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James Bond

During World War II,

a British spy named

forest yeo-thomas

(above) parachuted

into occupied France

three times to spy

on the Nazis before being captured

and tortured by the Gestapo—only to

escape and reach Allied lines again.

His derring-do was acclaimed by many

British officers at the time, including

a budding author named Ian Fleming.

Fleming reportedly went on to use

Yeo-Thomas and his escapades as the

basis for his most famous character,

James Bond. Like Bond in various

novels, Yeo-Thomas was a bon vivant

who made harrowing escapes by hiding

in a hearse, jumping from a train, and

strangling a guard. And the torture that

a naked Daniel Craig’s Bond endures in

Casino Royale is said to be based on the

same twisted technique the Nazis used

on Yeo-Thomas.

Miss Piggy

She was a brash blonde

who knew how to hold

a note but not her man.

Elegant and egotistical

on the outside, she was

really a farm girl at heart.

Miss Piggy—yes. But also her inspiration:

the divine Miss peggy lee. It started with

the farm connection. Bonnie Erickson,

the Muppet Show puppeteer who created

Miss Piggy, was, like Lee, a North Dakota

native, and her mother adored the

legendary torch singer. Miss Piggy was

Erickson’s tribute to the woman who

famously asked “Is That All There Is?” In

fact, the puppet’s full name was originally

Miss Piggy Lee. But Miss Peggy Lee had

a penchant for lawsuits; she sued Disney

for a share of the voice performance

and songwriting profits for Lady and the

Tr a mp. And so the divine swine’s name

was trimmed to Miss Piggy. Ironically,

Lee had changed her name too. She was

born Norma Deloris Egstrom.

118 march 2019

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