INTERVIEW: A SAINT I AIN'T

Interview: Ian Dickerson. Spy Vibers might know Ian from his many projects around The Saint. He has recently published a new book, this time examining the life of Leslie Charteris. With a new Saint film just announced, it's a perfect time to learn more about Charteris and his famous creation. Welcome, Ian!

Congrats on the new book about Leslie Charteris! For readers who are new to the topic, can you give us a snapshot of who Charteris was?

Thank you! I’m just happy to see it out there and to hear that people are enjoying it.

Leslie was the creator of Simon Templar, a modern-day Robin Hood who was better known as The Saint. He wrote, edited and oversaw nearly a hundred books featuring the character. These books have sold over forty million copies and been translated into over thirty languages; to date they’ve provided the inspiration for fifteen feature films, three television series, ten radio series and a comic strip that was syndicated around the world for over a decade.

It’s more than that though. He was born in Singapore in 1907 and had been around the world three times before the age of twelve. Along with his mother and brother he settled in England and he went to Cambridge University to study law, but dropped out after a year because he found it boring and he was determined to be a writer. He took on a number of jobs but kept writing and his first novel was published in 1927. It was his third novel that introduced the Saint to the world. Eventually he became a translantic best-seller and moved to the USA, where he went to work in Hollywood, playing tennis with Marlene Dietrich, going sailing with Errol Flynn and writing a handful of films as well. All whilst overseeing the career of his creation. As many people have said, his life was as fascinating as one of his books. [Below: Return of the Saint annual].

How did you first get introduced to the Saint books?

When I was nine I watched Return of the Saint on TV and loved it. I discovered that one of my older brothers had a couple of books which had the word ‘Saint’ in the title so promptly purloined them in the hopes that they would be as good as the TV show. They weren’t, they were much better. I then spent several years and much pocket money, in an era long before the internet, doing what I could to acquire all the Saint books I could find. Oh, and joining the Saint Club of course.

The notion that there was a tradition of Saint Clubs for boys really appealed to me as a kid. I had no idea what went on, but I had a fantasy of boys gathering to practice skills like archery, boxing and gymnastics. How did those clubs come into being? 

Leslie set up the Saint Club itself in 1936, feeling that the enthusiasm for his creation ought to be funnelled into something constructive. Right from the outset any profits it made were donated to charity, initially supporting a hospital wing in London before the NHS was introduced. For many years afterwards the target of its philanthropy was the Arbour Youth Centre in Stepney, east London which was in desperate need of financial help. It was a local community centre for boys and girls where they could come and, as you said, practice skills such as archery and boxing. Such youth centres were quite common in most towns around the UK at the time, many of them living financially hand to mouth. At its peak a number of local Saint Clubs were set up, both in the UK and America, and all were encouraged to support worthwhile causes local to them.

Are there any remnants today?

Sadly not. The Saint Club moved away from the Arbour in the early 1990s when they were able to stand on their own two feet financially and since then we’ve donated our profits to causes nominated by Leslie’s family.

Very interesting to hear about that, thank you. What was the tone of Leslie's writing?

The tone of his writing, much like the character of Simon Templar, evolved throughout the years as did Leslie of course. The initial Saint adventures were full of cut and thrust -‘battle, murder and sudden death’ was the Saint’s philosophy and Leslie mixed it with a lot of humor and occasional political comment. Leslie himself would point out that whilst some of his plots weren’t terribly original he brought his audience along for the ride and they simply enjoyed the way in which he told the stories. As Leslie himself matured so did the Saint, and the tone of his adventures, and eventually he became the slightly world-weary man of the world, familiar to viewers from the 1960s TV series. [Below: Pan edition of The Saint’s Getaway].

Do you remember your early impressions as a reader?

Definitely... it was the humor and the style of writing that attracted me. I remember sitting on the sofa whilst my eldest brother read out a passage from The Saint’s Getaway to my other brother and I. It’s become one of my favourite passages from the adventures of the Saint;

"...he had done nothing desperately exciting for a long time. About twenty-one days. His subconscious was just ripe for the caressing touch of a few seductive stimuli. And then and there, when his resistance was at its lowest ebb, he heard and felt the juicy plonk of his fist sinking home into a nose.

"The savour of that fruity squash wormed itself wheedlingly down into the very cockles of his heart. He liked it. It stirred the deepest chords of his being. And it dawned persuasively upon him that at that moment he desired nothing more of life than an immediate repetition of that feeling. And, seeing the nose once more conveniently poised in front of him, he hit it again.

"He had not been mistaken. His subconscious knew its stuff. With the feel of that second biff a pleasant kind of glow centred itself in the pit of his stomach and tingled electrically outwards along his limbs, and the remainder of his doubts melted away before its spreading warmth. He was punching the nose of an ugly man, and he was liking it. Life had no more to offer."

I was nine, couldn’t help but laugh. My only ambition in life then was also to punch the nose of an ugly man. Right from the outset I got the impression that Leslie was an author who had fun with the mechanics of writing; he enjoyed the vocabulary, he enjoyed putting the sentences together, he had fun with the actual act of writing. Many years later his daughter Paddy told me that she would often hear him chuckle as he sat at his typewriter. Sadly, I’m yet to find another author who gives me that same feeling.

You've reminded me of my own early impressions reading his books; Leslie's palatable sense of his delight on the words. Was Charteris drawing from earlier gentlemen-adventurer characters when he created Simon Templar?

Young Leslie was very well-read and I think a lot of the momentum for the Saint came from his fondness for Chums magazine, which featured a lot of adventure stories and was something he read in his formative years. I don’t think he was directly inspired by the likes of Bulldog Drummond and The Lone Wolf when he created the Saint, but I have my suspicions he may well have read one or two of them and thought he could do better.

Clearly Templar resonated and the works have had much more longevity than many creations by other authors. [Below: Charteris on camera 1939].

What did Charteris bring to his stories and creation that reflected his own unique point of view and experiences?

Leslie imbued the Saint with a lot of his thoughts and philosophies. Both were outsiders and both shared a desire to prick pomposity and where possible tweak the nose of the establishment. Leslie said of the Saint “certainly he thinks pretty much like I do” but there was also a healthy degree of creative license involved.

Both loved to travel. There was a period in the 50s and 60s, after Leslie had married his fourth wife Audrey, that everywhere that Leslie and Audrey went the Saint was sure to go.

What sort of elements of his life were you focusing on when you wrote your book?

For many years—decades even—Leslie had closely guarded his privacy and what was known of his life—in books such as Lofts and Adley’s The Saint and Leslie Charteris—was what he wanted to be known. I wanted to fill in the gaps; I wanted to discover more about his family, his time in Singapore and certainly more about what he got up to in Hollywood. He would have been equally horrified and fascinated by what I discovered, but I think even he would have agreed that it’s a story worth telling.

Were there any discoveries that really stood out for you? Did anything come as a surprise?

A number of things... I was fascinated with what I found out about his father’s family—there’s definitely a high-achievement gene in the mix somewhere there; I love the poem he had published in a national newspaper at the age of nine and a half and I had great fun discovering the real-life elements that appeared and influenced the adventures of the Saint.

Small things as well though -had his plans to open a curry restaurant in Hollywood in the mid-1940s come together then this book, and indeed the story of the Saint, might have been very different.

I think my biggest surprise was discovering an unfinished Saint story. Leslie had, by his own admission, a “sordid commercial mind” so naturally if he was going to write a story, it was going to be finished and it was going to be sold. Except this one slipped through the cracks.

That's an exciting discovery! Were you able to include any photographs or visual artifacts?

There are quite a few photos in the book, including one from his pilot’s licence (when he was just twenty two years old), one of him in his Lagonda and a rare one of his very good friend, radio scriptwriter Bruce Taylor. Plus there’s plenty that aren’t in the book that I will find a home for at some stage. [Ian Dickerson with Leslie Charteris 1992].

You’ve been involved in Saint projects for quite some time now. How did this all come about?

After Leslie died his widow Audrey encouraged me to keep the Saint Club going. This was at a time when the internet was starting to take off, so I set up websites, social media accounts and generally kept the thing ticking over. As is always the way with the Saint, requests to use the logo, to reprint the books, to adapt the books for television, came in from time to time and Audrey encouraged me to get involved and to respond to many of them on her behalf.

What are some of the other projects you’ve created or overseen?

Well I’ve written a number of books including The Saint on TV and The Saint on the Radio -the content of which I’m sure you can figure out. And, probably sooner rather than later given the way things are moving with the new film, I will at some stage finish up The Saint in the Movies and The Saint in Comics as well.

I’ve also edited two volumes of the radio scripts that Leslie and Denis Green wrote for the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce long running radio version of Sherlock Holmes. Doing that inspired me to write a history of Sherlock Holmes on American radio, which was published last December.

As an offshoot to the Saint work it was whilst researching the old black and white Saint films that I became intrigued by the adventures of the Falcon who, in certain incarnations, was very Saintly. So I wrote a book about him called Who is the Falcon?

I wrote, produced and directed a number of documentaries for Network DVD on the making of The Saint TV shows which initially went as extras on the box sets but have now been given their standalone release.

A few years ago I oversaw the reprints of the original Saint books for Mulholland in the UK and Thomas & Mercer in the USA which was fun, for I had the bright idea of getting people to write introductions to them. It was fascinating to discover the effect the books have had on people.

I was co-producer on the 2017 TV movie of The Saint, which starred Adam Rayner and I believe is still available on Netflix.

So many fantastic projects! I think we're all very fortunate that you have been able to bring your passion and respect for the work as a custodian, creator, and advocate for Leslie's legacy. How has the response to your new book been so far?

Very encouraging. I first mooted the idea of a biography just after Leslie died, and whilst I worked on it and pitched it to various people over the years I was increasingly afraid it would read like a patchwork rather than a cohesive story. Thankfully the team at Spiteful Puppet and Chinbeard have helped me tell a fascinating story.

Where can readers find it?

You can order it online, direct from the publishers here. And they’re having a 20% off sale which runs until early March [use code "2020"].

Great timing! I see that stock is low, so Spy Vibers should order quickly to guarantee a copy of the book. Ian, thanks so much for chatting with me today. I look forward to hearing more as new projects develop. Spy Vibers can read our 2015 interview about The Saint on Radio here. John Buss and I interviewed Return of the Saint star, Ian Ogilvy, here. Ian's fantastic documentary Saint Steps In... To Television here. [Below: some of Ian Dickerson's projects].

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Diabolik Interview, New 007 Song, Diabolik Figures, Diabolik Sounds, Diabolik Set Design, Diabolik Park Ride, Danger Diabolik Blu, Count Arthur Strong, Honey West Title Cards, Bowie Day, New Year Cosmonauts, Neil Innes R.I.P., Claudine Auger R.I.P., OHMSS at 50, Italian Job 50th OST, Charles Schulz Modern, Paul Desmond, Python 50th, Randall Hopkirk 50th, Thunderbirds Day, Lazenby Returns to MI6, Dr. John R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio: Lupin III, Lupin Ska, Spy Vibe Prime, Zigomar Translation, The Village: Part 1, Monkey Punch R.I.P., Bubble Girl 63, ITC Soundtracks, Spy Vibe Radio: Public Eye, UFO Prime, Spaceship to Mars, Modesty Blaise Companion, Spy Vibe Radio: Fantomas, George Day, Fantomas Blu, Dark Shadows Doc, Bedazzled Blu-ray, Mary Quant Exhibit, Laika Calypso, Lost in Space Japan, Spy Dust Calypso, Atomic Cafe, John Barry Mono, Interview: John Barry Book, Land of the Giants Score, Skyfall Concert, Dearest Emma, Spy Vibe Radio: Upperseven, Ogilvy at Elstree, Mabuse Propaganda, Bond Beatles Day, Spy Vibe Radio: Liquidator, Diabolik LP, Fab Dresses, Eurospy Music Collection, Beetle Bailey in West Berlin, Why Mort Walker?, Spy Vibe radio: The Beatles Help!, Avengers Critical Guide, The Spotnicks, Benny Spies, James Pond 0017', Satire Stones, Annette Andre Book, Cat Day, Spy Vibe Radio: Get Smart, Caine: My Generation, Interview: Ian Ogilvy, Horror of Party Beach, Sylvie Vartan Renown, Ringo At 78, Dark Shadows Strips, Spy Vibe Radio: Flint, Archie Batman 66, Paul at 76, Beatles Pac-Man, Spy Vibe Radio: Jerry Cotton, The Invaders, 007 Horowitz Book Tour, McGoohan/Prisoner Event at Elstree, The Prisoner Interviews Vol 1, British Underground Press, Interview: Fab4 Mania, Bond Cocktail Book, Bond at Bletchley, Spy Smasher, Spy Vibe Radio: Peter Gunn, Agent Zero M, New Prisoner Comic, Dr. No Villains Edition, Spy Vibe Radio: Danger Diabolik, Dr. No 60th, Oy-Oy-Seven, Spy Vibe Radio (UFO), Cold War Comic Strips, Thunderball Event, Mission to India, Mort Walker Celebration, Peter Wyngarde Celebration, Batman 66 Exhibit, Prisoner Fifty Event, Ian Fleming Publications 2017-2018, Interview: Ed Hulse Pulp, Avengers Audio Drama, Interview: Callan At 50, Interview: Playboys, Spies, Private Eyes, TWA Returns, Spy Vibe Radio 8, Interview: Ryan Heshka, Mid-Century Modern Schulz, Agent Werewolf, Johnny Sokko 50th, Interview: Trina Robbins, Eddie Izzard, The Prisoner Capt Scarlet 50th, Hugh Hefner R.I.P., Jack Good R.I.P., Interview: Shaken Not Stirred, Callan 50th, Spy Vibe Radio 7, The Prisoner 50th Event, Spy-Fi Event, Kaho Aso 007, Two Million, Bo Diddley, Carnaby Pop, Le Carre Events, Billy Bragg Skiffle, Elvis 68, Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Casino Royale Concert, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2, Interview: The Prisoner Essential Guide, Maud Russell Mottisfont, Spy Vibe Radio 4, Batman Gallants, Adam West R.I.P., Village Triangle, Roger Moore R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio 3, Sgt Pepper 50th, Satanik Kriminal OST, 60s Overdrive, Make Love in London, Spy Vibe Radio 2, Spy Vibe Radio 1, James Bond Strips, Propaganda Mabuse, Interview: Police Surgeon, XTC Avengers, 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview: Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review.

JOHN LE CARRE EVENTS

Event alert: Novelist John le Carre will be speaking this week about his career, his new novel, and about the long literary life of his character George Smiley. "An Evening With George Smiley" will be held on September 7th at the Royal Festival Hall in London. More information at the John le Carre website. He also spoke with Terry Gross this evening on the interview program, Fresh Air, where he discussed his upbringing, career in MI5 and MI6, his mystery con-man father (and his Stasi file), and what it meant to discover the writing life. Listen on NPR. John le Carre had a massive hit with his 1963 novel The Spy Who Came In From the Cold, which was adapted into a feature film in 1965 starring Richard Burton (Look Back in Anger, Where Eagles Dare), Oskar Werner (Jules and Jim, Fahrenheit 451), and Claire Bloom (Look Back in Anger). The character George Smiley has appeared in many film and television adaptations of le Carre novels, most notably portrayed by Alec Guinness (Tinker Tailar Soldier Spy/1979, Smiley's People/1982, James Mason (The Deadly Affair/1966), and most recently by Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy/2011). Check out the Fresh Air interview, and do make it to the live event in London if you are in town. In other news, check out my episodes of the Cocktail Nation radio show, where I introduce classic spy films/TV series and play soundtracks and rare cuts: Episode #1 (Danger Man) and Episode #2 (The 10th Victim), Epsiode #3 (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), Episode #4 (Roger Moore/The Saint), and Episode #5 (The Avengers). Episode #6 (The Prisoner).
Enjoy!

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Billy Bragg Skiffle, Elvis 68, Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Casino Royale Concert, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2, Interview: The Prisoner Essential Guide, Maud Russell Mottisfont, Spy Vibe Radio 4, Batman Gallants, Adam West R.I.P., Village Triangle, Roger Moore R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio 3, Sgt Pepper 50th, Satanik Kriminal OST, 60s Overdrive, Make Love in London, Spy Vibe Radio 2, Spy Vibe Radio 1, James Bond Strips, Propaganda Mabuse, Interview: Police Surgeon, XTC Avengers, 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview:Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, Trina Robbins Interview, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review.

FLEMING: BOW TIE DAY

Today is National Bow Tie Day! I must admit that a special day for bow ties has never crossed my radar, but I like the concept. I'm not a big fan of buttoning those top buttons in general, so ties have become scarce around here. But if you have to do something, and it's not a cravat or scarf, I do agree with Doctor Who when he said, "Bow ties are cool." And you can't get more "bow tie" than Ian Fleming. Even though he was often photographed sporting one under his chin, I'm going to take the day as a link to revisit some research I once did into Fleming's personal music collection. Like the bow tie, I think his taste in records revealed a man with a great sense of romance, a taste for the exotic, and a touch of rakish rebellion. I once asked Fergus Fleming what happened to Ian's records, but he said that very few of his uncle's personal effects remain. So, what sort of music did the creator of James Bond spin on his Hi-Fi? Find out below.

The era of the 'mix tape' may have evolved into that of the 'playlist', but people have been sharing their cultural tastes for generations, passing along small glimpses into their personality and times. Similarly, the top-ten lists come flooding in every new year, as do those desert-island picks. Today on Spy Vibe we look at the musical world of Ian Fleming.

Spy Vibers may have an image of Ian Fleming in their minds. The creator of James Bond was photographed often in a dapper pose and holding his constant companion, a smoldering cigarette. Other famous promotional photos show him holding a pistol to evoke that 007 vibe. But did you ever imagine Ian Fleming tapping his foot and bouncing a Hawaiian slide guitar on his lap? If you read Andrew Lycett's excellent biography, it's possible that you missed this brief mention about Fleming's life as a teenager. Ian shot his first stag at sixteen in 1924, but as Lycett notes, his heart wasn't really in to the family hunting trips that were becoming so frequent. As Lycett relays, "His idea of artistic endeavor was playing the Hawaiian guitar (he took lessons from an Italian woman). He liked to put his feet up to a record of the Royal Hawaiian Serenaders when, as he put it, 'I should have been outdoors killing something'." (Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond, Andrew Lycett, 1995, p. 24). The author of Goldfinger and Casino Royale played Hawaiian Guitar? I wonder if he had any talent for it? Perhaps this side of the Flemings's personality was best captured in photographs taken at Goldeneye. Relaxed in his island retreat, the camera often captured a boyish excitement in the author's face. Often grinning, the images show him enjoying the companionship of his dogs and the healthy routine of water sports and creative endeavors. Story continues.

It's not difficult to imagine the young Ian, with his taste for leisure and travel, becoming entranced by Hawaiian music. Any collector of vintage sheet music or 78 recordings can tell you the sounds of the islands- those soft ukuleles and whimsical slack-key guitars- became a world phenomenon in the early 20th Century. Performers like Sol Ho'opi'i were celebrated recording artists. Here on the mainland, prodigy Roy Smeck (the Wizard of the Strings) spread his renditions of Hawaiian melodies and hot jazz tunes in some of the earliest sound films. The world was crazy for Hawaii, and music and instrument sales skyrocketed. But Fleming made a point to mention that he loved the "Royal Hawaiian Serenaders" in 1924, and here our mystery begins. Below: 1924 Hawaiian Guitar instruction book. 

There were in fact many groups that used that name, "Royal Hawaiian Serenaders". Some were actually associated with the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Known as the Pink Palace of the Pacific, the famous hotel didn't open its doors until 1927- later than Fleming's story. Alvin Kaleolani Isaacs played at the hotel with his band and gained great fame in the 1930s and 1940s. He was a huge star, but his recordings would have been made when Ian Fleming was older. Falsetto singer George Kainapau started recording with Sol Ho'opi'i in the late 1920s and later played with a band called the "Royal Hawaiin Serenaders". Willard "Honey" Kalima (born 1924) and his "Royal Hawaiian Serenaders" played at the famed hotel and recorded for Decca and for Waikiki Records. I found an interesting photo of Richard Gustav Holldorf (born 1877), supposedly a German showman from Kansas City, with the "Royal Hawaiian Serenaders". But what about Ian Fleming's records of 1924? Doralinda, a Hula star of the Montmartre super club in the late teens and 1920s, was sometimes accompanied by Clark's "Royal Hawaiian Serenaders". I found a cool announcement for their outfit in 1916 editions of the New York Evening Telegram. Could they have been Fleming's favorite band?

Is it possible that Ian Fleming loved the Hawaiian style of music at sixteen, but only mentioned the name of a band, "The Royal Hawaiian Serenaders," which actually discovered later in life? Unless Fleming's original records are archived somewhere and can be studied, it will be impossible to tell which group fired his imagination, or what their recordings sounded like. But maybe if we broaden our view to hot Hawaiian guitar in the 1920s, we can imagine a sixteen-year-old Ian hiding away in a room with his record player. Maybe he closed himself off from the hunting parties, wound up the player and placed the heavy sound arm on to his favorite 78. Maybe he had his guitar resting in his lap, and he listened carefully as his fingers tried to keep up with musicians coming through the wooden speaker. Did it feel like romance and adventure? Did he dream of moving far away to a tropical paradise? Maybe Hawaii, or perhaps... Jamaica? Here is an example of the musical style from a 1939 Pathe film featuring "Felix Mendelssohn's Hawaiian Serenaders". Story continues.

Noel Coward featured prominently in Fleming's later life, connecting with the author's love of the tropical lifestyle. Fleming looked up to the playwright and composer and enjoyed his great wit. Coward had famously rented the author's Goldeneye retreat in Jamaica, which he christened 'goldeneye, nose, and throat' for its sparse, clinic-like atmosphere. Coward later built his own home down the beach and the two men became neighbors. Coward was a close family friend and Fleming biographies and documentaries are filled with wonderful and humorous anecdotes. One famous story is Coward's telling of Fleming's private wedding, in which the bride and groom had to turn their heads away from the bad breath of the officiate. At the party back home, they ate black crab, which Noel said tasted like ashes from a tin can, and then they buried the remains of a green wedding cake in the yard. Noel Coward wrote a number of witty tunes about Fleming and Goldeneye, but maybe the most famous is the Goldeneye Calypso. Spy Vibers may have heard it in the Ian Fleming documentary on the Living Daylights disc. In the song, Coward captures the couple's long affair and the strange dynamics between Fleming's Kemsley Press and Ann's ex-husband's Daily Mail. Here are the lyrics as they appear in the Complete Verse of Noel Coward. Photo below: Coward and Fleming at Sunset Lodge, Montego Bay, Jamaica 1953 (Getty Images). 

Mongoose dig about sunken garden

Mongoose murmur ‘Oh my- oh my!

No more frig about- beg your pardon

Things are changing at Goldeneye!’

Mongoose say to Annee

Mongoose say to Annee

Your man as shady as mango tree

Sweet as honey from bee.

Hey for the Alka-Seltzer

Ho for the Asirin

Hey for the saltfish, ackee, ganja, 

Booby’s eggs, Gordon’s Gin.

Mongoose listen to white folks wailin'

Mongoose giggle, say, 'Me no deaf.

No more waffle and daily Mailin'

Annie Rothmere's Madam F.'

Mongoose say to Annee

Varlyle Mansions N.G.

Goldeneye a catastrophe

Whitecliffs too near the sea.

Hey for the blowfish, blowfish,

Ho for the wedding ring

Hey for the Dry Martinis, old goat fricassee,

Old Man’s Thing.

Mongoose snigger at Human Race

Can’t have wedding without the Bryces,

Both the Stephensons, Margaret Chase.

Mongoose say to Annee

Now you get your decree

Once you lady of high degree

Now you common as me.

Hey for the piggly-wiggly

Ho for the wedding dress

Hey for the Earl of Dudley,

Loelia Westminster, Kemsley Press.

Among his many experiences in life, Noel Coward also did some spying during WWII. From Reuters: "As to his covert wartime activities, Coward was dispatched to the United States before it entered the war to gauge local sentiment, reporting to British Security Coordination chief William Stephenson about what he'd seen and heard. Later in life Coward reflected that he could have made a career in espionage, 'except my life's been full enough of intrigue as it is.'" Coward said that his cover was to just be himself, flamboyant and social, and tasked to use his celebrity to pick up useful tidbits of information. Spy Vibers of course celebrate Coward for his memorable roles in Our Man in Havana (1959) and The Italian Job (1969). Coward famously turned down the role of Dr. No in the first 007 movie. Story continues.

On August 6th, 1963, Ian Fleming made an appearance on the BBC's Desert Island Dics, where Roy Plomley interviewed him about the creation of James Bond and about his writing routine. As part of the show's format, Fleming also shared his his favorite records that he would choose as his desert-island picks. One of the first he highlighted was Cecilia by Whispering Jack Smith. 

Whispering Jack Smith was born Jacob Schmidt in New York City in 1899. While serving in the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I, he was in a gas assault at the battle of Saint-Mihiel. He sustained permanent damage to the throat, resulting in a soft, whispering voice, which later became his trademark as a singer. He changed his name to Jack Smith after the war and worked as a club singer and song-seller for Irving Berlin Music for $100 week. By 1926 TD Kemp had landed him a gig at The Strand for $650 a week! Rave reviews in the trade magazines brought Smith further dates in England and Europe. Smith soon became a sensation through the 1920s and 1930s. Prone to melancholy and drink, Whispering Jack's career slowly eroded into obscurity. He died in 1952, leaving behind about 100 cherished recordings. Ian Fleming became interested in Whispering Jack Smith during that initial breakthrough period in Europe and the author said his favorite tune during his time as a student at Eton (1921-1926) was Smith's recording, Celilia. 

The song was light and charming, and it had a hint of innuendo that must have appealed to Fleming's "red-blooded" instincts. Cecilia was in fact Smith's first recording, made for Victor on September 15th, 1925. For you collectors out there, the matrix number was BVE-33383 and the label description read 'Male vocal solo, with piano." The song was also released later by Decca. Reading over some of the lyrics, one can imagine a young Fleming embracing the song's image of courtship and conquest.

Now, little Miss Cecilia Green, 

A little over sweet sixteen, 

But the cutest flapper that you've ever seen; 

When the fellows pass her by, 

She will always wink her eye, 

And when she talks to them, when she walks with them, 

This is what they all cry: 

Does your mother know you're out, Cecilia? 

Does she know that I'm about to steal ya? 

Oh my, when I look in your eyes, 

 Something tells me you and I should get together!

How about a little kiss, Cecilia? 

Just a kiss you'll never miss, Cecilia, 

Why do we two keep on wasting time? 

Oh, Cecilia, say that you'll be mine!

During Ian Fleming's appearance on Desert Island Dics, he also told Roy Plomley that, if he were allowed only one record, it would be the barroom jazz hit, The Darktown Strutter's Ball, by Joe "Fingers" Carr. Fleming biographer Andrew Lycett and I corresponded about the topic of Ian Fleming's musical tastes and he mentioned that Fleming collected jazz records during some of his trips to the United States during the early 1950s. That would have been the perfect time to discover this recording. So who was Joe "Fingers" Carr and what can we learn about Ian Fleming from this music?

Joe "Fingers" Carr released The Darktown Strutters Ball on his 1953 Capital album, Roughhouse Piano. The album was issued in 10-inch vinyl (catalog H-345), as well as in sets of 45s and 78s. Songs on the record included Somebody Stole My Gal, The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady, Dardanella, Twelfth Street rag, Lou's Blues, Minute Walz Boogie, Narcissus, and The Darktown Strutter's Ball. The album was re-released later with additional tracks. It is possible that Fleming had the 45 or 78 set, as he singled out that particular tune (those formats enabled the listener to focus on a single track rather than a whole side of songs). By the 1950s, however, it is more likely that he was collecting 10-inch vinyl jazz records. With four songs per side, Fleming probably did what any obsessed music fan would do and he dropped the needle down on Darktown Strutter's Ball over and over (for you digital-age readers, you couldn't play an individual LP or EP track on 'repeat'). Below: Side 2 label of Roughhouse Piano.

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Joe "Fingers" Carr was born in 1910 as Lou Bush (later Busch). He was a talented pianist who favored the ragtime and early hot-jazz styles. By the age of twelve, he was performing as Lou Bush and His Tickletoe Four. He worked for Hal Kemp in the 1930s and was picked up by Johnny Mercer at Capital in the late 1940s. He worked in A&R and played as a studio musician for Peggy Lee, Tennessee Ernie Ford and others. He then donned the moniker Joe "Fingers" Carr and began releasing Honkey Tonk and Ragtime albums in the 1950s, which is when Ian Fleming caught up with him.

It's likely that the author found Carr's Roughhouse Piano during his 1954 trip across America. The album would have been in the stores for less than a year at that point. Although there were business meetings to attend regarding his books, possible screen options, and the recent TV production of Casino Royale, Ian Fleming made a point during the trip to schedule activities that excited him as a writer. He famously visited the site of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago, meet up with policemen to talk about crime in the United States, and conducted some observational research about gambling behavior in Las Vegas. Fleming would have had many opportunities to find Carr's album at record shops in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The Honkey Tonk and Ragtime styles of Joe "Fingers" Carr must have captured some of the sexual and violent nature of America. There was a kind of rebelliousness to the music that probably appealed to the side of Fleming that made great efforts to avoid his wife's dinner parties, much as he avoided hunting parties in his teens.

For a man who was plagued by morose and melancholy waves, I imagine the upbeat music of Carr also served as a quick elixir to clear the cobwebs of his mood. About The Darktown Strutter's Ball, Fleming said, "This tremendous racket would keep the ghosts away." [Lycett pg. 419]. well, there is nothing like bawdy jazz to rekindle the twinkle in one's eye. Fleming bought the record in the early 50s and evidently cherished it still in August of 1963 when he was interviewed for Desert Island Discs. Music apparently continued to provide an oasis away from unwanted pressures. Fleming was facing the last twelve months of his life at the time of the music interview with the BBC (he died in August, 1964). Despite the success of the James Bond novels and his enjoyment during stays at Goldeneye, the author was plagued by health issues, an unhappy marriage, and a chronic lawsuit over Thunderball. He was a man who had ghosts to keep away, and Joe "Fingers" Carr was apparently just what the doctor ordered. Below: The Darktown Strutter's Ball. Spy Vibers, I'm making my first trip to England later this month. If you can help, please consider making a small donation in our Paypal tip-jar at top-left of the page. Thank you! -Jason 

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