The Danish distribution branch of Columbia released "James Bond 007 - Casino Royale" in Danish cinemas on December 21, 1967. The release was accompanied by this handsomely produced leaflet, even though the names of producer Charles K. Feldman and original author Ian Fleming are both misspelled in the printed credits.
The bold slogans in the pink boxes roughly translates as "Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven and 14 other world stars in fantastic parts!" "Elegant and witty - you won't believe a thing before you've seen it with your own eyes! Incredible events at racing speed".
Columbia Pictures' comedic version of "Casino Royale" was released in Danish theatres on December 21, 1967. The poster below was made not for the initial Columbia-Fox release but a subsequent re-release by Nordisk Film.
The Danish poster design incorporates Robert McGinnis' tattooed female figure from the international campaign but places greater emphasis on the many famous actors who appear in "James Bond 007 - Casino Royale", no matter how briefly: George Raft and William Holden's combined screen time amounts to less than a minute!
Four still photographs have also been added, one of which features Peter Sellers doing a Nazi salute dressed as Adolf Hitler.
To add insult to injury Ian Fleming, whose novel was rendered wholly unrecognizable by this adaptation, is misspelled "Ian Flemming". A similar fate befalls two of the film's numerous directors, Val Guest ("Val Buest") and Joe McGrath ("Joe McBrath").
In 1967 Columbia Pictures launched their farcical big-budget adaptation of Ian Fleming's "Casino Royale" with the tagline "Too much for one James Bond".
In the film, the original Sir James Bond (David Niven) has retired, leaving the field open to a number of impersonators who are all issued with the code name 007 by the British Secret Service, MI-6. Among the most prominent young 007's is the athletic ladies' man Cooper, played by Northern Irish actor Terence Cooper (1933-1997).
Almost 30 years after "Casino Royale", correspondent Karen Glahn from Danish daily Morgenavisen Jyllands-Postens tracked down Terence Cooper in Australia. Although the text states Cooper's age as 67, he would have been 62 at the time of the interview. The article was published in Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten on 21 May 1996, a year before the actor's death in September 1997. The following English translation is a James Bond•O•Rama.dk exclusive:
Terence Cooper – the forgotten Agent 007
By Karen Glahn
James Bond is 67 years old and performs his most dangerous missions on a lady's bicycle.
He is Terence Cooper, who was James Bond in the mostly forgotten 1967 film ”Casino Royale”.
”I'm the James Bond that fell into oblivion. I'm not famous as Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore or Timothy Dalton, but I am proud to be among the men who have portrayed Agent 007 through the years”, Terence Cooper says.
He is now a respected nature and bird painter in Northern Australia, and reconciling the large tan middle-aged man who wears a sarong around his ample girth to the physically fit womanizing 007 with a licence to kill requires quite a leap of the imagination.
On September 1, 2016, Bond•O•Rama.dk had the pleasure of sharing a table with legendary Bond girls Caroline Munro and Martine Beswick. This is the first half of our three-way conversation.
Caroline Munro (b. 1949) adorned the set of “James Bond 007 - Casino Royale” (1967) at the age of 16 as an uncredited "Guard Girl”. Ten years later, she made quite a sensation as Stromberg's scantily clad helicopter pilot Naomi in "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977).
Caroline Munro as Naomi with Roger Moore in "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977) • framegrab
Martine Beswick (b. 1941) made her striking film debut as Zora, one of the fighting gypsy women in "From Russia with Love" (1963). The film's director, Terence Young, asked Beswick to return for "Thunderball" (1965), now in the role of Nassau agent and Bond ally Paula Caplan.
Martine Beswick as Paula Caplan with Sean Connery in "Thunderball" (1965) • framegrab
Beswick, now 75 years old, has since retired from acting, whereas 67-year-old Munro still does the occasional tiny cameo. The two lovely and charming women are however much in demand as guests of honour at horror, sci-fi and James Bond conventions all around the world. Beswick and Munro prefer to travel and appear together, and as the bosom friends merrily chattered away, completing each other's sentences almost telepathically, their chemistry was immediately apparent to Bond•O•Rama's special correspondent.
Ditto their contrasting personalities. As soon as Caroline Munro learned that yours truly was yet to have lunch at 3pm, she warmly offered to share her pot of tea with me. She came across as sweet, motherly and somewhat innocent compared to the more devil-may-care, outspoken "big sis" Martine Beswick. Both were exceedingly fun and endearing.
Bond•O•Rama met Caroline Munro and Martine Beswick at the design hotel The Thief in Oslo, where George Lazenby had held court at a press conference earlier that day. This first part of the interview (edited for clarity) primarily touches upon subjects related to James Bond 007. Part two, focusing on Beswick and Munro's film work outside of the Bond series, will follow shortly. [EDIT: Read part two here.]
A very special thank you to Morten Steingrimsen and “James Bond in Oslo” for facilitating this interview.
