CommanderBond.net takes a look at some of the birthdays and past events of the James Bond series that have taken place during the month of March… Note: This article was originally posted on 1 March 2005.

MOMENTS IN 007 HISTORY

2 March

• 1962: By 10:00 AM Sean Connery was ready to begin filming the casino scenes in Dr. No, the first “official” James Bond film, where he would utter what is considered the most famous line in film history, “Bond, James Bond.” According to Eunice Gayson who played Sylivia Trench in the film, Connery had a terrible time saying the line, often mixing in his own name into the line. Allegedly, Gayson was given orders to take Connery out for a few drinks, afterwhich it is said he delivered the line perfectly in one take.

13 March

• 1995: Famke Janssen’s stunt double for GoldenEye, the seventeenth “official” James Bond film, Eunice Huthart, filmed Xenia’s death scene at Leavesden’s A Stage which was made up to look like a jungle clearing. Both Brosnan and Janssen were on hand to watch the action and offer words of support.
• 2007: Casino Royale, the twenty-first “official” James Bond film, was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 1 territories.

14 March

• 1995: Sean Bean arrived at the nerve gas facility set at Leavesden for his first day of filming on GoldenEye.
• 1995: During a break in filming for GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan had a sitting with the crew at Madame Tussaud’s for their autumn display in London. At the end of the session, Brosnan writes in Madame Tussaud’s book of fame: “You missed one measurement, But, ah, never mind…”

19 March

• 1964: Sean Connery reported to Stage D at Pinewood Studios to begin his first day of filming on the set of Goldfinger, the third “official” James Bond film.
• 2007: Casino Royale, the twenty-first “official” James Bond film, was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 2 territories.

21 March

• 1961: Kevin McClory filed an injunction against Ian Fleming, in an attempt to delay the release of Fleming’s Thunderball in Britain. Although it was represented as the sole work of Mr. Fleming, Mr. McClory claimed that the novel was an infringement of copyright, based on a collection of film scripts that he had written with Mr. Fleming and Jack Whittingham. (A High Court judge in the chancery division refused the injunction on March 24, claiming that the full facts of the matter were not known.)

21 March

• 1969: The scene in which Bond propses to Tracy in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the sixth “official” James Bond film, was filmed on Pinewood’s A Stage.

22 March

• 1964: Ian Fleming sold a 51% interest in his Glidrose Productions, Ltd., to the investment group Booker Brothers for $280,000. Booker Brothers thus gained control of the copyright to Fleming’s novels, but not the film or television rights.

23 March

• 1954: Casino Royale was published for the first time by Macmillan in the United States. Around this time in the United Kingdom, the book went into its third printing.
• 2009: Quantum of Solace, the twenty-second “official” James Bond film, was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 2 territories.

24 March

• 1952: Ian Lancaster Fleming married Anne, the former Viscountess Rothermere at Port Maria, Jamaica. The witnesses were Noel Coward and Cole Lesley.

27 March

• 1961: Thunderball, Ian Fleming’s ninth James Bond novel, was published in England by Jonathan Cape despite claims of plagiarism by Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham.

29 March

• 1982: Albert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli, producer of the first 17 official James Bond films, was given the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, in recognition of his lifetime’s work. The award was presented by Roger Moore.

30 March

• 1962: Principal photography on Dr. No was completed.

BIRTHS

• 1st – 1909, David Niven (Sir James Bond, 1967’s Casino Royale)
• 1st – 1946, Lana Wood (Plenty O’Toole, Diamonds Are Forever)
• 2nd – 1968, Daniel Craig (James Bond, Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace – )
• 3rd – 1925, Gabriele Ferzetti (Draco, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service)
• 3rd – 1949, Gloria Hendry (Rosie, Live And Let Die)
• 5th – 1976, Neil Jackson (Mr. Slate, Quantum of Solace)
• 6th – 1917, David Bauer (Mr. Slumber, Diamonds Are Forever)
• 6th – 1920, Lewis Gilbert (Director, You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me, & Moonraker)
• 9th – 1929, Jean Rougerie (Aubergine, A View To A Kill)
• 10th – 1921, Cec Linder (Felix Leiter, Goldfinger)
• 10th – 1953, Paul Haggis (Screenwriter, Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace)
• 11th – 1928, Peter Hunt (Editor, Various & Director, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service)
• 15th – 1924, Walter Gotell (General Gogol, Various)
• 17th – 1931, Eunice Gayson (Sylvia Trench, Dr. No & From Russia With Love)
• 19th – 1936, Ursula Andress (Honey Ryder, Dr. No & Vesper Lynd/007, 1967’s Casino Royale)
• 19th – 1947, Dermot Crowly (Kamp, Octopussy)
• 20th – 1968, Lawrence Makoare (Mr. Kil, Die Another Day)
• 21st – 1946, Timothy Dalton (James Bond, The Living Daylights & Licence To Kill)
• 22nd – 1975, Will Yun Lee (Colonel Moon, Die Another Day)
• 23rd – 1950, Corinne Clery (Corinne Dufour, Moonraker)
• 23rd – 1955, Carole Ashby (Gymnast, Octopussy & Whistling Girl, A View To A Kill)
• 24th – 1945, Patrick Malahide (Lachaise, The World Is Not Enough)
• 26th – 1956, Oliver Skeete (Concierge, Die Another Day)
• 26th – 1967, Talisa Soto (Lupe Lamora, Licence To Kill)
• 27th – 1935, Julian Glover (Aristotle Kristatos, For Your Eyes Only)
• 29th – 1928, Philip Locke (Vargas, Thunderball)
• 30th – 1950, Robbie Coltrane (Valentin Zukovsky, GoldenEye & The World Is Not Enough)
• 31st – 1933, Bob Simmons (Stunt Double, Various)
• 31st – 1943, Christopher Walken (Max Zorin, A View To A Kill)

DEATHS

• 2nd – 1999, Dusty Springfield (Singer of “The Look of Love,” 1967’s Casino Royale)
• 7th – 2000, Charles Gray (Henderson, You Only Live Twice & Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Diamonds Are Forever)
• 20th – 1976, Michael Goodliffe (Chief Of Staff, The Man With The Golden Gun)
• 23rd – 1964, Peter Lorre (Le Chiffre, Climax! television production of Casino Royale)