The Hidden Scandals of an American Princess; Becoming Bond; Peggy Guggenheim’s Legacy, Desecrated?

A special delivery from the Vanity Fair Archive View in your browser | Update your preferences One of the most ambitious musical moments at this year's Oscars was the four-segment tribute to James Bond. Long before attaining its legacy status, the franchise began with an unlikely team—two small-time producers, a journeyman director, and a "rough diamond" of a star. In this edition of the VF Archive digest we dive into the early days of Bond and other emblematic institutions like Harry's Bar and the Guggenheim Foundation. Plus, the hidden scandals and hard choices of an American princess and how the media culture of "Cruel Britannia" turned on an aging ingenue. The Birth of Bond Fifty years ago, at the dawn of the commercial-jet age, James Bond strode into movie history to show audiences how stylish and thrilling life could be. But creating the cinematic Bond was fraught with peril, as best-selling author Ian Fleming discovered when he first tried to take his hero to the silver screen. R E A D  M O R E » The Trouble With Harry's The Cipriani brand, long the guarantee of a glamorous evening, had New York society flocking to its night spots—until Arrigo and Giuseppe Cipriani fled the US in the wake of tax-evasion convictions. Their departure was dramatic amid tabloid-splashed charges of tax evasion, Mob ties, and political conspiracy. R E A D  M O R E » Camelot's Second Lady Beautiful, blue-blooded, and fascinated by power, Susan Mary Alsop became the darling of postwar Paris diplomatic circles, going from JFK's favorite Georgetown hostess to an acclaimed author—but her life was also filled with hard choices and hidden scandals. R E A D  M O R E » The Perils of Paula Armed only with a spirited wit and a bottle of peroxide, Paula Yates won fame as a TV personality, world-class flirt, and wife of Bob Geldof, founder of the rock charity Live Aid. But when Yates left "Saint Bob" for INXS singer Michael Hutchence in 1995, this woman who had lived by the sword of Britain's tabloid press found herself mortally wounded. R E A D  M O R E » Palazzo Intrigue Almost four decades after her death, Peggy Guggenheim was the central figure in a continuing art-world imbroglio: the seemingly endless legal battle by some of her descendants over the superlative 20th-century art collection—and the Venetian palazzo housing it—she left to her uncle's foundation. Have Guggenheim's wishes been ignored and her legacy desecrated? R E A D  M O R E » Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. Sign Up Now This e-mail was sent to you by VANITY FAIR. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2025. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.