It was 1953, Eisenhower was President, Marilyn Monroe was on the cover of Playboy and across the Atlantic Ian Fleming released Casino Royale the first in a series of world renowned books following the iconic "fictional" character James Bond. We say "fictional" because Fleming used his own stories of espionage to inspire the creation of the playboy/spy known the world over. Characters and storylines were also influenced by Fleming's experiences as an assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence during World War II. His abundance of material supported a total of thirteen books accounting the missions of the irrefutable king of spies.

Bond's popularity catapulted in 1962 with the release of the film Dr. No staring Sean Connery, arguably the best Bond of all time. Bringing the book to the big screen brought audiences (notably including John F. Kennedy) action, exotic locations, lovely ladies, gadgets and an epic film score. Not only did it introduce audiences to the character that would dominate our imaginations for the next fifty years, the films created clothing trends, sold cars and launched careers. The successful formula was repeated for a total of twenty-two going on twenty-three films with the upcoming release of Skyfall in November.

Bond is never afforded a dull moment in his quest to save the world from a villian hell bent on its destruction. You wouldn't know he was on a mission to save the world in his perfectly tailored suit, suave saunter and penchant for cards, martinis and dames. The half-a-century run brought us six different Bonds with some performances more memorable than others. Sean Connery started the series and starred in seven films 1962-1971, George Lazenby in between Connery's run in one film in 1969, Roger Moore for seven films 1973-1985, Timothy Dalton for two films 1987-1989, Pierce Brosnan in four films 1995-2002, and finally Daniel Craig in three films from 2006 to the present.

Even the villians are memorable with performances by Christopher Walken, Grace Jones, Richard Kiel and Harold Sakata. Who could forget some of the leading ladies Ursula Andress' Honey Ryder, Carole Bouquet, Sophie Marceau and Halle Berry? We would be remiss if we didn't include the staple ensemble of Bond's boss M, her assistant Jane Moneypenny and the quick witted technology geek of MI6 Q or include a collection of his best quotes.

The films evolve with each installment and maintain their relevancy with cutting edge gadgets (always a decked out Aston Martin), actors of the moment and film scores that musicians bring their own flare to. Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra, Tina Turner, Paul McCartney and Madonna are all music legends who have contributed to the stories of Bond over the years but it's the foundation of The John Barry Orchestra's iconic theme song that millions recognize. Check out this compilation of the theme songs throughout the decades. Sip that shaken-not-stirred martini, shuffle the deck of cards and patiently await the arrival of the twenty-third film Skyfall on November 9, 2012 because we are.