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MI6 looks back at the non-James Bond movies producer
Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli was involved
with following Dr. No in 1962...
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Cubby Broccoli’s Non-Bond Movies (Post
Dr. No)
13th March 2006
Since the debut of Dr.
No in 1962, the name of Albert
R. “Cubby” Broccoli has become a household
name, forever linked with the James Bond film series.
Whilst Broccoli produced or co-produced sixteen Bond adventures
over a period of twenty-seven years, many people do not
realize that he also produced non-Bond films, both prior
to and after Dr. No. Here, MI6 takes a look at Broccoli’s
post-Dr. No non-Bond ventures.
Right: Broccoli pictured with the new 007
stage during construction on "The Spy Who Loved Me"
in 1977.
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Call Me Bwana (1963)
Starring Bob Hope, Anita Ekberg, Edie Adams, and Lionel
Jeffries, Call Me Bwana has the distinction of being the
only non-Bond film to date produced by Eon Productions.
In this safari-themed comedy, Bob Hope plays a writer pretending
to be an adventurer, who is asked by NASA to find a capsule
that has disappeared after crashing somewhere in Africa.
Originally, Broccoli and Saltzman planned to produce Bond
and non-Bond films in an alternating pattern, but when Call
Me Bwana ultimately bombed at the box office, Eon Productions
canned the original plan, and decided to keep their focus
on the growing James Bond franchise.
Producer: Albert R. Broccoli
Executive Producer: Harry Saltzman
Written by: Johanna Harwood and Nate Monaster
Directed by: Gordon Douglas
US Release Date: June 29, 1963
Synopsis: Laugh along with this breezy
comedy as Bob Hope heads for the African Jungle where he
finds himself on an outrageous safari with elephants, hippos,
and...spies? Co-stars Anita Ekberg and Edie Adams.
Did You Know?
A film billboard can be seen in From Russia With Love as
Kerim Bey kills Krilencu with a rifle.
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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
(1968)
Eon Productions was not officially behind this musical,
but Cubby Broccoli was not the only person with a connection
to the Bond series to work on it. Based on a children’s
book written by 007 creator Ian
Fleming, one of the co-writers for the film’s
script was Roald Dahl, who previously wrote the script for
You Only Live Twice. Gert
Frobe (Goldfinger)
and Desmond Llewelyn (Q)
both made appearances in the film. Ken Adam served as production
designer (Adam was the production designer for seven of
the first eleven Bond films). Peter Lamont (involved in
one capacity or another with every Bond film since Goldfinger,
except Tomorrow Never Dies) was
an assistant art director. And Vic Armstrong (involved in
stunts in six official Bond films between You Only Live
Twice and Die Another Day, and second unit director on Tomorrow
Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough,
and Die Another Day) performed
stunts.
Producer: Albert R. Broccoli
Associate Producer: Stanley Sopel
Written by: Ian Fleming (novel), Roald
Dahl, and Ken Hughes
Directed by: Ken Hughes
US Release Date: Dec 18, 1968
Synopsis: Join Dick Van Dyke and his magical
automobile for a trip to a mystical, musical world full
of pirates, castles and plenty of old-fashioned fun!
Did You Know?
Truly’s car number plate is CUB 1 in reference to
Albert R. Broccoli's nickname, Cubby. |
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Despite the overwhelming popularity of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,
Broccoli never again released another non-Bond film. In 1970,
he was set to produce a docudrama entitled Nijinsky (with Rudolf
Nureyev set to play the part of real-life Russian ballet star
Vaclav Nijinsky). This film, however, was cancelled before completion,
and Broccoli shifted his focus permanently back to the James Bond
series.
Backstory
Prior to Dr. No, Cubby Broccoli already had an established career
in film. Broccoli started his film career at 31 years of age as
an assistant director on a few films in the early 1940s, but he
put his movie career on hold when he joined the Navy during World
War II. After the war, Broccoli’s cousin, actor Pat DeCicco,
landed him a job as production manager for the film, Avalanche
(1946), directed by Irving Allen. Avalanche bombed, but Broccoli
afterwards worked together with Allen to form Warwick Productions,
which turned out a string of successful films in the 1950s. Poor
box-office returns from The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960), though,
bankrupted Broccoli and put an end to his partnership with Irving
Allen. Shortly thereafter, Cubby Broccoli met Harry
Saltzman, who owned the option on Ian Fleming’s 007
books, and the rest – as they say – is Bond history!
Broccoli and Saltzman were partners for several years, co-producing
nine 007 adventures together before Saltzman sold his shares in
Eon Productions Ltd. and Danjaq S.A. to Broccoli.
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Thanks to Kyvan
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