One of my favorite elements of the best Bond movies was the reliable appearance of Q, supplier of 007’s weapons and high-tech gadgets. Sadly, Q has not made the leap to the latest two shows. Played with excellent comedic presence by the late Desmond Llewelyn (and later by John Clease), the head of Q Branch took great pride in all of his accomplishments and even chastised Bond in every film about the damage most of them take in the field. Here is a list of some of the best cars and other useful devices which have aided James throughout 22 movies.
- The Original Aston Martin DB5 with modifications (Goldfinger and Thunderball)… the first in a long list of gadget-laden automobiles. This beauty came equipped with everything a superspy needs. Revolving license plates, machine guns, tire slashing devices in the hubcaps, oil slick and smoke screen release, and the little red button underneath the cap of the gear shift.
- Jet Pack (Thunderball)… used in dramatic fashion during Bond’s escape during the pre-title sequence. The pack was an actual functioning device that was intended to be used by the military. A trained professional is seen flying the pack in long shots while Connery is seen in the close up shots. No CGI in 1965.
- Little Nellie (You Only Live Twice)… Once again a real gyrocopter armed to the teeth that allowed Bond to investigate while disposing of some evil baddies giving chase in helicopters of their own. “She’s a wonderful girl. Very small, quite fast, she can do anything. Just your type.”
- Attache Case (From Russia With Love)… what appears to be an ordinary briefcase holds many surprises for the user. 50 gold sovereigns (hidden in two straps on either side of the case), a knife, and two other dandy instruments that aided Bond during the movie.
- The Lotus Esprit (The Spy Who Loved Me) another car featuring advances that assisted Roger Moore’s 007 and Russian beauty XXX as they worked together to stop the diabolical scheme of one Karl Stromberg and a giant steel-toothed baddie named Jaws.
Countless other useful devices have been used to varying degrees of success. I do remember a certain “Bug”-detecting device used during Live and Let Die that seemed flimsy at best. By the way, does anyone recall Q’s actual name? It was given in at least one of the movies (one mentioned in this posting).
In Dr. No he was named Major Boothroyd, however he was not played by Desmond LLewelyd.
Right… apparently the actor in Dr. No did not catch on. When Anya and Q meet in The Spy Who Loved Me, she refers to him by name.
I heard he was busy during the next film and Desmond Llewelyd stepped in. I think people just liked him better. Mr Ll was in more Bond films than any other actor. I guess that means if you want to go in the spy business, get a job with Q branch. Kind of like the ball player that Lou Gehrig replaced, you know old what’s his name.
Peter Burton played Major Boothroyd in Dr. No giving 007 his Walther PPK replacing his preferred Baretta. Just watched it… did not know before (I’m NOT a total nerd).