History Trivia / LiveAndLetDie

** ''To Live And Let Die'' (Norway)

** Bond was originally going to succeed in using the boat to escape the crocodiles, until the farm's owner showed the crew how he could run across their backs. Everyone agreed this was too awesome to not put in the movie.

* ExecutiveMeddling: Tom Mankiewicz originally wanted to cast a black actress to play Solitaire, even considering Diana Ross for the role. It would have made more sense since ''all'' of the BigBad's henchmen are black except her, but the executives felt racial tensions at the time meant that TheWorldIsNotReady for a black Bond Girl (at least one that isn't TheMole). Indeed, it wasn't until 2002's ''Film/DieAnotherDay'' that Bond was given a black romantic lead.

* ExecutiveMeddling: The writers originally wanted to cast a black actress to play Solitaire, even considering Diana Ross for the role. It would have made more sense since ''all'' of the BigBad's henchmen are black except her, but the executives felt racial tensions at the time meant that TheWorldIsNotReady for a black Bond Girl (at least one that isn't TheMole). Indeed, it wasn't until 2002's ''Film/DieAnotherDay'' that Bond was given a black romantic lead.

** Barely averted with Creator/BernardLee as M. He was in poor health at the time and had just lost his wife. There were talks of replacing him with Kenneth More.

** Richard Maibaum later claimed he was asked to write the film but declined because he was too busy. He disliked the final film saying "to process drugs in the middle of the jungle is not a Bond caper."

* SparedByTheCut: Felix Leiter originally suffered a SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome when the villains feed him to a shark. Creator/IanFleming's American publisher talked him out of it and he settled for having him lose an arm and a leg instead.

** Creator/DavidHedison also becomes the ''fifth'' actor to play Felix Leiter (he became the first one to [[Film/LicenceToKill reprise it]]).
** Barely averted with Bernard Lee as M. He was in poor health at the time and had just lost his wife. There were talks of replacing him with Kenneth More.

* SparedByTheCut: Felix Leiter was originally supposed to be killed off, but Creator/IanFleming's American publisher talked him out of it. He settled for having him lose an arm and a leg instead.

* LoopingLines: Bond regular Nikki van der Zyl partially redubbed Creeator/JaneSeymourActress's lines during post production.

** Fleming's experiences on his first scuba dive with Jacques Cousteau in 1953 provided much of the description of Bond's swim to Mr Big's boat, while the concept of limpet-mining is probably based on the wartime activities of the elite 10th Light Flotilla, a unit of Italian navy frogmen.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Easily one of the most dated Bond films. Dig those '70s fashions!

* LoopingLines: Bond regular Nikki van der Zyl partially redubbed Creeator/JaneSeymour's lines during post production.

* ExecutiveMeddling: The writers originally wanted to cast a black actress to play Solitaire, even considering Diana Ross for the role. It would have made more sense since ''all'' of the BigBad's henchmen are black except her, but the executives felt racial tensions at the time meant that TheWorldIsNotReady for a black Bond Girl (at least one that isn't TheMole). Indeed, it wasn't until 2002's ''Film/DieAnotherDay'', that Bond was given a black romantic lead.

* OldShame: Creator/YaphetKotto [[http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2012/10/yaphet-kotto-kills-live-and-let-die.html isn't too fond of this movie]].

-->[Publicity director] Dereky Coyte pointed out that the pictures would rouse resentment from the rabid whites and would be seen as an endorsement of black power by militant blacks. We are making anything but a political picture, but Drek said the photographs syndicated far and wide would involve us in a controversy, which could do nothing but harm. Yaphet was incensed. At midday he and the black stuntmen lunced together and during the afternoon, Derek Coyte was ostracised by blacks [with whom he] had previously been pally.

** ''Live And Leave To Die'' (France)

* CastTheExpert: Creator/GeoffreyHolder was not only an imposing (he stood at 6'6) yet jovial presence that was perfect for Baron Samedi, but he also choreographed the voodoo cult scenes, as he was a professional choreographer in addition to an actor.

** David Hedison also becomes the ''fifth'' actor to play Felix Leiter (he became the first one to [[Film/LicenceToKill reprise it]]).

* TheRedStapler: Solitaire's Tarot deck was a prop designed by artist Fergus Hall specifically for use in the film. It was later sold briefly as the 007 deck before being renamed as the [[http://www.jamesbondlifestyle.com/product/tarot-witches-cards-fergus-hall: Tarot of the Witches]].

* CreatorBacklash: Richard Maibaum later claimed he was asked to write the film but declined because he was too busy. He disliked the final film saying "to process drugs in the middle of the jungle is not a Bond caper."

* CastTheExpert: Geoffrey Holder was not only an imposing (he stood at 6'6) yet jovial presence that was perfect for Baron Samedi, but he also choreographed the voodoo cult scenes, as he was a professional choreographer in addition to an actor.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** The production crew originally wanted Solitaire to be black and the CIA contact/[[spoiler:traitor]] to be white.
** Diana Ross was considered for Solitaire (see above), as were Creator/CatherineDeneuve, Creator/GoldieHawn and Creator/HelenMirren.
** Creator/JulianGlover was considered for the role of Bond. He would later play [[BigBad Aris Kristatos]] in ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly''.
** Creator/KenAdam was unable to return as production designer, as he was working on ''Film/{{Sleuth}}''.
** Music/JohnBarry was unable to score the film, as he was working on the stage musical ''Theatre/{{Bill}}''.
** Several scenes and lines in Tom Mankiewicz's screenplay were dropped from the film:
*** The most noticeable loss was of an opening scene in which James Bond was to have met an old man in a garden at night. The man was to have handed over a pair of special contact lenses. They are disturbed by the approach of enemy agents and Bond tries to help the man escape by assisting him over a high wall that surrounds the garden. But too late, Bond discovers that the garden is in fact on the top of a very high building and his contact falls to his death. Creator/MichaelSheard was cast as the man, but the scene was never filmed.
*** Quarrel Jr demonstrates the gas pellet gun that Bond will eventually use to kill Kananga while he and Bond are out shark fishing.
*** A dialogue reference to Quarrel's father and his encounter with Bond ["His father and I locked horns with a doctor named No several years ago"] was omitted.
*** A scene in which Kananga threatens to cut off Tee Hee's arms and feed it to the crocodiles when he harms Solitaire was also removed.
** The speedboat chase was originally meant to feature a sequence wherein Bond and his pursuers run through a water skiing display team, causing their carefully balanced human pyramid to collapse and fall.
** Harry Saltzman was originally interested in having Music/ShirleyBassey perform the title song.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Felix Leiter was supposed to be KilledOffForReal, but Fleming's publisher convinced him otherwise.