George Lazenby

I think this film would be more well received by Bond fans and also the critics if Lazenby starred in this film. It seems that a lot of people dislike Connery in this film because he seems to be sleepwalking the entire time and that he probably excepted this role just for the paycheck. Where as Lazenby would have been pumped to star in a blockbuster again. Heck even the often rumored and at one time hired John Gavin would have been a better stand alone Bond.

They would never had got funding with George in the role.

Its that man again!!

http://lebeauleblog.com/2015/11/05/internet-urban-legends-why-did-george-lazenby-only-make-one-james-bond-movie/

“If it’s on the internet, it must be true.” – Sarcastic Person

The internet is a marvel of modern technology. Never before in human history has so much information been available so readily. Unfortunately, it also follows that misinformation spreads more rapidly than ever. Someone writes something on-line and someone else repeats it. Before you know it, the story is accepted as fact despite having no credible sources.

I come across these kinds of tall tales and internet legends all the time while researching articles for the site. Despite the fact that sites like Wikipedia have a team that theoretically monitors updates for proper sourcing, an amazing number of errors slip through the cracks. The purpose of this series is to separate fact from fiction.

This one came up during our James Bond bracket game. Just to recap a little 007 history, Sean Connery left the James Bond franchise after his fifth movie, You Only Live Twice. Connery felt like he wasn’t being paid what he was worth as the star of the series and he was also fed up with his lack of privacy. The split was acrimonious between the actor and the producers. After an extensive search, Australian model George Lazenby was announced as Connery’s successor. He would star in the next Bond movie, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. But after only one movie, Connery came back.

To date, six actors have played James Bond and with the exception of Lazenby, every one of them has made more than one movie. The reasons for this are not as clear as you might think. Depending on who you ask, Lazenby either quit or he was fired. There are stories that he demanded too much money, that he was worried about typecasting, that his Bond was deemed inferior and that he was difficult to work with. As is frequently the case, there is a little truth to all of these stories.

The fact of the matter is that Lazenby and the Bond producers were engaged in a protracted contract dispute. The negotiations went on for so long and were so complex, that it is nearly impossible to come up with a one-line summary of what happened. Technically, Lazenby did quit. But that was part of a negotiation ploy. He continued fielding offers for quite some time after tendering his resignation. It’s also true that Lazenby was fired in that eventually United Artists decided the actor was more trouble than he was worth.

To truly do the story justice, we need to go back to the late 1960’s. The James Bond movies were the biggest thing going. Connery had played the part five times in six years. Over that time, his relationship with Bond producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman deteriorated largely over money. When Connery finally quit, Broccoli and Saltzman needed to find a replacement to keep their money train going.

Changing James Bond actors has always been a big deal. Even before Daniel Craig made comments indicating that he was done as 007, there was rampant speculation about who might replace him. But today, there is an expectation that the part will change hands. The Bond baton has been passed five times already and audiences expect that to continue indefinitely. But in the late sixties, there was some doubt that anyone other than Connery would be accepted as James Bond.

This was a concern on both sides of the negotiations. Part of the solution was to sign Lazenby to a multi-picture contract. The thought was that by signing Lazenby to multiple Bond movies, audiences would have to take the move seriously. The Connery era was officially over. Lazenby would be Bond for the foreseeable future. Or at least, that was the intent.

Over the years, Lazenby has made comments that indicate that his original contract was only for one movie. This is 100% untrue. Lazenby’s original contract was for four movies in seven years. Originally, the producers wanted the actor to sign an even longer contract so they could lock him in to seven movies at a lower pay rate. But Lazenby’s representation rejected the seven-picture deal. They advised Lazenby to sign a shorter contract so he could renegotiate for more money once he had a few movies under his belt.

One of the reasons the producers wanted Lazenby for Bond was that they felt that they could control him. As an actor, Lazenby had very little bargaining power. Without the Bond movies, the Aussie model had no acting career. He was entirely dependent on Bond to make him a movie star. After years of dealing with an increasingly hostile leading man, the producers assumed they would finally be calling the shots by casting a nobody.

To that end, Lazenby’s original contract was fourteen inches thick and filled with clauses that dictated every detail of the actor’s public image. He had to remain clean-shaven whether he was filming a Bond movie or not. The contract gave producers approval over Lazenby’s hair, his clothes, his car and even his dinner guests. It didn’t take long for the actor to rebel against the strict terms of his contract. While he was still filming On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Lazenby announced that he would not return for another James Bond movie.

Despite his announcement, Lazenby was still under contract to make three more James Bond movies. He was well aware of the obligation. At a minimum, quitting would mean a lawsuit. But Lazenby didn’t really want to quit. He wanted to continue playing Bond. He just wanted to changes the terms of his contract. The producers kept coming to Lazenby with offers that would extend his term as Bond, but Lazenby’s agents kept rejecting them.

At the premiere of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Lazenby’s publicist once again announced to the press that the actor was quitting. Lazenby repeated this claim while promoting the movie on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson. The producers were furious, but they didn’t know what to do about it. Lazenby was flagrantly violating the terms of his contract. He went to unapproved nightclubs with long hair and a beard.

Lazenby’s goal was to force the producers to let him out of his strict 4-picture contract so that he could renegotiate a seven-picture deal without all of the restrictions on his personal life. To an extent, the ploy worked. Broccoli and Saltzman let Lazenby out of his contract. In order to ease negotiations, the actor began dealing only with Saltzman. United Artists and Broccoli had empowered Saltzman to negotiate on their behalf so long as Lazenby was retained within agreed-upon salary constraints.

Saltzman offered Lazenby the deal that the actor had originally wanted. Lazenby would return for seven more James Bond movies (for a total of eight) plus he would make five non-Bond movies for United Artists. All of the restrictions regarding the actor’s personal life were dropped. In exchange, Lazenby would be paid the industry standard rate with built-in increases for each movie. Lazenby’s management countered with demands to double his pay not to mention the size of his dressing room, limo, trailer, etc. The actor also wanted to keep all of the suits and watches he wore in the movies. He even wanted the cars.

Amazingly, Saltzman and United Artists were willing to agree to Lazenby’s terms. But Cubby Broccoli refused. He pointed out that if they weren’t willing to give Connery what he demanded, they shouldn’t give so much to his successor. United Artists then suggested offering Lazenby a “lifetime contract”. The new contract would have had Lazenby star in ten more James Bond movies all the way through 1989.

The idea behind the deal was that if Lazenby was exclusive to Bond for the next two decades, audiences would have to take him seriously. Both the producers and the actor hoped that the length of the commitment would cause audiences to forget about Connery and accept Lazenby as the definitive 007. Lazenby was very excited to sign this extended contract, but he had a problem. He had signed an agreement with his management that granted them approval of all of his deals. If he wanted to sign the contract, he needed to convince his agent first.

Unfortunately, Lazenby’s manager did not expect the Bond franchise to last much longer. He saw James Bond as a relic of the sixties. Lazneby’s agents told him that he would be locked into starring in a series that was no longer relevant for the rest of his career. So against the actor’s wishes, they rejected the deal.

By this point, the producers were getting anxious about who would play Bond in their next film, Diamonds are Forever. Saltzman broke off negotiations with Lazenby who didn’t have the ability to approve his own deals anyway. He regrouped with United Artists and Cubby Broccoli to discuss their options. They actually signed a contract with American actor John Gavin to make sure they had an actor in place for their next movie. The terms of Gavin’s contract stipulated that he could be replaced by Connery or Lazenby if terms could be worked out with either of the previous Bond actors.

As an act of desperation, the producers finally offered Lazenby a one-picture deal. One million dollars to star in Diamonds Are Forever. They would negotiate additional movies after the crisis of the next movie was over. Once again, Lazenby wanted to sign the deal, but his manager wouldn’t let him. Lazenby’s representation demanded $2 million dollars with the understanding that Diamonds Are Forever would be the actor’s last Bond film.

Desperate, Saltzman and United Artists were willing to give in to Lazenby’s demands. But Cubby Broccoli was outraged. The one million dollar offer would have made Lazenby the highest-paid actor at that time. Broccoli refused to consider doubling that record-breaking offer. Especially if Lazenby (or more specifically his agent) wasn’t willing to commit to more movies.

United Artists had had enough. They dropped Lazenby from consideration and told Saltzman and Broccoli to get Connery back at any price. Connery didn’t come cheap. In addition to $1.25 million dollars and 12.5% of the movie’s profits, the original Bond received extra pay if the shooting schedule ran long and funding for three non-Bond movies. It’s estimated that Connery’s then record-breaking deal was worth about $6 million dollars – or three times what Lazenby had demanded. Perhaps to tweak his former employers, Connery donated his entire $1.25 million dollar base pay to a charity he founded.

Lazenby, on the other hand, ended up owing the producers money. He had signed a letter of intent to star in Diamonds Are Forever and received an upfront payment which he had to return when he did not star in the movie.

So which rumor was true? Did Lazenby quit or was he fired? The answer is “yes”.

Verdict: Messy