Goldfinger

"Goldfinger" Theatrical Release Poster

Production Team
Produced by: Albert R. Broccoli & Harry Saltzman
Directed by: Guy Hamilton
Screenplay by: Richard Maibaum, Paul Dehn
Edited by: Peter Hunt
Musical Score by: John Barry
Theme Song Performed by: Shirley Bassey

Premiere Info
Order in Series: 3 of 20
World Premiere: September 17, 1964
U.S. Release Date: December 25th, 1964
First Television Broadcast: September 17th, 1972 (on ABC)
First Basic Cable TV Telecast: March 5th, 1991 (on TBS)

Box Office Receipts

World-wide Box Office: $124.9 million

U.S. Box Office: $51.1 million

Plot Summary:

Auric Goldfinger, a man obsessed with gold, concocts a plot to exponentially increase his personal wealth. The plot involves the detonation of an atomic bomb within the confines of the gold repository at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The Chinese government, hoping to plunge the western world's economy into chaos, provide Goldfinger with the "atomic device" that he needs to achieve his goal.

Cast & Characters

British Secret Service

Character Name	Portrayed By	Character Description
James Bond	Sean Connery	British secret agent 007
"M"	Bernard Lee	Head of MI6, the British Secret Service, "M" gives all double-o agents their assignments.
Miss Moneypenny	Lois Maxwell	"M"'s secretary, Moneypenny enjoys a playful, flirtation relationship with 007.
"Q"	Desmond Llewelyn	The head of "Q-Branch", the special ordinance & equipment division of MI-6.

Allies

Character Name	Portrayed By	Character Description
Felix Leiter	Cec Linder	CIA operative who assists 007.
Colonel Smithers	Richard Vernon	A British treasury official who briefs 007 on Goldfinger's operations, motives for smuggling gold, and the World War 2 era nazi gold bar that Bond will use as bait.
Hawker	Gerry Duggan	Bond's caddy during his round of golf with Goldfinger. Hawker is in on the deception Bond uses to ensure a victory.
Sierra	Raymond Young	Mexican operative assisting Bond in his mission against Mr. Ramirez (pre-credits).

Villains

Character Name	Portrayed By	Character Description
Auric Goldfinger	Gert Frobe	German-born millionaire who lusts for anything gold and seeks to increase his personal gold assets at any cost.
Oddjob	Harold Sakata	Goldfinger's Korean bodyguard. Oddjob is mute and impervious to nearly all pain. He eliminates his employer's adversaries by throwing a steel-rimmed bowler hat.
Kisch	Michael Mellinger	An assistant to Goldfinger.
Mr. Ling	Burt Kwouk	A communist Chinese nuclear fission expert, who is working with Goldfinger.
Martin Solo	Martin Benson	An american gangster who's organized crime syndicate helped Goldfinger plan and execute the infiltration of the Fort Knox gold repository. Solo and the other gangsters are double-crossed by Goldfinger, after their services and goods have been delivered.
Capungo	Alf Joint	A Mexican henchman sent by Mr. Ramirez to kill Bond (pre-credits).

Bond Women

Character Name	Portrayed By	Character Description
Pussy Galore	Honor Blackman	The leader of a group of criminal female pilots who work for Goldfinger. Galore is persuaded by Bond to turn on Goldfinger and help 007.
Jill Masterson	Shirley Eaton	Goldfinger's mistress. When Bond catches her helping Goldfinger cheat at cards at a Miami resort, Bond seduces her. In revenge for her betrayal, Goldfinger has her painted from head to toe in gold paint - causing Masterson to die from skin suffocation.
Tilly Masterson	Tania Mallet	Jill's sister. Tilly seeks revenge for her sister's murder. Despite Bond's attempt to protect her, Tilly is killed by Oddjob's steel rimmed hat.
Dink	Margaret Nolan	A female aquaintance of Bond's while he is recooperating at a Miami resort.
Bonita	Nadja Regin	A tarantella dancer working for Mr. Ramirez. Bonita attempts to distract Bond with her sexual charms, while another Ramirez crony attacks 007 (pre-credits).

Gadgets

Seagull snorkel disguise

Grappling hook gun

Homing Devices

Large - placed in Goldfinger's Rolls Royce

Small - placed inside the sole of 007's shoe

Aston Martin DB5, which included the following "optional equipment":

Bulletproof Windshield

Rear Windshield Bulletproof Shield

Front Wing Machine Guns

Tire Shredders

Oil Slicks

Smoke Screens

Passenger Ejector Seat

Travel Destinations

Mexico
Miami, Florida
London, England
Goldfinger's gold club (Kent, England)
Switzerland
Kentucky
Washington, D.C.

Sacrificial Lambs

Jill Masterson - Killed by skin suffocation after Goldfinger has her painted from head to toe in gold paint.
Tilly Masterson - Killed by Oddjob's steel-brimmed bowler.

Facts about Goldfinger

Goldfinger is one of the most popular films in the history of cinema, with over 3/4 of all movie-goers having seen it at least once.

Prior to becoming legendary for his role as Oddjob, Harold Sakata was best known for having competed for the United States in the 1948 Olympic Games as a weightlifter.

When Honor Blackman arrived at the Odeon Leicester Square for the world premiere of Goldfinger, she was greeted by thousands of fans. Police attempted to keep the crowd orderly but the crowd pressed forward to get a glimpse of Blackman. An officer lost his balance, fell backwards through the glass front of the theatre, and a riot ensued. 70 additional officers were rushed to the scene to restore order, as the film was shown inside the movie house. All this before anyone had actually seen the film!!!

For the world premiere of Goldfinger, Honor Blackman arrived wearing a custom piece of jewelry, called "The Goldfinger". The piece was the length of Blackman's pinky finger, was made of 22-carat gold, had a 6.5-carat diamond affixed where a ring would be positioned, and cost approximately 10,000 pounds!

The story of a Swiss model who painted her skin for a photo shoot and later died of skin suffocation was the macabre inspiration for the means by which Jill Masterson is murdered in Goldfinger.

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