In the context of the day - James Bond question??

In the BEATLES Movie - HELP - there is a scene with cannon's going off shooting out rice. It was a take-off of a commercial of the day. The context of that joke is probably missed by anyone seeing the film today who does not remember the commercial.

Well, in a similar vein - there is a character in the James Bond movie - DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. The character of Willard White. I seem to remember an eccentric miliionaire who was probably being portrayed - but darned if I can remember who it may have been. At first I thought - maybe Ted Turner - but I think the movie was before his day. Anyone want to take a shot a guessing who is being characterized by Willard White in that film?

 

I think it was sort of an amalgam, but maybe Howard Hughes.

 

Yeah, it was definitely Howard Hughes - a recluse rich guy...

 

The Jonathan Pryce character in "Tomorrow Never Dies" was apparently based on Robert Murdoch. There are also obvious nods to Richard Branson in "Die Another Day", as billionnaire Gustav Graves is familiar with publicity stunts and gets knighted. Incidentally, Richard Branson has a small cameo in "Casino Royale", so he wasn't that offended by his depiction in the previous movie (which is offensive in all other aspects, particularly intelligence).

 

Yeah I think movie audiences at the time the movie was released understood tbe character Jimmy Dean played in Diamonds Are Forever to be loosely based on Howard Hughes.

 

And when Casino Royale was the in-flight movie on British Airways flights, they edited Richard out!! Virgin Airlines must be cutting into their profits.

 

How petty...like the average person will know who he is!

 

I agree that it's petty.

But I would bet that the average person from the UK would know who Sir Richard Branson is. His profile is higher than most.

I dare say that there is a good chance that the average American would also know. In 2007, he was ranked by Time magazine as being one of the top 100 most influential people in the world.

 

He also had a cameo in Superman Returns, as one of the shuttle astronauts.

John K.

 

True but in such a small role I don't think most people would probably catch the cameo. Which always brings up the other question about airline edits--who makes these idiotic decisions?