Goldeneye: Where Bond Was Born: Ian Fleming's Jamaica (45 page)
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Authors: Matthew Parker
Ian and Ann at their wedding in Port Maria. Ian later wrote that the prospect of marriage had filled him with ‘terror and mental fidgets’.
Montego Bay, 1953: Katherine Hepburn with her partner Irene Seiznick, one of the north coast’s many high-profile gay partnerships. In 1955 Ann wrote to her brother from Goldeneye, ‘We are the only heterosexual household for 50 square miles.’
The private beach at Jamaica Inn. Some black Jamaicans found their depiction on tourist postcards offensive.
The Tower Isle hotel swimming pool where Barrington Roper taught Caspar Fleming to swim.
Blanche and Ian on the beach at Goldeneye in 1958.
The staff who continued working at Goldeneye. From left: Miss Myrtle, Violet Cummings and Ramsay Dacosta.
Chris Blackwell with Ursula Andress at the Ferry Inn during the shooting of
Dr No
in 1962. In the background can be seen director Terence Young and Sean Connery.
Connery with a young fan. A fellow cast member remembers him being ‘very modest and bit bemused by the whole thing.’
Blanche, Sean and Noël.
1964: a tired-looking Ian shows off his latest catch.
Roger Moore visiting Goldeneye in December 1972 during the filming of
Live and Let Die
.
So many thanks due for this book!
First to two complete gentlemen, Fleming biographers John Pearson and Andrew Lycett. Rather than be annoyed by my blundering into their territory, they have been unfailingly enthusiastic and helpful, providing leads, unpublished notes and interviews, putting up with my constant questions and much more. I am greatly indebted to their books for their outstanding research, detail and insight. Both biographies are highly recommended.
Although my greatest debt is to Lycett and Pearson, I have also found other work by writers on Bond extremely useful, in particular Simon Winder, David Cannadine, Raymond Benson, James Black, Jon Gilbert, Ben Macintyre and Henry Chancellor. Mark Amory, both in person and in his book of Ann Fleming’s letters, has had large input into this work.
I am also greatly indebted to Ian’s extended family who agreed to be interviewed, provided contacts and gave expert feedback on my ideas about Ian and Jamaica. In particular thanks are due to Kate Grimond, Fionn Morgan, Lucy Williams and Lord O’Neill. I would also like to thank all at Ian Fleming Publications for their support.
I am especially grateful to Blanche Blackwell, for putting up with hours of interviews with great patience and kindness. Likewise her son Chris Blackwell, who opened a lot of doors for me in Jamaica and has supported this project from the outset. Special thanks as well to Mark Painter, who undertook a lot of picture research for this book, and to Suzette Newman.
I am grateful to everyone else who agreed to be interviewed for this book, who gave advice and encouragement, suggested leads or
photographs or read and commented on early drafts. These include, from Jamaica: Cathy Aquart; Christopher Barnes, MD of the
Gleaner,
Dr Dalea M. Bean, UWI; Valerie Facey; George Faria; the late Patrice Wymore Flynn; Pearl Flynn; Pauline Forbes-Lewis of BITU; Marguerite Gordon (neé Le Wars); Jonathan Gosse; Olivia Grange-Walker; Ahon Gray; Ann Hodges; Donald Lindo; Kyle Mais, manager of the Jamaica Inn; Dr John McDowell; George Meikle; Ray Miles, Snr.; Donnalee Minott; Andrew Roblin; Sheree Roden of the
Gleaner
photograph archive; Barrington Roper; Karen and Ronnie Schleifer; Paul Slater; Kathy Snipper of Island Outpost; Winston Stona; Douglas Waite; Anthony and Jean Watson; Michael ‘Von’ White and Judi Moxon Zakka.
