146 replies to this topic

[DLibrasnow]

Draco? Hmmm... My recollection was that it was "a favorite uncle" who gave Bond his inheritance, not Draco. But Gardner did say Draco had died...but I forget in which book.

Maybe someone else knows.

Nobody Lives Forever.

[zencat]

Very nice article.  I'll have to check the original manuscript (which I - cough - cough OWN!) and see if there is anything to add that didn't make it into the book.  There are deleted passages.

From what I remember - there was almost nothing in the Glidrose archives on the Saab.

Maibaum's archives didn't have anything either - so I doubt it was ever under much serious consideration for films when he was the screenwriter.

Original manuscript... Now that I would love to see, smell, touch...

And you've gone through the Glidrose and Maibaum archives? We need to talk.

[Jim]

Very entertaining article; thank you JC (prophetic initials?)

Without wishing to change tack too much, I remember reading in a computer magazine called Crash! (for the ZX Spectrum, if anyone remembers that) way back when (presumably 1986/7 sometime) that in the new film James Bond would be driving a souped up Aston and SAABs, like he does "in the books by John Gardiner". The reason for remembering this is that I wrote a letter to said magazine complaining that they had not got the man's name correct (I was enthusiastic, 13 and pointlessly protective of this Bond twaddle, forgive my crassness). It didn't get published. I still haven't forgiven them, even though the magazine folded years ago. But that shouldn't stand in the way of revenge, should it?

One wonders if there was a last minute switch to those Audis that are kicking about The Living Daylights (and not doing too much) - maybe to avoid the inevitable complaint that Eon was just lifting great swathes of the Gardner books.

Of course, it could just have been utter guesswork on their part, but from memory (increasingly poor as I age) most of the other details they mentioned were right, or right-ish.

Seeing the SAAB pootling around Bratislava/Tangiers instead would have been great. The boot was big enough for its task - I know this because I am indeed a CBn member whose mother had a SAAB 900 Turbo!

If I can find this article I will reference it properly. I know it happened. I tend not to dream articles in periodicals for long-defunct computers.

[zencat]

Very cool, Jim! If you could find that article, yes, please reference it and I will add it to the article (do you have a scanner?). I've always connected the Saab/movie rumor to Octopussy, but, yes, it would have been great for them to have used the Saab in TLD. But if it was 87...my fear is they would have used a 9000 instead of a 900, and the 9000 just looks like that Audi they used.

[zencat]

Got an email for Mr. Gardner himself saying he enjoyed the article. He only had one correction -- the promotional tour Saab was outfitted by Saab itself, not CCS. So that has been fixed. I also tweaked it a bit to show that Mr. Gardner is a very prolific writer outside of Bond (even though he didn't ask me to do this). Can you believe he's written 53 books to date? Quite a career...

[Qwerty]

Zencat, that's quite an honor indeed! Really, it really is. Props for you on such a fine article!

Very cool that he enjoyed it!

[zencat]

I just like the idea that John Gardner is now a CBner.

[Qwerty]

Could you explain a little more Zencat?

[DLibrasnow]

Got an email for Mr. Gardner himself saying he enjoyed the article. He only had one correction -- the promotional tour Saab was outfitted by Saab itself, not CCS. So that has been fixed. I also tweaked it a bit to show that Mr. Gardner is a very prolific writer outside of Bond (even though he didn't ask me to do this). Can you believe he's written 53 books to date? Quite a career...

Very cool...I actually received a couple of letters from Mr. Gardner back in the 1980s in reply to some fan mail I sent him.

[zencat]

My own "SAAB 007" circa 1983. Man, I loved this car!

[zencat]

Not a great pic, but it does show the license plate. See, I wasn't kidding.

[Loomis]

I just like the idea that John Gardner is now a CBner.

Yes, well, we'll see about that. Let's wait till he makes a post before we welcome him to the club.

Trivia note: I believe Raymond Benson used to post on some Bond site or another, but stopped after he was appointed continuation novelist.

[Athena007]

Not a great pic, but it does show the license plate. See, I wasn't kidding.

ooo I love that pic I could mess with the contrast & tint a bit and make the colors brighter for you

My own "SAAB 007" circa 1983. Man, I loved this car!

hee hee, silly ZenCat. Too bad I was only ONE year old in 1983... I could have ridden around with you

[The Admiral]

That is a great article John! Great work.

I'll be in the loft tomorrow digging my Gardner books out...

[Xenobia]

Wow! Gardner comes to CBn! That is tres cool!

I don't know what I want to do more....ride in a Saab or read Gardner's books.

-- Xen

[Agent 76]

does anyone have some photos , that you could show here please?

[Qwerty]

Agent76, there are photos of the car in the article on the main page of CBn.

[Agent 76]

Agent76, there are photos of the car in the article on the main page of CBn.

ok , thanks!

[Qwerty]

You're welcome, but you should check out the first post in articles like these, they usually will direct people to photos if there are any.

[DLibrasnow]

Wow! Gardner comes to CBn! That is tres cool!

I don't know what I want to do more....ride in a Saab or read Gardner's books.

-- Xen

I know reading Zencat's article made me nostalgic for Gardners first Bond books. Can you believe it's been over 20 years since they were published?! Wow!

[zencat]

I know reading Zencat's article made me nostalgic for Gardners first Bond books. Can you believe it's been over 20 years since they were published?! Wow!

This year will be the 20th Anniversay of...Role of Honor! (book #4) Amazing how the time goes by. Those "Micros"* have come a long way, haven't they?



*Bond calls personal computers "Micros" throughout this book.

[The Silver Beast]

does anyone have some photos , that you could show here please?

Simply gaze below, sir.

[DLibrasnow]

Yes, I got a similar nostalgic jolt reading over a magazine from 1981 the other day which discussed some behind the scenes stuff on For Your Eyes Only

[zencat]

Yes, I got a similar nostalgic jolt reading over a magazine from 1981 the other day which discussed some behind the scenes stuff on For Your Eyes Only

The scary thing is when you pull out of these mags from the '80s -- that you remember buying as if it was yesterday -- and the pages have all yellowed with age. Makes me wonder what my liver looks like.

[DLibrasnow]

Yes, I got a similar nostalgic jolt reading over a magazine from 1981 the other day which discussed some behind the scenes stuff on For Your Eyes Only

The scary thing is when you pull out of these mags form the '80s -- that you remember buying as if it was yesterday -- and the pages have all yellowed with age. Makes me wonder what my liver looks like.

I know exactly what you mean!

[zencat]

Even my GoldeEye stuff looks aged!

[Qwerty]

I'm having a jolly time searching for the original novels by Gardner, in the UK hardcovers. Always fun to search for them!

[zencat]

I'm having a jolly time searching for the original novels by Gardner, in the UK hardcovers. Always fun to search for them!

I actually envy you, Qwerty. I remember searching for all the Fleming/Gardner books myself in the '80s. Before the internet, the ONLY way to find them (or even see what they looked like) was in used bookstores and they were VERY rare (and UK editions...forget it). One by one I would find them

[Qwerty]

[quote name='zencat' date='11 March 2004 - 16:09'] [quote name='Qwerty' date='11 March 2004 - 12:07'] I'm having a jolly time searching for the original novels by Gardner, in the UK hardcovers. Always fun to search for them! [/quote]
I actually envy you, Qwerty. I remember searching for all the Fleming/Gardner books myself in the '80s. Before the internet, the ONLY way to find them (or even see what they looked like) was in used bookstores and they were VERY rare (and UK editions...forget it). One by one I would find them

[DLibrasnow]

This thread also has me very nostalgic....I remember anxiously waiting for each new Gardner novel to come out!