by Alan B. Combs

Pierce Brosnan is one of my favorite actors. I liked him in “Remington Steele” and I think he makes an excellent Agent 007 — effective, humorous, and dangerous. However, in the time between his stint as Reminton Steele and his playing James Bond, Pierce’s career fell into the pits. It was not certain that he would make it in acting, and several of his paternal uncles advised him to go into family businesses with them. One uncle had a haberdashery featuring mostly outer garments. Another uncle had a fabric store that dealt mostly with bolts of coarse cotton fabric. The third had a non-traditional therapy practice featuring the use of medicinal plants. Pierce could not decide what to do, and the competetion between the uncles became more and more rancorous. Finally, the problem was resolved when Pierce became the latest 007 — which did away with the fighting over the Brosnan coats, muslins, and herbs.