By Lee Pfeiffer
James Bond fans have always had mixed emotions when it came to the character of Sheriff J.W. Pepper, memorably played by Clifton James. The bumbling, buffoonish Louisiana lawman was introduced in Roger Moore's first Bond film, "Live and Let Die" in 1973. Everyone pretty much agreed that he was amusing...to a point. There was plenty of criticism among fans concerning the fact that Pepper took up a lot of screen time and turned his scenes into comedy vignettes that bordered on outright slapstick. The producers were so happy with the character, however, that they made the mistake of resurrecting him in the next film, "The Man with the Golden Gun". Trying to logically work him into a story line that takes place in Bangkok was a challenge- and it wasn't met. We had to believe that Pepper and his wife are on vacation and shopping for a new car- in Thailand! Pepper encounters Bond in a showroom, where Bond "borrows" a new AMC Hornet to take off in hot pursuit after the baddies- with Pepper in the passenger seat. Mayhem predictably follows. Clifton James managed to squeeze out a few genuine laughs but the premise was too much for anyone to buy and the good sheriff was retired from the series. There's little doubt that the character inspired Jackie Gleason's immortal portrayal of Sheriff Buford T. Justice in the "Smokey and the Bandit" films...but did you know that the character of Sheriff Pepper was also inspired by another actor's impersonation of a bumbling sheriff? For the full story, and video evidence, click here for the coverage on the James Bond fan site, MI6.