On this day 55 years ago 'Thunderball' was released in theaters. | MOVIECLIPS

Fist fights. Jetpack. DB5 water cannons. On this day in 1965 shooting began on the opening sequence of THUNDERBALL with the ‘funeral’ of SPECTRE agent Colonel Jacques Bouvar. The widow who 007 fights was actually played by stuntman Bob Simmons in full drag. | James Bond 007

Bernard Lee and Sean Connery filmed M’s briefing of Bond in THUNDERBALL on this day in 1965. | James Bond 007

Emilio Largo meets his end in THUNDERBALL. The scene was filmed on this day in 1965 at Pinewood Studios. | James Bond 007

On this day in 1965, the scene from THUNDERBALL where Number 9 is electrocuted for embezzlement, was filmed. The agent’s chair sinking into the floor was production designer Ken Adam’s idea. He said: “I felt by this time that a Bond film needed a moving set, so it didn’t just become a tableau. And it was also quite funny.” | James Bond 007