Ursula Andress in Undress! A movie ad I never forget!

I never forget the movie 'Dr. No.' It was the first Bond film featuring Sean Connery and Ursula Andress, who was the first Bond girl and a famous sex symbol at that time. However, it wasn't the first Bond film I watched. The first one was 'You Only Live Twice,' which I watched with my dad at Sri Murugan Theatre in Vavuniya, a small town located between Jaffna and Colombo, Sri Lanka.

I was in my childhood, and there was a scene in the movie where Bond was ripping her clothes on her back. Her bare back was exposed on the full screen. I felt shy watching that scene with my dad, so I wanted him to believe I wasn't watching it. Quickly, my childhood mind found a way. I wanted my dad to think I was sleeping when that scene was shown on the screen. I asked my dad, 'Dad, sorry, I fell asleep. What just happened in the movie?' hoping he would believe I hadn't seen the scene. I forgot his response, but after that, I always thought about how naive or stupid I was.

Dr. No was the second Bond film I watched. Theatres like Regal, Manohara, and Rio typically screened English movies. Occasionally, other theatres that primarily showed Tamil movies would also screen English movies. During a rerun of Dr. No at Raja Theatre in Jaffna, I had the chance to watch it with my high school friends.

Actor Sean Connery was one of my dad's favorites, along with others like Charlton Heston, Anthony Quinn, Gary Cooper, and a few more. Sean Connery was my favorite too. His charismatic smile, physique, and acting skills were the reasons I liked him.

Dr. No was unforgettable for me due to another reason as well. In those days, when a movie was released, it was advertised in the local newspapers. They also went around town in an A40 or a similar car, using a loudspeaker attached to the hood of the car to distribute notices about the film. These notices contained scenes from the film, actors' names, and brief introductions. The car never stopped, driving slowly. We ran behind the cars to collect the film notices thrown outside, and they also played a few film songs in between. The person who advertised the movie with an attractive, loud voice using the loudspeaker attached to the car said a few words about the Bond girl Ursula Andress  which I never forgot. His words were 'Ursula Andress in Undress'

It also reminds me of the film ad published in a local newspaper using the same words in their advertisement. Some words, scenes, and events stay fresh in our memories, especially our childhood memories. This is one of them.