Goldfinger
60th Anniversary
1964–2024

In early July the Aston Martin DB5 was shipped to Switzerland where the chase between James Bond (Sean Connery) and Tilly Masterson (Tania Mallet) was filmed, along with the scenes where Bond tails Goldfinger’s Rolls-Royce. The footage was later expanded with back projection plates (also filmed on location) and used where the characters are inside the vehicles, and where Goldfinger is seen tucking into some fruit ‘at the roadside’. The death of Tilly Masterson was filmed in Black Park on July 21, 1964 – Sean Connery’s last day on the film. Among the final scenes filmed in July 1964 were those for the pre-title sequence, with Pinewood’s backlot water tank standing in as a harbour in an unnamed Latin-American country, and establishing shots of huge gas tanks at Stanwell near Heathrow Airport [then named London Airport] west of London. Director Guy Hamilton, cinematographer Ted Moore, and a small crew then flew to Kentucky to film the exteriors of the troops at the Fort Knox barracks ‘succumbing’ to the nerve gas from Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus. Model work and insert shots were still being filmed at Pinewood as late as August 12, 1964 – the day of James Bond author Ian Fleming’s death at the age of 56. With just four weeks to go until the film was due to premiere at the ODEON Leicester Square, time was running out, and extra staff were engaged for the sound dubbing and mixing of the music for Goldfinger.

Composer John Barry also had very little time in which to score the film, with Shirley Bassey’s title song (co-written by Barry with Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley) recorded at CTS Studios on August 20, 1964. The single was produced by George Martin and for the UK release a different take of Bassey’s performance was used. The single only reached No. 21 in the UK charts, but later peaked at No. 8 in the USA. John Barry’s original soundtrack album was more successful, reaching No. 9 in the UK LP chart, and eventually spending three weeks at No. 1 in the USA in March 1965, earning the composer a gold disc for one million dollars’ worth of sales!

Goldfinger premiered at the ODEON Leicester Square on the evening of Thursday September 17, 1964. Huge crowds gathered outside the cinema, which at one point became so unruly a policeman was pushed backwards through the cinema’s glass doors resulting in the film starting 10 minutes late. Honor Blackman attended wearing a specially commissioned 22-carat ‘gold finger’ jewel [designed by Mexican-born British jeweller Charles de Temple (1923-2019)], along with co-stars Gert Frobe, Nadja Regin, Tania Mallet, Shirley Eaton, and title song performer Shirley Bassey. Also attending was Michael Caine, who would later star as Harry Palmer in three films produced by Harry Saltzman from the novels of Len Deighton. Sean Connery did not attend the premiere due to filming commitments in Spain for The Hill (1965). This was the first true James Bond film premiere, as Goldfinger only played once on September 17, 1964 before opening to the public at the ODEON Leicester Square the following day.

Two days before the premiere of Goldfinger both Harry Saltzman & Albert R. Broccoli had attended Ian Fleming's memorial service in London held at the church of St. Bartholomew the Great, Smithfield. Goldfinger then opened at nine large ‘Premiere Showcase Theatres’ in the London suburbs from Sunday September 20, 1964; and key cities across the country from October 4, 1964. This new release pattern was modelled on New York's ‘Red Carpet Theatres’ which gave more London cinemagoers the opportunity to see the film just three days after its West End premiere, although ticket prices were slightly higher than those charged for general releases. The ODEON Hammersmith, the largest of these ‘Premiere Showcase Theatres’ with 3,487-seats, took a staggering £10,000 in the first week (a good average week for the cinema was around £2,000). Honor Blackman then made personal appearances at six of the nine ‘Premiere Showcase Theatres’. Producer Albert R. Broccoli and his wife Dana attended a screening at the ODEON Streatham on Thursday September 24, 1964, which attracted a crowd of 1,200 fans. Honor Blackman then embarked on a provincial tour the following week, appearing in Leicester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, and Glasgow.

Thunderball was announced as the next film in the series on September 23, 1964, but prints of Goldfinger currently showing in London and across the country still bore the end caption ‘But James Bond will be back “On Her Majesty's Secret Service.”’ Producers Albert R. Broccoli & Harry Saltzman had recently come to an agreement with Kevin McClory following his acquisition of the screen rights to Thunderball in 1963. Rather than have McClory release a rival Bond film as he had announced, Broccoli & Saltzman reluctantly went into partnership with the Irishman. A new end credit was hastily created for Goldfinger and subsequent prints correctly named Thunderball as the next film in the series. Goldfinger once again broke the house record with takings of £17,327 in its first week at the ODEON Leicester Square, going on to take £32,874 in its first fortnight, smashing all records held by its predecessor From Russia With Love, and becoming the highest-grossing film ever released in the UK at that time.

Honor Blackman and Shirley Eaton also embarked on a tour of the USA in December 1964 ahead of a Gala Premiere of Goldfinger on Broadway at the 1,496-seat De MILLE Theatre in New York City on the evening of December 21, 1964, followed by a ‘Golden Champagne Supper Ball’ at the Hotel Astor after the screening to benefit the Lincoln Square Academy. Special guests arrived at the cinema in a fleet of eight Aston Martin DB5s. Goldfinger then opened at the De MILLE and Coronet Theatres on Broadway on December 22, 1964 – with the De MILLE staying open 24-hours-a-day until January 2, 1965 to cope with the enormous demand to see the film. ‘Bondmania’ had well and truly arrived in the USA and Goldfinger then opened in 64 cinemas across 41 American cities on December 25, 1964 – going on to recoup its $3 million budget in just two weeks – earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest-grossing film of all time. As Goldfinger continued to play in the USA into the New Year United Artists consolidated their success with a re-release of the first two James Bond films. Released in the USA over the Easter holiday period in May 1965, the double-bill of Dr. No/From Russia With Love grossed $8 million. Originally playing at 26 cinemas in New York, the double-bill generated more revenue for the two films than that of their original separate US releases. The opening day gross in New York alone even beat that of Goldfinger!

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