20 Things You Didn’t Know About Thunderball (1965)

11. “Tell London I’ve Made Contact With The Girl.” “Well, It’s Not What I’d Call Contact.”

Thunderball Domino
MGM/UA

Although Martine Beswick had auditioned for a role in Dr. No and had later featured as Zora, one of the gypsy fighting girls in From Russia With Love, she was cast as Double-0 Seven's assistant in Nassau, Paula Caplan.

However, even though she had been born in Jamaica, her skin was pale from living in London, devoting herself to her stage career. She was therefore required to bathe in the sun in Nassau for several weeks being filming began to develop a healthy tan and appear as though she was a Bahamian native.

Recalling James Bond's introduction to Quarrel (John Kitzmiller) in Dr. No, Paula was to have met the British agent at a bar on the beach, writing "007" in the sand to make contact with him. However, the scene was ultimately cut for timing reasons.

Contributor

I started writing for WhatCulture in July 2020. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I have contributed to several short story competitions and I have occasionally been fortunate enough to have my work published. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I also started reviewing films on my Facebook page. Numerous friends and contacts suggested that I should start my own website for reviewing films, but I wanted something a bit more diverse - and so here I am! My interests focus on film and television mainly, but I also occasionally produce articles that venture into other areas as well. In particular, I am a fan of the under appreciated sequel (of which there are many), but I also like the classics and the mainstream too.