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Today Caleb Daniels, author of “Licensed Troubleshooter”, joins me to talk about the guns shown in Dr. No, the very first James Bond film. Somehow, the film magazines to get every single gun detail wrong – sometimes with nested errors within errors. Even Bond’s iconic Walther PPK never actually appears in the film! And yet, it remains a great film…so what were all the gun nerd quibbles with it?
On the other hand, I think the film does a credible job for the sound of the suppressed gunshots; it isn’t the usual Hollywood “silencer” sound effect.
It is ironic that Bond was forced to replace his trusty Beretta with a Walther PPK because, according to M, “it jammed on you last job and you spent six months in hospital in consequence”
This reminded me of a photo you can find online of Princess Anne visiting her bodyguard, Inspector Jim Beaton, in hospital, more than a decade after Dr No came out.
In 1974 a criminal attempted to kidnap the Princess as she was being driven back to Buckingham Palace from a charity event.
The criminal shot and wounded both her chauffeur and Beaton. Although seriously wounded Beaton returned fire with his Walther PPK but missed.
His PPK then jammed!
A passer-by, a boxer, ended the matter by punching the would be kidnapper in the head.
SB:
The Met police replaced their PPKs with S&W Model 36s after this. But the policeman had apparently kept the magazine loaded for several years, so perhaps it was not the gun’s fault. It also makes you wonder how often he did any target practice. Things were pretty lax back then.
Thanks, JohnK, that’s interesting background. I suppose that back in the day armed British policemen never expected to have to actually shoot at someone. I don’t suppose many real life gunfights were ended with a fist, either.
“I don’t suppose many real life gunfights were ended with a fist, either.”
Although Polyphemus, below, mentions an on-topis incident.
“(…)remains a great film(…)”
It should be remembered that Dr. No is 1960s movie, when approach to prop details was much more lax than in 2024, c.f. Battle of Bulge, where they do not care about shaping Hessler’s tank into Tiger, which it supposedly is.
It explains a lot about gun nerds when what you focus on about the movie Dr.No is not Ursula Andress emerging from the sea in the shattered remnants of a bikini but the mislabelling of prop guns 😉
@Aac: I came here to say this, sir! No upvote, but take my upvote! :))
Almost every move I watch I see Guns that are wrong! The Longest Day, Germans using a Quad 50 MG, & a Bren Gun! Opening of Pursuit of The Graf Spee/Battle of the River Pratt. German sailor with a Thompson! Pre-Civil War Westerns with Lever Action Winchesters!
That makes you feel pretty smart, does it?
No, Mad !
As for Connery’s tough guy bona fides: While filming with Lana Turner, her gangster/thug boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato, pulled a gun on Connery on set. Connery floored him with one punch, yanked away his gun, and handed him to the police for deportation.
RN veteran, boxer, when he went shirtless those weren’t gym muscles.
But he did have to shave his back for certain shirtless roles…
One more. The would be “Bren” gun on the Crab Key boat is mostly shown with no magazine, except for when it is (faux/propane) firing, with the magazine installed -backwards.
Not really a wrong gun, as it’s not really a gun.
Just hope the book covers the airguns of 007 as well. That Walther LP53 is pretty famous.
Kamala Harris is poised to call the cold dead fingers bluff in about four months and Yank gun owners bicker about Bond. Valhallah this ain’t.
Isn’t that the movie where Bond is shooting at “the Dragon” on the beach & his PPK turns into a 1911, then changes back?
I gotta get a shape-shifting pistol, but mine would switch to an SBR…