Mie Hama may not have had the longest acting career, but in her brief tenure as mid-60’s sex symbol she left an indelible mark on Western culture. Her role as Kissy Suzuki, Bond’s “bride” in 1967’s You Only Live Twice, earned her a spot in Playboy and the title “the Japanese Bridgette Bardot.” A few years later she walked out on her contract with Japanese production giant Toho. She would never appear in another Hollywood film.
After starring in more than 70 Japanese films for Toho, Ms. Hama remained a Japanese celebrity, becoming a television and radio host and advocate for old-world farming and farming techniques. She also went on to write 14 books on all manner of life.
To celebrate the life and work of the still radiant Mie Hama, let’s revisit the film that launched her international celebrity — 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla — because it was this film that led Lewis Gilbert to cast in her You Only Live Twice.
And since the film falls squarely into the wheelhouse of our friends over at the #DriveInMob, we’ve asked them along for the ride.
Join #Bond_age_ and the #DriveInMob for the live tweet of King Kong vs. Godzilla on Wednesday, May 31st at 9:00pm ET. Follow #Bond_age_ hashtag.
I may have started #Bond_age_, but no man was more important to #Bond_age_ than Roger Moore. He may not have known we existed (maybe he did — one can dream), but he fueled this project from the very earliest weeks of its inception. Today, I’m just one of a million voices paying tribute to Sir Roger Moore (or Party Moore as he was referred to around the #Bond_age_ HQ water cooler). And like many of you, I’m heartbroken to learn that great Roger Moore has passed away at the age of 89 in Switzerland after a short battle with cancer.
When I first decided to undertake this project in 2012, I’d just intended to write a weekly blog entry on a small literary magazine website about the James Bond movies. A short time into the planning, I considered the benefits of live tweeting the movies along with the essays. I thought the live tweets would help direct my writing and offer some ideas about the direction of those words. The first live tweets for Dr. No through Goldfinger consisted of me live tweeting Bond facts to one, maybe two other friends of the project. After Goldfinger I wanted to quit the live tweets. I felt like I’d thrown a party and nobody came.
After Goldfinger, I took a holiday break to regroup and recalibrate. I came to a decision. I would continue the live tweets at least through Live and Let Die. If a Roger Moore Bond film couldn’t energize a live tweet, there just wasn’t any reason to do it. I didn’t have to wait that long, however. Starting with Thunderball, our live tweet traffic escalated significantly. And this was good. But it wasn’t until the The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker live tweets that #Bond_age_ found its identity through a regular core of fun-loving and snark-filled patrons that recognized the folly but still embraced the joy Roger Moore brought to our screens — not entirely unlike Roger himself — sometimes self-deprecating, always keenly aware of the importance of being an entertainer.
And here we are, almost five years later, still live tweeting James Bond.
By any standard he was a fine actor, but a greater star — oozing charm and charisma from every one of his perfect pores. His appeal, however, transcended James Bond or Simon Templar. Roger Moore welcomed the affection of his fans, never once showing any regret about the time he spent in the tuxedo. He made time for everyone, making regular signing appearances to raise money for his humanitarian efforts, meeting fans, remaining accessible and vibrant through his 80’s, a regular fixture on Twitter.
He embraced the good with the bad and never publicly spoke a negative word about anyone (some veiled ones, perhaps — just read his brilliant autobiographies). Everyone loved Roger Moore because Roger Moore loved everyone. When eulogizing Roger Moore, one cannot overlook his many humanitarian efforts for organizations like UNICEF, Children in Need, Epilepsy Action, and dozens of others too numerous to name here.
But we’re gathered here together as fans, united by our love for a shining personality in a bespoke suit… or an Amazonian safari outfit. Today we mourn, but we also celebrate the man. The quick wit, the hinged eyebrow, the kind heart, the true British gentleman.
Tonight I will raise a glass of bourbon in honor of Roger Moore’s specific and unique contribution to James Bond. To honor a man that has brought all of us so much joy. I hope you will join me and post a picture of your toast on social media. Tag it with #AToastToRogerMoore.
Tomorrow’s #Bond_age_ birthday salute to Pierce Brosnan has been postponed. We’re planning some Roger Moore programming instead.
Deadlier Than the Male resurrects the old Captain Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond character for the 1960’s. The war veteran/sleuth/gentleman adventurer first appeared in the novel Bull-Dog Drummond in 1920, the creation of author H.C. McNeile. Bulldog Drummond has endured through page, stage, radio and screen. 1922 saw the first of 23 Bulldog Drummond films. At one point in 1933, even Alfred Hitchcock was set to direct a film in the series called Bulldog Drummond’s Baby — butwhen the British rights holders refused the sell the rights to screenwriter Charles Bennet for use in the film, Hitchcock went ahead with the script, but without the beloved character. That script became The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Played by Richard Johnson (The Haunting) in this resurrection, the retired war hero Bulldog Drummond now finds himself an insurance investigator hot on the tail of two femme fatales played by #Bond_age_ favorites Elke Sommer and Sylvia Koscina. Plus (bonus!), Bulldog’s American nephew tags along for the case.
The film’s title comes from the Rudyard Kipling poem “The Female of the Species” and also refers back to an earlier Drummond novel called The Female of the Species. As a blatant attempt to capitalize on the new Bond craze with an old, familiar character, Bulldog Drummond has clearly been cut from a more James Bond-like mold. Though, one could easily argue that Bond was first carved out of the Bulldog Drummond character. So it goes.
Released in 1967, we’re celebrating the film’s 50th anniversary by bringing Deadlier Than the Male back into the #Bond_age_ rotation. And giving you, the #Bond_age_ viewer, a chance to right the egregious wrongs of live tweets past.
Join #Bond_age_ for the live tweet of Deadlier Than the Male @ 9pmET on Wednesday, May 17th. Follow #Bond_age_ hashtag.
