Without
the vision of Cubby Broccoli and Harry Salzman, it is
doubtful that the Bond films would ever have been made, never mind become the most
successful film series ever.
Fleming himself realized the big screen potential of his novels, to the
extent that many of the books started life as screenplays. However, most others did not
share his optimism and finding someone to take out an option on his works was difficult
enough. Salzman, however, did just that, but then faced an uphill struggle trying to place
financial backing to turn this option into something tangible.
Broccoli had long dreamed about filming the James Bond novels, and when he
was introduced to Salzman, the two quickly realised that they shared a common goal. They
became business partners, and would remain so for some fifteen years. They needed to work
quickly to keep the option from expiring, and with their combined willpower, United
Artists were brought on board with the finance necessary to shoot the first picture -
"Dr. No".
The rest as they say is history, but along the way, this production team has
gradually changed. Details of the main contributors are listed
alphabetically by surname in
the drop-down menu to the right.
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