...

exactly helpful, all of them.

[Lazenby] I did all the shows,
talk shows.

Johnny Carson,
he never asked me back again.

He's not helping
anybody's cause with that.

[Hendry] Things came to a head
when the studio

asked their lead star
not to attend the premier.

But maybe it was less to do
with him badmouthing Eon,

and more to do with channeling
his inner Easy Rider.

[Lazenby] They asked me
not to go

because I had a beard.

During that time,
I got a lot of publicity.

I thought, "Well, I can grow

"a beard and a mustache,
that'll help."

Everything they didn't want.

[Hendry] In December of 1969,

On Her Majesty's Secret Servicepremiered in London.

It was an event
fit for a queen.

It was a royal premiere.

And it was quite an occasion.

It was a magnificent experience.

[Hendry] An experience Lazenby
didn't intend to miss out on,

beard or no beard.

And we went.

They had to let me in,
of course.

George was there with his
big beard and his long hair.

And he didn't look right.
He didn't look right.

[Hendry] Long hair or not,

what was meant
to be an occasion

to celebrate
the changing of the guard,

became a farewell
to the one and done James Bond.

And as for that bygone spy,

well, he learned some lessons
along the way.

I don't regret
not doing another one.

When I think about it,
I had a good life.

I wasn't supposed to be here.

I'm thinking every day
is a lucky day.

Is there
anything I didn't ask you

that you want to tell us?

No, you can say I'm good in bed.

[Hendry] On Her Majesty's Secret Service

suffered a tremendous loss
at the box office.

They had made a gamble

replacing James Bond
with a nobody.

[Hendry] A mistake
Broccoli and Saltzman

wouldn't make again.

They tried to come back
and do that again,

when they started casting
for Diamonds Are Forever.

[Hendry] Uh, scratch that.

A gamble they were
very willing to take again.

[Pfeiffer] They had signed
American actor, John Gavin,

to star inDiamonds Are Forever.

[Hendry] That's when the studio
stepped in.

The brass
at United Artists

said no more blank checks.

We're gonna be more involved
with the casting.

What we'd really like

is we'd like another film
like Goldfinger.

[Hendry] Which is another way
of saying...

We really want Sean back.