60th Anniversary of Dr. No: The first James Bond 007 film

By: FSWL team

Published:
2022-10-05

On 5th October 2022, it will be 60 years since James Bond first appeared in a cinema. Dr. No, starring Sean Connery, premiered at the London Pavilion, Piccadilly Circus in London on October 5, 1962.

Over the last 60 years, 23 James Bond films have been made by EON Productions based on author Ian Fleming's fictional character created in 1953 when his first 007 novel, Casino Royale, was published.

Six films starring Sean Connery as James Bond: Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Connery made a seventh Bond film, Never Say Never Again (1983), for another production company, so it is not counted among the "official" EON series.

One film starring Australian actor George Lazenby, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).

Seven films starring English actor Roger Moore as 007: Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983) and A View to a Kill (1985).

Two film adventures starring Welch actor Timothy Dalton, The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989).

Four Bond films with Irish actor Pierce Brosnan; GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999) and Die Another Day (2002).

The last five films in the franchise - Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), and No Time To Die (2021) - 007 has been portrayed by English actor Daniel Craig.

The official anniversary trailer for 60 Years of James Bond 007 movies:

Dr. No Production notes (Source: MGM / 007.com)

• 6 Jul 1961: EON Productions, the company behind the films, was founded by producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman
• 7 Sep 1961: Richard Maibaum and Wolf Mankowitz submitted the first draft screenplay
• 3 Nov 1961: Sean Connery was announced as the first actor to play James Bond
• 21 Dec 1961: Four actresses tested with Sean Connery for the role of Miss Taro (the role went to Zena Marshall)
• 1 Jan 1962: Crew of Dr. No issued with the draft schedule for the first 007 movie
• 16 Jan 1962: Director Terence Young started shooting the first 007 cinematic adventure
• 21 Feb 1962: Terence Young shot the scene in which Bond and Honey hide in the river using reeds as snorkels
• 28 Feb 1962: Terence Young shot the scene in Bond’s flat
• 5 Mar 1962: Shooting was completed on the first scene in which 007 says, “Bond. James Bond”
• 7 Mar 1962: Scenes were shot in Miss Taro's apartment including Bond killing Dent
• 14 Mar 1962: Terence Young shot scene in which Bond and Honey meet Dr. No at his apartment/lair
• 22 Mar 1962: Terence Young shot scene in which Bond receives a Geiger counter from London
• 26 Mar 1962: Terence Young shot scenes with Dr. No, Bond and Honey in the reactor room
• 3 Apr 1962: Principal photography completed with the scene of Bond and the tarantula
• 10 Apr 1962: Danjaq S.A. signed an agreement giving United Artists Corporation the right to distribute the film

Editor's note:
One other Bond film has been produced, Casino Royale (1967) starring David Niven as James Bond, which was a parody of the serious Bond films, and therefore not included in the above list. In addition to that film, there was an even earlier version of Casino Royale broadcast on live US television in October, 1954, starring Barry Nelson as Bond.

EON Productions, Harry Saltzman & Albert R. Broccoli present Ian Fleming's Dr No:

Click here for box-office statistics for the James Bond films produced by EON Productions according to Box Office Mojo (not adjusted for inflation):

Note: Total gross for the James Bond film series in USA and Canada (not adjusted for inflation): USD 2,273,796,409

Photo above:
The extremely rare UK quad poster for Dr. No (1962). Copyright © 1962 Danjaq S.A. & United Artists Corporation.

More information about the James Bond phenomenon on the official website at www.007.com.

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#60th_film_anniversary

#sean_connery_james_bond_films