From Forgotten Films: 1966-1971 by Nolan Hendricks, 1998
"By 1969, the spy film craze was still in full swing. The search was on for a new actor to play James Bond following Sean Connery's departure from the series. To fill the void, Columbia had not one but
two films ready for release. The first was Dean Martin’s latest Matt Helm adventure
The Wrecking Crew released two weeks into the New Year.
The Wrecking Crew paired Martin with Elke Sommer, Nancy Kwan, Tina Louise, and the increasingly elusive Mia Farrow as Freya Carlson. The other---" [1]
"Meanwhile, the search for an actor to play the newest James Bond was going on over at Eon productions for
You Only Live Twice--"
Producer Albert Broccoli and Director Peter Hunt initially had
five front-runners: John Richardson, Hans De Vries, Robert Campbell, Anthony Rogers, and George Lazenby, a 29-year-old Australian male model. Eventually, a dark horse who hadn't been among the five front-runners was cast--"
"Broccoli instead set his eye on Julian Glover, who had recently appeared in
The Magus opposite Michael Caine and Candice Bergen, as well as the 1967 Hammer production
Quatermass And The Pit, part of a successful series of movies based on Nigel Kneale's Dr. Quatermass character--"
More excerpts
"Mid-1969 saw the release of two successful films of different genres.
Winning and
Midnight Cowboy. While the latter would go on to be a classic, the former, a vehicle for Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward is now known today as the final film of Robert Wagner--"
"The former, a racing car drama from Universal also featured a young Richard Thomas of
The Waltons fame--"
"
Midnight Cowboy, on the other hand, represented the dawn of what many refer to as "The New Hollywood", a period also defined by films such as
Easy Rider--"
"
Midnight Cowboy starred Harrison Ford, previously a bit player, in his first leading role. The actor played Joe Buck, a young Texan who heads to New York City to become a male prostitute. Dustin Hoffman, fresh off
The Graduate played Ratso Rizzo, a NYC con artist Buck eventually befriends--"
"
Midnight Cowboy initially received a "Restricted" ("R") rating. However, after consulting with a psychologist, executives at United Artists were told to accept an "X" rating, due to "homosexual references" and their "possible influence upon youngsters". The MPAA later broadened the requirements for the "R" rating to allow more content and raised the age restriction from sixteen to seventeen.
Midnight Cowboy was later rated "R" for a reissue in 1971 with no edits made--"
[1] To be continued...