Spy vs spy

I am looking forward to meeting Dame Stella Rimington next weekend. Not often one gets to meet a famous spy. She was the head of MI5 and since resigning has had a successful career as a writer of six spy novels and was a judge of the Man Booker awards last year. She sounds a thoroughly good sort.

In today’s Sunday Star-Times Anthony Hubbard interviews her (not online) and reports that:

her manner is not nearly as severe as Dame Judi Dench’s who portrays her on-screen as M, James Bond’s boss. She admires Dench’s portrayal of her and is looking forward to meeting the actress for the first time at a “Dames’ lunch” this month.

M is the head of MI6, which is overseas skulduggery; MI5 is internal skulduggery. They are two entirely different jobs. Dame Judi does not portray Dame Stella, who was very polite not to point this out to the SST.

So here is Ray Walston with many other shirtless – and, frankly, over-muscled if you ask me – men in the 1958 movie of Rogers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific. Also includes Mitzi Gaynor. Pwhoar level for both teams: 11.

Fun fact: Ray Walston went on to star in the 1960s TV series My Favourite Martian. I liked it.