There’s been excement about Q’s queer revelatn ‘No Time to Die’ but the anchise’s first gay characters appeared all the way back 1971’s ‘Diamonds Are Forever’. Fifty years on, Adam Bloodworth talks to the actors who played Mr Wt and Mr Kidd about why they’re worth celebratg
Contents:
- ‘I KNEW WAS A URAGEO THG TO DO’: THE CUR STORY OF BOND’S FIRST GAY VILLAS
- JAM BOND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER REVEAL NO TIME TO DIE MA ME TEAR UP
- HOW ‘DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER’ WASTED SEAN CONNERY’S JAM BOND RETURNTYLER SAGETYLER SAGEPUBLISHED: NOVEMBER 15, 2020EON PRODUCTNSSHARETWEETEVERY ACTOR HAS REGRETTABLE MOMENTS, AND FOR SEAN CONNERY, ONE OF THE ME 1971 WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE JAM BOND ANCHISE FOR DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER.FOR ALL OF THE TONGUE--CHEEK FUN ON DISPLAY, 'S SHOT THROUGH WH SO MUCH ABSURDY THAT ONE N ONLY GROAN BY S NCLN, WHEN A PAIR OF GAY ASSASSS TRY TO KILL BOND BY HIDG A ACTUAL TICKG BOMB AN ICE CREAM KE.CONNERY PLAYED BOND THE FIRST FIVE FILMS OF THE SERI DURG THE '60S. HE THEN CID TO STEP AWAY OM THE ROLE TO PURSUE MORE SER FARE AND WAS REPLACED BY ATRALIAN MOL GEE LAZENBY 1969 FOR ON HER MAJTY'S SECRET SERVICE. LAZENBY WAS REPORTEDLY OFFERED A SEVEN-FILM NTRACT BUT TURNED DOWN, HAVG BEEN TOLD BY A IEND THAT THE BOND ANCHISE WAS DONE THE ERA OF PEACE AND LOVE, AND WAS ALMOST LERALLY NEVER SEEN ON THE BIG SCREEN AGA. THIS LEFT THE PRODUCERS A QUANDARY, SO THEY LURED CONNERY BACK WH THE PROMISE OF A MASSIVE PAYDAY.UNFORTUNATELY, THIS ME WH SO MUCH STORY-LEVEL BUNGLG THAT NOT EVEN CONNERY'S TIMABLE TALENTS ULD SAVE THE DAY. BASED ON AN IAN FLEMG NOVEL OF THE SAME NAME, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER OPENS WH S BT SCENE, WHICH BOND HUNTS DOWN AND KILLS HIS NEMIS ERNST STAVRO BLOFELD (CHARL GRAY) BY WHEELG HIM TO SOME SUPERHEATED MUD, IMPLICLY AS PAYBACK FOR THE MURR OF BOND'S WIFE AT THE END OF ON HER MAJTY'S SECRET SERVICE. THE SEQUENCE IS TIGHTLY MA AND RRI AN UNRCURRENT OF REAL EMOTNAL EDGS. UNFORTUNATELY, GIV WAY TO A STRGY PLOT CENTERED ON A DIAMOND SYNDITE HOARDG STON TO PRS WORLD PRIC.WATCH THE OPENG SCENE OF 'DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER'BOND FILTRAT THIS SYNDITE AND MEETS TIFFANY CASE (JILL ST. JOHN), AN AMERIN SMUGGLER LIVG AMSTERDAM. IN ORR TO GET TO THE TOP OF THE SYNDITE, BOND NVC CASE TO HELP HIM SNEAK SOME DIAMONDS ACROSS THE POND TO LAS VEGAS A SKET. UNBEKNOWNST TO OUR HERO THERE IS EPER FIENDISHNS AFOOT AS WELL, THE PERSONS OF THE AFOREMENTNED PAIR OF GAY ASSASSS, MR. WT AND MR. KIDD (BCE GLOVER AND PUTTER SMH, THE LATTER A JAZZ BASSIST WHO HAS PLAYED WH EVERYONE OM THELON MONK TO BECK). THIS DUO IS WORKG FOR THE TERNATNAL CRIME GROUP SPECTRE, WHICH WAS HEAD BY BLOFELD BEFORE HIS MISE.IN LAS VEGAS, BOND DISVERS THAT THERE'S A NNECTN BETWEEN THE DIAMOND SMUGGLG SYNDITE AND ONE WILLARD WHYTE (JIMMY DEAN), A RECLIVE BILLNAIRE WHO OWNS A SO AND ALSO HAS A LABORATORY OUT THE SERT WHERE HE BUILDS SATELL. BOND SNEAKS TO THE FACTORY AND FDS THAT THE DIAMONDS ARE BEG ED TO CREATE A SUPER-LASER THAT WILL OPERATE OM SPACE. FOR SOME REASON, S ENGEERS ARE ALSO TTG A PLAARY ROVER ON A SOUNDSTAGE THAT LOOKS LIKE THE MOON. UPON BEG CHASED BY SECURY GUARDS, BOND STEALS THE ROVER AND DRIV THROUGH A WALL TO PETHE PER RAIS THE QUTN OF WHAT WHYTE IS DOG. ACRDGLY, BOND SNEAKS TO THE PENTHOE OF WHYTE'S VEGAS HOTEL. THERE, HE FDS THAT THE MAGNATE HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED BY SPECTRE, AND THAT NONE OTHER THAN BLOFELD IS IMPERSONATG WHYTE – BLOFELD HAS BEEN ALIVE THE ENTIRE TIME, BEE WAS A BODY DOUBLE THAT BOND SENT TO A BUBBLY GRAVE THE OPENG.BOND FALLS PREY TO KNOCKOUT GAS, AND BLOFELD, STEAD OF KILLG HIS NEMIS, ARRANG FOR HIM TO BE BURIED ALIVE A PIPELE OUT THE SERT, A TERRIBLE FATE THAT BOND EVAS BY CLIMBG OUT OF A SERVICE ENTRANCE AND SURPRISG TWO WORKERS, TO WHOM HE QUIPS THAT HE WAS "JT OUT WALKG HIS RAT." HE THEN TRACKS DOWN THE REAL WHYTE, WHO'S BEG HELD A MORNIST HOE THE SERT BY TWO GYMNASTIC FEMALE BODYGUARDS SWIMSUS, NAMED BAMBI AND THUMPER (LOLA LARSON AND TRA PARKS).WATCH JAM BOND BATTLE BAMBI AND THUMPERWHYTE AND BOND FIGURE OUT THAT BLOFELD IS NTROLLG HIS LASER SATELLE OM AN OIL RIG, AND SO BOND PARACHUT ABOARD, MS UP THE SATELLE NTROL SYSTEM (WHICH NS ENTIRELY ON A SGLE SSETTE TAPE), KILLS BLOFELD AGA -- MAYBE EVEN FOR REAL THIS TIME -- AND STROYS THE RIG. THE FILM SEEMS TO BE HEAD FOR A ROMANTIC NCLN WHEN BOND AND TIFFANY CASE BOARD A CISE SHIP TO HEAD BACK TO ENGLAND, EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT MR. WT AND MR. KIDD ARE ALSO ABOARD, PLANNG TO KILL HIM WH SSERT.THERE ARE MOMENTS WHEN THE ALL THIS IS MORE LGHED-WH THAN LGHED-AT, AND AT TIM 'S EVEN ENGAGG. DIRECTOR GUY HATON, WHO MA GOLDFGER 1964 – PERHAPS THE MOST SUCCSFUL OF THE TONGUE--CHEEK BOND FILMS – WAS BROUGHT BACK ON BOARD FOR DIAMONDS, AND HIS SKILLS PAY DIVINDS. THERE ARE A UPLE OF ROG FIGHT SEQUENC, AND A REALLY GOOD R CHASE THROUGH DOWNTOWN VEGAS, WH BOND DRIVG A BOSS MTANG MACH 1 (THE FLUENCE OF AMERIN MCLE-R CHASE SCEN LIKE THE ONE BULLT SH THROUGH CLEARLY).WATCH THE LAS VEGAS CAR CHASEAND, TTH BE TOLD, THERE IS SOMETHG EFFECTIVE ABOUT MR. WT AND MR. KIDD. THEY ARE STRANGE AND LD-BLOOD, AND THEIR SG-SONG RECATN OF PLATUS GIV THEM A KD OF IRONIC TELLIGENCE ALMOST NEVER SEEN THE WORLD OF BOND BAD GUYS. BUT THE FACT THAT THEY ARE SO CLEARLY LABELED AS GAY – HOLDG HANDS, AND AT ONE POT NOTG THAT SOMEONE IS ATTRACTIVE "FOR A WOMAN" – IS ODD, PARTICULARLY THE NTEXT OF A BOND FILM.THIS KD OF WEIRDNS IS EXACERBATED BY THE OTHER, STRANGER ELEMENTS THE FILM. THE PLOT LE ABOUT THE KIDNAPPG OF WILLARD WHYTE WAS APPARENTLY SPIRED BY A DREAM PRODUCER ALBERT R. BROCLI HAD ABOUT HIS IEND HOWARD HUGH, WHERE BROCLI DISVERED THAT HUGH HAD BEEN REPLACED BY SOME KD OF ALIEN PRENCE. CONSIRG THIS A STROKE OF SPIRATN, BROCLI MAND THAT BE WORKED TO THE FILM.THERE'S ALSO THE FACT THAT NO LS THAN THREE TIM THE MOVIE BOND IS AT THE MERCY OF EVIL FORC, AND EACH TIME THEIR PLANS TO DO AWAY WH HIM ARE RIDICULOLY MORE PLITED THAN THEY NEED TO BE TO, AND ARE FARCILLY EASY TO PE. FALLY, THERE ARE THE ABUNDANCE OF JT PLA SILLY TAILS, PERHAPS THE MOST BETIFUL OF WHICH IS THAT, THE MOON MOCK-UP SET THE LABORATORY, THERE ARE MEN WEARG SPACE SUS WHO MOVE AS THOUGH THEY'RE LOW GRAVY, SWGG THEIR ARMS SLOW MOTN AT BOND AS HE ZOOMS BY.ONE ULD GO ON AND ON, BUT 'S ENOUGH TO NOTE THAT THE END, MOVI ARE ABOUT CHOIC. THE ACCUMULATN OF THEM FOR TERM WHETHER A FILM IS GOG TO BE GOOD OR BAD, ENJOYABLE OR A DUD, FUN AND MPY OR TRAGILLY WACKO. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER OUT ON THE WRONG SI OF THIS LEDGER.WATCH THE TRAILER FOR 'DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER' JAM BOND MOVI RANKED
‘I KNEW WAS A URAGEO THG TO DO’: THE CUR STORY OF BOND’S FIRST GAY VILLAS
This isn’t to give eher of those away, but to divulge a third: that Bond’s handy gadget man, Q, is gay. )All of which mak gay henchmen Mr Wt and Mr Kidd back 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, all the more remarkable.
To give some ntext, 1970, the year the film was shot, 70 per cent of Amerins thought homosexual relatns were wrong, while the UK was only three years to Wt and Mr Kidd were played by Bce Glover and Putter Smh, two straight men, but even then they reportedly riled Connery.
JAM BOND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER REVEAL NO TIME TO DIE MA ME TEAR UP
Glover, who is now 89, remembers the star beg unfortable wh homoerotic jok durg the shoot. “He didn’t know me, so he thought I was gay.
HOW ‘DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER’ WASTED SEAN CONNERY’S JAM BOND RETURNTYLER SAGETYLER SAGEPUBLISHED: NOVEMBER 15, 2020EON PRODUCTNSSHARETWEETEVERY ACTOR HAS REGRETTABLE MOMENTS, AND FOR SEAN CONNERY, ONE OF THE ME 1971 WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE JAM BOND ANCHISE FOR DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER.FOR ALL OF THE TONGUE--CHEEK FUN ON DISPLAY, 'S SHOT THROUGH WH SO MUCH ABSURDY THAT ONE N ONLY GROAN BY S NCLN, WHEN A PAIR OF GAY ASSASSS TRY TO KILL BOND BY HIDG A ACTUAL TICKG BOMB AN ICE CREAM KE.CONNERY PLAYED BOND THE FIRST FIVE FILMS OF THE SERI DURG THE '60S. HE THEN CID TO STEP AWAY OM THE ROLE TO PURSUE MORE SER FARE AND WAS REPLACED BY ATRALIAN MOL GEE LAZENBY 1969 FOR ON HER MAJTY'S SECRET SERVICE. LAZENBY WAS REPORTEDLY OFFERED A SEVEN-FILM NTRACT BUT TURNED DOWN, HAVG BEEN TOLD BY A IEND THAT THE BOND ANCHISE WAS DONE THE ERA OF PEACE AND LOVE, AND WAS ALMOST LERALLY NEVER SEEN ON THE BIG SCREEN AGA. THIS LEFT THE PRODUCERS A QUANDARY, SO THEY LURED CONNERY BACK WH THE PROMISE OF A MASSIVE PAYDAY.UNFORTUNATELY, THIS ME WH SO MUCH STORY-LEVEL BUNGLG THAT NOT EVEN CONNERY'S TIMABLE TALENTS ULD SAVE THE DAY. BASED ON AN IAN FLEMG NOVEL OF THE SAME NAME, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER OPENS WH S BT SCENE, WHICH BOND HUNTS DOWN AND KILLS HIS NEMIS ERNST STAVRO BLOFELD (CHARL GRAY) BY WHEELG HIM TO SOME SUPERHEATED MUD, IMPLICLY AS PAYBACK FOR THE MURR OF BOND'S WIFE AT THE END OF ON HER MAJTY'S SECRET SERVICE. THE SEQUENCE IS TIGHTLY MA AND RRI AN UNRCURRENT OF REAL EMOTNAL EDGS. UNFORTUNATELY, GIV WAY TO A STRGY PLOT CENTERED ON A DIAMOND SYNDITE HOARDG STON TO PRS WORLD PRIC.WATCH THE OPENG SCENE OF 'DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER'BOND FILTRAT THIS SYNDITE AND MEETS TIFFANY CASE (JILL ST. JOHN), AN AMERIN SMUGGLER LIVG AMSTERDAM. IN ORR TO GET TO THE TOP OF THE SYNDITE, BOND NVC CASE TO HELP HIM SNEAK SOME DIAMONDS ACROSS THE POND TO LAS VEGAS A SKET. UNBEKNOWNST TO OUR HERO THERE IS EPER FIENDISHNS AFOOT AS WELL, THE PERSONS OF THE AFOREMENTNED PAIR OF GAY ASSASSS, MR. WT AND MR. KIDD (BCE GLOVER AND PUTTER SMH, THE LATTER A JAZZ BASSIST WHO HAS PLAYED WH EVERYONE OM THELON MONK TO BECK). THIS DUO IS WORKG FOR THE TERNATNAL CRIME GROUP SPECTRE, WHICH WAS HEAD BY BLOFELD BEFORE HIS MISE.IN LAS VEGAS, BOND DISVERS THAT THERE'S A NNECTN BETWEEN THE DIAMOND SMUGGLG SYNDITE AND ONE WILLARD WHYTE (JIMMY DEAN), A RECLIVE BILLNAIRE WHO OWNS A SO AND ALSO HAS A LABORATORY OUT THE SERT WHERE HE BUILDS SATELL. BOND SNEAKS TO THE FACTORY AND FDS THAT THE DIAMONDS ARE BEG ED TO CREATE A SUPER-LASER THAT WILL OPERATE OM SPACE. FOR SOME REASON, S ENGEERS ARE ALSO TTG A PLAARY ROVER ON A SOUNDSTAGE THAT LOOKS LIKE THE MOON. UPON BEG CHASED BY SECURY GUARDS, BOND STEALS THE ROVER AND DRIV THROUGH A WALL TO PETHE PER RAIS THE QUTN OF WHAT WHYTE IS DOG. ACRDGLY, BOND SNEAKS TO THE PENTHOE OF WHYTE'S VEGAS HOTEL. THERE, HE FDS THAT THE MAGNATE HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED BY SPECTRE, AND THAT NONE OTHER THAN BLOFELD IS IMPERSONATG WHYTE – BLOFELD HAS BEEN ALIVE THE ENTIRE TIME, BEE WAS A BODY DOUBLE THAT BOND SENT TO A BUBBLY GRAVE THE OPENG.BOND FALLS PREY TO KNOCKOUT GAS, AND BLOFELD, STEAD OF KILLG HIS NEMIS, ARRANG FOR HIM TO BE BURIED ALIVE A PIPELE OUT THE SERT, A TERRIBLE FATE THAT BOND EVAS BY CLIMBG OUT OF A SERVICE ENTRANCE AND SURPRISG TWO WORKERS, TO WHOM HE QUIPS THAT HE WAS "JT OUT WALKG HIS RAT." HE THEN TRACKS DOWN THE REAL WHYTE, WHO'S BEG HELD A MORNIST HOE THE SERT BY TWO GYMNASTIC FEMALE BODYGUARDS SWIMSUS, NAMED BAMBI AND THUMPER (LOLA LARSON AND TRA PARKS).WATCH JAM BOND BATTLE BAMBI AND THUMPERWHYTE AND BOND FIGURE OUT THAT BLOFELD IS NTROLLG HIS LASER SATELLE OM AN OIL RIG, AND SO BOND PARACHUT ABOARD, MS UP THE SATELLE NTROL SYSTEM (WHICH NS ENTIRELY ON A SGLE SSETTE TAPE), KILLS BLOFELD AGA -- MAYBE EVEN FOR REAL THIS TIME -- AND STROYS THE RIG. THE FILM SEEMS TO BE HEAD FOR A ROMANTIC NCLN WHEN BOND AND TIFFANY CASE BOARD A CISE SHIP TO HEAD BACK TO ENGLAND, EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT MR. WT AND MR. KIDD ARE ALSO ABOARD, PLANNG TO KILL HIM WH SSERT.THERE ARE MOMENTS WHEN THE ALL THIS IS MORE LGHED-WH THAN LGHED-AT, AND AT TIM 'S EVEN ENGAGG. DIRECTOR GUY HATON, WHO MA GOLDFGER 1964 – PERHAPS THE MOST SUCCSFUL OF THE TONGUE--CHEEK BOND FILMS – WAS BROUGHT BACK ON BOARD FOR DIAMONDS, AND HIS SKILLS PAY DIVINDS. THERE ARE A UPLE OF ROG FIGHT SEQUENC, AND A REALLY GOOD R CHASE THROUGH DOWNTOWN VEGAS, WH BOND DRIVG A BOSS MTANG MACH 1 (THE FLUENCE OF AMERIN MCLE-R CHASE SCEN LIKE THE ONE BULLT SH THROUGH CLEARLY).WATCH THE LAS VEGAS CAR CHASEAND, TTH BE TOLD, THERE IS SOMETHG EFFECTIVE ABOUT MR. WT AND MR. KIDD. THEY ARE STRANGE AND LD-BLOOD, AND THEIR SG-SONG RECATN OF PLATUS GIV THEM A KD OF IRONIC TELLIGENCE ALMOST NEVER SEEN THE WORLD OF BOND BAD GUYS. BUT THE FACT THAT THEY ARE SO CLEARLY LABELED AS GAY – HOLDG HANDS, AND AT ONE POT NOTG THAT SOMEONE IS ATTRACTIVE "FOR A WOMAN" – IS ODD, PARTICULARLY THE NTEXT OF A BOND FILM.THIS KD OF WEIRDNS IS EXACERBATED BY THE OTHER, STRANGER ELEMENTS THE FILM. THE PLOT LE ABOUT THE KIDNAPPG OF WILLARD WHYTE WAS APPARENTLY SPIRED BY A DREAM PRODUCER ALBERT R. BROCLI HAD ABOUT HIS IEND HOWARD HUGH, WHERE BROCLI DISVERED THAT HUGH HAD BEEN REPLACED BY SOME KD OF ALIEN PRENCE. CONSIRG THIS A STROKE OF SPIRATN, BROCLI MAND THAT BE WORKED TO THE FILM.THERE'S ALSO THE FACT THAT NO LS THAN THREE TIM THE MOVIE BOND IS AT THE MERCY OF EVIL FORC, AND EACH TIME THEIR PLANS TO DO AWAY WH HIM ARE RIDICULOLY MORE PLITED THAN THEY NEED TO BE TO, AND ARE FARCILLY EASY TO PE. FALLY, THERE ARE THE ABUNDANCE OF JT PLA SILLY TAILS, PERHAPS THE MOST BETIFUL OF WHICH IS THAT, THE MOON MOCK-UP SET THE LABORATORY, THERE ARE MEN WEARG SPACE SUS WHO MOVE AS THOUGH THEY'RE LOW GRAVY, SWGG THEIR ARMS SLOW MOTN AT BOND AS HE ZOOMS BY.ONE ULD GO ON AND ON, BUT 'S ENOUGH TO NOTE THAT THE END, MOVI ARE ABOUT CHOIC. THE ACCUMULATN OF THEM FOR TERM WHETHER A FILM IS GOG TO BE GOOD OR BAD, ENJOYABLE OR A DUD, FUN AND MPY OR TRAGILLY WACKO. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER OUT ON THE WRONG SI OF THIS LEDGER.WATCH THE TRAILER FOR 'DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER' JAM BOND MOVI RANKED
Villas throughout cema history have tend to reflect current “fears” and attus, and homosexuals have a long history of beg vilified. It’s a topic wrer Vo Rso explor his semal 1981 book The Celluloid Closet, which ns through onscreen queer stereotypg om the Sixti to the Eighti, om Dr Frank-N-Furter The Rocky Horror Picture Show to Sharon Stone’s bisexual Cathere Tramell Basic and director Guy Haton were rponsible for nceivg the characters for the screen and feels as if they med edy orr to create gay characters sued to themselv and mastream dienc of the time. “I didn’t want to be that kd of clichéd gay guy, ” Glover rells, thkg perhaps of the mpns of Richard Burton and Rex Harrison’s gay barbershop uple 1969’s Stairse.
”Lowbridge-Ellis go so far as to pots out that much about the characters is, actually, “unniably homophobic”.
From the way Mr Wt was dispatched wh a bomb up his backsi to the obv fact that here were two straight men makg margalised gay men the butt of their jok, ’s easy to argue how Wt and Kidd were explog the LGBT+ muny rather than supportg by simply beg onscreen, the duo had reprented the gay muny – and ma a whole crowd cludg myself feel seen – whether their creators had tend to or not. is no doubt one of the most macho movie anchis of all time, but om the moment I saw Golneye as a ltle gay kid at a iend's hoe, I was hooked.