EDITOR’S NOTE: This was on the site for the first time on April 9, 2020. No. 1 of the Secret Service was not produced by Cannon but was released on video by Cannon / MGM/UA Home Video.

In 1977, there hadn’t been a James Bond film since 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun. After the film’s release, producers Saltzman and Broccoli dissolved their relationship, with Saltzman selling his stake in Eon Productions’s parent company, Danjaq, LLC, to United Artists.

There was also the possibility that there would be two different Bond franchises, with Broccoli’s 1977 effort being The Spy Who Loved Me and Kevin McClory using his lawsuit to perhaps make James Bond of the Secret Service.

Lindsay Shonteff decided to fill the void.

Sure, he’d made The 2nd Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World, The Million Eyes of Sumuru and Spy Story, but now he was going to make his very own Bold movie.

Instead of James Bond, Charles Bind (Nickey Henson, Psychomania) has the license to kill.

He’s up against K.R.A.S.H. (Killing Rape Arson Slaughter and Hit), their leader and a weirdo named Arthur Loveday (Richard Todd, Asylum) who is killing off rich financiers.

If you think the Roger Moore-era films are too silly, you’d best avoid this movie. I mean, what did you expect? The name Charles Bind comes from Carry On Spying, after all.

This was followed by two sequels that had different actors play 008: Licensed to Love and Kill with Gareth Hunt and Number One Gun, which has Michael Howe in the lead role.

If the theme song “Givin’ It Plenty” is familiar, well, you may have seen Tintoreraas many times as I have. It’s in that movie too.

People to keep an eye out for former Dr. Who Jon Pertwee, Katya Wyeth (Hands of the Ripper), Geoffrey Keen (Minister of Defence Frederick Gray in six Bond films), former pro wrestler Milton Reed (who is in all manner of spy films, from Dr. No and Casino Royale to The Spy Who Loved Me and Deadlier Than the Male) and Oliver MacGreevy (The Ipcress File).

Bond never would use a .357 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 66 revolver, much less the 50 calibre Browning machine gun.