50th Anniversary of the Live and Let Die (1973) film starring Roger Moore

By: Anders Frejdh

Published:
2023-06-27

Live and Let Die film poster, 50th anniversary

On this day in Bond history, Live and Let Die (1973), Roger Moore's first film as Ian Fleming's James Bond, premiered at cinemas 50 years ago. (LALD was first released in USA on 27 June 27 1973, and then in the UK on July 6.)

Bond is pitted against the mysterious Dr. Kananga, prime minister of a Caribbean island, who plans to attack the world's drug addicts with a mixture of heroin and voodoo.

United Artists - an MGM company Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli present Roger Moore as James Bond - 007 in Ian Fleming's Live and Let Die:

Production notes: (Source: MGM / Eon Productions)

• 13 Oct 1972: Shooting began with part of the bayou boat chase sequence
• 26 Oct 1972: Guy Hamilton (GH) shot the jazz funeral at which Agent Hamilton is murdered
• 30 Oct 1972: GH shot the boats leaping over Sheriff Pepper and destroying his car
• 4 Nov 1972: GH shot Bond and his pursuers crashing through a wedding ceremony in the boat chase
• 11 Nov 1972: shooting was completed on the enormous boat chase
• 15 Nov 1972: GH filmed the death of Rosie Carver by deadly scarecrow
• 7 Dec 1972: GH shot Bond driving a double decker bus under a low bridge and losing its roof
• 10 Dec 1972: GH shot Bond and Solitaire escaping on Quarrel Jr's boat at the climax of the bus chase
• 27 Dec 1972: GH filmed Bond sweeping his hotel room for bugs
• 28 Dec 1972: GH filmed Bond shaving in the bath: oblivious to the snake crawling toward him
• 4 Jan 1973: GH shot the scene in which 007 first meets Solitaire in the Fillet of Soul club
• 17 Jan 1973: GH shot the scene in which 007 seduces Solitaire with a little help from some tarot cards
• 23 Jan 1973: Geoffrey Holder (+16 dancers) began rehearsals for Baron Samedi’s Dance of Death
• 2 Feb 1973: The crew shot the scene in which Baron Samedi is ‘risen from the dead’ in the voodoo graveyard
• 15 Feb 1973: Shooting commenced on the closing sequence with Bond, Solitaire and Tee Hee on the train
• 26 Feb 1973: The crew shot the post-credits scene at Bond’s London flat
• 2 Mar 1973: Roger Moore completed filming
• 6 Apr 1973: Final insert shots were filmed and filming was complete
• 13 Apr 1973: The title sequence was filmed on D Stage at Pinewood Studios

A selection of filming locations for Live and Let Die:

• 117th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA (Harlem fight scene)
• 118th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA (Harlem fight scene)
• 2nd Avenue 94th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA (Fillet of Soul restaurant)
• 33 East 65th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA (Oh Cult voodoo shop)
• 69th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA (San Monique consulate in New York)
• 826 Chartres Street, French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (Fillet of Soul restaurant)
• Baldwin Estate, Louisiana, USA (boat chase - boats zoom over grass)
• Bayou, Louisiana, USA (boat chase)
• Boatyard, Slidell, Louisiana, USA (boat chase - death of Adam)
• Crawdad Bridge, Louisiana, USA (near Phoenix - James Bond's speedboat jumps over Highway 11)
• Durmaine Street, French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (opening sequence - funeral parade)
• Green Grotto Lake, Runaway Bay, Jamaica (cave scenes - Kananga's underground lair)
• Green Grotto, Runaway Bay, Jamaica (cave scenes - Kananga's underground lair)
• Gunpoint Wharf Docks, Montego Bay, Cornwall, Jamaica (James Bond hires Quarrel Jnr.'s Boat)
• Half Moon Bay, Jamaica (Rosie's house - hacienda)
• Hampden Wharf Jetty, Falmouth, Jamaica (end of bus chase at Quarrel's boat)
• Irish Bayou, Treadway Estate, Slidell, Louisiana, USA (boat chase)
• Jamaica (fictional country of San Monique)
• Jamaica Safari Village, Falmouth Lagoon, Jamaica (crocodile farm scenes)
• Johnson Town, Lucea, Hanover, Jamaica (bridge that cuts off top of bus)
• Kananga's Cliff, Jamaica (Solitaire's hideout - between Tower Isle and Rio Nuevo Bay)
• Kenner, Louisiana, USA (New Orleans international airport)
• Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, USA (Marina of the Southern Yacht Club - boat chase)
• Lakefront Airport - 5901 Walter Beech Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (Bleeker Flying School - Bond smashes wings off airplane)
• Louisiana State Highway 39, Louisiana, USA (near Phoenix - James Bond's speedboat jumps over Highway 11)
• Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA (Oh Cult voodoo shop parking garage exit)
• Miller's Bridge, Phoenix, Louisiana, USA (boat chase - Police riverblock)
• Montego Bay - Lucea Highway, Jamaica (bus chase)
• Montego Bay area, Cornwall, Jamaica (Motorcycle chase sequence)
• Montego Bay, Cornwall, Jamaica (Quarrel Jnr's yacht mooring)
• Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK (studio)
• Room 52, Bungalow 9, Half Moon Bay Club, Rose Hall Great House Resort, Montego Bay, Cornwall, Jamaica (James Bond's Hotel Room in San Monique)
• Rose Hall Waterfall, Montego Bay, Cornwall, Jamaica (James Bond and Solitaire confront Baron Samedi)
• Ross Kananga's Crocodile Farm, Montego Bay, Cornwall, Jamaica (crocodile farm scenes)
• Runaway Bay, Jamaica (cave scenes - Kananga's underground lair)
• Runaway Caves, Runaway Bay, Jamaica (cave scenes - Kananga's underground lair)
• Sans Souci Resort, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica (James Bond's Hotel in San Monique - Baron Samedi's fire dance performance)
• Shop, Sans Souci Resort, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica (James Bond acquires tarot cards)
• Slidell, Louisiana, USA (boat chase - death of Adam)
• The Ruins Restaurant, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica (James Bond's Hotel/Baron Samedi's fire dance performance/Bond and Rosie have picnic)
• Treadway Estate, Slidell, Louisiana, USA (boat chase - wedding scene)

Vehicles used during the filming: (Source: BMT 216A: The James Bond Vehicle Library)

• AEC Regent III (bus)
• Bell 206 Jet Ranger (helicopter)
• Cadillac El Dorado - 1972 (car)
• Cessna 140 (aeroplane)
• Checker Marathon (car)
• Chevrolet Bel Air - 1973 (car)
• Chevrolet Impala - 1963 (car)
• Chevrolet Impala - 1973 (car)
• Chevrolet Nova (police car)
• Glastron GT-150 (boat)
• Mini Moke
• Quarrel juniors boat

Over the years, FSWL has been fortunate to meet, and written articles about, some of the people that worked on LALD, below is a list with some of them:

>Albert R. Broccoli (Producer)
>Bob Dix as Hamilton
>Clifton James as Sheriff J.W. Pepper
>David Hedison as Felix Leiter
>Doug Robinson (Stuntman)
>Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi
>George Martin (Film soundtrack composer)
>Gloria Hendry as Rosie
>Guy Hamilton (Director)
>Harry Saltzman (Producer)
>Jane Seymour as Solitaire
>Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny
>Madeline Smith as Miss Caruso
>Monty Norman (Composer of the James Bond theme)
>Nosher Powell (Stuntman)
>Paul McCartney and The wings (Singer of the title song)
>Paul Weston (Stuntman)
>Roger Moore as James Bond
>Syd Cain (Supervising Art Director)
>Tom Mankiewicz (Screenwriter)
>Vic Armstrong (Stunt double for Roger Moore in the cave fight)

Photo above:
The original Swedish film poster for Live and Let Die (1973) from the FSWL collection.

Read more about the film Live and Let Die on MGM's official website:

www.mgm.com/#/our-titles/1130/Live-and-Let-Die

Tags:

#on_the_tracks_of_007

#roger_moore