I've been watching some old Bond films from the 60's and can't remember what kind of pistol he carried ? make,model and caliber. Is it the same as in the books by Flemming ?

it was a walther ppk, in .380/9mmk i think.
perhaps the idea was that mr bond was so manly and capable that he did"nt need a "real" gun!

It was a Walther PP in 32 ACP. The Euros didn't think anything larger was ever needed to humanely shoot somebody.

I seem to remember in one of the early films/books? 007 carried a 25ACP, and the "home office" fussed at him wanting him to carry the larger Walther.

The first two movies he carried a 25cal beretta and I think it was Thunderball when he was told to upgrade to the 32 ppk. Tell me if I have the order right at Dr. Who, Thunderball, and then You only live twice? ect...

I was watching From Russia with Love, right now Goldfinger is on.
One person suggested the .25 Walter ppk as Bond was an assasin and wanted to do his work as quitely as possible.
I liked the early Bond films as he seemed to have to rely on his wits more than gadgets as in the later ones.
Still no concences as to caliber. Didn"t know he changed calibers later. Darn I wish I had read the books more carefully !

Dr. No; From Russia with Love; Goldfinger and that's on tonight on AMC; Thunderball; You Only Live Twice and then you quit making Bond films!

Next up was, On Her Majesty's Secret Service with George Lazenby. Many, like myself feel like this was the best of the Ian Fleming Bond Novels. The best Bond Movie and the best Bond! Sean may be the one most like best, but George was less pretentious and made the character more believable. It will be on Monday night.

Sean Connery returned for, Diamonds are forever.

Roger Moore took over in Live and Let Die and Man with the Golden Gun and then the movies started getting pretty hoky!

Next Bond was Timothy Dalton followed by Pierce Brosnan and it is rumored that the next Bond will be Eric Bana from Blackhawk Down, The Incredible Hulk and he played Hector in Troy.

Bonds original gun in the novels was the Beretta .25, he then moved on to the PPK in .32 ACP and it stayed that way until Sean Connery made Never say Never Again, which is nothing more than a remake of his favorite Bond film using different producers: Thunderball. In it he used a Walther P-5. Moore and Dalton used the PPK. Brosnan started out with the PPK and graduated to the Walther P-99.

The first movie I ever saw was a Bond film in case you're wondering!

In Dr. No when Bond is in the girl spy's appartment and waiting for her contact it looked to me like he was putting a silencer on a Browning .32 M1910 and not the Walther. Could anyone tell for sure?

Telly

Perhaps we are confusing the movies with the books? I well remember that in the poster for one movie, "Bond" was holding a Walther Air pistol! In fact I have the very same one!
There was a book writen by Ian Fleming wherein he discussd the various criticisms of Bond's choice of guns. The Yanks wanted him to have a 357mag.
Peter.

The air pistol is only on the poster, not in the actual movie!

I enjoyed the books as a teenager, and the early films were good too, but it all went down hill when Roger Moore got the part...Best two actors were Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan...the worst must be a toss up between Moore and Dalton..

I just wish they would make a Bond film as a hard edged thriller based as close to one of Fleming's books as possible, but then I suppose it would be treading on the same ground as the Harry Palmer character in the Ipcress File ect

Regards,

Pete

Harry Palmer? is he any kin to Rosie Palmer. I'm with you, the movies just aren't as descriptive as the book, but then again they never are.

quote:

Originally posted by Pete E:
I just wish they would make a Bond film as a hard edged thriller based as close to one of Fleming's books as possible, but then I suppose it would be treading on the same ground as the Harry Palmer character in the Ipcress File ect

Regards,

Pete

I agree, but I am afraid that that particular horse is already out of the barn. If you think they messed up James Bond, you should read some of the Matt Helm (no relation) books by Donald Hamilton and then watch the Dean Martin movies. I like Dino, but...

Telly: There is another incident in Dr. No, where there is a blooper as well. When they are shooting at the "dragon", or light tank, they do the old switcheroo after Bond empties his pistol. Looks like a Browning pattern, then it becomes a Walther PPK. So if you have determined it to be the 1910, or the 1903, GOOD EYE! I thought they had really bungled on the beach and slipped in a 1911! The Browning would make more sense.

The more I think about it, the more it looks like a 1922 Browning with the longer barrel. Definitely not the Walther anyway. The early ones had a lot of nice firearms in them, from Pussy Galore's "Smith & Wesson .45" to Robert Shaw's character's Mauser broomhandle. Also in Dr. No M makes Bond turn in his Beretta .25 for the Walther as the .32 hits like "throwing a brick through a plate glass window". Oh, well.

Telly

Not related to his gun, but I just heard an interesting piece of Bond trivia. Seems George Lazenby (my favorite Bond) was offered a multi picture deal to become Bond after "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", but was advised that the franchise wouldn't go much further, so he turned it down. Might have kept Roger Moore out of the mix.

"The Ipcress File" is a personal favorite and if you like espionage with an edge, "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold" with Richard Burton is an outstanding movie.

If you would like to read a novel in which the superagent is more believable and an American, I am about 2/3 complete with my own, with a publishers contract. Hopefully, you will see it out within the next year. I will be making a formal announcement when it is realeased!

Just announced, Pierce Brosnan will no longer play Bond.