It's always a safe bet, when talking about James Bond, to go with Sean Connery: there is very little to complain about with his depiction of the character, and he is universally well-liked in the role, and many others,

On the other side of the coin, however, is perpetual short-shrift George Lazenby: he made one Bond film, ticked off his co-star Diana Rigg, the rest of the staff, and the producers, with his arrogance and antics; AND, stupidly followed the advice of his then agent, who told him that James Bond as a franchise would never last, and thus to pass on making any more of the films. To add insult to injury, he has pretty much had an unremarkable career since. And, to make matters worse, he got into a custody battle with his wife, tennis star Pam Shriver, over their kids, with three nannys claiming that he had anger management issues that he displayed liberally in front of them. Not a pretty picture, huh?

As bad is this plays, there really is another side.

First of all, George was only 29 when he played Bond, the youngest Bond ever. Think back when you were 29: Who wasn't a bit of a jerk? On top of that, it was his first film. Not much appreciated when it came out, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" has since garnered quite a following, and George's performance has been viewed in a more favorable light. In fact, in "The Essntial Bond," the authors say,

"Although OHMSS was routinely dismissed by critics who cited Lazenby as a brave but disappointing successor to Connery, the intervening years have been notably kinder to both the film and its star. Indeed, due in no small part to Peter Hunt's inspired direction, OHMSS generally ranks among the top films with fans. Likewise, Lazenby has emerged as a very popular contributor to the series and has enjoyed large enthusiastic audiences during his appearances at Bond related events. In summary, OHMSS is a brilliant thriller in its own right and justifiably ranks amongst the best Bond films ever made."

He really does a nice job of blending physicality, refinement, and romance, plus, his acting is impressive for anyone, let alone a first-timer.

And regarding his anger: George lost a son to a malignant brain tumor at age 19. So, I give him a pass...

All in all, I hope everyone feels a bit more compassion for George, and a little less like he's the Speedmaster 125 of the line, the Ringo of the Beatles, or the second installment of the True Detective series.

 

OHMSS is one of my favourite Bond films. Never understood the critique of Lazenby, tbh.

 

I like OHMSS too. Lazenby was better than the last 3 Bonds IMO. Would it kill Daniel Craig to look like he's having fun every once in a while?

 

Great write up. Didn't know a lot what you are telling about Lazenby. Reminds me of my dad. He has all the books and always told me this was the best one or one of the best. I like it the story also as OHMSS is one of the best with Casino Royale. But I prefer Connery's jokes and Craigs boldness.
So funny when you see those sixties movies. They are comfortably slow. Nowadays you tend to get forking mental watching movies. When I see my daughters look at Winx for instance, I get really crazy. It goes from climax to climax. Really nervous.

 

The tux though...

 

Updated version:

 

By marrying Diana Rigg he caused her death, therefore he sucks.

 

I couldn't agree more, OHMSS is my favorite Bond film and I think George Lazenby was great. I'd love to see the next Bond be more in the spirit of George Lazenby's bond.

 

I hope this is not considered thread drift but which of the books are your favourites (if you have read them)? I have read about 7 of them so far. Casino Royale is probably my favourite but Goldfinger was also pretty god. Moonraker also good but a bit too predictable. I rather like the short stories in some of the books.

 

It's been a few decades since I've read any of the books - it's on my list of things to do, which keeps getting longer and longer. I do remember really liking "Octopussy and The Living Daylights" but I also might have liked it for other reasons too. Need to re-read.

 

Either Casino Royale or From Russia With Love.

 

Well, if the next Bond needs to be a woman, they’ve got the “puffy” shirt and skirt (kilt) ready in Wardrobe dept.

 

There have been some real groaners over the years and OHMSS isn't one of them. Lazenby wasn't bad as Bond, and in my eyes the movie is in the top 50% of Bond films.

 

I didn't know he was married to Pam Shriver. Great tennis player. Great thread Bob

 

Good post OP, enjoyable reading about George.

My view differs, When it was introduced to the public the movie kind of paled to the Connery films. To my mind it still does.

However, gonna give OHMSS another peek, perhaps time will have aged well.

 

Are you saying that Honey Ryder didn’t have a deep personality???? She has at least 5 lines of dialogue

 

Honorable mention goes to Telly Savalas in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, as one of the best versions of Blofeld.

 

I think George had a hard act to follow after Sean , & think OHMSS is one of my favourites bond films . Read all the Fleming Bond books & currently rereading YOLT , highly recommended .

 

I liked it so much I bought the car in it....