Was Ian Fleming related to Leslie Charteris by marriage? (His widow’s last name was Charteris.) Did the two men even know each other? Also, was the Japanese nickname for 007 “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (for “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”)?
Online searching seems to indicate there’s no relation between Leslie Charteris and Ian Fleming’s wife, Anne Charteris. I’m basing this on a number of biographies of both men, none of which mention any such relationship.
But there are some odd coincidences: Leslie Charteris co-wrote several Saint novels with Fleming Lee; Cole Leslie was one of two witnesses at the Fleming-Charteris marriage; and, as you undoubtedly know, Roger Moore played both author’s characters.
Seems unlikely, Krokodil. Leslie Charteris was born Leslie Charles Bowyer Yin in Singapore on May 12, 1907. He legally changed his name to Leslie Charteris in 1926. Mrs. Bond would have had to have changed her name, too. Also, it appears that Mrs. Fleming was Caucasian; Charteris was Chinese.
I’ve heard that the Japanese nickname for Bond was “Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, but not any relationship to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Interesting thought. The original sing for “Thunderball” was supposed to be “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, and you can hear it on the Thunderball DVD. It actually matches the cutting for the opening titles better than the song they used, and elenments of the song appear in the Thunderball score. Pauline Kael titled one of her books “Kiss Kiss Bang Banf”, probably because it sums up a lot of pop cinema, not just Bond films.