Dr. No 1962

    One of Britain’s secret agents is killed in Jamaica and James Bond (007) is sent to find out what who is responsible.  He joins forces with Quarrel and a CIA agent, Felix Leiter.  There have been unusual reports of fire breathing dragons on an island.  A trio of assassins known as the three blind mice are suspected as the killers.  Bond dodges the assassins and a tarantula in his bed.  Along the beach, he meets Honey Ryder collecting valuable conch shells.  They are taken prisoner by Dr. No so they will not get in the way of his efforts to destroy the U.S. space program.

     Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli produced this first James Bond film on a very limited budget.  There aren’t any gadgets and gimmicks like those featured in later films.  Vic Flick played the now famous guitar riff on the sound track on a 1939 guitar and he was paid a one time fee of 6 pounds.  I wonder if anyone involved in this project had any idea how many Bond films would eventually be made and how much money they would earn?  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

110 min, Action directed by Terence Young with Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Bernard Lee, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord, Anthony Dawson, Zena Marshall, John Kitzmiller, Eunice Gayson, Lois Maxwell, Peter Burton.

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, 96% critic 82% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 486 reviews.

Special Note:  This movie was filmed in Jamaica and England.  Ian Fleming wrote the story of Dr. No in 1956 for an episode of a television series that was never produced.  He expanded the story into the sixth James Bond novel.  The Dr. No character was based on Sax Rohmer’s Doctor Fu Manchu.  Bond is driving a blue convertible Sunbeam Alpine 1961 Series II.