Tommy (1975 film) leave ends, Walker goes off to fight in World War II as a bomber pilot, but is shot down during a mission. "Captain Walker" is listed as missing in action and is presumed dead, although—unknown to his family—the badly burnt Walker is in fact alive. Back in England, Nora goes into labour and gives birth to a son, Tommy, on V-E Day. Five years later, Nora has begun a new relationship with Frank (Oliver Reed), a worker she and Tommy meet at Bernie's Holiday Camp. Tommy looks up to his "Uncle" Frank and expresses his desires to run his own
Oliver Reed in the controversial film "The Devils" (1971), directed by Russell with Vanessa Redgrave. An anecdote holds that Reed could have been chosen to play James Bond. In 1969, Bond franchise producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman were looking for a replacement for Sean Connery and Reed (who had recently played a resourceful killer in "The Assassination Bureau") was mentioned as a possible choice for the role. Whatever the reason, Reed was never to play Bond. After Reed's death, the "Guardian Unlimited" called the casting decision, "One of the great missed opportunities of post-war British movie history." He made a