# Why did they make the Dr. No movie first? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 9, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039 "2010-07-09T00:17:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/1 "2010-07-09T00:17:24Z")
my friend wants to know ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/2 "2010-07-09T00:38:22Z")
Well, _Casino Royale_ had already been done in 1954… _Dr. No_ actually takes place after _From Russia, With Love_. In that one, Bond is poisoned by Rosa Klebb. Bond is treated, and is then sent to Jamaica to rest and recuperate. ISTR a lot of swimming and running on the beach. (It’s been forever since I’ve read it.) ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/3 "2010-07-09T01:25:17Z")
But would _From Russia, With Love_ have had [this](http://www.fertilehealthy.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/ursula-andress-dr-no-1b.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/4 "2010-07-09T01:29:00Z")
Yeah, I have a hard time imagining Lotte Lenya in that outfit. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/5 "2010-07-09T01:33:16Z")
No, but it did have [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Daniela_Bianchi.jpg)! ETA: And [this](http://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/article/922/922788/james-bond-007-from-russia-with-love-20081022030922070-000.jpg)! And [this](http://www.movies.pop-cult.com/images/from-russia-with-love-3.jpg)! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/6 "2010-07-09T01:37:11Z")
[Lotte Lenya](http://aceterrier.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/30slottelenya.jpg) was attractive when she was younger. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/7 "2010-07-09T01:37:43Z")
The main reason why it made sense to do it first was that the book appeared on a list of John F. Kennedy’s favorite books published about the time he took office. It got a lot of publicity – something of a anomaly on the list, and, at the time, the least known of the books listed. The producers took advantage of the publicity. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/8 "2010-07-09T01:47:17Z")
I heard that From Russia With Love was the one on the list [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Favorite+Books+of+President+Kennedy.htm](http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Favorite+Books+of+President+Kennedy.htm) ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/9 "2010-07-09T01:52:42Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > No, but it did have [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Daniela_Bianchi.jpg)! > > ETA: And [this](http://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/article/922/922788/james-bond-007-from-russia-with-love-20081022030922070-000.jpg)! Yep, she was beautiful – arguably prettier than Ursula Andress – but neither of those pictures become iconic in the way that a dripping wet Ursula, bikini-clad Ursula with a knife strapped to her thigh did. It may be the most recognizable Bond girl image from any of the films. > [@](#): > > And [this](http://www.movies.pop-cult.com/images/from-russia-with-love-3.jpg)! Clint Eastwood? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/10 "2010-07-09T01:53:15Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > my friend wants to know Am I the only person that thinks PSXer’s friend should join the Dope? He seems to get brought up here a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/11 "2010-07-09T01:56:40Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > Ursula Andress I’m reminded of a _Mad_ magazine bit where they highlighted letters in celebrities’ names: Ursula Andress ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/12 "2010-07-09T03:52:03Z")
I read some of the early Ian Fleming books. They are much darker than the movies. IIRC the Casino Royalle book ends with Bond captured and tortured. They make it clear he spends a month or so in hospital recovering. A lot different from the Bond movies where he’s practically injury free. I only read the first few books. They were too depressing. Bond was not the happy go lucky stud from the movies. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/13 "2010-07-09T05:36:46Z")
^ That happened in the Casino Royale movie as well. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/14 "2010-07-09T05:46:31Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > ^ > That happened in the Casino Royale movie as well. The recent one, anyway. The 60s version bears little to no resemblance to the book, and, while I know little about the Climax! version, it’s a 1954 teleplay, and wasn’t terribly faithful in terms of characters, so I rather doubt it was there, either. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/15 "2010-07-09T06:42:17Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > …I only read the first few books. They were too depressing. Bond was not the happy go lucky stud from the movies. This is very true. I’ve read most of the books, and Bond is generally a very depressed, pissed-off, booze-fueled hired thug. He hates his boss, his job, and his life. “World weary” barely begins to describe him. Being much more of a fan of the books than of the movies, I’ve always found the two Timothy Dalton movies the most palatable of the films and the most true to the character…TRM ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/16 "2010-07-09T07:31:21Z")
Ursula.asdf;jkwerpoiasdflkjasdfsfd#73r9sdufyas!1Df… I’m sorry. My primitive brain took over and in my lusty state I was reduced to mashing on the keyboard with my … ---
**Author:** ![Anglachel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Anglachel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anglachel)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/17 "2010-07-11T06:17:33Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > This is very true. I’ve read most of the books, and Bond is generally a very depressed, pissed-off, booze-fueled hired thug. He hates his boss, his job, and his life. “World weary” barely begins to describe him. Only towards the end of the series after being worn down would I describe the Bond of the books in this manner. He worships M for most of the series and can’t imagine settling down. Booze-fueled would be highly accurate though. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/18 "2010-07-11T11:09:54Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > The recent one, anyway. The 60s version bears little to no resemblance to the book, and, while I know little about the Climax! version, it’s a 1954 teleplay, and wasn’t terribly faithful in terms of characters, so I rather doubt it was there, either. From what I understand it’s faithful to the book, except for the one small detail that they made Bond an American, and Leiter an Englishman. Other than that, the events the dialogue, the characterization, were all taken from the novel. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/19 "2010-07-11T12:21:17Z")
I seem to recall that the issue with _Casino Royale_ was not so much that it had already been done on TV, as that Saltzman and Broccoli didn’t have the rights to it at the time. Their initial plan had been to make _Thunderball_, presumably because it had originally been conceived as a film script. Only when that fell through did they switch to _Dr. No_. If I had to guess, I suspect the choice may reflect the relative merits of the early books. _Casino Royale_ is one of Fleming’s best novels, but it then took him a while to figure out how to maximise the series contemporary appeal. _Live and Let Die_ is a slightly silly affair involving pirate treasure, while the Bond of _Diamonds Are Forever_ is as much a policeman as a spy. Much of _Moonraker_ is an absurd snoozefest, it’s entirely set in England and Bond doesn’t even get the girl. On the other hand, the scale of the villainy - nuking London - is much grander and it’s the first where the baddie has a really cool lair (though Mr Big had sort of had). Only in _From Russia With Love_ and _Dr. No_ does it all really come together. _Goldfinger_ the novel is the draft of a great film, but needed some aspects ironed out in the process. If you can’t do _Casino Royale_ and _Thunderball_, then _From Russia With Love_ and _Dr. No_ are the obvious best ones to turn to. But the first requires Bond to have already been established as an opponent to be respected. He also doesn’t turn up until very late in the book - though that was easily fixed in the film. Nope, _Dr. No_ it is. And note that once the films are underway, they avoided the early books in favour of working through the later ones roughly in order. And when _Live and Let Die_ and _Moonraker_ are “adapted” for the screen, the timing was partly determined by elements in the novels (black gangsters, space rockets) having become fashionable in the cinema of the day. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/20 "2010-07-11T12:32:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’m reminded of a _Mad_ magazine bit where they highlighted letters in celebrities’ names: > > Ursula Andress This deserves its own thread! Please start one, **Johnny L.A.** , as the possibilities are staggering! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039.md?page=2)