June 2003 Pic of the Month
Secret Agent Men (and Women)

James Bond Secret Agent 007 Game
ID 96.84.1

Sears Catalog, 1965

James Bond 007 Lunch Box
ID 99.12.11

Super-spy James Bond was the brainchild of British novelist Ian Fleming, who drew upon his World War II naval intelligence training for inspiration. Between 1953 and 1964, Fleming detailed the thrilling exploits of his fictional hero in 12 novels and two collected short stories. The novels were popular in America—even more so after President Kennedy told a Life magazine reporter that Fleming’s From Russia with Love was one of his favorite books.

But it was the movies that catapulted Secret Agent 007 to world-wide fame. Dr. No and From Russia with Love, released in 1963, were both number one box-office hits. They kept true to Fleming’s original philosophy that “Bond may go wildly beyond the probable but not beyond the possible.”

The next Bond movie, Goldfinger (released December 1964) was such an enormous and immediate hit that many theaters had to stay open 24 hours a day just to accommodate the crowds. It truly set the formula for future Bond films, with the exciting and highly successful mixture of international intrigue, high living, special weapons, nail-biting escapes, handsome hero, beautiful girls, and evil bad guys. Americans loved the specially equipped cars, the high-tech gadgets, the tongue-in-cheek humor, and the British aura of sophistication at a time when all things from England (including the Beatles) were held in high esteem.

Goldfinger raised “Bondmania” to a new level. A merchandising bonanza spread from Europe to the United States, including 007 toys (such as a play set that came with "everything to recreate Bond's most thrilling adventures"); clothing (007 pajamas came with a secret pocket); and men’s toiletries (007 cologne and aftershave promised to “make any man dangerous”).