James Bond, the most infamous secret agent ever to grace the silver screen, originated in the pages of British author Ian Fleming's novels. Amateur agents Josh and Chuck uncover all sorts of Bond trivia in this action-packed episode.
AI Summary
Josh and Chuck dive into the fascinating world of James Bond, exploring the legendary secret agent's origins in Ian Fleming's novels and his evolution into a silver screen icon. This action-packed episode uncovers all sorts of Bond trivia, from the character's literary beginnings to the cultural phenomenon that made 007 one of cinema's most enduring figures. Whether you're a die-hard Bond fan or just curious about how this suave spy became a global sensation, you'll discover surprising details about the man behind the martinis and gadgets.
Movies Discussed
A doctor in the family
"Doctor Now was the first film, but that was the sixth novel — Chuck explains how the Bond films were made out of order compared to the novels."
— Chuck
A View to a Kill
"One of the best bomb movies ever — Josh praises this Bond film featuring Christopher Walken as the villain Max Zorin."
— Josh
Afternoon Delight
"Afternoon Delight, which was a movie about a woman who hires a gigolo... got an R rating after apparently the director cut a lot of stuff out. — Example of film rated R despite depicting female sexual gratification, contrasted with Wolf of Wall Street's milder rating."
— Chuck
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
"I just saw Anchorman the other night. Remember when they had the street bra and the guy on fire just walks by? Yeah, that's a pretty serious stunt. — Referenced for a scene featuring a stunt person on fire walking down the street."
— Josh
As Good as It Gets
"Yeah, as good as it gets. Come on. — As Good as It Gets was mentioned as an example of Jack Nicholson's acting work that Chuck appreciates."
— Chuck
Avengers: Infinity War
"Well, I saw the Infinity War one. He was in that, I think. — Josh mentions watching Infinity War and notes that the Spider-Man actor appeared in it."
— Josh
Ben-Hur
"I don't think we mentioned Ben Hur either. That's one of the famous stunts ever, the Chariot Race. — Referenced for its famous chariot race sequence featuring stuntman Joe Canute."
— Josh
Better Things
"Better Things from the wonderful, talented Pamela Adlon. They are entering their final season. — Chuck mentioned Kevin Pollak being in Better Things and referenced a Mo Green joke he heard on the show."
— Chuck
Black Panther
"When you go to France, or you go to England, or you go to Hong Kong, those kids are wearing Jordans, they're wearing Kobe's shirt, they're watching Black Panther. — Mentioned as an example of globally popular American cultural content watched by international audiences."
BlacKkKlansman
"It's a great movie. Love it. Love Spike Lee. — Josh and Chuck discuss their appreciation for Spike Lee's film about Ron Stallworth's undercover investigation of the KKK."
— Josh
Blue Is the Warmest Color
"Blue is the warmest color. Yeah, last year, a teenage lesbian love story. NC17. — French film about lesbian romance that received NC-17 rating despite some high school-aged viewers being allowed in theaters anyway."
— Chuck
Bound for Glory
"There was Rocky, there was, what was the one about Woody Guthrie? Bound for Glory. — Bound for Glory was one of the first three major motion pictures to hire Garrett Brown and his Steadicam in 1976, featuring an innovative crane-to-tracking shot."
— Chuck
Brüno
"He was awesome in Bruno. I didn't see that. Was he, Harrison Ford was in it? Yeah, for about two seconds. — Mentioned briefly as a film where Harrison Ford appeared for a very short cameo."
Casino Royale
"there's like in Casino Royale — Josh references this modern Bond film when discussing newer Bond villains."
— Josh
Charlie's Angels
"She was the lady from the seventies show that was like one of the late Charlie's Angels replacements — Chuck describes actress Tanya Roberts' previous TV role when discussing Bond girls."
— Chuck
City Heat
"Oh yeah? Oh no, City Heat, the Clint Eastwood movie. Bert Lancaster used to do his own stunts. — Mentioned as a film where Burt Reynolds was injured performing stunts, leading to health problems."
— Josh
Climax!
"James Bond first appears on screen, on the small screen, on a CBS TV series called Climax, with an exclamation point. — Identifying the first television appearance of James Bond."
— Chuck
Commando
"Oh yeah. Yeah, that was big in Commando. Oh yes. Weren't there a lot of air rams used in Commando? Many, more than I can count. That was such a good movie. — Referenced as a movie famous for using multiple air ram stunts to propel actors through the air."
Dead Calm
"He was great in Dead Calm. Yeah, that was a good movie. — Mentioning Sam Neill's work in another film when discussing potential Bond actors."
— Josh
Death Proof
"Well, she is, and she was in Death Proof, though, as an actor, and they were like, I guess they include her now, because she did that awesome hanging onto the hood scene. — Referenced for a famous stunt scene featuring Zoe Bell hanging onto a car hood."
— Chuck
Diamonds Are Forever
"One, two, three, four, five, and then George Lazenby, then he came back and did Diamonds Are Forever. — Identifying Sean Connery's films as Bond and his return after Lazenby."
— Josh
For Your Eyes Only
"Or he's a hell of a driver. Or a really good motorcycle guy. Or a great skier if you're doing like, what was that, For Your Eyes Only? Yeah. Was that the one that opened up the big ski chase? — Referenced as a James Bond film featuring a famous ski chase sequence."
Forensic Files
"Like the one headline news shows 100 episodes a day forensic files. They recreated murder. — Josh referenced Forensic Files as an example of documentary recreations, though with lower production budgets."
— Josh
From Russia with Love
"From Russia with Love nineteen sixty three, he talked — Josh mentions this Bond film as an example of the character using car phone technology before it was common."
— Josh
Frozen
"Apparently, if you want to show Frozen at your church, you better have a public performance license. — Used as an example of how movies require licenses for public screenings outside the home."
— Josh
Godzilla
"Someone went and sat in that theater with a camera recorder and just made a stupid, awful quality, pirated version. — Used as an example of camcorder piracy from movie theaters, referencing a Seinfeld episode."
— Josh
GoldenEye
"there's double six Alec Trevlyn — Josh mentions the villain from this Pierce Brosnan Bond film."
— Josh
Goldfinger
"You can't talk about Bond without talking about Goldfinger — Chuck brings up this classic Bond film when discussing famous Bond villains."
— Chuck
GoodFellas
"Goodfellas is another classic example too where Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco are going into the Copacabana, but they go through the back. — Goodfellas features a famous five-minute uninterrupted Steadicam shot following characters through the back entrance of the Copacabana nightclub."
— Josh
Gremlins
"He directed one, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and he produced another, Gremlins. — Discussed as one of two 1984 Spielberg films that prompted the creation of the PG-13 rating due to violent and scary content."
— Chuck
Happiness
"Happiness. Todd Solons, one of my favorite movies of all time. — Discussed as a film that received an NC-17 rating but was released unrated by director Todd Solondz who refused to cut content."
— Josh
Happy Gilmore
"And then he pops up again in Happy Gilmore — Josh mentions the actor who played Jaws appearing in this Adam Sandler comedy."
— Josh
Haywire
"Have you seen Haywire? The Soderbergh movie? Uh-uh. It's about assassins, basically. It's an action movie. Soderbergh's take on an action movie. — Referenced as a Steven Soderbergh action film featuring mixed martial artist Gina Carano performing her own stunts."
— Josh
Hell's Angels
"Howard Hughes? Yeah, the movie Hells Angels, which we must have talked about in the Hells Angels podcast. — Mentioned as a movie with multiple fatalities during filming due to real airplane dogfights and crashes."
— Chuck
Henry & June
"NC-17, the first movie to come out with that was Henry and June. — First film to receive the NC-17 rating when it replaced the X rating in 1990."
— Chuck
Hooper
"Or, if you have one coming out of the rear, it'll make it jump really high. Oh, true, like in Hooper. — Referenced as a famous stunt movie featuring Burt Reynolds as an aging stuntman with a climactic rocket car jump."
— Josh
Hostel: Part II
"They talk about once. Yeah that romantic... it had the same rating as Hostel 2, which is basically torture porn. — Cited as an example of an extremely graphic violent film with the same R rating as a romantic comedy."
— Chuck
I Love Lucy
"You don't get that from I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke. Like those are great shows. — Josh contrasted classic TV shows like I Love Lucy with cinema verite documentaries for understanding historical life."
— Josh
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
"Like all I have to say is Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Yeah. Where it was like they suddenly cut to drawings of Harrison Ford swinging on a lasso. — Used as an example of poor CGI usage compared to practical stunts, noting Harrison Ford didn't do the stunts."
— Josh
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
"He directed one, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and he produced another, Gremlins. — Discussed as one of two 1984 Spielberg films that prompted the creation of the PG-13 rating due to content concerns."
— Chuck
Inspector Gadget
"If you ever noticed a similarity between Inspector Gadget and James Bond, you are dead on. — Drawing a comparison between the animated series and the Bond franchise."
— Josh
Law & Order
"Law and Order reruns on A&E. They used to show Law and Order for eight hour blocks. — Mentioning where he saw actress Carrie Lowell before she became a Bond girl."
— Josh
Licence to Kill
"They were pretty good. Living Daylights and License to Kill. — Identifying Timothy Dalton's second Bond film."
— Josh
Live and Let Die
"Sometimes I forget about the awesomeness of Live and Let Die and Man with a Golden Gun for Your Eyes Only, those were all pretty good. — Discussing Roger Moore's better Bond films."
— Josh
Longtime Companion
"The great 1989 movie Longtime Companion features no real sex acts at all, nothing explicit. — Example of a film that received NC-17 rating despite no explicit content, allegedly due to depicting a gay couple."
— Chuck
Marathon Man
"And then the other one was Marathon Man. — Marathon Man was the third major motion picture to use Steadicam in 1976, alongside Rocky and Bound for Glory."
— Josh
Minority Report
"This is not a minority report. This is happening right now. — A sponsored segment mentions Minority Report in reference to AI and facial recognition technology being used by police."
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
"His pick was a movie called Mishima, A Life in Four Chapters. — Josh references Boots Riley's Movie Crush pick, mentioning it was a film that introduced him to interesting cinema."
— Josh
Moonraker
"Moonraker was written in nineteen fifty five — Chuck notes how the novel predated space technology that would later appear in the film adaptation."
— Chuck
Never Say Never Again
"Max fan he's a class act — Chuck mentions Max von Sydow's role as Blofeld in this unofficial Bond film."
— Chuck
Ocean's Eleven
"He had a bit part in Ocean's Eleven or something? — Josh questions whether Topher Grace appeared in Ocean's Eleven while trying to recall his other roles."
— Josh
Octopussy
"It was like Octopussy, Moonraker was really silly, does not age well at all. — Discussing less favorable Roger Moore Bond films."
— Josh
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
"he played James Bond and it was you know, filmed and produced and released on Her Majesty's Secret Service — Josh discusses George Lazenby's single Bond film appearance."
— Josh
Once
"The first one they talk about once. Yeah that romantic... It wasn't like a romantic comedy was it now? — Discussed as a sweet romance film with musical numbers that received an R rating, same as torture porn film Hostel 2."
— Josh
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
"Anyone who's ever seen One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is kind of exactly that happens in the plot like people got worse at these places. — Josh referenced One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to illustrate how mental institutions could worsen patients' conditions."
— Josh
Philomena
"A movie like Philomena, which you saw, was rated R. That was so good. — Example of a film rated R for profanity despite being a relatively wholesome story that Josh saw."
— Chuck
Project Greenlight
"Didn't he star in that Project Greenlight film? I think the first season. — Josh and Chuck discussed whether Kevin Pollak was in one of the Project Greenlight films, with Josh suggesting it might have been a first season production."
— Josh
Remington Steele
"you're gonna cast Timothy Dalton, are you well, I'll go be Remington Steel well jerks — Josh discusses Pierce Brosnan's TV career before becoming James Bond."
— Josh
Return of the Jedi
"Return of the Jedi, 1983. The famous speeder bike chase scene. — Return of the Jedi's speeder bike chase was shot using Steadicam technology, with Garrett Brown walking slowly through redwood forests that were then sped up in post-production."
— Josh
Rocky
"I'm going to use it in this little film I'm directing called Rocky. — Rocky was one of the first major motion pictures to use the Steadicam, featuring the iconic shot of the character running up the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps."
Rudy
"Rudy. — Mentioned in reference to Sean Astin's participation in anti-piracy campaigns."
— Josh
Rushmore
"Rushmore rated R for the scene at the end where Max is putting on the play, the Vietnam play. — Example of a film given an R rating for a brief scene with Playboy centerfolds visible in the background."
— Chuck
Seinfeld
"If you've seen Seinfeld, someone went and sat in that theater with a camera recorder. — Referenced as the source of the piracy example joke about theater camcording."
— Chuck
Shutter Island
"Oh, Shutter Island. He's in that — Chuck mentions seeing Max von Sydow in this recent film."
— Chuck
Smokey and the Bandit
"director of the movie The Cannonball Run and Smoky and the Bandit and Hooper. — Mentioned as another film directed by stunt coordinator Hal Needham."
— Chuck
Some Like It Hot
"By the end of the 50s, you got some like it hot, and Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon are dressed like women hitting on Marilyn Monroe. — Cited as evidence that the Hays Code was becoming ineffective by the late 1950s."
— Chuck
Sorry to Bother You
"What was his movie? Sorry to bother you was his film that he made. — Josh mentions Boots Riley's directorial debut while discussing an interview with him about films."
— Josh
Spider-Man
"She's in the new Spider-Man movies too. She's awesome. — Chuck mentions that actress Laura Harrier appeared in the recent Spider-Man films while discussing her role in BlacKkKlansman."
— Chuck
Steamboat Bill, Jr.
"Steamboat Bill Jr. Is that what it was in? Yeah, the very famous, you've probably seen it in Hollywood legends of screen clips. — Referenced as a famous early Buster Keaton stunt where a house facade falls around him without injuring him."
That '70s Show
"He will always be from that 70s show. — Chuck refers to Topher Grace's most famous role while discussing his portrayal of David Duke in BlacKkKlansman."
— Chuck
The Battle of Shaker Heights
"The Battle of Shaker Heights or something? I think that might have been the one that Pollock was in. — Josh speculated whether Kevin Pollak was in The Battle of Shaker Heights, which was a Project Greenlight film."
— Josh
The Cannonball Run
"Hal Needham, very famous stuntman, turned director, directed. Founder of the Cannonball Run. Well yeah, and director of the movie The Cannonball Run. — Referenced as a film directed by stunt coordinator Hal Needham."
— Chuck
The Departed
"Yeah, I'm glad he is because his last one was The Departed, right? — The Departed was mentioned as Martin Scorsese's previous major gangster film before discussing his newer projects."
— Chuck
The Dick Van Dyke Show
"You don't get that from I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke. Like those are great shows. — Josh mentioned The Dick Van Dyke Show alongside I Love Lucy as classic shows that differ from documentary cinema."
— Josh
The Fall Guy
"The theme from The Fall Guys starring Lee Majors. 1980s awesome TV show with probably the best truck ever featured in a TV show. — Chuck references the classic 1980s TV show about stuntmen and its iconic GMC truck as an introduction to the stunt episode."
— Chuck
The Godfather
"Go shoot Mo Green in the restaurant booth. Mo Green got it on the massage table. — Josh and Chuck were discussing various scenes and hits from The Godfather movie, including memorable assassination scenes."
— Josh
The Kid Stays in the Picture
"The Kid Stays in the Picture came out, the documentary about the producer, Robert Evans. They did those recreations through animation. — Chuck cited The Kid Stays in the Picture as an example of effective use of animation recreations in documentaries."
— Chuck
The Living Daylights
"They were pretty good. Living Daylights and License to Kill. — Discussing Timothy Dalton's Bond films."
— Josh
The Man with the Golden Arm
"Frank Sinatra got an Oscar nomination for playing a heroin addict in The Man with the Golden Arm. — Example of a 1950s film depicting previously taboo subject matter that wouldn't have been allowed under the earlier Hays Code."
— Chuck
The Man with the Golden Gun
"And a man with a golden gun, which was the Roger Moore's second film — Chuck discusses how the films were made out of order from the books."
— Chuck
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
"He's in Maisel. — Chuck mentioned Kevin Pollak appearing in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as an example of his work in television."
— Chuck
The Metamorphosis Project
"Like at your community pool, when you want to show ET. — Cited as an example of a popular family film that would need a public performance license to show at community events."
— Josh
The Saint
"He's good in the saint and that's why I got the the role I think. — Mentioning Pierce Brosnan's television work before becoming Bond."
— Josh
The Secret of NIMH
"What were you watching back then? What were you watching? You were probably watching TV and stuff. I guess. Yeah. It was a little before your time. Secret of Nim. — Briefly mentioned in passing as something Chuck might have been watching as a child."
— Josh
The Shawshank Redemption
"It's just the same like Red and Shawshank. — Josh compared Vladimir's situation at Bridgewater to Red's institutional experience in The Shawshank Redemption."
— Josh
The Shining
"you may recognize as mister Olman, the manager of the Overlook in Kubrick's The Shining — Josh identifies Barry Nelson's most famous role when discussing the first actor to play James Bond on screen."
— Josh
The Sopranos: Behind-The-Scenes
"Dr. No was the first film in 1962, and there's been 22 in total. — Identifying the first official Bond film released theatrically."
— Josh
The Spy Who Loved Me
"he was in Moonraker and The Spy Who Loved Me — Josh lists the two Bond films featuring the villain Jaws."
— Josh
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
"Also guys, I'm sending you the link to watch the preview of the 2003 documentary, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. — Listener Amy recommends this documentary about wild parrots in San Francisco in response to Josh's tattoo podcast mention."
The Wolf of Wall Street
"Yeah, which I thought was great. I know you didn't love it. — Wolf of Wall Street was mentioned as one of Martin Scorsese's recent gangster movies, though the hosts had differing opinions on it."
— Josh
The World Is Not Enough
"Garbage did the one for... World Is Not Enough. — Discussing Bond theme songs and the film they accompanied."
— Chuck
The X-Files
"I think he informs the character Alex Krychek from X Files — Josh draws a comparison between Bond villain Alec Trevelyan and an X-Files character."
— Josh
This Film Is Not Yet Rated
"I think anybody who's seen the documentary, this film is not yet rated, that would be very difficult to not be persuaded. — Documentary by Kirby Dick exposing the secretive nature of the MPAA rating system and its lack of transparency."
— Chuck
Thunderball
"they originally the people who made the official Bond movies originally wanted to make Thunderball — Josh explains the legal complications that led to Doctor No being made first instead of Thunderball."
— Josh
Titicut Follies
"This week on Dear Chelsea with me, Chelsea Handler, Sophia Bush is here. Tell me how that feels to be a hot, considered a hot lesbian. Quite an honor. — The main subject of the SYSK episode, this documentary by Frederick Wiseman about Bridgewater State Hospital."
Tough Guys
"Remember the movie Tough Guys? Yeah. He was in that. Yeah, yeah. — Referenced as a film featuring an actor who performed his own stunts."
True Detective
"Go watch True Detective, maybe you'll sign up for HBO. — Referenced as an HBO show that HBO doesn't mind people watching illegally as potential marketing."
— Chuck
Twilight Zone: The Movie
"Very famously, The Twilight Zone, the movie. Jennifer Jason Lee's father, Vic Morrow, and two little Vietnamese kids died when a helicopter crashed. — Referenced as a tragic on-set accident where actor Vic Morrow and child actors were killed in a helicopter crash during filming."
— Josh
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