Great tribute
What a phenomenal actor he was
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I always thought that the 3 actors who could have best pulled off Bond back in the 60s (especially right after Connery) were Christopher Plummer, Stephen Boyd, and Rod Taylor.
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While aware of Agent Zigzag, I had no idea there was a film about him. Was it any good, were there any newer and more complete films made?
RIP.
I still think that Terrence Stamp or Oliver Reed would have been fascinating experiments.
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I agree with you 100%. The 3 I listed fit the existing mold a bit more logically, but the idea of OHMSS with Oliver Reed is so tantalizing. And Stamp had a unique magnetism all his own.
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Reed would have been an unpredictable Blofeld.
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A brief off-topic:
Terence Young ironically was a real-life acquaintance of Chapman from before the war and asked for an assessment by MI5 when they had him on their hands. Young, then himself in intelligence, told his superiors Chapman would do what they ask of him - but probably rob his handlers in the bargain.
After the war Chapman tried to make money with ghosted memoirs, like so many others. And like others he found that the government would quickly slap his wrists for doing so*. He was allowed to publish a heavily bowdlerised version that in turn became the basis for TRIPLE COSS’ script. But the film was poorly received and Chapman also didn’t like it, in spite of the glamorous cast that made his wartime exploits look pretty dashing.
I’m not aware of any other films picking up Chapman’s story. Ben Macintyre’s Agent Zigzag seems to be the definite work on Chapman. It is enormously more revealing than any previous account as it profits from files released in 2001 and one more file that was only declassified and sent to Macintyre shortly before publication in 2007.
Just after publication then German Ambassador to London, Wolfgang Ischinger (who since became chairman of the Munich Security Conference), called Macintyre to tell him his father had been commander of Chapman’s flight across the Channel and that both his father and the second pilot of that flight, Fritz Schlichting, were still alive and kicking. The paperback edition has an interesting addendum on this detail.
*One of the reasons Fleming wasn’t particularly popular with genuine wartime spies was that Fleming, in their view, made millions on the backs of their experiences - while they themselves weren’t allowed to tell their own real stories.
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Well well. Many thanks.
I might have to pick up that book. Thank you.
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I’m hearing reports we might have lost William P. Cartlidge, Associate Producer.
RIP sir.
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One of the army of professionals without whom no film would ever see the light of day. Cartlidge was involved in various important roles in producing YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME and MOONRAKER. Fans will remember his anecdotes about the making of these film adventures.
R.I.P.
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Nikki van der Zyl…
Another sad loss.
R.I.P.
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Sad news, very sad news indeed. To me, not just a Bond veteran but a dear friend. I had the pleasure of meeting her and her late husband George in 2012, along with a small group of German fans and we’ve been in loose contact ever since. She had loads of stories to tell, not only from her Bond times but also of her family history. And George was one of the funniest persons I’ve ever met.
R.I.P.
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Sad news. Her voice was a major part of the 1960s Bond movies in particular.
Man, these last couple of years the Bond family have been dropping like flies. Before, Bond family deaths would happen occasionally, but lately they seem to come one right after the other. 
R.I.P. Nikki van der Zyl. Thank you for your efforts. They were appreciated.
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They weren’t even supposed to be noticed.
Not a credit in the titles - all the accolades went to the actresses who went on to be famous.
It’s nice and fitting that these behind-the-scenes personnel get their due. I’d read about Nikki’s contribution (along with Robert Reitty’s) long ago.
RIP, Honey (and Sylvia, and Jill and Domino and Kissy, etc.).
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Not only that. There were actresses who refused to do a convention when they learned that she would be present, too. Or they’d demand that she’d be sitting as far away from them as possible.
I loved what photographer Taryn Simon did for her “Birds of the West Indies” project in 2013. She had already taken pictures of every Bond girl for the project. When she learned about Nikki’s existence, she had her flown to New York (don’t quote me on that, could be that it was Paris) and took not only pictures of her but also a video, in which he read all her lines from all her Bond movies, thus giving her back her face and her voice. The video became a core piece of the exhibition, and Nikki was very proud of that.
https://www.dailyserving.com/2015/03/taryn-simon-birds-of-the-west-indies-at-almine-rech/
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What a sweet thing she was granted this belated recognition.
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Yes, I once wrote a post about the longevity of those associated with the Bond films. We still had Joseph Wiseman alive back then.