From Roger Moore with Love
Discussion
996Type said:
This was a lovely history of the man and his achievements, highly recommended if your’e a fan or know nothing at all about him.
Watched this afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed it. An absolute class act. Would I be going too far as to say in some ways, to a certain age group. Our version of the legend Steve McQueen. Huge respect for never hearing a bad word said against him. I thought it was a great tribute to a man who knew he’d punched way above his weight but never took it for granted.
The pic has long been a favourite of mine and it shows Roger and the director Robert Baker on the set of The Persuaders. It captures a time when life was a bit more straightforward and we were all a bit more relaxed with life.
Roger Moore said it was one of the happiest times of his life and explained that every day on the set he'd get pleasantly plastered with Baker and Tony Curtis and as they were based in the Côte d'Azur they'd run down to St Tropez or Monaco in a Dino or E Type with some beautiful creature in tow and then run up a few grand gambling in the casinos all the while being paid a fortune (at the time) by Lew Grade...
The look on his face in the pic says it all..."I've won the lottery in life and I know it"
Good on him and inspiration to me definitely...
The pic has long been a favourite of mine and it shows Roger and the director Robert Baker on the set of The Persuaders. It captures a time when life was a bit more straightforward and we were all a bit more relaxed with life.
Roger Moore said it was one of the happiest times of his life and explained that every day on the set he'd get pleasantly plastered with Baker and Tony Curtis and as they were based in the Côte d'Azur they'd run down to St Tropez or Monaco in a Dino or E Type with some beautiful creature in tow and then run up a few grand gambling in the casinos all the while being paid a fortune (at the time) by Lew Grade...
The look on his face in the pic says it all..."I've won the lottery in life and I know it"
Good on him and inspiration to me definitely...
He mentioned the same in his autobiography about the way David Niven was treated by his last wife before he died, I think it had an impact on he saw his own life in his twilight years once his children had grown up.
It was touching that his first step son, who must now be in his seventies, declared that he’d stayed in touch all the years after his first divorce.
Dorothy Squiers and Roger Moore nearly bought a house around where I lived when they were married, I think after their return from the US. The documentary mentions he called the home she was in just before she died and told the family to give her hand a squeeze from him, which I remember from the newspaper at the time.
He ended up moving to Switzerland to escape the punitive tax regime that the labour govt of the time brought upon high earners (90% tax rate?) and settled as a neighbour of David Bowie!
It was touching that his first step son, who must now be in his seventies, declared that he’d stayed in touch all the years after his first divorce.
Dorothy Squiers and Roger Moore nearly bought a house around where I lived when they were married, I think after their return from the US. The documentary mentions he called the home she was in just before she died and told the family to give her hand a squeeze from him, which I remember from the newspaper at the time.
He ended up moving to Switzerland to escape the punitive tax regime that the labour govt of the time brought upon high earners (90% tax rate?) and settled as a neighbour of David Bowie!
996Type said:
He mentioned the same in his autobiography about the way David Niven was treated by his last wife before he died, I think it had an impact on he saw his own life in his twilight years once his children had grown up.
It was touching that his first step son, who must now be in his seventies, declared that he’d stayed in touch all the years after his first divorce.
Dorothy Squiers and Roger Moore nearly bought a house around where I lived when they were married, I think after their return from the US. The documentary mentions he called the home she was in just before she died and told the family to give her hand a squeeze from him, which I remember from the newspaper at the time.
He ended up moving to Switzerland to escape the punitive tax regime that the labour govt of the time brought upon high earners (90% tax rate?) and settled as a neighbour of David Bowie!
Apologies, I deleted my comment (to add to it and re-post) which, I think, prompted your reply.It was touching that his first step son, who must now be in his seventies, declared that he’d stayed in touch all the years after his first divorce.
Dorothy Squiers and Roger Moore nearly bought a house around where I lived when they were married, I think after their return from the US. The documentary mentions he called the home she was in just before she died and told the family to give her hand a squeeze from him, which I remember from the newspaper at the time.
He ended up moving to Switzerland to escape the punitive tax regime that the labour govt of the time brought upon high earners (90% tax rate?) and settled as a neighbour of David Bowie!
Very enjoyable but I was left a bit wanting as it didn't delve too deeply into his private life - perhaps that was because what you saw was what you got.
He was very humble and I couldn't help but be moved when Joan Collins revealed that in later life when he retired his Italian wife, Luisa Mattioli, had banished him from the bedroom and he slept in a cupboard under the stairs and another friend of Roger's stated that Luisa would openly humiliate him in front of people.
Roger's story really did come across as the boy done good and no matter the trappings of his life, he never forgot his roots.
I really must read his autobiography - btw, have you read his assistant, Gareth Owens book - Raising an Eyebrow: My Life with Sir Roger Moore? Any good?
Nick Forest said:
I thought it was a great tribute to a man who knew he’d punched way above his weight but never took it for granted.
The pic has long been a favourite of mine and it shows Roger and the director Robert Baker on the set of The Persuaders. It captures a time when life was a bit more straightforward and we were all a bit more relaxed with life.
Roger Moore said it was one of the happiest times of his life and explained that every day on the set he'd get pleasantly plastered with Baker and Tony Curtis and as they were based in the Côte d'Azur they'd run down to St Tropez or Monaco in a Dino or E Type with some beautiful creature in tow and then run up a few grand gambling in the casinos all the while being paid a fortune (at the time) by Lew Grade...
The look on his face in the pic says it all..."I've won the lottery in life and I know it"
Good on him and inspiration to me definitely...
Living life!! Love it....The pic has long been a favourite of mine and it shows Roger and the director Robert Baker on the set of The Persuaders. It captures a time when life was a bit more straightforward and we were all a bit more relaxed with life.
Roger Moore said it was one of the happiest times of his life and explained that every day on the set he'd get pleasantly plastered with Baker and Tony Curtis and as they were based in the Côte d'Azur they'd run down to St Tropez or Monaco in a Dino or E Type with some beautiful creature in tow and then run up a few grand gambling in the casinos all the while being paid a fortune (at the time) by Lew Grade...
The look on his face in the pic says it all..."I've won the lottery in life and I know it"
Good on him and inspiration to me definitely...
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/m...
Tbf, I doubt the Joan collins story is legit either..
Tbf, I doubt the Joan collins story is legit either..
Just watched it on catchup.
And what a fantastic programme it was too.
One of those programmes that most folks would be interested in watching even if they weren't a fan....basically because it was so good.
What struck me as most interesting was despite his incredible ability and charm with beautiful women and well known somewhat mysoginistic/chavenistic m.o. it appeared he was the 'less dominant' partner in all of his marriages.
As an added bonus Steve Coogan was positively brilliant as voiceover and the perfect person for the job his talents adding much to the enjoyment of the programme overall.
And what a fantastic programme it was too.
One of those programmes that most folks would be interested in watching even if they weren't a fan....basically because it was so good.
What struck me as most interesting was despite his incredible ability and charm with beautiful women and well known somewhat mysoginistic/chavenistic m.o. it appeared he was the 'less dominant' partner in all of his marriages.
As an added bonus Steve Coogan was positively brilliant as voiceover and the perfect person for the job his talents adding much to the enjoyment of the programme overall.
Wonderful programme, I think the Steve Coogan narration helped make it work. At the start of the programme I really did think it was Roger Moore speaking and I was wondering how???
As a kid in the 70's/80's I obviously knew him as Bond and all the talk about him was about which Bond was best, Connery or Moore. He clearly had big boots to fill.
It was clear that he created the Roger Moore character that we saw on screen, and interesting that he had to discover the secret to playing Bond was to just play him as himself, or the 'self' he allowed us to see.
Is his autobiography called 'My word is my Bond'? If so I might buy it on Audible as it's narrated by him.
As a kid in the 70's/80's I obviously knew him as Bond and all the talk about him was about which Bond was best, Connery or Moore. He clearly had big boots to fill.
It was clear that he created the Roger Moore character that we saw on screen, and interesting that he had to discover the secret to playing Bond was to just play him as himself, or the 'self' he allowed us to see.
Is his autobiography called 'My word is my Bond'? If so I might buy it on Audible as it's narrated by him.
Edited by The Gauge on Friday 27th December 13:58
I've stolen this text from another forum, but worth sharing...
There's a wonderful true story about Roger Moore meeting a young fan in Nice airport in 1983.
Mark Haynes was seven years old when he recognized Moore as James Bond while travelling with his grandfather and asked if it was okay to get an autograph.
"As charming as you'd expect, Roger asks my name and duly signs the back of my plane ticket, a fulsome note full of best wishes," remembers Mark. "I'm ecstatic, but as we head back to our seats, I glance down at the signature. It's hard to decipher it but it definitely doesn't say 'James Bond'. My grandad looks at it, half figures out it says 'Roger Moore' - I have absolutely no idea who that is, and my hearts sinks.
"I tell my grandad he's signed it wrong, that he's put someone else's name - so my grandad heads back to Roger Moore, holding the ticket which he's only just signed.
"I remember staying by our seats and my grandad saying: 'he says you've signed the wrong name.
He says your name is James Bond.' Roger Moore's face crinkled up with realisation and he beckoned me over. When I was by his knee, he leant over, looked from side to side, raised an eyebrow and in a hushed voice said to me, 'I have to sign my name as 'Roger Moore' because otherwise...Blofeld might find out I was here.'
"He asked me not to tell anyone that I'd just seen James Bond, and he thanked me for keeping his secret. I went back to our seats, my nerves absolutely jangling with delight. My grandad asked me if he'd signed 'James Bond.' No, I said. I'd got it wrong. I was working with James Bond now."
The story doesn't end there. It gets even better.
Years later, as a scriptwriter, Mark had the opportunity to work with Moore again. "I was working as a scriptwriter on a recording that involved UNICEF, and Roger Moore was doing a piece to camera as an ambassador. He was completely lovely and while the cameramen were setting up, I told him in passing the story of when I met him in Nice Airport. He was happy to hear it, and he had a chuckle and said: 'Well, I don't remember but I'm glad you got to meet James Bond.' So that was lovely.
"And then he did something so brilliant. After the filming, he walked past me in the corridor, heading out to his car - but as he got level, he paused, looked both ways, raised an eyebrow and in a hushed voice said, 'Of course I remember our meeting in Nice. But I didn't say anything in there, because those cameramen - any one of them could be working for Blofeld.'
"I was as delighted at 30 as I had been at 7. What a man. What a tremendous man."
There's a wonderful true story about Roger Moore meeting a young fan in Nice airport in 1983.
Mark Haynes was seven years old when he recognized Moore as James Bond while travelling with his grandfather and asked if it was okay to get an autograph.
"As charming as you'd expect, Roger asks my name and duly signs the back of my plane ticket, a fulsome note full of best wishes," remembers Mark. "I'm ecstatic, but as we head back to our seats, I glance down at the signature. It's hard to decipher it but it definitely doesn't say 'James Bond'. My grandad looks at it, half figures out it says 'Roger Moore' - I have absolutely no idea who that is, and my hearts sinks.
"I tell my grandad he's signed it wrong, that he's put someone else's name - so my grandad heads back to Roger Moore, holding the ticket which he's only just signed.
"I remember staying by our seats and my grandad saying: 'he says you've signed the wrong name.
He says your name is James Bond.' Roger Moore's face crinkled up with realisation and he beckoned me over. When I was by his knee, he leant over, looked from side to side, raised an eyebrow and in a hushed voice said to me, 'I have to sign my name as 'Roger Moore' because otherwise...Blofeld might find out I was here.'
"He asked me not to tell anyone that I'd just seen James Bond, and he thanked me for keeping his secret. I went back to our seats, my nerves absolutely jangling with delight. My grandad asked me if he'd signed 'James Bond.' No, I said. I'd got it wrong. I was working with James Bond now."
The story doesn't end there. It gets even better.
Years later, as a scriptwriter, Mark had the opportunity to work with Moore again. "I was working as a scriptwriter on a recording that involved UNICEF, and Roger Moore was doing a piece to camera as an ambassador. He was completely lovely and while the cameramen were setting up, I told him in passing the story of when I met him in Nice Airport. He was happy to hear it, and he had a chuckle and said: 'Well, I don't remember but I'm glad you got to meet James Bond.' So that was lovely.
"And then he did something so brilliant. After the filming, he walked past me in the corridor, heading out to his car - but as he got level, he paused, looked both ways, raised an eyebrow and in a hushed voice said, 'Of course I remember our meeting in Nice. But I didn't say anything in there, because those cameramen - any one of them could be working for Blofeld.'
"I was as delighted at 30 as I had been at 7. What a man. What a tremendous man."
milesgiles said:
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/m...
Tbf, I doubt the Joan collins story is legit either..
Interesting reality of the Brit ex-pats and the reality of the escape to other countries for whatever reason. Big houses but no friends from the old days as such.Tbf, I doubt the Joan collins story is legit either..
I’d heard that Bowie story and it seems to show Moore’s real life vulnerability and loneliness at around the half way point in his third marriage as outlined by Joan Collins. I know Moore mentions a similar thing happening to Niven and you do wonder with the mobility the old superstars had why they’d put up with such treatment from their spouses as they aged.
He’d be nearer 60 at that point and Bowie musically would still have a lot left in him, but it still feels a bit of a mean response to a nice gesture to make him feel welcome in a new environment.
I’m not sure the David Walliams sections contributed anything meaningful to the documentary (just giving him another chance / platform to outline his own narrative again) but do admit to being personally biased against anything he’s involved in for some reason.
Coogan did a great job and the gentle digs he had with Moore as Alan Partridge seemed to come from a place of admiration when he was younger. Again I’m biased towards Steve Coogan so that might swing my judgement more positively than it would normally!
SpeedBash said:
Richard-390a0 said:
This was the programme I was looking forward to over the xmas break & it only slightly disappointed by not going deep enough on some of the topics / points raised etc.
Agreed - also couldn't work out the relevance of having David Walliams in it.
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