Did Sean Connery nearly get killed?

Joshua

I found this report. I thought people would like to read it.

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/07/07/lana-turners-gangster-boyfriend-pulled-a-gun-on-sean-connery-it-didnt-end-well/

Thunderpussy

I remember reading about this, but Big Sean took the gun
Off the gangster and punched him out. . Bound to happen
When a soft southerer takes on a Hard Northerner!

IanFryer

Joshua wrote:

I found this report. I thought people would like to read it.

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/07/07/lana-turners-gangster-boyfriend-pulled-a-gun-on-sean-connery-it-didnt-end-well/

Thanks, that's quite a notorious case - there were always rumours that Lana Turner's daughter took the blame on behalf of her mum. Either way she was well rid of Stompanato.

Of course the other time Sir Sean was nearly killed while working on a movie was when his car was hit by a concrete block while he was working on The Avengers - for some reason I couldn't find a news story to link to. Of all the films to nearly get killed on, The Avengers wouldn't be most people's first choice!

Chriscoop

Sean was quite a renowned hard man in his day, Michael Caine tells many stories of Connery really enjoying a good punch up. Caine reports that Sean lost many Saville row suit jackets as he took them off before getting stuck in. What a man, moved like a cat and hit like a wrecking ball.

PPK 7.65mm

Sean Connery also had a very close call filming From Russia With Love, during filming of the scene where the Spectre helicopter is pursuing Bond. The pilot flew too close to Connery and nearly flattened him during one take.

Dirty Punker

PPK 7.65mm wrote:

Sean Connery also had a very close call filming From Russia With Love, during filming of the scene where the Spectre helicopter is pursuing Bond. The pilot flew too close to Connery and nearly flattened him during one take.

I think a cameraman on the helicopter lost a foot.
At least, that's what I remember from the banned LaserDisk commentary.

IanFryer

That would have been John Jordan, who lost a leg filming in a helicopter for You Only Live Twice. He died under similar circumstances three years later while filming Catch 22.

Dirty Punker

It may be possible they got that mixed up in the commentary.

I'm certain it was in the From Russia With Love one, though.

IanFryer

It could be that he filmed the FRWL helicopter sequences and they discussed his career. I have mp3s of those commentaries somewhere - you can find them online.

Dirty Punker

That is very possible.
I will check them out and edit this post if I've found a conclusive answer (aka listened to that part of the commentary)

Cam008

Poor wee Mafia bastard shoulda known better than to piss off an Edinburgh boy.

IanFryer

IanFryer wrote:

That would have been John Jordan, who lost a leg filming in a helicopter for You Only Live Twice. He died under similar circumstances three years later while filming Catch 22.

I was doing an onstage interview with Visual Effects Director Brian Johnson at the weekend and the conversation came round to aerial photography and John Jordan's accident. Brian said that Jordan was in a lot of pain and depressed after his accident and his fall from an aircraft while making Catch 22 might well have been suicide.

Hardly conclusive evidence but an interesting perspective from someone who was in the industry at the time.

superado

Stompanato and Lana Turner were briefly featured in L.A. Confidential in a scene shot in the Formosa Cafe (the exterior of which I got to see on a recent vacation to LaLa Land!) ...which showed the kind of temper and unseemly behavior Stompanato was reputed to have.

I think it was in the National Enquirer (yes, I know it's a gossip rag ) that I read many, many years ago when Connery was in turn in Los Angeles after the incident, he left town when Stompanato made some threats. If there's some truth to both accounts, I guess it's one thing to feel confident when you stand up to a gangster on your own turf, but when you're on his turf, it's a different story and who wouldn't fear for his safety?

Joshua

I found this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2jWSJFErV0

Yes superado I think you are correct. in America the gangster would have all his friends around him so Connery would have to be careful. But Connery is a warrior in real life and for that he has my respect.