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
steve^ back/shutterstock(yeo- th
omas).^moviestorecollection/shutterstock(lee,^ bond,and^piggy)ReaderReader’’s Digests Digest