From the Vault: 70th Anniversary of James Bond - with Alexis Albion

SpyCast

Summary

Curators Alexis (LinkedIn) and Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) use James Bond artifacts in SPY’s collection to discuss all things 007. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first Ian Fleming novel, Casino Royale.

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

• Bond vs. Real Life Spies
• The birth of James Bond
• Ian Fleming’s intelligence past
• Bond and MI6

Reflections

• What makes a character timeless?
• Pop culture mirroring real life

And much, much more …

*FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*

Episode Notes

This week on SpyCast, curators Andrew and Alexis join forces to put the past 70 years of Bond into historical perspective. To help frame their conversation, our collections team brought out a fantastic selection of Bond artifacts for Andrew and Alexis to interact with during the recording of this episode.

Quotes of the Week

“I think in general the spy genre always has to have one foot, often two, in the real world. It's part of what makes that genre appealing and not science fiction. It takes place in the real world. And whether that is, you know, some of the technology or real-world threats, it has to be relatable and recognizable in that sense.” – Alexis Albion.

*FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*

Resources

SURFACE SKIM

*SpyCast’s*

• Espionage and the Two Queens with Kent Tiernan (2023)
• Secrets Revealed with Curators Alexis and Andrew on SPY’s Pop-Up Exhibit (2023)
• CIA Officers Turned Authors with David McCloskey and James Stejskal (2022)
• The Spy of the Century with Curators Alexis and Andrew on Kim Philby (2022)
• My Life Looking at Spies and the Media with Paul Lashmar (2022)

*Beginner Resources*

• MI6 History & Facts, Encyclopedia Britannica (2022) [Brief history of MI6]
• The Evolution of James Bond, Fandom Entertainment, YouTube (2021) [15 min. video]
• Ian Fleming, Famous Authors (n.d.) [Short biography]

*FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*

Primary Sources

• Primos Bionic Eye, Collection of the International Spy Museum (2021)
• James Bond’s Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Watch, Collection of the International Spy Museum (2021)
• 007 Fragrance Commercial, YouTube (1965)
• James Bond Action Pak Toy Commercial, American Character, YouTube (1964)
• Aston Martin DB5, Collection of the International Spy Museum (1964)
• The Zimmermann Telegram, National Archives (1917)

*Wildcard Resource*

• Everyone has a favorite James Bond theme song. If you just can’t choose just one, check out The Ultimate James Bond Medley – A production from Alchemistic Records featuring all 25 Bond songs.

*FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*

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