It has long been a beloved nugget of trivia past James IV Bond nerds that Sean Connery could hirer a gaming table with the same nonchalant proficiency as the suave secret agent he portrayed.
Well, apparently, it’s all a lie.
Connery’s famous spicy run at the Casino de la Vallee inward Saint-Vincent inwards northeast Italy inwards 1963 was ostensibly cipher more than a rigged marketing stunt. That’s according to a freshly unearthed interview with the late James Bond publicizer Jerry Juroe,
Turns come out they were just trying to have publicity for the first of all Bond movie, Dr No, and the then-relatively unknown thespian in the form of address role
The story goes that Connery, who died inward October of endure year at eld 90, sitting himself at i of the casino’s European roulette tables, placing his stake on his lucky number, 17.
The world-class two spins yielded no joy. But the budding Julian Bond stuck to his guns, and on the 3rd gyrate the glob settled in the 17 pocket.
Being a Scottish badass, Connery decided to allow his profits ride, leaving them on 17. Again, the ball bounced into the 17 pocket. And then, again, a tertiary time.
The betting odds of this occurring are virtually 50,000/1, the sort of betting odds James Bond overcomes in every movie, otherwise he would live totally dead.
Except that he didn’t. It was all faked, according to Juroe, inward a antecedently unseen interview.
Unseen Footage
The stunt was promiscuous to accomplish because the wheel around was rigged, the bets were rigged, and for a brief geological period of time, Sean – as swell as single or deuce other people who were voice and portion of the military operation – was posing at that place winning money until he literally skint the bank,” Juroe said.
“It was not that difficult. But, i must recount you, as presently as it was handed over, the money was handed back. It was quite an a few 1000000000 lire.”
The question was uncovered past Saul Duncan, author of a new book, The Julian Bond Archives, who was granted sole(a) access code to file away footage by James Bond production company, Eon.
Of course, Bond’s mettlesome of choice was not line roulette at all, but baccarat, as constituted inwards the real first view of Dr No.
Nevertheless, the marketing ploy was a hit. It made headlines around the world. And it probably helped Dr No suit a box-office smash, background the Bond franchise rolling.
Although the Vatican’s denouncement of the moving picture as “a life-threatening mixture of violence, vulgarity, sadism and sex” was likely the clincher.