So after my prepubescent obsession with becoming Tarzan when I grew up–and after it was apparent that rippling, suitable-for-tree-climbing muscles did not come easily–I decided I wanted to become James Bond.
President Kennedy, after all, was a big fan of the novels–and he was cool.
The first one I read was CASINO ROYALE–the movie version of which is in theaters now. (By the way, did you know that there was a 1967 version of this movie with Peters Sellers, David Niven, Orson Welles, and Woody Allen–which has virtually nothing to do with the book or the other Bond films?)
The first issue of PLAYBOY magazine that I ever furtively purchased was bought because it contained the first part of a serialized version of the new Bond novel coming out: OCTOPUSSY. I don’t recall what the book was about, but I remember the centerfold because it was not particularly revealing (not topless). Cute gal, though…
CASINO ROYALE introduced me to the game of chemin de fer–also known as baccarat–which I introduced to my high school friends at the time, but neglected to mention to them the significant “house” advantage in this popular casino game. I was always the house. Sorry, guys. The game, which we affectionately referred to as “chemmy“, is featured in another Bond book or two–so we were really cool to be playing it (especially me, since I had all of their lunch money).
In the current movie, chemmy is replaced with the currently more popular game of no-limit Texas Hold ‘Em. (I would add that I also introduced poker to my school chums–but we always played 5 Card Stud, which you almost never see played any more but was the game featured in the Steve McQueen/Edward G. Robinson classic THE CINCINNATI KID, which was also based on a wonderful book–now out of print, which is odd considering the popularity of poker these days).
The current movie is great, by the way, and very different from the campy, gadget-filled Bond films of late.
Ah, but those books…