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David Downton’s Sketchbook
She loves gold! Goldfinger, the first true blockbuster James Bond movie, was released in the U.S. 60 years ago in December. The first two films in the series (Dr. No and From Russia with Love) had been successful, but with Goldfinger, the Bond formula came into its own. From the larky pre-credit sequence and Shirley Bassey’s blowtorch rendition of the title song to the movie’s quotable lines (“No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die”) and fetishistic preoccupation with guns, girls, and gadgets, Goldfinger became the prototype for everything that followed. Despite a scant few minutes on-screen, British actress Shirley Eaton has passed into legend as the movie’s emblematic golden girl—which, not coincidentally, is the title of her autobiography. The last surviving principal cast member of Goldfinger turned 88 last month.
David Downton
By David Downton

February 8, 2025

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Issue No. 291
February 8, 2025
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Issue No. 291
February 8, 2025