BY MARK CERULLI
While
not a marquee name like Broccoli, Connery or Moore, Charles “Jerry†Juroe was
an integral part of the James Bond movie phenomenon for three decades. On September 30th, he passed away quietly
at his home in Southern Spain with his daughter Kim by his side. Jerry was 98.
A
publicity man through and through, Jerry started out at Paramount Pictures in
the 1940s, but his new career was interrupted by World War II. As a graduate of
the Castle Hill Military Academy in Tennessee, he was immediately called up and
was part of the D-Day Invasion -service that, 75 years later, would earn him
France’s prestigious Legion d’Honneur, presented by President Emmanuel Macron,
no less. Jerry also saw action in
Germany and Czechoslovakia before transferring to the Army’s Office of Special
Services. There he escorted movie stars
on USO appearances while also arranging entertainment for the troops. Although he held positions in Hollywood and
was the publicist for Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, Jerry loved Europe and
preferred to live there – especially after meeting lovely British actress Lynn
Tracy, who became his wife of 42 years until her death in 2001. During his stint as a publicist for Arthur P.
Jacobs, Jerry handled press for The Prince and the Showgirl, working
with the mercurial Marilyn Monroe. Running
European publicity for United Artists, Jerry worked with The Beatles on A
Hard Day’s Night and Help. The job also put him in the orbit of a rising young producer named
Albert “Cubby†Broccoli. At UA, Jerry
handled publicity chores on Dr. No, accompanying Sean Connery on his
first press tour. He worked on all of
Connery’s films through the 1967 epic, You Only Live Twice. He left UA for several years but was invited
back into Bondage by Cubby himself for The Man with The Golden Gun, joining
the EON fold permanently from Moonraker through Licence to Kill. (Jerry came back briefly for the 1994
announcement of Pierce Brosnan as the new 007.)
I
was fortunate enough to know Jerry for 40 years, meeting him as a college
student spending a semester in London. I
wrote a gushing letter to EON, which Jerry answered then invited me out to
Pinewood. That was the start of a
beautiful friendship. He also was fond
of my wife, a fellow marketing exec, pulling me aside to say, “You got the best
part of that deal.†Pure Jerry.
He
was fond of cruise ships and came to New York to take one of the last
“crossings†of the QE2. While there, he
handed me the manuscript of his autobiography which Ian Fleming Foundation
co-founder and close friend Doug Redenius and I were able to get published in
2018 as Bond, The Beatles and My Year With Marilyn (McFarland
Books). EON graciously invited us to
lunch then sponsored a book-signing at the London Bond in Motion exhibit. A
number of 00 alumni came for one of Jerry’s last hurrahs – John Glen, Gitte Lee
(Sir Christopher’s widow), Jenny Hanley, Valerie Leon, Peter Lamont, Deborah
Moore, Carole Ashby, Margaret Nolan, Steven Saltzman, Anthony Waye, former EON
publicity & marketing honchos Anne Bennett and John Parkinson, EON Chief Archivist
Meg Simmonds and many more. Also on hand
were authors Ajay Chowdhury and Matthew Field, CR’s Dave Worrall, From Sweden with
Love’s Anders Frejdh, bullet-catcher Mark O’Connell, French Bond expert Laurent
Perriot – even Titanic star Billy Zane. Speeches were made, glasses were
raised and warm embraces were exchanged. It was a beautiful night.
Jerry’s
passing severs one of the very last connections to Hollywood’s Golden Age and
his contribution to Bond’s success can’t be understated. As 5x Bond director John Glen put it, “Jerry
was very much a part of the James Bond phenomenon. He took great care of all
aspects of publicity, particularly looking after the actors which could be a
trying task at times.â€
“Sad
indeed, but a full life well lived and lived well,†said actress Jenny Hanley
(OHMSS).
My
last conversation with Jerry was just days ago. I asked how he was feeling and he answered with a weary, “I’m still here.†Indeed he was and he always will be.
Thank
you, Jerry.
If you want to read more about Jerry Juroe's remarkable life and career, order his autobiography.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON