Dad to son...how was your love of Bond passed to you? How have you passed Bond on to your kids?

thedove

Consider this thread for us Bond fans who are parents! As my Dad gave me a love of Bond, I too have started to grow my son's love of 007! He's really into the few that we watched and has allowed me to see them with new sets of eyes...and not the jaded eyes of an adult. I'd like to share his thoughts within this thread.

He's 7 years old and while some of the films are out for now(based on his age), I have shown him a few. Namely TMWTGG, DAF, TSWLM, MR, GF and just last night YOLT. His top 3 ranking so far is TSWLM, YOLT and MR. (which wouldn't be my top 3 but shows the eyes of a child.)

I can't wait to take him to his first theatre Bond movie, but that will have to wait for a few more years. Maybe the one after Bond 25.

I'm thinking this thread can be either the perspective of the younger generation watching our beloved secret agent, or maybe you are young enough to remember your youthful perspectives?


Lets see reviews of the films from a kids perspective, or memories of your youth and your impressions of 007, or maybe just when and how you introduced Bond to your kids.

ToTheRight

Splendid idea for a thread, I must say.

I think I was lucky to be a kid during the Roger era, and the Dalton years. I read the novels in middle school thanks to Dalton and Raymond Benson's JAMES BOND BEDSIDE COMPANION book. But the lighthearted films captured my imagination in Elementary School. That fact that both Roger and Sean had films out in '83 really sparked my interest in Bond and discovering the other films.

It was great back then as a new film would come out every other year so one could actually have a Bond they grew up consistently with. That would be Roger for me.

Today a kid can finish middle school and most of high school before a new Bond film comes out. To a 12 year old today, something like SPECTRE or SKYFALL might seem an eternity ago.

Some of my best memories are my Mom and Dad taking me to the local video stores on the weekends to rent the Bonds. We must have rented that CBS/Fox Home Video edition of DR NO ten times or more. I would record the films from the ABC network, but those were truncated versions.
Eventually as I got into middle school and VHS prices dropped I started buy the films. We had OCTOPUSSY, and my dad won THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS on a radio contest. I would gradually collect the others in t heir newly repackaged forms.
Many of the films I rank high these days are the ones I loved as a kid. The early Connery Bonds especially.
I remember in 5th grade watching that VHS copy of OCTOPUSSY repeatedly, though it wasn't one I would have ranked quite as high as I do now. My favorite Roger's back then were FYEO and LALD. My favorite Connery's were GF, DN and FRWL. TB, I grew to appreciate later.

Before I became hooked on Bond I was more of a fan of the Jaws character as my folks took me to see MR. TSWLM had been on cable quite a bit and my Dad and I watched it several times. Later on, when it aired on ABC, I can remember thinking the supertanker section was a bit too long. Today, however I love it!.

As a 5th grader I preferred the low key films like DN
. I loved the bits where Bond placed a strand of hair in the door and so forth. I also loved the entire section with Honey on the beach.

I'm pretty biased these days, really. As great as Daniel is, my favorites today are clearly the ones I grew up with.

thedove

Wonderful memories thanks for sharing @ToTheRight I feel we must be of similar vintage. I grew up in Roger's era and did enjoy his movies. Saw MR and OP and AVTAK all on the Big Screen! I too remember those ABC Sunday Night movies, with the guy with the deep voice who would tease the upcoming movie.

Watched YOLT with my son yesterday. The joy and glee he had reminded me when I discovered Bond for the first time. He loved "Little Nellie" and how she handled herself with the big shots.

I was struck by how he grasped a certain plot hole. I explained the gas in the cave when Bond and Kissy are investigating the volcano. Then when Bond shouts "lets head for the tunnel" when they are fleeing he said "what about the gas?" LOL! Had a tough time explaining that one!

ToTheRight

thedove wrote: »

Wonderful memories thanks for sharing @ToTheRight I feel we must be of similar vintage. I grew up in Roger's era and did enjoy his movies. Saw MR and OP and AVTAK all on the Big Screen! I too remember those ABC Sunday Night movies, with the guy with the deep voice who would tease the upcoming movie.

Watched YOLT with my son yesterday. The joy and glee he had reminded me when I discovered Bond for the first time. He loved "Little Nellie" and how she handled herself with the big shots.

I was struck by how he grasped a certain plot hole. I explained the gas in the cave when Bond and Kissy are investigating the volcano. Then when Bond shouts "lets head for the tunnel" when they are fleeing he said "what about the gas?" LOL! Had a tough time explaining that one!

I saw those exact Roger Bonds on the big screen, too . I missed FYEO. My family had relocated that summer and we didn't get to see it. Actually, one night my aunt took my cousins and myself to see SUPERMAN II, though I had already seen it a few weeks earlier. I suspect while we were watching Christopher Reeve, my dad was enjoying the latest Roger outing in the cinema room next to us.

Two years later we'd be watching OP at that same movie theater. I vividly remember how bright OP looked in the cinema. As we left the theater my dad remarked how light Roger hair looked. He said something like "Roger Moore's hair sure is looking blonder and blonder". My mom thought this film had more action than the others. Dad then told me Connery was coming out with his "own Bond film" later in the year. I was intrigued. By the time NSNA came out I had become a huge Bond fan and wanted to see them all. I remember Siskel and Ebert doing a James Bond special and loving Connery. I really wanted to see GF. ABC soon aired it, it must have been in December of '83, and it was pretty badly truncated.

Where I lived, there was an old drive in theater that would operate as a swap meet on the weekends. My dad would buy me toy guns, gadgets and things so I could run around pretending to be Bond. On the way home we stopped by a vintage music/antique furniture store my dad would go to often. Around the corner there was an old school barber shop. Been there since 1946. I went in and asked for a Bond haircut like Connery's. I must have been 8 or 9 at the time. Looking back I think it ended up looking more like Daniel Craig's.

Lots of fond memories being a young Bond fan. The first time I saw YOLT was an ABC Sunday Night airing around March of '85. My folks and I had taken a trip to see my grandpa and were gone for 2 weeks. All the time I was terrified a Bond film would be showing in my area and I 'd miss it. . Ironically the week after we got back ABC showed YOLT . My dad and I stayed up for it and I loved it. I loved the volcano, and Little Nellie. I noted as the end credits rolled that Connery didn't utter the "Bond, James Bond introduction in this one. I was curious which films he missed the iconic line, and by then figured out it was FRWL, TB and now, YOLT.

thedove

When you think to how the times have changed. I too remember scanning the TV guide each week to see if any Bond movies would be on. Then I would have to pray that we weren't going out or had company over.

I wonder if we will ever see Bond hit Netflix. Currently isn't available in Canada.

My son has taken great pleasure at mimicking Willard Whyte from DAF. His favourite lines were:

"Washington for you sir."
"I'll take it in the john,"

"One of our missiles just accidentally blew up in North Dakota."

"Come on Bond get off that damn rig!"

He also liked Bond coming out of the pipe with the line:

"I was walking my pet rat and seemed to have lost my way."

I was reminded how many great lines of dialogue there were in DAF. While it was played with a very light tone it seemed to work. I enjoy watching the Bonds with my son.

ToTheRight

Jimmy Dean is great in DIAMONDS. I liked his character when I was a kid. he's pretty funny. There is great dialogue throughout.
I always felt Tom Mankiewicz was a bit underrated as Bond screen writer. His three films had great dialogue and scenes. That particular trilogy of films I loved as a kid.