Richard Maibaum

Screenwriter

About

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Birth Place

New York City, New York, USA

Born

May 26, 1909

Died

January 04, 1991

Cause of Death

Heart Attack

Biography

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Broadway stage actor and playwright who entered films in the mid-1930s as a writer. After serving as director of the Army's Combat Film Division during WWII, Maibaum became a producer, most notably of the film noir classic "The Big Clock" (1948). In the 1950s he moved to England where he wrote for Albert Broccoli, or co-wrote most of the "James Bond" screenplays beginning with the first,...

Filmography

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The Great Gatsby (1949)

2nd Unit Director

Licence to Kill (1989)

Licence to Kill (1989)

Licence to Kill (1989)

The Living Daylights (1987)

Photos & Videos

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Thunderball (1965) -- (Movie Clip) Do I Seem Healthy?

Goldfinger (1964) -- (Movie Clip) Personal Vendetta

Family & Companions

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Sylvia Maibaum

Wife

Married c. 1935.

Notes

In an article Mainbaum wrote after scripting the first three Bond films, he said that the movie character James Bond retained Ian Fleming's image of a "super sleuth, super fighter, super hedonist, super lover" but that the films "added another large dimension: humor. Humor vocalized in wry comments at critical moments. In the books, Bond was singularly lacking in this."--NY Times Obituary (Janaury 9, 1991)

Biography

Broadway stage actor and playwright who entered films in the mid-1930s as a writer. After serving as director of the Army's Combat Film Division during WWII, Maibaum became a producer, most notably of the film noir classic "The Big Clock" (1948). In the 1950s he moved to England where he wrote for Albert Broccoli, or co-wrote most of the "James Bond" screenplays beginning with the first, "Dr. No" (1963) and concluding with "Licence to Kill" (1989).

Filmography

Director (Feature Film)

The Great Gatsby (1949)

2nd Unit Director

Writer (Feature Film)

Licence to Kill (1989)

Licence to Kill (1989)

Licence to Kill (1989)

The Living Daylights (1987)

A View To A Kill (1985)

Octopussy (1983)

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

The Spy who Loved Me (1977)

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

Additional Dialogue

Thunderball (1965)

Goldfinger (1964)

From Russia With Love (1964)

Battle at Bloody Beach (1961)

The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960)

Killers of Kilimanjaro (1960)

The Bandit of Zhobe (1959)

Based on an Original story by

Tank Force (1958)

Bigger Than Life (1956)

Story and Screenplay

The Cockleshell Heroes (1956)

Paratrooper (1954)

Hell Below Zero (1954)

The Great Gatsby (1949)

Song of Surrender (1949)

Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942)

I Wanted Wings (1941)

Hold Back the Dawn (1941)

Contr to Screenplay const

The Ghost Comes Home (1940)

20 Mule Team (1940)

Coast Guard (1939)

Original Screenplay

The Lady and the Mob (1939)

The Amazing Mr. Williams (1939)

Stablemates (1938)

They Gave Him a Gun (1937)

The Bad Man of Brimstone (1937)

We Went to College (1936)

Producer (Feature Film)

Battle at Bloody Beach (1961)

No Man of Her Own (1950)

Dear Wife (1950)

Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)

The Great Gatsby (1949)

Song of Surrender (1949)

Bride of Vengeance (1949)

The Big Clock (1948)

The Sainted Sisters (1948)

Producer (Special)

Executive Producer

Life Events

1932

First play, "The Tree" produced on Broadway

1933

Acted with the Shakespearean Repertory Theatre in New York

1935

Worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood; signed a screenwriting contract with MGM for whom he wrote "Badman of Brimstone" (1938) and "Twenty Mule Team" (1940) both starring Wallace Beery

1936

First screenplay, "We Went to College"

1946

First film as producer, "O.S.S"

1963

Wrote first James Bond screenplay, "Dr. No"

Videos

Thunderball (1965) -- (Movie Clip) Do I Seem Healthy? Perhaps the only scene in which Bond (Sean Connery) ever shouts "Help!", strapped to a traction table by the irritable Patricia (Molly Peters) in Thunderball, 1965.

Goldfinger (1964) -- (Movie Clip) Personal Vendetta Back at HQ, Bond (Sean Connery) tells "M" (Bernard Lee) about the killing of Jill Masterson, confirms he's up for the job, then does customary banter with Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell) in Goldfinger, 1964.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) -- (Movie Clip) Definitely Unstable Just rescued after a near-accident by friendly motorist “Truly Scrumptious” (Sally Ann Howes), Jemima and Jeremy (Heather Ripley, Adrian Hill), who never go to school, indirectly introduce their crackpot inventor father Potts (Dick Van Dyke), and later his father (Lionel Jeffries, headed to “Inja!”), early in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 1968, from an Ian Fleming novel, and 007 producer Albert R. Broccoli.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) -- (Movie Clip) She's Not Just Any Old Car After an elaborate opening confirming the (title) car’s lineage, we meet Jemima and Jeremy (Heather Ripley, Adrian Hill) at play, Victor Maddern making an offer to Coggins (Desmond Llewelyn, James Bond’s “Q”) then meeting Sally Ann Howes (as Truly Scrumptious), in the family musical and technical marvel from Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 1968, starring Dick Van Dyke.

Living Daylights, The (1987) -- (Movie Clip) Open, A Matter Of Pride Robert Brown as “M,” and location shooting at Gibraltar, as the “Double-0 Section” undertakes an exercise, Glyn Baker as 002, Frederick Warder as 004, and Timothy Dalton in his first appearance as the fourth actor to portray Ian Fleming’s James Bond, Carl Rigg the interloper, opening the 15th 007 feature, The Living Daylights, 1987.

Living Daylights, The (1987) -- (Movie Clip) The Sniper Was A Woman Shooting around the Volksoper in Vienna, standing in for the Bratislava Opera House, Bond (Timothy Dalton) has been assigned to support the apparently fussy Saunders (Thomas Wheatley) executing the defection of a top Soviet general (Jeroen Krabbé), Maryam D’Abo the cellist and sniper opposing, early in The Living Daylights, 1987.

Licence To Kill (1989) -- (Movie Clip) A Farewell To Arms Working with Sharkey (Frank McRae), Bond (Timothy Dalton) is pretty much gone rogue in Key West over attacks on American friend Felix Leiter, so he’s intercepted by DEA man Hawkins (Grand L. Bush) and delivered to the Hemingway house where “M” (Robert Brown) waits to crack the whip, in Licence To Kill, 1989.

Licence To Kill (1989) -- (Movie Clip) It's Just A Manta Ray Krest (Anthony Zerbe), creepy ally of the drug-lord villain Sanchez, is looking to exploit his girlfriend Lupe (Talisa Soto) when Bond (Timothy Dalton), on a revenge mission having forsaken his MI6 duties, deploys an underwater trick, in Licence To Kill, 1989.

Licence To Kill (1989) -- (Movie Clip) You Carrying? Chasing the remnants of his almost-murdered CIA pal Felix Leiter’s operation, brings now-rogue James Bond (Timothy Dalton) to Bimini to meet Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell), who was barely introduced earlier, threatened together by Benicio Del Toro (as Dario), representing the drug lord Sanchez, in Licence To Kill, 1989.

Licence To Kill (1989) -- (Movie Clip) 555 Love Now in Isthmus (meant to be Panama, though shooting in Casino Español de Mexico, Mexico City) Bond (Timothy Dalton) and CIA Pam (Carey Lowell) make sure they’re seen by owner, drug-lord and villain Sanchez (Robert Davi, Anthony Starke his minion on the phone) and we meet singer Wayne Newton as televangelist “Professor Joe Butcher,” in on the scam, in Licence To Kill, 1989.

Licence To Kill (1989) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Let's Go Fishing Joining the action opening in the Florida keys, Bond (Timothy Dalton), suited for the interrupted wedding of his CIA pal Felix (David Hedison), first meets the jettisoned faithless girlfriend (Talisa Soto) of fleeing drug kingpin Sanchez (Robert Davi), then rejoins the chase, in Licence To Kill, 1989, Grand L. Bush and Olympic hero Rafer Johnson in the DEA outfits, Priscilla Barnes the bride, Tina Turner with the theme song.

For Your Eyes Only (1981) -- (Movie Clip) -- Open, Some Sort Of Emergency At a Buckinghamshire parish cemetery, west of London, James Bond (Roger Moore, in his fifth appearance, in the 12th United Artists 007 feature) encounters a vicar (Fred Bryant), a pilot (George Sweeney) then a cat who must be Ernst Stavro Blofeld (voice by Robert Rietty), opening For Your Eyes Only, 1981.

Licence To Kill (1989) -- (Original Trailer) Trailer for Timothy Dalton’s second appearance as James Bond, in the 16th feature in series and the last produced by Albert R. Broccoli, who originated the franchise with Harry Saltzman, in Licence To Kill, 1989, with Robert Davi, Carey Lowell and Talisa Soto.

Living Daylights, The (1987) -- (Original Trailer) Original trailer introducing Timothy Dalton as the fourth James Bond in the original series, in the 15th feature, The Living Daylights, 1987, with Maryam d’Abo, Jeroen Krabbé and John Rhys-Davies.

For Your Eyes Only (1981) -- (Original Trailer) Trailer promoting the 12th James Bond feature from Eon productions, the fifth with Roger Moore, and the first of five directed by John Glen, For Your Eyes Only, 1981, with Carole Bouquet as the romantic interest and Chaim Topol as the primary villain Columbo.

Octopussy (1983) -- (Original Trailer) Original trailer for the 13th outing for James Bond and Roger Moore’s sixth in the title role, in the only feature named for the Bond “girl,” in this case, Maud Adams as Octopussy, 1983, with Louis Jourdan as the villain Kamak Khan, from two Ian Fleming short stories.

View To A Kill, A (1985) -- Original Trailer Trailer for the 14th Eon Productions and MGM/UA James Bond Feature (the first to follow the independent or “unofficial” Sean Connery feature Never Say Never Again, 1983), with Roger Moore, Christopher Walken the villain (assisted by Grace Jones) and Tanya Roberts, from TV’s Charlie’s Angels, as Bond-girl Stacey.

Man With The Golden Gun, The (1974) -- (Original Trailer) A particularly literal representation of the title, in the trailer for the 9th James Bond feature, Roger Moore’s second appearance, with Christopher Lee as scary Scaramanga, and somewhat dual Bond-girls, Maud Adams and Britt Ekland, in The Man With The Golden Gun, 1974.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) -- (Original Trailer) There’s a case to be made that the producers overshot the mark in compensating for the absence of Sean Connery, in the sixth James Bond feature, giving George Lazenby possibly more promotion than he needed, in the ever-reëvaluated On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 1969, with Diana Rigg and Telly Savalas.

From Russia With Love (1964) -- (Original Trailer) James Bond (Sean Connery) is tempted with a Russian decoder and a beautiful blonde in From Russia With Love (1963).

Goldfinger (1964) -- (Original Trailer) United Artists and producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli’s trailer for the hit third James Bond feature, starring Sean Connery, with Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore, Harold Sakata as Oddjob, and Gert Fröbe as the title character, in Goldfinger, 1964.

Thunderball (1965) -- (Original Trailer) Sean Connery as 007 winds up chasing nuclear bombs in the Bahamas, Terence Young directing, Claudine Auger as Domino, and Adolfo Celi as the villain Largo, in the fourth and biggest-yet James Bond feature, Thunderball, 1965.

Dr. No (1963) -- (Original Trailer) For the first James Bond feature, the original trailer, from United Artists, producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli and director Terence Young, starring Sean Connery and Ursula Andress, Dr. No, 1963.

Ghost Comes Home, The - (Original Trailer) Frank Morgan discovers it's a wonderful death when he returns to find his family is enjoying his life insurance.

Family

Gladys Gould

Sister

Matthew Maibaum

Son

Paul Maibaum

Son

Director of photography.

Companions

Sylvia Maibaum

Wife

Married c. 1935.

Bibliography

Notes

In an article Mainbaum wrote after scripting the first three Bond films, he said that the movie character James Bond retained Ian Fleming's image of a "super sleuth, super fighter, super hedonist, super lover" but that the films "added another large dimension: humor. Humor vocalized in wry comments at critical moments. In the books, Bond was singularly lacking in this."--NY Times Obituary (Janaury 9, 1991)

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