On 15 Apr 1963, DV announced that Eon Productions partners Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli signed screenwriter Richard Maibaum to adapt Ian Fleming’s Goldfinger (1959) as the third “James Bond” feature. Although a 25 Apr 1962 Var article indicated that Goldfinger had previously been considered for the second installment, the novel was withheld in favor of Maibaum’s script for From Russia With Love (1964, see entry), which had already begun production. Erroneously referring to the picture as Dr. Goldfinger, the 14 Jan 1964 LAT reported the hiring of director Guy Hamilton as a result of his work on Man in the Middle (1964, see entry). According to an 18 Jun 1964 DV brief, Sean Connery was once again set to reprise the lead role, having raised his fee to $1 million. The 5 Feb 1964 Var announced that wrestling champion Harold Sakata, also known as “Togo,” had been selected to portray “Oddjob,” while items in the 23 Dec 1963 and 3 Feb 1964 DV suggested that Theodore Bikel and Connery’s then wife, Diane Cilento, were also in talks for roles. Bikel and Cilento were not credited.
       Although an 8 Jan 1964 Var advertisement claimed that production was set to begin 24 Feb 1964 at England’s Pinewood Studios, Connery still had nearly a month of filming to complete on Marnie (1964, see entry) at the Universal Studios in California. Various contemporary sources, including a 10 May 1964 NYT item, suggested that a second unit crew first traveled to the U.S. for exteriors in the Fort Knox area of Kentucky and the beaches of Miami, FL, which featured local Playboy “Bunnies” as background actors. A 20 Mar 1964 DV production chart stated that principal photography began four days earlier at Pinewood. Because the U.S. government prohibited filming at the real Fort Knox (home of the U.S. Bullion Depository) a replica of the building was constructed in the fields of the London borough of Middlesex, while interiors were housed on a Pinewood soundstage. According to a 15 Apr 1964 Var brief, additional sets included a reproduction of a Miami Beach resort, and “Goldfinger’s” Kentucky stud farm and Swiss stronghold, which cost a combined $350,000. On 15 Jul 1964, the publication announced that the main unit had just wrapped a week of location shooting in Switzerland, with two additional weeks of filming remaining at Pinewood. The 18 Jun 1964 DV claimed that Connery was working seven-day weeks to complete his role. While earlier items estimated a budget of $2–$2.5 million, a 31 Mar 1965 Var item listed the total negative cost as $2,950,000.
       A 21 Sep 2012 Time feature on the Bond franchise reported that Gert Fröbe’s dialogue was dubbed by Michael Collins, since Fröbe was not a native English speaker.
       The U.K. premiere took place 17 Sep 1964 at the Odeon, Leicester Square in London, with a “showcase” engagement to follow three days later at nine London-area theaters. According to the 26 Aug 1964 Var, this marked the first time the “showcase” exhibition strategy was employed in the U.K. after it was popularized by United Artists (UA) in New York City. General U.K. release was scheduled for 18 Oct 1964, using the traditional “single-week booking” strategy.
       The 16 Dec 1964 Var reported that in preparation for the film’s domestic release, Bond’s Aston-Martin DB5 was put on display at the J. S. Inskip showroom in New York City, while the New American Library issued more than 300,000 paperback copies of Fleming’s original novel. An 11 Dec 1964 DV item indicated that UA also broadcast “The Incredible James Bond,” an hour-long television special comprised of clips and behind-the-scenes footage of the first three Bond features. However, certain publicity materials for Goldfinger were the cause of minor controversy: Although the 21 Oct 1964 Var noted that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) did not object to the name of Honor Blackman’s character, “Pussy Galore,” contemporary sources indicated that references to the “Bond girl” had to be removed from several newspaper advertisements and televised trailers. In contrast to Americans’ discomfort, Blackman told the 13 Apr 1965 DV that the British media took no issue with the name, which frequently appeared in headlines with a “partly satirical tone.”
       Goldfinger premiered in the U.S. on 21 Dec 1964 at the DeMille Theatre in New York City. The 25 Nov 1964 Var noted that the event was a benefit for the Lincoln Square Academy. According to the 23 Dec 1964 Var, the film’s regular engagement began the previous day at the DeMille and Coronet Theatres, breaking opening day records at both houses. To accommodate audience demand, the 23 Dec 1964 NYT reported that the Coronet planned to include regular midnight screenings to its schedule, while the DeMille would remain open twenty-four hours a day through the end of the year. A 19 Nov 1964 LAT announced that the Los Angeles, CA, opening was set for Christmas Day at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, where it replaced the seventeen-week run of Mary Poppins (1964, see entry). By 31 Mar 1965, Goldfinger had earned $10,374,807 in domestic rentals from 1,409 theaters, which Var deemed “incomparable” to any other picture in history, and quickly became the top-grossing picture of the year.
       As with audiences, the third installment of the franchise was widely popular among critics, and earned an Academy Award nomination for Sound Effects. AFI ranked it #71 on its list of 100 Years…100 Thrills, while the character of “Auric Goldfinger” was named the forty-ninth greatest villain. Goldfinger also features the origination of Bond’s catchphrase, “A martini. Shaken, not stirred,” which ranked #90 on AFI’s list of 100 Years…100 Quotes. Shirley Bassey’s rendition of the title theme is #53 on the list of 100 Years…100 Songs, and reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. More Less