Without the helmsmanship of Albert R. Broccoli, producer of all the "legitimate" Bond films, the series would certainly not have had the consistency or duration it has enjoyed. Broccoli is a modest man, and frank about his occasional shortcomings as 007's producer. But not even the most strident critic of the Eon films can disagree that no other producer in film history has delivered a film anthology which has had more impact on popular culture in both the Western -- and Eastern -- worlds.

Broccoli received one of his many career acknowledgments on January 16, 1990 when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (6910 Hollywood Blvd). I attended this ceremony on a last minute basis: I was doing a radio morning show in San Francisco at the time, and that morning I saw a small item on the wire mentioning the Broccoli ceremony, commencing in a couple of hours -- 450 miles away. I did what I had to, grabbed a tape recorder and a disposable camera at the airport and was off.

Broccoli shared one particular anecdote that put the triumph of 007 films into context: He recalled making a film in 1960 called "Trials of Oscar Wilde" with Peter Finch. It was banned in New York for homosexual themes, the Los Angeles opening occurred on Rosh Hoshana, so that was miserably attended, and the film was privately funded, so the poor launch was doubly disastrous. Broccoli sat in the near-empty theatre during the Hollywood premiere and cried. A few years later, he recounts the story of a much more successful film (Audio/.wav file, 1.2 MB).

Broccoli's remarks at the star ceremony gave me a glimpse of what kind of man he is; Gracious, self-effacing and, even at the time, starting to show his age. That made it much more understandable for me when his daughter and son-in-law became so involved in the hands-on aspects of producing Bond films, a change I think I would have resented otherwise.

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