JAMES BOND
FACT FILES

In later years some charities did make spare copies available after the event in order to raise more money for their cause. Souvenir Brochures were also produced (with similar content) for some of the regional premieres of the films and fewer copies of these appear to have survived. Premiere Brochures still command high prices when they appear in auction, especially those signed by the stars who attended. Premiere Brochures usually consisted of profiles of the cast and crew [often accompanied by stills not seen in any other publication], along with congratulatory messages and advertisements from many of the companies associated with the production. Once again, many of these advertisements were unique to the brochure.

Several James Bond films also had regional charity premieres but not all of these had souvenir brochures produced. Although Thunderball had opened in London on December 29, 1965 and in major cities across the UK in January 1966, it did not have its general release until mid-February. The Midlands premiere of Thunderball took place at the ODEON cinema, New Street in Birmingham on Saturday February 5, 1966. 2,400 people attended the midnight premiere which raised over £2,000 for the Birmingham and District Committees of the Drapers Cottage Homes charity. A 28-page souvenir brochure was on sale at the premiere with a cover price of at least 2s/6d (the equivalent of 30p today), which indicates that most people paid far more than the suggested amount for their copy. A rare surviving copy of the brochure sold for £500 at auction in 2015.

The Northern Charity Premiere of Thunderball was held at the ODEON Theatre on The Headrow in Leeds on Saturday February 19, 1966. 40-page individually numbered souvenir brochures were produced featuring similar content to the London and Dublin premieres. Actress Mollie Peters (who played Nurse Patricia Fearing in Thunderball) attended this event as part of a promotional tour she undertook throughout early 1966. Staying the weekend in Leeds, she then attended a press call and reception at the Arnold G. Wilson Ltd. Aston Martin showroom on Monday February 21, 1966. The showroom also had the B.S.A. Rocket-Firing Motor Cycle on display following its appearance at the Thomas Wallis department store in London's Oxford Street. Department stores took the opportunity to advertise in the regional premiere brochures with James Bond related tie-ins. You Only Live Twice did not have its general release in the UK until long after its London Premiere on June 12, 1967. Several cities held special midnight premieres in September 1967, including the ODEON Glasgow on the last day of the month.

By the time Pierce Brosnan took over as James Bond in 1995, UK cinema release patterns had been standardised, and new films generally opened countrywide on the Friday following the London premiere. Several cities did hold regional premieres in aid of charity on the day after the London openings of GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough with generic souvenir programmes produced and tailored to the specific charity named as the beneficiary. With new films now opening at the same time across the country, the appeal of a regional premiere has been somewhat diminished.

A handful of James Bond films originally premiered outside the UK, or had a Gala Premiere in aid of charity in the USA. Goldfinger (1964) had a Gala Premiere on Broadway at the 1,496-seat De MILLE Theatre in New York City on the evening of December 21, 1964, followed by a ‘Golden Champagne Supper Ball’ at the Hotel Astor after the screening to benefit the Lincoln Square Academy. The event was hosted by restaurateur Vincent Sardi, Jr. (1915-2007) - whose father had founded Sardi's, located at 234 West 44th Street in Manhattan in 1927. The premiere was attended by Honor Blackman and Shirley Eaton during their US promotional tour for Goldfinger; and title singer Shirley Bassey, who also performed at the after-show party. Special guests arrived at the cinema in a fleet of eight Aston Martin DB5s. A simple golden four-page program containing cast and crew credits was produced for the Gala Premiere, with prices ranging from $5 to $100, with the $50 and $100 tickets including admittance to the Supper Dance. Goldfinger then opened at the De MILLE and Coronet Theatres on Broadway on December 22, 1964 - with the De MILLE staying open 24 hours a day until January 2, 1965 to cope with the enormous demand to see the film.

Thunderball had premiered at the Hibiya Theatre in Tokyo, Japan on December 9, 1965 with Albert R. Broccoli and Producer Kevin McClory in attendance. The US premiere was held at the Paramount Theatre in New York on December 21, 1965 and was attended by United Artists executive David Picker accompanied by Harry Saltzman & Albert R. Broccoli (pictured above L-R). No special programs were produced for these two screenings. From 1967-1983 the James Bond films then all opened in London and had a Royal Charity Premiere at the ODEON Leicester Square (with the exception of Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - which opened first in Germany and did not have a premiere in the capital). Live And Let Die (1973) and The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) had also both opened in the USA ahead of their London premiere. Sean Connery's comeback as James Bond in Never Say Never Again had its World Premiere at the Mann National Theatre Westwood, Los Angeles, USA on October 6, 1983, followed by a UK Royal Charity Premiere at the Warner Theatre Leicester Square on December 14, 1983 with Sean Connery and several other cast and crew members in attendance.

The co-operation afforded EON Productions by the San Francisco Mayor's office gave them unprecedented access to roads and buildings in the city for the filming of A View To A Kill in 1984. The filmmakers showed their gratitude by holding the World Premiere of the film at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, San Francisco on Wednesday May 22, 1985. The premiere was hosted by Mayor Dianne Feinstein in aid of the Youth Fund to benefit the Tenderloin Child Care Centers. The event was attended by Producers Albert R. Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson, co-screenwriter Richard Maibaum, stars Roger Moore, Christopher Walken, Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones (with her partner Dolph Lundgren), Patrick Macnee and Walter Gotell. Director John Glen and members of Duran Duran also joined the cast at a champagne reception for over 1,000 guests after the screening. May 22nd was designated “James Bond Day”, and skydiving stuntman B.J. Worth parachuted down in front of City Hall ahead of the premiere - re-creating his jump from the Eiffel Tower - doubling for Grace Jones as May Day in A View To A Kill (1985). A simple four-page program was produced for the San Francisco premiere.

FACT FILES The James Bond Girls

FACT FILES MOVIES