The mega-hype, mega hit. Impossible to miss in the sixties.
There were some excellent ploys marketing of this film. Coming on the heels of Goldfinger, which was a bona fide smash. Connery was now a huge mega-star–women adored him and every man wanted to have a beer with him.
First, the theme from Thunderball was sung by a world famous Top 40 singer. Shirley Bassey was not a big star in the US, and she appealed to older folks, not record-buying teens. Tom Jones was already coming off several other hits in the US, especially It’s Not Unusual. His name and face were known commodities. And young people knew and liked his records.
Suddenly, secret agent movies sprouted–from spoofs like Our Man Flint and Dean Martin’s Matt Helm films (yes, see Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) to the LaCarre films. TV programs? You need look no further than Get Smart, a Mel Brooks/Buck Henry program that made Don Adams a star and Barbara Feldon the lust object for boys under 16. The Man From Uncle had its own comic books and gear as well (Very cool toy gun, I might add). And, of course, Spy-related songs in the Top 40, like this well-known ditty:
The books were already famous after JFK’s endorsement. There was a Harry Potter -ish legion of fans who were chafing at the bit for the next book to be filmed.
If parents liked the books (my mom loved them, daddy didn’t read), they would take their kids to see the films. So I went with them, just like I saw Goldfinger earlier. Though I’d never say Thunderball was the best Connery Bond, the underwater stuff blew my young mind (remember, I loved watching Sea Hunt in the early 60’s).
I had all the gear–small Bond figurines of 007 and his villains (including earlier characters like Dr. No) and Bond girls. The special Bond briefcase with pop-out knife, special gun that shot darts, the cigarette case, etc. The little Aston Martin car with the rotating license plate, bullet proof shield on the back, ejection seat, etc.
This film had trading cards–a complete set of stills from the film with explanations on the back–collect them all, kids!! Another thing to pester Mom about!
The publicity moves were perfectly clever. Not only did it make Thunderball a huge US smash hit, but also locked in millions of young 60’s boys into being Bond fans for life. There I was last year, 50+ years later, sitting in a theater, waiting for No Time To Die to begin.
There is only one theme that’s as cool as the Bond theme; here it is: