Thunderball

Thunderball was long-promoted as "The Biggest Bond of All". Although it is said that the movie has recently lost its 'adjusted for inflation box office' crown to Skyfall, Thunderball remains a treasure trove of items that are of collectible interest to me. One of my favorite movies gave rise to many of the favorite items in my collection.

Some of my love for Thunderball is that it is the first movie for which I was able to personally experience the exotic Bond movie locations. Finding the breakwater and associated canal on Paradise Island, gambling in the casino at the Atlantis Resort, eating at the new Café Martinique and having a martini at the bar and champagne with dinner, visiting the British Colonial Hilton (okay, that was a different Bond film), seeing the Junkanoo Parade, finding Palmyra and touring its grounds, exploring the caves where Agent 007 gets rescued after his escape from Largo's men, going to Love Beach and trying to imagine where Vargas 'got the point', scuba diving on one of the wrecks used in filming other Bond films - well, you get what this movie has meant to me.

Enjoy browsing my Thunderball page; I think you will find a few rare and unusual items here.

DOMINO'S NECKLACE AND EARRINGS

Throughout the scenes in the Paradise Island casino, followed by the scenes in Café Martinique, actress Claudine Auger (Domino Derval) was dressed by wardrobe mistress Eileen Sullivan in a stunning set of costume jewelry, consisting of a diamond necklace with pendants of diamonds and emeralds, and a matching set of oval earrings also containing emeralds and diamond accents. Ms. Sullivan sold the costume jewelry after production, and the film-used pieces were auctioned in 1998. I have been obsessed with trying to find a vintage copy of the same jewelry pieces, and years of searching have turned up nothing. Consequently, I have done the next best thing - I have made my own replica. The reproduction shown here was made under my supervision but with the invaluable assistance of others in the Bond collection community. These are a faithful reproduction of the jewelry as seen in the scenes mentioned previously.

VINTAGE CAFÉ MARTINIQUE MENU

The Café Martinique of 1965 must have been a wonderful and enchanting place, or so it seemed in Thunderball. Patrons dressed in elegant clothes ate fabulous meals and drank and danced under the twinkling stars and dim lights until they returned across the harbor by boat to Nassau, to retire to their homes for the remainder of the evening. Located harborside on the southern shore of Paradise Island, the restaurant location was acquired and demolished in one of the many expansions of the Atlantis Resort. To be fair, a new version of Café Martinique has been open for several years on the new marina at the Atlantis Resort. I have dined there, and it is an elegant restaurant delivering a fine dining experience - but the restaurant is a pale imitation of the original Café Martinique depicted in Thunderball.

Pictured above is an original Café Martinique menu cover and menu from circa September 1966. The menu cover is identical to the one handled by Sean Connery while giving his order to his waiter, and is decorated with a printed sketch of a woman drawn by Rene Bolliger. The interior menu is not the one seen in the film, but as menu items offered were changing all the time, having a different menu from that shown on the day of filming is to be expected. The menu cover and the menu (consisting of six pages) are in absolutely pristine condition - no discoloration, no bent corners, no conditions of any sort.

The menu prices are stunning - the most expensive entrée is Chateau Briand for two, with Sauce Bearnaise, priced at $18.00!

A charger plate from Café Martinique, age unknown. The figure is the same as that drawn on the front of the menu. This plate does not appear in the film.

Café Martinique swizzle stick and two paper drink coasters,
circa 1965.

RANSOM DEMAND TAPE MACHINE

It is one of the most chilling scenes in a Bond film. In a deeply sinister voice, SPECTRE announces that it has stolen two atomic bombs and sets out its ransom demand. After almost two years of work, I have recreated the delivery of the ransom demand with this working, screen-accurate prop. My machine is a circa 1964 Uher 4000 Report-S tape machine, with a screen-accurate vintage BASF and Uher reels. The two-part demand speech has been professionally re-recorded and cleaned up to remove the background noise from the scenes. The electrical and mechanical systems in the tape machine have been either rebuilt or replaced to restore near-perfect working order, and the exterior has been refurbished using pieces from a couple of 'parts machines'. This impeccable prop would not have been created without the invaluable assistance of my friend, Randy Brazell (Executive Producer and General Manager of 'The John Boy and Billy Big Show' radio program). Click on the video to the left and see the efforts of our collaboration for yourself!

The M. V. Disco Volante

The Disco Volante (Flying Disc) was the personal yacht of Emilio Largo. Its unique characteristic was not its ability to accommodate its owner in luxury (which it did in any event), but to take on and transport two atomic bombs. A key feature was underwater doors for concealed entry and exit. The boat is mentioned in Fleming's novel, but there is an interesting history behind bringing it to life for the film. The rear catamaran (cocoon, as it is referred to in the film) was attached to the boat on the front with explosive bolts that can trigger a separation. This front boat was the Rodriguez PT20, the very first production hydrofoil boat, built in 1957 in Sicily. The boat was purchased and fitted for production needs in Puerto Rico at a reported cost of nearly $500,000.

Pictured above is a hand-built wooden model of the Disco Volante. It matches the real boat seen in the film in many details. The hydrofoil front boat separates from the cocoon and the two pieces can be displayed independently. Also pictured above is a replica of the tee-shirt worn in the film by the Disco Volante's crew members.

BOND'S MINIATURE FLARE GUN

Below is the vintage original prop miniature flare gun given to Bond by Q and later used in the film by Bond to signal Felix Leiter as to his location for his rescue. Made of tooled aluminum and brass, the grip features a spring-loaded knob that pulls backward into a locking groove. The release of the knob serves as the firing action that shoots the flare. This is a very special prop from the production.

DOMINO'S SWIMSUIT

This is the original, vintage swimsuit worn by Claudine Auger for some of the publicity pictures taken to promote her appearance in Thunderball. The swimsuit does not, however, appear in the film. Made by Cole of California, the suit is a size 13, one-piece. I obtained this swimsuit in a sale of items obtained directly from Ms. Auger.

At left is a replica of the SPECTRE ring as worn in Thunderball by Fiona Volpe and other SPECTRE agents. At far left, Luciana Paluzzi seemed pleased to see the SPECTRE ring and graciously put it on for this photo. She even asked for a copy of the picture!

Here is another highly desirable prop reproduction created by SD Studios. The breather device was a popular gadget in the movie, and it is faithfully recreated in this example. Presented in a characteristic wooden case with the '007' logo etched onto the glass top, the display is simple but effective. Accompanying the breather is a replica cigar tube into which the breather device can fit. The cigar tube is not a real one, though. One clue is the statement on the tube that Americans will not get to enjoy the desirable cigar due to its government embargo on the importation of goods from the nation of Cuba. My collectible is number 138 of 5000. I cannot imagine that 5000 were produced. I have the original instructions that came with the replica.

Pictured above are (top) the cigar tube supplied with the breather device prop, and (bottom) a real tube from the cigar company. In addition to the difference in size, note the difference in the spelling of the last word in the cigar's name. I assume this is due to not having a license to use the real name of the cigar, thus avoiding copyright and use infringement.

A replica of the Palmyra entrance sign. Ironically, the film scene was shot using the entrance gate to the private Lyford Cay subdivision just outside of Nassau, Bahamas, where many years later Sean Connery made his home.

One of Q's gadgets was a homer pill which was 'activated' by swallowing it. At left is a prop replica of the homer pill.

Part of the 007 Villain Collection issued by Swatch in 2008, this watch was named after Emilio Largo. You have to love any watch that has the SPECTRE octopus logo on the dial face.

When Bond discovered the body of the murdered Francois Derval impersonator in the submerged Vulcan bomber, he recovered the Major's identification disk and watch, which he later presented to Domino as evidence of Largo's scheme to steal the atomic bombs that were aboard the aircraft. Pictured here is a reproduction of Derval's identification disk, made by TheSpyBoys.com, and a vintage Breitling AOPA 806 Navitimer watch from the early 1960's. The watch pictured does not have the screen-accurate band, and a guess was made as to which variation of watch face design was used in the prop watch, as the face of the watch is never clearly seen. The watch had one of two logos: the AOPA logo, or the Twin Jets logo. It appears to my eye that the more-involved Twin Jets logo is on Derval's watch, and that is the version I have in my collection. The Navitimer is still a beautiful watch to wear.

At right is a vintage copy of the underwater camera developed by Q and given to James Bond to take infrared pictures under water. The camera used in the movie was actually a Nikon Nikonos, an updated model of the Calypso underwater camera developed by a French company before the design was sold to Nikon. While the camera does take underwater pictures, it is not 'clever' enough to take infrared pictures in the dark, as portrayed in the film to take the picture below.

Voit supplied the diver suits and accessories such as fins and masks that were used in the underwater scenes including the battle at the climax of the film. Agent 007 wore a distinctive orange dive suit, but was outfitted with a blue mask, blue fins and black diver's knife. The mask is the Voit Swim Mask model B10NB, in blue, which was sold in a James Bond 007-branded box (shown). The fins are the Voit Viking A6 model and are screen-accurate to the fins worn by Sean Connery. The knife is a Voit Swim Master, the same knife brand and model as carried by Agent 007 in the underwater fight scenes (see reference photo).

This Pan paperback edition of Thunderball and the accompanying letter marked one of the more unusual marketing efforts associated with the movie. In the novel, Fleming tells us that Dominetta Vitali (Dominique Derval in the movie), nicknamed Domino, fantasizes about the sailor on the front of the package of Players cigarettes. The cigarette company produced a letter from Domino to Bond, written several years after their adventure in Nassau, recalling fondly their time together. The letter mentions Players by name, and even refers to the page numbers in the paperback where the discussion occurred. Players bought a large number of the Pan paperbacks, inserted a copy of the letter in each, and gave the books away as promotional pieces. The fact that this item has survived to this day in this condition is amazing.

Dominique Derval wears a bracelet on her left ankle which is engraved with the name her friends call her, Domino. We are first introduced to this fact when Bond calls her by her nickname and identifies her ankle bracelet as the source of that knowledge.
DOMINO: "So, what sharp little eyes you've got."
BOND: "Wait 'til you get to my teeth."
The ankle bracelet is not shown in this scene, but later makes its only appearance in the film when Bond meets with Domino on Love Beach just before he kills Vargas with his spear gun. That scene is pictured above, and only the chain and clasp of the ankle bracelet are ever visible. I created Domino's bracelet as I imagined it would appear, and that is shown above, left. I like to think Domino would have been happy to wear this version as her ankle bracelet.

This is a full set of eight British FOH (Front of House) Cards, circa 1965, for Thunderball. The absence of pin-holes, tape marks, etc. suggests these particular FOH Cards have been unused. There is some slight fading but overall they are in very good condition.

Original souvenir program from the 1965 US premiere of Thunderball

This dossier is a wonderful piece of prop making. It is a recreation, and an interpretation, of the dossier handed to Agent 007 and the other 00 agents in attendance at the briefing regarding the operation code-named Thunderball. The creative detail is astounding. The picture of Francois and Domino even has the 'Hunt Photo Inc., Bay Street, Nassau' stamp on the back side!

An original 1965 British press release by EON Productions regarding Thunderball.

Replica prop of the miniature signal flare used by Bond to get rescued via helicopter by Felix Leiter.

Mink glove similar to the one used by Bond on physical therapist Patricia Fearing.

Another Factory Entertainment offering is their interpretation of the SPECTRE ring from Thunderball. My replica prop is number 40 of 500.

A sheet of original letterhead used by EON Productions for Thunderball

Reproduction of the iconic sunglasses worn by Sean Connery in Thunderball

A fan-made pocket watch featuring a face with Thunderball marketing.

Replica Gamma Gas Cylinder display

JUNKANOO PARADE

Attending the real Junkanoo Parade on Bay Street in Nassau - not one of the imitations that may be staged at the Atlantis Resort or elsewhere - is an experience you will never forget, and making the effort to do so is something you will not regret. The music is unsophisticated but infectious, the costumes are elaborate and entertaining, and the nighttime atmosphere is oddly intoxicating and surreal. The parade begins shortly after midnight and lasts for several hours - yes, it is that big! My apologies for the poor quality of the photos, but my iPhone did not have a good nighttime camera that many years ago.

The short video to the right was shot at night, and is a Junkanoo-inspired performance just outside the Café Martinique restaurant on the marina at Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas. While not an authentic Junkanoo Parade, the video will give you an idea of the infectious beat from the rudimentary musical instruments, although you do not get to see very much of the performance due to poor lighting conditions.

THUNDERBALL MOVIE POSTER AND DRAWINGS

The poster to the left is one of the most well-known of the Bond movie franchise. My copy is nothing special, an inexpensive reproduction, yet it is a prized piece of my 007 collection (for a variety of personal reasons). The poster was part of the brilliant promotion campaign for Thunderball. At first glance, people do not seem to realize that the drawings on the poster are by two different artists with two distinct styles. The top two frames are drawn by Frank McCarthy; the bottom frame was drawn by Robert McGinnis. Robert McGinnis will feature in a couple of other areas on this website. McGinnis produced a series of separate drawings for the campaign, but only a few were used. Over time, people have come to appreciate the beauty and stylishness of the McGinnis drawings, and have started collecting those individually.

The drawing above is one of my favorite done by McGinnis. It is his interpretation of a wonderful scene from the film. Note the depth of color, the suggestiveness of the action, and the emotional detail in the faces. McGinnis is superb at drawing human figures.

From McGinnis's Hollywood Edition, this limited edition print is another of my favorites. I love the risqué tone of the nude Thunderball Girls, reminiscent of Maurice Binder's nudes in his title sequences. McGinnis's talent for drawing the human form is showcased in this print.

Also a limited edition from The Robert McGinnis Hollywood Edition, this rendition of the Thunderball heroine (although clearly not Domino) with her spear gun immediately takes you to the "I think he got the point" scene involving Vargas. Note the classic McGinnis suggestion of naughtiness in the provocative tug on the bikini bottom.

Above is my display of the individual Thunderball drawings I own. The two drawings in the center are by Frank McCarthy and versions of them are used on the movie poster. The other four drawings are by Robert McGinnis. Only the drawing on the lower left made it onto the poster; in my opinion, any of the other three could have been used as successfully.