Roger Moore Borrowed A Policeman's Gun For Some Makeshift James Bond Promo Photos
Roger Moore's early adventures as James Bond were accompanied by shocking behind-the-scenes tales, to say the least. "Live and Let Die," Moore's first Bond film, included stunts so intense that they sent Moore to the hospital (and destroyed at least 17 boats). And while we can only imagine the shenanigans that go on behind the scenes of most James Bond films (we'd love to mess around with some of Bond's gadgets), a unique marketing strategy led to a refreshingly thorough account of what happened on the set of "Live and Let Die."
Since Moore's first Bond film would have the actor follow Sean Connery's legacy while paving a new identity for the character, it's no surprise that the production company had a few promotional tricks up their sleeves. Moore was instructed to keep a diary throughout the film's production which would then be released before the premiere as promotional material. Not only would "The 007 Diaries: Filming Live And Let Die" encourage readers to watch "Live and Let Die," but it would also push Moore himself to the foreground of readers' minds, ideally replacing visions of Sean Connery when they imagined what "Live and Let Die" might look like.
A peek behind the scenes
Since Moore's diary was released at a time where behind-the-scenes promotional material was harder to come by, its tell-all nature was impressive. One incident that especially stuck out? The behind-the-scenes tale of several promotional photographs where Moore poses with co-star Jane Seymour while waving a gun around.
Of course, James Bond has an impressive reputation: he's a suave secret agent, an elite member of the British Secret Intelligence Service. Though he has allies, he can only ever rely on his own wit (and the help of a bombshell or two). But while Bond's aptitude for improvisation apparently rubbed off on Moore during the photographs' production, the same can't be said about his seemingly infinite self-sufficiency.
According to an excerpt of "The 007 Diaries" published in The Daily Mail, Moore and Seymour were set to take promotional photographs, only to discover that all of the prop guns were locked away in storage. While they could have rescheduled the shoot, Moore noticed another gun in the area — one that belonged to an on-duty police officer. Taking a page from the bold superspy, Moore asked the officer for his pistol. Upon receiving the local sergeant's approval, Moore was allowed to borrow the gun which eventually made its way into the film's promotional material.
So much for the little details
Sure, Bond is a highly skilled spy that will inevitably notice when even the smallest details are amiss, but fans shouldn't expect that his impromptu gun choice will hold up to the same scrutiny. According to the United Kingdom's Royal Armouries, James Bond generally uses a Walther PPK pistol. Though the Royal Armouries list a couple of exceptions to this rule, they all come after "Live and Let Die." In other words, at this point, Bond has a gun of choice and won't willingly stray from it. But to no one's surprise, the police officer wasn't carrying the perfect tool for Moore's job — instead, according to excerpts from Moore's production diary, the officer was carrying a Smith & Wesson .38. Since the guns are visibly different, eagle eyed fans may have noticed Bond carrying the wrong pistol in the promotional photographs.
Regardless, even if Moore happens to be holding the wrong gun, he still looks just as determined — and suave — as you would expect from a 007 actor. If anything, this case of improvisation shows that it's not the gun that makes the spy, but rather his adaptability.