20 Things You Didn't Know About Dr. No

17. A Spanner In The Works

Sean Connery Dr No
MGM/UA

The James Bond films were not made in chronological order for various reasons, including the fact that the film rights to some of Ian Fleming's novels were tied up in legal problems. As Dr. No was ultimately chosen to be the first film, this confused some overarching plot elements between the films.

For example, John Strangways and Quarrel were introduced in the novel, Live And Let Die and both were later killed off in Dr. No. In the film version of Dr. No, Strangways is killed at the outset and Quarrel perishes at the end of the second act.

Therefore, when Live And Let Die was filmed in 1972, the character of Strangways was eliminated from the plot entirely, whilst Quarrel's son, Quarrel Junior (Roy Stewart) appeared instead.

Originally, Roger Moore's James Bond was to have explained that he and Quarrel Junior's father had battled "a doctor named No" ten years earlier, but this dialogue was cut to allow Moore to escape from under Connery’s shadow.

John Kitzmiller was unable to return as he had sadly passed away in 1965, although Roy Stewart was only 11 years his junior.

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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.