The first James Bond flick I ever saw was Diamonds Are Forever, which was made in 1971 but played regularly on TV throughout my childhood in the 1980s. I had no idea the movie was merely another installment in one of the world’s most lucrative franchises, or, for that matter, why 007 was supposed to be a big deal. All I knew at the time was that this was the most badass thing I had ever seen. In a way, it taught me about how to be a man. It showed a world that was utterly untrustworthy, full of traps and betrayals and people who want you dead, and for a kid who had been weaned on afternoon cartoons this was a shock. And yet there was Bond (played once more by Sean Connery, after George Lazenby failed to attract much attention in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service), sidestepping every danger with suavity (even being almost burned alive, for crying out loud!), inflicting violence when needed, and delivering a killer bon mot in the face of certain death. And then there was Tiffany Case, the delicious double-dealing agent who is by Bond’s bed one moment and parading bikinis for Blofeld the next. Wherever you are, Miss Jill St. John, I thank you profoundly for making me realize for the first time that I really liked girls. I’d watch many other Bond movies afterwards, including several that are better than Diamonds Are Forever. But the first time is forever.