The Secret Voices of James Bond Movies

Podcast Episode

The Secret Voices of James Bond Movies

Some of the voices in James Bond movies belong to people you have never seen. They are the secret voices of voice actors. Today, Dan and Tom pull those performers out of the shadows and ask a big question: Whose performance are you really remembering?

Think about Honey Ryder walking out of the Caribbean Sea in DR. NO. Then think about Goldfinger and that famous voice. You know the faces. You know the voices. And, you may have quoted those voices for years without knowing whose voice was speaking those lines. But in many cases, those two things came from different people. The early Bond team built part of the 007 sound in a studio, long after the cameras stopped rolling.

So why did the producers do it? Accents are the easy answer, but they are not the whole story. Some actors who spoke English just fine got a new voice too. Dan and Tom also argue over one dubbing choice that is almost impossible to miss. Is it clever, or is it just odd?

Along the way, we ask who deserves the credit when two performers share one character. Did dubbing make Bond better, or take something away from the actors? We rank our favorites, and we do not always agree.

Press play, and you may never hear the early Bond movies the same way again.

What you will hear in this episode:

  • The voice behind Blofeld before Bond fans ever saw his face.
  • One dubbing specialist whose Bond work runs from Dr. No to For Your Eyes Only.
  • The smooth crime boss whose dubbing most fans never notice.
  • How Hollywood’s ghost singers set the stage before Dr. No.
  • A listening challenge to try on your next rewatch of the early Bond movies.
  • Plus, we’ll point out many other secret voices that you hear, not coming from the actor you see on the screen.

Did you know about these secret voices?

How many of these dubbed voices did you already know about?  Which of these were new for you?  What do you of voice actors not getting screen credits?  Who is your favorite voice artist?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you think of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. 

You can check out all our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.  

Episode Webpage:  https://spymovienavigator.com/episode/the-secret-voices-of-james-bond-movies

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