# 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:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/21 "2010-07-11T12:38:28Z")
Saltzman bought the rights to the Bond novels for a period of only 6 months in 1961. Saltzman and Broccoli had to get a movie made fast and approached United Artists. David Pickard at UA fostered the deal and encouraged the selection of _Dr No_ because it could be made cheaply and would serve to establish the style for a series. _Guide to British Cinema_ by Geoff Mayer has more detail about the making of the movie. ---
**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 11, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/22 "2010-07-11T14:01:23Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > This deserves its own thread! Please start one, **Johnny L.A.** , as the possibilities are staggering! If I remembered more of the spread or was feeling creative, I might. But feel free to start one. 😉 ---
**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, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/23 "2010-07-11T16:13:52Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > If I remembered more of the spread or was feeling creative, I might. But feel free to start one. 😉 Okay, I did. It’s [Truncated Names (Ursula aNDRESS)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=570414) in The Game Room. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/24 "2010-07-11T19:29:28Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [Lotte Lenya](http://aceterrier.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/30slottelenya.jpg) was attractive when she was younger. True. The years were not kind to her. [![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XVvKQQWEds4/StryCiiEOLI/AAAAAAAAHU8/yExIy2m_MKk/s320/Lotte-Lenya.jpg) ](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XVvKQQWEds4/StryCiiEOLI/AAAAAAAAHU8/yExIy2m_MKk/s320/Lotte-Lenya.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/25 "2010-07-12T17:30:30Z")
> [@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)!.. “Oh, will you make love to me in England, James?” “Day and night. Now tell me about the Lektor…” ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/26 "2010-07-12T21:01:57Z")
There were a number of legal issues surrounding both the novel and screenplay for _Thunderball_, it’s worth pointing out. It’s also worth noting that the supervillain Blofeld (introduced, along with his organization SPECTRE, in the _Thunderball_ book and an element of the legal battle) isn’t in the novels _Dr. No_ or _From Russia With Love_ but does appear (sort-of) in the film adaptations, probably because Broccoli recognized the value of an archenemy. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039/27 "2010-07-13T02:07:00Z")
_Doctor No_ was also the best novel in the series. IMHO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-make-the-dr-no-movie-first/546039.md?page=1)