“Goldfinger” London Premiere Draws Huge Crowds

Oct. 31, 1964 - Only the London police, somebody remarked, seemed to underestimate the drawing power of James Bond. At the premiere of his latest adventure, “Goldfinger,” the thousands outside the theater made it extremely difficult for the invited audience to get near and the situation was resolved only when police reinforcements arrived and carved a passage through the mob.

“Goldfinger” is not only continuing the Bond success but increasing it. The Odeon Theater's first‐week record—set up by the last Bond, “From Russia with Love”—was exceeded by some $9,000, for an all‐time London cinema record take of $52,000. This, in spite of the fact that the fiIm was simultaneously having a “showcase” presentation in nine other London theaters.

At one of these, in Hammersmith, where a good average week yields $6,000, “Goldfinger” drew $30,000. The sight, rare nowadays, of noonday queues at cinemas is now common to all ten “Goldfinger” showings. The U.S. release plan for the picture is a New York opening on December 22, followed the next day by openings in 155 cities.

The Times of London called Bond No. 3 “immensely successful . . . superb hokum.” The Observer critic (despite a headline “So elegant—so vile”) declared that the Bond pictures are “the circuses of the age, made with extraordinary flair and commercial instinct and a skin‐crawling sense of the times,” adding that perhaps looking back on them in 20 years’ time we shall “realize that this was the brassy, swinging, ungallant taste that the 1960's left on the tongue.”

The Bond producers, Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, regard their own fabulous success with cool pleasure and candor. Broccoli describes the stories as “nonsense — pure entertainment. We emphasize all the way this it is completely unreal.” He adds that they will continue the Bond saga as long as the public wants it – “perhaps five or six more.”

The final titles of “Goldfinger” announce that Bond will be back soon in “Thunderball.” This is an Ian Fleming story which Broccoli and Saltzman did not buy in their block purchase It was owned by Kevin McClory, who at one time said he was going to make it with another Bond. But Sean Connery is the only possible Bond now, and so McClory will make the picture in association with the. other two producers who have, as one writer put it, “created a new mythology.” “Thunderball,” which will be shot partly in the Bahamas, will be ready next September, and already the 1966 Bond— “On Her Majesty's Secret Service”—is in preparation. The Bond pictures' budget is now approximately $3 million and each involves about a year's work. It is estimated that by the end of this year the first three will have earned $30 million.

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