It started with the Cold War—the atmosphere of
distrust and rivalry that developed after World War II between the United
States and the Soviet Union (now Russia). Competition between the two
superpowers to develop the most technologically advanced weapons was
intense. Public concern worsened during the early 1960s, as each side
feared that the other country would attack with nuclear weapons.
Then, in 1963, there was the “unsolved mystery” of President
Kennedy’s assassination. The nagging belief that he was the victim
of a conspiracy suggested that there was more going on behind the headlines
than Americans had previously imagined.
These political events brought the enigmatic profession of spying out
from undercover and into the public’s consciousness. But real-life
stories of espionage that people read in the newspaper were grim and
downright frightening. Until James Bond came along…
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James Bond
Secret Agent 007 Game
ID 96.84.1
Sears Catalog,
1965
James Bond
007 Lunch Box
ID 99.12.11
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Super-spy James
Bond was the brainchild of British novelist Ian Fleming, who drew
upon his World War II naval intelligence training for inspiration.
Between 1953 and 1964, Fleming detailed the thrilling exploits
of his fictional hero in 12 novels and two collected short stories.
The novels were popular in America—even more so after President
Kennedy told a Life magazine reporter that Fleming’s
From Russia with Love was one of his favorite books.
But
it was the movies that catapulted Secret Agent 007 to world-wide
fame. Dr. No and From Russia with Love, released
in 1963, were both number one box-office hits. They kept true
to Fleming’s original philosophy that “Bond may go
wildly beyond the probable but not beyond the possible.”
The next Bond
movie, Goldfinger
(released December 1964) was such an enormous and immediate hit
that many theaters had to stay open 24 hours a day just to accommodate
the crowds. It truly set the formula for future Bond films, with
the exciting and highly successful mixture of international intrigue,
high living, special weapons, nail-biting escapes, handsome hero,
beautiful girls, and evil bad guys. Americans loved the specially
equipped cars, the high-tech gadgets, the tongue-in-cheek humor,
and the British aura of sophistication at a time when all things
from England (including the Beatles) were held in high esteem.
Goldfinger
raised “Bondmania” to a new level. A merchandising
bonanza spread from Europe to the United States, including 007
toys (such as a play set that came with "everything to recreate
Bond's most thrilling adventures"); clothing (007 pajamas
came with a secret pocket); and men’s toiletries (007 cologne
and aftershave promised to “make any man dangerous”).
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The Man from
U.N.C.L.E Card Game
ID 96.80.1
Sears Catalog,
1966
TV Guide
99.189.32
Get Smart Lunchbox
99.12.13
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By the mid-1960s,
spies were everywhere—in books, on records, at the movies,
and on countless products. Even Mad magazine picked up
on the trend with its offbeat cartoon “Spy vs. Spy.”
In 1966 alone, 23 spy movies were released, including Our
Man Flint, The Silencers and Modesty Blaise.
Television, of course, was quick to capitalize on the spy craze.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was the first TV spy show, conceived
with initial assistance by Ian Fleming himself. Introduced in
1964, the show featured Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya
Kuryakin (David McCallum) as small-screen Bonds—suave, cool,
detached, wise with women and weapons, even subtly tongue-in-cheek,
battling the evil-doers from Thrush. The popularity of Goldfinger
in early 1965 increased its appeal, especially among youthful
audiences. It even produced a spin-off of its own, The Girl
from U.N.C.L.E. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. stayed on the air
until January 1968, when it was replaced by Laugh-In.
Other TV spin-offs of the mid-1960s included The Avengers,
Secret Agent, Mission Impossible, I Spy (notable for featuring
an African American—Bill Cosby—in a lead dramatic
role for the first time), Honey West (with its female
lead), and The Wild Wild West (which combined the western
and spy genres).
Perhaps the most memorable TV spin-off was Get Smart,
the classic spoof of spy shows that aired from 1965 to 1970. It
featured Don Adams as bumbling Agent 86 (Maxwell Smart) and Barbara
Feldon as the beautiful and steadfast Agent 99 (we never really
knew her name). Max used a shoe phone decades before cell phones
were introduced and a cone of silence that looked alarmingly like
the bubble umbrellas of the 1980s. Get Smart introduced
phrases into the American language like “Sorry about that,
Chief” and “Would you believe…” that can
still be heard today—by original viewers of the show as
well as by younger viewers of the show in syndication.
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Batman Colorforms
ID 96.80.2
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By the end
of the 1960s, the spy craze had run its course in the mass media.
Fickle American tastes turned to Batman and the moon walk, to
Woodstock and the New York Mets. Into the 1970s, many Americans—increasingly
disillusioned with the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal—began
to question the whole role of international and domestic espionage.
Spying just wasn’t hip anymore. James Bond managed to survive
because he changed with the times. The handsome men who played
Bond in the movies—including Sean Connery, Roger Moore and
Pierce Brosnan—didn’t hurt either. The other spies
of the ‘60s are long gone, except as their ghostly spirit
echoes today through the guise of tongue-in-cheek retro-spy Austin
Powers.
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