 This story has nothing to do with Maxwell Smart, though.
This story is about a secret agent who, in real life, was a
director of British naval intelligence during World War II. His name
was Ian, which, if you're from Great Britain, you know is a fairly
common name for a man.
After retiring from the Navy, Ian became a writer. He was a very
successful writer, as his books have sold more than 30 million
copies. Despite his success, the literary industry looked down on
his books.
Ian's grandfather founded the Scottish American Investment Trust
in his native Scotland in 1873, when he was just 28 years old. He
also helped finance America's reconstruction after the Civil War.
His business went on to become a huge success, and it is still doing
well today as an investment and merchant bank.
Ian's father, whose first name was Valentine, was a member of
British Parliament and a friend of Winston Churchill's. He served in
World War I but was killed in combat. Churchill wrote an obituary
for Ian's father which Ian kept with him for the rest of his life.
Ian was born in London, England, in 1908 and he had three
brothers. Like his father, he served in World War II. After the war,
Ian moved to the north coast of Jamaica and built his home, which he
named Goldeneye. This is where he began writing the stories about
his famous alter ego.
Not to change the subject, but have you ever wondered why certain
movies feature new inventions and gadgets that seemed like they were
created just for the movie? The 1968 children's film "Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang" and the James Bond movies are two perfect examples.
"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" featured a popular inventor played by Dick
Van Dyke, while the Bond movies featured the coolest high-tech
gadgets that were years ahead of their time.
Coincidence?
[to top of second column]
 |
 Not really, because both of these shows were created by the same
person. His name?
Fleming. Ian Fleming.
I mentioned earlier that Ian was a spy for British naval
intelligence during World War II. As is the case with James Bond,
it's easy for life to imitate art when the person creating the art
is writing about his own life.
While his greatest "invention" was James Bond, Ian never
invented any gadgets in real life. He commanded Desmond
Llewelyn's character, Q, to equip Bond with all the coolest
gadgets that any self-respecting spy could ever want, such as
the ejector seat in his Aston Martin car, the specially equipped
briefcase, the ski pole gun, the acid pen and the Omega watch
with a laser.
Here is some interesting trivia about Ian Feming's James
Bond ... trivia that any loyal Bond fan already knows:
-
Fleming attended Eton, which is the same school that Prince
Harry attended.
-
Two of the Bond actors, Sean Connery and Roger Moore, have
been knighted.
-
Cary Grant was one of the actors that Sean Connery beat out
for the role of Bond.
-
As a boy, Sean Connery delivered milk to the school that the
real-life James Bond attended -- Fettes School -- which is the
same school that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair
attended.
-
Sean Connery's son, Jason, portrayed Ian Fleming in the film
"Spymaker."
-
There were five different actors who played James Bond
during the first 19 official Bond movies, but there was only one
actor who played Q during that time: Desmond Llewelyn. His Q
character was also known as Maj. Boothroyd.
[By
PAUL NIEMANN]
Paul Niemann's column is syndicated to more than 70 newspapers.
He is the author of the "Invention Mysteries" series of books. He
can be reached at niemann7@aol.com.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2008
(Other
columns) |
