Body count: 62
Bond tells Goldfinger that given the tremendous weight of all the gold of Fort Knox, removing it before the US military finds out what happened and stops him would be impossible. Goldfinger then tells him his actual plan is to detonate a radioactive device, multiplying the value of his own gold. In the original novel, Goldfinger's scheme WAS simply to steal the gold.
Despite her impressive film debut as Tilly, this was model Tania Mallet's only major film appearance. She had previously tested for the Tatiana Romanova part in From Russia with Love.
Due to the popularity and success of this movie and its spy car the Aston Martin DB5, the vehicle gained the nickname, "The Most Famous Car in the World". Sales of the Aston Martin DB5 increased by fifty per cent after the release of the movie. The Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me featured the Lotus Esprit and sales would also increase for that car after the movie premiered.
During the Fort Knox fight, the clock on the bomb was originally intended to stop at the time 003, but then the producers decided to stop it at Bond's ID number, 007.
During the opening titles sequence, all excerpts are scenes from this movie except some footage from the From Russia with Love helicopter chase sequence and the Crab Key explosion from Dr. No. All these scenes in the opening titles are projected onto the gilded body of Margaret Nolan who played Dink in the main film. Here, she appears longer than Shirley Eaton appears in the main film, and wears a blue bikini (also featured on the soundtrack cover) which Eaton does not wear in her scenes.
Equipment and gadgetry was developed for the Aston Martin car which was not used in the finished movie. This included: Front and back over-riders for jamming other vehicles; a weapon's tray under the driver's seat; a headlights chamber containing triple-spiked nail clusters for firing at enemies, a radio telephone inside the driver's door paneling, and a thermos with a built-in hand grenade.
First appearance of a laser beam in a movie. In the original script, the scene had a spinning buzzsaw (as in the novel) until it was decided that such an image had become commonplace and unoriginal.
First appearance of the Q-Branch workshop and its gadget testing gags.
First film in which Bond (not a look-alike we are made to believe is Bond) appears in the pre-credits teaser.
First film to feature a title song that plays over the opening credits. From Russia with Love had a title song, but it played over the closing credits.
First opening credits sequence to show the actor playing James Bond. This is by utilizing footage from the first two James Bond films Dr. No and From Russia with Love. This technique would be repeated in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The first time an image of the actor playing James Bond would be part of the actual title sequence itself (i.e. not by way of footage edited into it) would not occur until The Spy Who Loved Me.
For a long time, this film was tied with Dr. No as the shortest James Bond movie in the EON Productions official series, with a running time of 110 minutes. Quantum of Solace is now the shortest at 106 minutes.
For the huge, Wagnerian orchestral opening to the title song, John Barry employed five trombones, four trumpets, four French horns and a tuba.
Fourth James Bond movie made and third in the EON Productions official series. Also third James Bond movie for Sean Connery playing James Bond, Bernard Lee as M and Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny whilst it was the 2nd for Desmond Llewelyn as Q.
Goldfinger wears yellow or a golden item of clothing in virtually every scene. In the one that he appears not to - in which he wears a US Army Colonel's uniform - he carries a golden revolver.
In order to simulate the sound of crumpling metal in the car compactor, sound effects editor Norman Wanstall used the sound of crumpling beer cans.
In the Ian Fleming novel, Pussy Galore is a lesbian, which is why she gives Bond the cold shoulder to start with. Her team are known as the Cement Mixers. Ian Fleming based the character of Pussy Galore on neighbor, friend and lover Blanche Blackwell. The "Pussy" name itself was derived from agent Pussy Deakin aka Livia Stela. The Pussy name is also said to have been named after Fleming's pet octopus. The octopus also inspired the title of the James Bond short story and then film Octopussy. Octopussy was also the name of a coracle given to Ian Fleming by Blanche Blackwell as a present for staying at Goldeneye.
In the original end title credits, which featured the famous "James Bond will return in..." teaser, the next film advertised was On Her Majesty's Secret Service. However, when the producers began pre-production, they were unable to secure the Swiss locations needed for the film and decided to make Thunderball instead. The end title teaser was later changed to advertise "Thunderball".
In the original James Bond novel "Goldfinger", the car driven by Bond is not an Aston Martin DB5 but an earlier model, an Aston Martin DB3. There were significantly fewer gadgets and features in this make. All James Bond had were reinforced bumper guards and a secret compartment for a Colt 45 pistol.