Roger Moore's, My Word is My Bond

I am almost through this 2008 autobiography. It's well worth the read especially when Rog gets to his Bond years. These chapters are chalk full of new anecodotes about the filming that don't appear in any commentaries or film features and all delivered with the Rog's trademark wit.

For example, in TSWLM, Rog only mimed his "Egyptian Builders line" after Jaws is buried in rubble. The reason being, an official from the Egyptian government was monitoring the shoot and likely wouldn't have approved of the comment. So Rog conspired with Gilbert to simply mouth the line and dub the audio in later.

Like most biographies you gotta slog through the whole life story from childhood on but Rog at least keeps these parts fresh and funny. The books really picks up when he reaches the Saint chapter and now he's discussing stuff we are more familiar with.
There are lots of anecdotes about other actors. He gives details on the shooting of the his three South African films, which is quite interesting.
Lee Marvin was a hopeless drunk but brave as hell, being an ex-Marine.

The Rog does commit one terribly grevious Fleming error though.

Page 205 discussing TSWLM
"Incidentally the film was not based on Ian Fleming's book.When he wrote that particular adventure, Fleming told the story through the eyes of the female heroine, Anya Amasova."

Aieeee. :affraid: Anya Amasova!!!!!

Rog continues, " He (Fleming) didn't feel satisfied with the finished product and so declared that nothing, other than the title, could ever be used in a future film."

Doesn't Rog see the contradiction in his own observation. If Amasova was Fleming's girl, but only the title of the book could be used for a film, then how did Amasova beccome a character in the film? Hmmmm.

Fanboy nitpicking, but clearly Rog never read the Fleming original.

Really must read this one day ... maybe after I've finished Carte Blanche and Vic Armstrong's biography. :)

I read it a couple of years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was quite humourous too. Always has an interesting story to tell.

I wonder if Rog read any of Fleming. He seemed convinced the Book Bond was a real bastard and wanted to distance his own portrayal from that image.

I think I remember reading somewhere that he'd skimmed the first chapter of Goldfinger, and from that gleaned that although Bond didn't much like killing he was very good at it. He said he then made that the basis of his portrayal.

I managed to get a signed copy of it when it came out. It was an enjoyable read.

My uncle was Roger Moore's milkman at one point :D Allegedly. I don't know where he was living at the time (Moore, that is - not my uncle.)

I don't think Moore wanted to be book Bond and he couldn't really be Connery Bond because he wasn't rugged enough or mean enough, but he was very close to Sean in terms of his swagger and attitude.
He did a good job, all things considered. He was at least more of a presence, I think than either Dalts or Brozzer.

Too bad he didn't take more interest in Fleming though. He wouldn't be blurting out such sacrilige as Amasova being Flemings original TSWLM character.

Ravenstone wrote:

I managed to get a signed copy of it when it came out. It was an enjoyable read.

My uncle was Roger Moore's milkman at one point :D Allegedly. I don't know where he was living at the time (Moore, that is - not my uncle.)

Uncle must have enjoyed making those deliveries. Chance to meet the star himself, who does seem to be very friendly and affable. Rog comes from very modest roots himself, which he makes clear in the book and really did pay his dues as an actor.
As an actor, he says he was very rarely challenged. He was always cast to play very similar dashing leading man roles.

This was long before Bond, when he was up and coming. My uncle said he was a very nice man - always polite and friendly, never any airs and graces, never treated him as a skivvy. And always gave him a Christmas tip.

I think this was when he was married to Squires, perhaps.

I wonder if my Mom can remember more.

tiffanywint wrote:

The Rog does commit one terribly grevious Fleming error though.

Page 205 discussing TSWLM
"Incidentally the film was not based on Ian Fleming's book.When he wrote that particular adventure, Fleming told the story through the eyes of the female heroine, Anya Amasova."

That's nearly as grievous as one in Joan Collins' autobio, where she explains her STAR TREK character was in love with Adolf Hitler. Even ghostwriters can't factcheck, apparently.

I'm not a trekker but I think I've seen all of TOS.
You're talking about the episode where Kirk and company encounter Nazis on another planet? I do remember that episode.

I don't think the ghostwriters really care about fact checking. Their job is to transcribe the authors ramblings and make them coherent and interesting.

Too much work to check the author's facts.

Actually it is not the Nazi one, but a time travel one, where they go back in time through a big glowing stone donut.

It's the one Harlan Ellison wrote (that got rewritten), CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER, where Kirk meets the love of his life in depression era US. Collins is very sweet in it, believe it or not.

trevanian wrote:

Actually it is not the Nazi one, but a time travel one, where they go back in time through a big glowing stone donut.

It's the one Harlan Ellison wrote (that got rewritten), CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER, where Kirk meets the love of his life in depression era US. Collins is very sweet in it, believe it or not.

but not one for remembering her character years later, I guess.

I managed to grab a copy of Rog's book in hardcover on the bargain pile for only about $5 . I skimmed it after purchase and it looked quite interesting. Still have to get around to reading it.