Max’s Drive-In Movie – Dr. No

Dr No

I have a different relationship with James Bond than some. I didn’t watch them as a kid but I started to watch them in my late 20s. I finally found out what all the fuss was about. I do remember seeing parts of Moonraker when it came out but it just didn’t pique my interest at 12. I recently read a review of From Russia With Love from princecranoir and would recommend everyone reading. That one may be my favorite James Bond film but this one holds a special place for me as well. My favorite always changes when I do a Bond marathon at home. I did a post a while back about my favorite Bond films…and Dr No was at the top…so it does change.

Dr. No was a commercial success, paving the way for numerous sequels and establishing the template for future Bond films. Sean Connery’s portrayal of Bond became iconic, and the film is credited with launching the spy genre in cinema. We will still be watching this in 2062.

Dr. No was the first Bond film I ever watched all the way through. Released in 1962, it introduced the world to James Bond, a suave, sophisticated British secret agent with a license to kill. Based on Ian Fleming’s novel of the same name, the film marked the first installment of one of the most successful and enduring franchises in cinematic history. Dr. No laid the foundation that would define Bond for decades—high-stakes espionage, glamorous locations, and, of course, iconic villains. There were really no gadgets in this one…that would come in the next film.

It was based on Ian Fleming’s 6th book about the Spy but the first one was adapted into a movie. Sean Connery is James Bond to me and there was no better way of kicking off a franchise than this. The film looks great in its vivid color and scenery. The bulk of the film was filmed in Jamaica in early 1962.

There is no better use of a Sunday afternoon than to spend it with James Bond and the absolutely stunning Ursula Andress. When she walked out of the water on Crab Key, it was close to everything magically turning to color in The Wizard of Oz… She was the first of many Bond girls to follow and you could not find a better first one. I was humming Under the Mango Tree for days after I saw it.

JFK, an avid Ian Fleming fan, even hosted a private screening of “Dr. No” at the White House. Legend has it he remarked, “I wish I had James Bond on my staff.” Who wouldn’t? If you haven’t seen this film, treat yourself and immerse yourself in Bond’s world; and for those who have, a rewatch is always a pleasure.

Plot (Spoilers)

The movie starts with Bond, played by Sean Connery, being sent to Jamaica to figure out why a fellow British agent went missing. Pretty mysterious, right?

When Bond gets to Jamaica, things get tense. He teams up with some local allies, like a fisherman named Quarrel and CIA agent Felix Leiter. They help him uncover clues, which eventually lead to a creepy, secretive island called Crab Key. This is where Dr. No, the villain, is hiding. He’s a super smart but evil scientist who works for a dangerous organization called SPECTRE. His plan? To mess with American space missions using some kind of high-tech radio beam. Bond realizes he needs to stop him before things get out of hand.

Bond’s adventure takes him into Dr. No’s hidden lair, where he also meets Honey Ryder (played by Ursula Andress), a woman who’s just out collecting shells but gets tangled in Bond’s mission. Together, they navigate the dangers of the island, avoiding Dr. No’s guards and traps.

In typical Bond fashion, he manages to outsmart Dr. No, destroy his base, and save the day. The movie ends with a big explosion as Bond and Honey escape. It’s classic spy action, with all the charm, gadgets, and danger you’d expect from a Bond film!

Quotes

  • Dr. No: The Americans are fools. I offered my services; they refused. So did the East. Now they can both pay for their mistake.
  • James Bond: World domination. The same old dream. Our asylums are full of people who think they’re Napoleon. Or God.

_______________________________________

  • [Honey describes how she killed the man who had hurt her]
  • Honey Ryder: I put a black widow spider underneath his mosquito net… a female, they’re the worst. It took him a whole week to die.
  • [Bond looks shocked]
  • Honey Ryder: Did I do wrong?
  • James Bond: Well, it wouldn’t do to make a habit of it.

_______________________________________

  • [explaining why she believes the legend about Crab Key’s fire-breathing dragon]
  • Honey Ryder: How well do you know about animals? Did you ever see a mongoose dance? Or, a scorpion with sunstroke sting itself to death? Or, a praying mantis eat her husband after making love?
  • James Bond: I hate to admit it, but, I haven’t.
  • Honey Ryder: Well, I have.

Original Trailer

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

46 thoughts on “Max’s Drive-In Movie – Dr. No”

  3. I have watched every James Bond movie, and my first one was Thunderball. All the actors were good, but I think the most athletic and most believable was Daniel Craig and I wonder who they will pick to replace him as I hear they are going to release another film next year.

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    1. I don’t know…my only problem with the new ones…no gadgets… and some of the fun is gone. I liked The Kingsmen a lot. It was a throwback to the earlier days of Bond set in modern times.

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      1. The newer Bond films still have gadgets, but they seem less extreme, because we have grown accustomed to them over the years. I have never seen The Kingsmen movies, but I will try to check them out.

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  5. Pingback: Max’s Drive-In Movie – Dr. No – MobsterTiger

  8. Great pick, Max. I was crazy about 007 and started watching the movies in my early teens. While Sean Connery and Roger Moore brought different aspects to the role, I liked them both. To me, the only other Bond that came close was Pierce Brosnan. That said, if I had to pick one of the three, I’d go with Connery.

    Connery was just a cool dude with cool gadgets. That silver Aston Martin DB5 with the machine guns in the front, the bullet shield in the back and, most of all, the ejector seat was priceless. And those lines, “Bond – James Bond” and “shaken but not stirred” are movie classics.

    Jeez, writing about Bond, I feel like watching “Goldfinger” right now, which is my favorite in the 007 series.

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    1. I was late to the game in the Bond movies but that was really cool in a way. I could watch all of them as brand new. Sean Connery is my Bond…although unlike some others…I did like some of Roger Moore’s movies as well.
      James Bond is who we would love to be. Guys liked him because he was so damn cool…and the ladies…yes they kinda liked him as well lol.

      Yea I hope readers don’t mind me taking these trips into movies…I was talking to CB and yea…I needed something to shake things up. Thanks for reading Christian.

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      1. It’s good to mix things up, Max. And you clearly have watched many movies.

        Most of my movie journey dates back to my teenage years in Germany where I watched many old pictures on TV.

        Most of the 007 films I caught on the big screen. In fact, I randomly remember a summer hiking vacation with my parents in Italy – must have been during the second half of the ’70s. The village where our hotel was had a small movie theater, which happened to feature a series of the ’60s Bond movies. I believe that’s where I saw “Dr. No”, “From Russia With Love” and “Goldfinger” for the first time.

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      2. I watch a few new movies but like music…I prefer the older ones because of the writing and pacing.
        Oh Christian…to see those on the big screen had to be really cool! All of those were great.

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  9. I never saw all of Dr. No, nor that first trailer. I didn’t realize he drove a Sunbeam Alpine before the Aston Martin DB-5. That must be why Maxwell Smart drove a Sunbeam Tiger – so he actually outdid the early James Bond.

    As for that JFK story, from other stories I’ve heard I’d think he said, “I wish I had Ursula Andress on my staff.”

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  12. I really liked the early Bonds, I even bought the paperbacks to start off my first home library. I kinda lost the yearning for the Bond flicks as they went more towards flippant lite-weight tossed away innuendos and bigger and bigger Bangs, the more the budget would allow the better. Connery IS 007, Lazenby was a bit of a downgrade, at best an 004. Roger Moore was a rank 000 IMHO.

    My brother had an original pristine poster of the ‘Goldfinger’ Aston Martin, with its non-factory fitted accessories of tumbling licence plates and machine guns popping out of the bumpers etc. I wonder what that poster would be worth now?

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    1. For me after Moore…Moonraker is where I drew the line…. I hate to say I just don’t have much interest…now Dalton made a pretty good one but it was too 80s film making by that time.
      You are right…it got silly…the invisible car…at least you could tell how the other things worked.
      Oh that Poster….I just saw some…ready for this? $3000 to $340,000

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      1. Yep, I couldn’t take no Moore, all that nudge nudge wink wink at the camera. I’ve seen a few of the 80s and on Bonds but, the magic has faded. Maybe I just growed up a bit? (my wife, looking over my shoulder, says ‘noooo.’)

        3000 and upwards for a poster? Had I known I would have stealed it off him and sealed it up in a tube for future resale!

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      2. I think the best movie Moore did that actually lived up to the earlier ones was The Spy Who Loved Me…now that could be because of Ringo’s wife Barbara Bach lol.
        She is right you know…we don’t grow up all the way!
        Was it this poster?
        https://www.etsy.com/listing/1335748910/goldfinger-1964-original-us-one-sheet?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_-art_and_collectibles&utm_custom1=_k_Cj0KCQjwpvK4BhDUARIsADHt9sSclscJ9RYljJqrCN26pek4i5n4caG6CCLHVjCph0Tbf0_o8JxV-DMaAmMIEALw_wcB_k_&utm_content=go_21500569335_164907277123_707558291654_pla-314954651933_c__1335748910_12768591&utm_custom2=21500569335&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpvK4BhDUARIsADHt9sSclscJ9RYljJqrCN26pek4i5n4caG6CCLHVjCph0Tbf0_o8JxV-DMaAmMIEALw_wcB

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      3. No, thanks Max, but no, that’s not the poster I was thinking of. This one was about four foot tall two wide, of the Aston Martin DB5, with little captions and arrows pointing out all the gadgets that Q had added to it to make it a real weapon, so to speak. I just looked on Google images, but couldn’t find it there, though I know he had the thing, he was so happy he’d been given it. (He used to scrounge any movie posters he could after their last screening.) He wound up with more than a few to cover the walls of his room with. He always made sure not to cover over the pic of Raquel in her itsy-bitsy furry bikini though. Mmmm, I do believe that poster kept him up at night. So to speak.🤭

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      4. Sorry Obbverse…you TOLD me that. I looked for it as well just then. Whew that sounds like a more rare one…no telling what it would be worth.
        Thinking about it some…it could have been just for the area you were at that time.
        Hey… it’s Raquel…I will not or can not blame him!

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  14. I’ve seen them all but have trouble distinguishing one from another. The format is predictable and dependably good. I’ve liked all of the Bonds, but Mr. Connery is my favorite. He’s a masculine ideal that is hard to resist for men or women. Men want to be him, women want to … him.

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  15. Best Bond flick, hands down! There’s only one Bond for me and that’s Sean Connery. He was the epitome of everything a woman wants in a man … at least this woman. Ursula Andress was delicious; she a Connery were gorgeous together. The older Bond flicks were the best, IMO; I never warmed up to Roger Moore but I did enjoy Pierce Brosnan’s performances.

    Great write-up, Max.

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  17. Love it! I watched almost all of the Bond movies while growing up and during/throughout my adult life. Now, we are watching a lot of them again. Yes, they show me where we get a lot of our “Programming” from (overt sensual stuff, chauvinism, etc.), but I try not to take it too seriously and laugh too! Balancing always.

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  18. Badfinger

    Great post

    Two Opinions of mine.

    Best Quote – “James Bond: World domination. The same old dream. Our asylums are full of people who think they’re Napoleon. Or God.t

    Best Actor over time Fleming

    Regards and goodwill blogging

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