Moore - The 007 diaries filming Live and let die

Cover illustrations:

Front: Terry ONeill

Back: News UK

First published as Roger Moore as James Bond 007

in 1973 by Pan Books Ltd.

This edition published 2018

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

Miramont Investments Ltd, 2018

Live and Let Die 1973 Danjaq LLC and United Artists Corporation,
All Rights Reserved

The right of Roger Moore to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the Publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 0 7509 8868 1

Typesetting and origination by The History Press

Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd

eBook converted by Geethik Technologies

In order to contextualise Sir Roger Moores wonderfully candid James Bond diary, we must remember that much has changed, both in the film industry and in society, since he wrote the book in 1972. Attitudes that would have once been commonplace are now markedly different, and idioms and expressions that were everyday are now all but obsolete. These diaries provide a unique snapshot of what it was like in the film industry at that time, when, on occasion, views were not as progressive as they are today. Because of this uniqueness, we have seen fit to present the diaries in their unabridged state, as they would have originally been published in the UK in 1973, barring the correction of minor spelling and grammatical errors.

Roger Moore first came into my life at the Cairo International Film Festival in 1963. We were at a gala performance of a local ballet troupe and I was seated, unknowingly, one row in front of him. After what I assumed to be the end of the performance, I stood and shouted bravo, quite a few times, towards the stage. When that ballet was followed by another and then another I realised I had been rather premature with my accolades. At the end of yet another dance, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Roger, who, in his rich baritone and with a sly smile on his face, said: Youre not going to scream bravo again, are you, dear boy? We both howled with laughter, now united as comrades trapped in what seemed to be a never-ending performance.

Over the next 50-odd years, that gesture of camaraderie grew into the deepest friendship I have ever known. We would work together on The Saint and then later, in 1973, on Live and Let Die, both his first turn as James Bond and mine as Felix Leiter. I remember even then being impressed with his graciousness and kindness, his consideration of the crew and his fellow actors, and his crackling wit, which added a playful levity to the set as youll discover in the pages ahead.

Roger welcomed me into the wonderful fold of his life. He hosted my family for Christmas in Switzerland and summer in the South of France, always eager to share the spoils of his stardom yet never one to act with exception or snobbery. When he became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, I was not surprised, for I had witnessed his compassion and generosity for years.

I was heartbroken to learn of his death, on the day I turned 90, and thought back through all the wonderful times we had shared and the laughter and love that comes with great friendship. He was a dear, dear man, and will always be my greatest friend.

Im so very pleased that were now able to enjoy the wonderful adventures he had making his first James Bond film with this book; it has certainly brought back many happy memories for me and I hope youll enjoy sharing in them.

I would like to thank Harry Saltzman, Cubby Broccoli, Guy Hamilton, Dan and Hazel Slater, and Derek Coyte, without whom this would not have been possible.

I would also like to thank Sean Connery with whom it would not have been possible.

They say when death is imminent your entire life flashes in front of your eyes. The only thing flashing before my eyes was a large corrugated iron shed sticking up out of the Louisiana bayou, which I was approaching at a fair old 60mph in an out of control boat. I knew I was going to hit it and there was nothing I could do about it. I wound up in a heap on the floor, clutching my mouth, my knee throbbing, my shoulder numb, and what felt like fifty-four thousand teeth in my mouth all at once being slowly mangled up into little bits of gravel. Here I was, just about to start playing James Bond, with no teeth. How on earth did I get myself into such a situation?

It began on Sunday, 8 October 1972, when, as the new James Bond, I left England in a blaze of publicity for the first location in New Orleans. We flew via New York, and the journey was hysterical. Danny Kaye was aboard, and he started in on the stewardesses straight away. While the girl was standing up in front of the jumbo jet trying to show everybody how to put on a life jacket, there was Danny sitting there miming exactly what the poor girl was doing.