BY MARK CERULLI
Ian Fleming’s rise from newspaper journalist to worldwide
best-selling author was not all jet-setting glamor. In the early 1960s,
with the Bond literary series well underway, Fleming was involved in a grueling
legal battle regarding his novel, Thunderball – which later became the
record-breaking 1965 EON film. The strain of the trial may well have
contributed to Fleming’s death the following year at the relatively young age
of 56…
Now the daughter of the original screenwriter, Jack Whittingham, has compiled a
unique chronology of the entire episode titled, appropriately enough, "The Thunderball Story". Sylvan Mason, an accomplished
writer and photographer in her own right, has produced a spiral-bound, limited
edition booklet of the behind-the-scenes battle that played out in British
courts in 1963 and gave producer Kevin McClory the right to remake the story,
eventually resulting in 1983’s Never Say Never Again.
Ms. Mason’s book reproduces a number of key documents and photographs,
including letters, a UK premiere ticket and headlines from newspapers of the
day. There is also a highly detailed timeline from 1959 to 2003,
encompassing all facets of the Thunderball story. All in all, it is a fascinating
look at one of the more obscure, but important aspects of the James Bond
Phenomenon – and given its limited edition status, once they’re gone, they’re
gone!
If you are a Bond collector, you can order a copy here:
https://www.luisabbouplanisi.com/shop/sylvanamazingbook