On Her Majesty's Secret Service

"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" Theatrical Release Poster

Production Team
Produced by: Albert R. Broccoli & Harry Saltzman
Directed by: Peter Hunt
Screenplay by: Richard Maibaum (additional dialogue by Simon Raven)
Edited by: John Glen
Musical Score by: John Barry
Theme Song Performed by: John Barry & His Orchestra

Premiere Info
Order in Series: 6 of 20
World Premiere: December 18th, 1969
U.S. Release Date: December 18th, 1969
First Television Broadcast: February 16th, 1976 (on ABC)
First Basic Cable TV Telecast: March 10th, 1991 (on TBS)

Box Office Receipts

World-wide Box Office: $64.6 million

U.S. Box Office: $22.8 million

Plot Summary:

SPECTRE chief and Bond's nemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, again holds the world hostage. This time around, the method of destruction is in the form of the mass distribution of a biological agent that causes death. Blofeld uses the facade of an alternative treatment allergy clinic as a method for attracting beautiful young women who will be brainwashed and used to distribute the germs throughout the world. Interestingly, Blofeld's ransom demands include total amnesty for his past transgressions against humanity, as well as being recognized as the reigning count of Blochamp.

Cast & Characters

British Secret Service

Character Name	Portrayed By	Character Description
James Bond	George Lazenby	British secret agent 007
"M"	Bernard Lee	Head of MI6, the British Secret Service, "M" gives all double-o agents their assignments.
Miss Moneypenny	Lois Maxwell	"M"'s secretary, Moneypenny enjoys a playful, flirtation relationship with 007.
"Q"	Desmond Llewelyn	The head of "Q-Branch", the special ordinance & equipment division of MI-6.

Allies

Character Name	Portrayed By	Character Description
Marc Ange Draco	Gabriele Ferzetti	The head of the Union Corse, an european organized crime syndicate, who helps Bond locate Blofeld. Father of Teresa Di Vicenzo.
Sir Hillary Bray, Baronet	George Baker	A geneologist who works for the Royal College of Arms. Bray helps Bond make contact with Blofeld, by letting 007 assume his identity.
Campbell	Bernard Horsfall	A British secret service agent working in Switzerland. Campbell is killed while investigating Blofeld's mountaintop fortress.

Villains

Character Name	Portrayed By	Character Description
Ernst Stavro Blofeld	Telly Savalas	The head of SPECTRE (AKA "Number One").
Irma Bunt	Ilse Steppat	Blofeld's personal secretary and administrator of the Piz Gloria "allergy clinic".
Grunther	Yuri Borienko	Blofeld's bodyguard

Bond Women

Character Name	Portrayed By	Character Description
Comtesse Teresa Di Vicenzo	Diana Rigg	James Bond's one true love. "Tracy" is the beautiful daughter of Union Corse head Marc Ange Draco. Tracy lives her life on the edge, often finding herself in desperate situations. Bond saves the countess on several occassions, and at the behest of Draco, begins a tentative courtship. Bond recognizes the many similarities between the two and falls in love. Tragically, Tracy is killed by Blofeld in the film's final scene.
Ruby Bartlett	Angela Scoular	An english "patient" at the allergy clinic who has an allergy to chickens.
Nancy	Catherine Von Schell	An italian "patient" at the allergy clinic who has an allergy to potatoes.

Gadgets

Safe-Cracker / Photocopier Combination Machine
Radioactive Lint

Travel Destinations

London, England
Portugal
Switzerland (Geneva, Berne, Piz Gloria, Swiss Alps)

Sacrificial Lambs

Campbell - Killed by Blofeld's men when caught investigating the Piz Gloria stronghold.
Tracy Bond - Shot to death by Blofeld in a drive-by shooting on the day of her wedding to 007.

Facts about On Her Majesty's Secret Service

OHMSS was originally intended to follow Goldfinger, but was pushed back when Broccoli and Saltzman made a deal with Kevin McClory to produce Thunderball. OHMSS was then slated for production after Thunderball, but when production of that film ran over its initial timeframes, the producers realized that they would have to film the next Bond epic during the Spring and Summer of 1967. This again ruled out OHMSS, which finally was produced following You Only Live Twice.

George Lazenby arrived for an uninvited meeting with casting director Dyson Lovell and producer Harry Saltzman in an Aston-Martin and wearing one of Sean Connery's suits!

In an interview given following the release of OHMSS, George Lazenby accused Diana Rigg of eating garlic before their love scenes. These rumors have never been substantiated, as Rigg rufuted them in an open letter to the press.

The building used as Blofeld's mountaintop stronghold was not complete at the time OHMSS began shooting. The producers paid to have construction finished, so the building could be used for filming. After filming had wrapped, the building was bought and turned into a restaurant - appropriately named, Piz Gloria.

Due to it's lackluster performance at the box-office, it was never re-circulated in theatres (like all other 007 adventures). Due to the shroud of mystery surrounding the film, and the public's acceptance of other actors in the role of 007, OHMSS developed a cult-like following in the early 1970s. It is now recognized as one of the finest in the series.

[ Back ]

[ Home ] [ What's New? ] [ News & Rumors ] [ Literature ] [ Editorials ] [ Images ] [ Sounds ] [ Video Games ] [ Links ]