35 replies to this topic

[Qwerty]

Now on the CBn main page...

LIFE.com's unseen James Bond auditions photographs
On Her Majesty's Secret Service photo archive released

[Matt_13]

Wow tremendous find.

[sharpshooter]

Awesome!

They definitely cast the right man. Love the shots of Lazenby putting on the shoulder holster, twirling the PPK and leaning against the bar. Great stuff.

[Jim]

Excellent, thanks for that. Very interesting.

[SecretAgentFan]

Lazenby is clearly the only possible choice. Reminds me of the "Final Four" for CR - very different and unbelievable choices in there, too.

[Byron]

Lazenby is clearly the only possible choice. Reminds me of the "Final Four" for CR - very different and unbelievable choices in there, too.

I don't know. Campbell also looks very convincing to me. He certainly had the look for Bond. Never seen him act, but can't be worse than Laz.

[Double-Oh Agent]

Awesome!

They definitely cast the right man. Love the shots of Lazenby putting on the shoulder holster, twirling the PPK and leaning against the bar. Great stuff.

Yes, George Lazenby was definitely the best choice. Fortunately, EON didn't mess it up. In those pictures, he's clearly more natural and Bond-like than the other candidates.

Lazenby is clearly the only possible choice. Reminds me of the "Final Four" for CR - very different and unbelievable choices in there, too.

I don't know. Campbell also looks very convincing to me. He certainly had the look for Bond. Never seen him act, but can't be worse than Laz.

Robert Campbell is the best of the rest of the candidates appearance-wise. Acting-wise? Who knows? But he's really the only other option that looks remotely possible. Still, Lazenby was the right man. It is curious that Campbell was never heard from again. It certainly adds more to the mystery about him.

[David Schofield]

Clearly, all this "it could only be Lazenby" garabge is based upon years of now having lived with his final performance (which is brilliant).

In simple, clear black and white photos, Laz had a very strong rival in Campbell. Indeed, in the looks alone for Bond dept, Campbell shades it for me...

[hilly]

Fascinating.

[Simon]

Very interesting, many thanks.

Clearly, all this "it could only be Lazenby" garabge is based upon years of now having lived with his final performance (which is brilliant).

In simple, clear black and white photos, Laz had a very strong rival in Campbell. Indeed, in the looks alone for Bond dept, Campbell shades it for me...

Would tend to agree.

[David_M]

In simple, clear black and white photos, Laz had a very strong rival in Campbell. Indeed, in the looks alone for Bond dept, Campbell shades it for me...

I felt that way when I saw the photos that actually appeared in the magazine, but these out-takes have finally convinced me otherwise. In these, Laz exudes a certain something the other guys don't have. Luckily, it's only still photos, since we now know that "something" wasn't acting chops! :-)

On the whole, though, I have to say it was slim pickings for EON in those days. I'd have been tempted to send all 5 of them home and start over again.

[O.H.M.S.S.]

Thanks for those pictures!

[DamnCoffee]

This is amazing. Thanks for posting!

[marktmurphy]

Lazenby looks quite cocky in those. A shame there's not more in actual character; they're more behind the scenes shots.

Great to see them, though- thanks for linking.

[Killmaster]

I was in high school when they were casting for OHMSS and my buddie and I were intensely interested. The only behind-the-scenes information came from that LIFE magazine two-page article with limited photos of the contenders (I still have my copy of that very LIFE magazine from way back when).

The photos used in the LIFE article definitely made Lazenby look like the logical choice. These "new" photos from that process reinforce the Lazenby selection to me. As a male model, he knew how to work the camera and it shows. He LOOKS good and very Bond-like. I think that Campbell looks strong as well and based on looks alone could have been a credible Bond. I would like to see his film tests. Rogers and de Vries are definitely weaker options, and Richardson appears to be channeling Illya Kuryakin.

Excellent article!

[darthbond]

This was a wonderful find from Life. It makes me think twice every time I see Lazenby. It could be worse.

darthbond

[DR76]

CLEEEEEEEEEEARLY Robert Campbell is the only possible choice. There's one picture where he bares a faint resemblance to Dalton in the discarded Bob Peak promotional artwork for LICENSE REVOKED (the pic where Campbell is having assistants help him put on his holster); then there's a side profile where he looks like Brosnan from the set of GOLDENEYE. Lazenby might be my second choice.

I would say that Campbell was the best looking of the bunch, with Lazenby as a very close second. However, I feel that Lazenby had something - some spark - that the others didn't seem to have. Not even Campbell.

[Tybre]

Awesome find

Still think Campbell at least looks like a good choice had Lazenby not gotten the part. Wish I actually knew something of his acting talent, but one cannot deny that Campbell both looks good and looks very Bond. Probably the best looking of the bunch.

Nice to see some actual pics of De Vries' screentest as well.

And I love the grumpy old man in the background of that picture of Laz in a diner

[Arbogast777]

Lazenby looks good if only because he didn't seem as if he was trying so damn hard to act like Bond and just was Bond.

Wonderful stuff.

[TheSaint]

Great stuff! Campbell does look like a very good plan B.

[sthgilyadgnivileht]

Amazing bit of Bond history in these pics

[Binyamin]

Campbell looks like a cross between Brosnan and Dalton. Very good look. It could have worked.

[Turn]

Just when I think I've seen it all a treasure trove like this comes along. I wonder if other magazines have such archives such as those of Look and Saturday Evening Post, which covered the Bond phenomenon back in the '60s.

Based on the photos, I could have seen three of the four except for John Richardson, as contenders (Lazenby aside). There's something about that guy that just didn't give me a Bond vibe at all. That shirtless photo makes Brosnan look like bodybuilder era Connery in the GE spa scenes by comparison.

[Donovan]

For those wondering about more behind-the-scenes pics, I'm pretty sure the James Bond Fan Club's issue of 007 magazine (commemorating the 30th anniversary of OHMSS) has quite a few. I seem to recall pics of Lazenby's screen test fight with Yuri Borienko, in which George gave him a bloody nose, is included. Legend has it that this was what solidified Lazenby's hiring. I think there's also some wardrobe test shots including Lazenby clowning around in the kilt.

[delfloria]

Lazenby exudes a self confidence in these photos that the others do not have. He is Bond while the others are playing at it. Amazing how this comes across in these early photos. There is a little of this in his swagger when he reports to M the first time in the movie.

[CJB]

Lazenby exudes a self confidence in these photos that the others do not have. He is Bond while the others are playing at it. Amazing how this comes across in these early photos. There is a little of this in his swagger when he reports to M the first time in the movie.

Very well said.

Great set of photos there. Thanks for posting, Qwerty.

[David Schofield]

EON obviously noted the arrogant swagger of Laz in these photos and used that as reason to cast him ahead of, say, Campbell.

Unfortunately, most arrogant people are very stupid.

And as EON discovered, George Lazenby was very very stupid.

[Gustav Graves]

Picture 19 and 20 is Dutch actor Hans de Vries. Now HE was the only actor that managed to get a cameo out of these auditions. During the baccarat scene at Casino Palacio in OHMSS, actor Hans de Vries is standing left behind George Lazenby .

Edited by Gustav Graves, 17 December 2009 - 01:03 PM.

[Lazenby]

The photos were an absolute gift for the Bond fans who have an insatiable curiosity about the behind-the-scenes production of the Bond films.

One of my favorite curiosities about the franchise is the test screening process over the years. I’ve always maintained that a great DVD would be the various test-screening footage from the actors vying for the role of Bond. Although glad that James Brolin never landed the role, I thought the footage and subsequent interview of Brolin was quite interesting.

The photos from LIFE were terrific, bringing up interesting “what if” questions. Personally, I thought the photos of Robert Campbell were great. He looked like a larger version of Brosnan. DeVris’ photos made him look weak, and Rogers looked more like a villain than a Bond. Although Richardson appeared emaciated, the photos of him and the actress had great chemistry. It would have been interesting to see that combination on film.

In the end though, if any of the “others” faired that well during the tests, John Gavin would not have been signed to a contract in 1970, EON would have conceivably went back and signed one the of the three.

Over time, I have come to appreciate OHMSS and George Lazenby’s performance. I don’t think that Connery or Moore could have pulled it off because of the persona that they have built in their tenure as Bond. It would have been interesting to see how Lazenby performance would have grown through attrition, but it would have been more interesting to see Peter Hunt’s vision for Diamonds Are Forever. I think it would have been a great revenge film. Oh well, thanks again LIFE.

[Lazenby]

The photos were an absolute gift for the Bond fans who have an insatiable curiosity about the behind-the-scenes production of the Bond films.

One of my favorite curiosities about the franchise is the test screening process over the years. I’ve always maintained that a great DVD would be the various test-screening footage from the actors vying for the role of Bond. Although glad that James Brolin never landed the role, I thought the footage and subsequent interview of Brolin was quite interesting.

The photos from LIFE were terrific, bringing up interesting “what if” questions. Personally, I thought the photos of Robert Campbell were great. He looked like a larger version of Brosnan. DeVris’ photos made him look weak, and Rogers looked more like a villain than a Bond. Although Richardson appeared emaciated, the photos of him and the actress had great chemistry. It would have been interesting to see that combination on film.

In the end though, if any of the “others” faired that well during the tests, John Gavin would not have been signed to a contract in 1970, EON would have conceivably went back and signed one the of the three.

Over time, I have come to appreciate OHMSS and George Lazenby’s performance. I don’t think that Connery or Moore could have pulled it off because of the persona that they have built in their tenure as Bond. It would have been interesting to see how Lazenby performance would have grown through attrition, but it would have been more interesting to see Peter Hunt’s vision for Diamonds Are Forever. I think it would have been a great revenge film. Oh well, thanks again LIFE.