50 years of James Bond films

British secret agent James Bond, code named 007, made his first appearance on movie screens on October 5, 1962, in the lean Caribbean thriller "Dr. No." The low-budget actioner, starring Scottish actor Sean Connery as the spy with a license to kill, was a hit, leading to a long-running series of globe-trotting spy adventures that continues now, 50 years later, with the latest James Bond adventure, "Skyfall."

Ian Fleming's spy made his debut in the 1953 novel "Casino Royale," and appeared in 14 novels and short story collections written by the former newspaper editor who had served in naval intelligence. Following Fleming's death in 1964, several other authors (including Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and Raymond Benson) penned further adventures of 007.
007 was first dramatized in a 1954 live TV adaptation of "Casino Royale" (played by Barry Nelson) on the CBS series "Climax," and the network discussed with Fleming a possible series based on Bond. The idea fell through, but the big screen beckoned.

Sean Connery had had a few minor film roles, and a starring role in Disney's "Darby O'Gill and the Little People," before being cast as James Bond in "Dr. No" (1962). Ian Fleming was skeptical at first, believing Connery failed to project his literary character's refinement, but was won over by his charismatic performance.

Bond: "Do you expect me to talk?"
Goldfinger: "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"

Much of the film took place underwater, with thrilling fight scenes staged for Bond's desperate bid to recover stolen nuclear warheads.

Roald Dahl ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory") penned the screenplay of "You Only Live Twice" (1967), which made Bond fans feel like a kid in a candy store: exotic locations, nifty gadgets, spaceships, and Ken Adams' design for arch villain Blofeld's hideout situated inside an extinct volcano. The actual set measured 400 feet in diameter and 120 feet high, with a 70-ft.-diameter sliding roof on top.

When Connery bowed out of playing Bond for a sixth time, the producers brought on board Australian actor George Lazenby for 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Shot in the Swiss Alps, the film featured some nifty stuntwork and, as Bond girl, Diana Rigg of the TV spy series "The Avengers."

When Lazenby balked at signing a long-term contract, Connery was wooed back by producers for "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971), in which Bond had to save the world, again, from Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who was using a diamond-laden laser satellite to wreak havoc.

Roger Moore, who had starred in the TV spy series "The Saint," became the third movie Bond in "Live and Let Die" (1973). The actor projected a more upper crust Bond than Connery, as he scampered through America and the Caribbean among voodoo sects and Harlem drug kingpins. Also featured were Gloria Hendry (left) as a CIA agent; Jane Seymour as Solitaire; and a title song by Paul McCartney and Wings.

"The Man With the Golden Gun" (1974) was memorable chiefly for some martial arts acrobatics and the titular assassin Scaramanga, played by Christopher Lee (who was actually a distant cousin of Ian Fleming).

Another memorable Ken Adams set from "The Spy Who Loves Me" (1977). The largest film stage in the world, dubbed the "007 Stage," was built at Pinewood Studios in order to accommodate a supertanker that swallows British, American and Soviet submarines. The stage burned to the ground during production of "Legend," but was later rebuilt.