 Click on the rifle to view the original article from eutouring.com  by Skip Cohen This would have been the perfect post for Throwback Thursday, except I got busy with my new adventure into aging and Before They Take Away My Keys. I totally missed posting this yesterday. But there's nothing that says you can't enjoy a throwback whenever it's shared. And while I know I shared pieces of this post many years ago, it's too much fun not to bring back. I was president of Hasselblad USA from 1987 - 1999, and early in 1988, we got a call from Cubby Broccoli's studio. They were looking for gear that "Q" could use to build a unique rifle for James Bond in License to Kill. With help from Carl Claesson, then Hasselblad USA's Service Manager, and Don Snyder, Camera Repair Supervisor, we donated a beyond-repair camera body, magazine, and prism finder. "Q" had what he needed, adding other photographic gear to create the rifle. If I remember correctly, the barrel or stock was a carbon-fiber Gitzo tripod leg. But my favorite part of this throwback story came just after the film had been released. At a Hasselblad press conference in NYC, introducing the newest camera at the time, we chose to kick off the event by showing the rifle, which was then on loan to us. It took every ounce of control I had not to laugh as I announced Hasselblad's entrance into military weapons and its award of a government contract. After removing the A-12 magazine from the camera, I showed how it was loaded with six large-caliber, high-velocity rounds. I was doing great until I made eye contact with my good buddy, Bob Panarella. Sitting right in front of him was one of the journalists, furiously taking notes. That was it - I cracked, along with Bob and most of the audience. A "Homicide" at Hasselblad? The story behind the rifle continued... In the late 80's and early 90's, Hasselblad Sweden produced an ad campaign featuring some of the finest photographers in the world. Each tag line started with "________________ shot __________________ with a Hasselblad." For example, I remember one of Paulina Poroskova photographed by Victor Skrebneski with just that caption. Sitting in the office one day, somebody had an idea, probably Mark Rezzonico, to do a spoof and create the ad to the right. The caption read: MARK REZZONICO USED A HASSELBLAD TO SHOOT ERNST WILDI, WHO USED A HASSELBLAD TO SHOOT ALLEN ZIMMERMAN, WHO USED A HASSELBLAD TO SHOOT SKIP COHEN. Mark Rezzonico was pretty close to the start of his career in professional photography. Ernst Wildi wrote every Hasselblad manual and was an amazing photographer, author, and teacher. Al Zimmerman was Vice President of Hasselblad USA and took over as President when I left for other endeavors. Al is holding the gun used in the movie, License to Kill. You can find anything on YouTube, and the clip from the scene is below. Today's post is a perfect example of the biggest side-benefit of sharing throwbacks: the fun of the backstories and trips down Memory Lane. They help us stay focused on the fun of being in this industry. A look in the rearview mirror is perfect for appreciating the view forward and the future. Wishing everybody a terrific weekend ahead - and if you haven't done a little searching for some fun throwbacks of your own, take a minute or two and appreciate your past and how you got here. Happy Friday!
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