Allies
Felix Leiter – Cec Linder
Felix Leiter returns again this time to brief James Bond in Miami on his next target: Auric Goldfinger. Bond is to quietly observe Mr. Goldfinger and see what he does.
Leiter turns up later in the film with his partner to keep an eye on the homer beacon Bond has and also on Bond himself in Kentucky. Leiter wishes him well at the end of the film, when Bond leaves to have lunch at the White House.
Memorable lines:
“I thought I’d find you in good hands.”
“I told the stewardess liquor for three.”
Colonel Smithers – Richard Vernon
Colonel Smithers is a very professional bank executive who briefs James Bond and M on the past of Auric Goldfinger and gold itself over dinner. He loans Bond a valuable gold bar recovered from a Nazi hoard, providing that Bond returns it naturally.
Hawker – Gerry Duggan
Hawker is the caddy that attends the match between Auric Goldfinger and James Bond. He notices some odd moves by Goldfinger during the game and eagerly watches when Bond puts his wily plan into action against him.
Memorable lines:
“If that’s his original ball, I’m Arnold Palmer.”
Villians
Auric Goldfinger – Gert Frobe
Auric Goldfinger is one of the most notorious James Bond villains ever. He is a strong enemy against Bond, with his colossal plan to bomb Fort Knox to increase the wealth of his own gold supply many, many times. He loves gold, the color, the appearance of it captivating him, he tells Bond. He goes into any venture to increase his control and ownership of it, even engaging Bond in a game of golf for a bar.
He has little regard for human life, as accomplishing his plan for Fort Knox means that thousands of people will die. By using a bomb on Fort Knox, it renders the gold there radioactive, plunging the economy into chaos, and making him several times richer than he already was.
He operates out of many places, but his Auric Stud in Kentucky is where his operations for ‘Grand Slam’ take place. He dies when he is sucked out of a broken plane window during a battle with Bond.
Memorable lines:
“No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!”
Oddjob – Harold Sakata
Sporting a bowler hat, Oddjob is one of the most famous henchmen in the entire series. His diminutive size is nothing when it comes to the massive amounts of power he has. Being a mute Korean servant to Goldfinger, he carries out any plan his master wishes, such as painting the entire body of Jill Masterson gold, tracking down Bond and Tilly, killing the later and then finally battling Bond. His loyalty is unquestioned when it is shown he remains in the vault to stop Bond, with his deadly steel-rimmed bowler hat.
As the name suggests, he does whatever his master wishes, and works also as the personal driver, and naturally, assassin for Goldfinger. He comes to an end when he grabs a hold of his hat wedged between the bars of the vault, triggering an electric shock from James Bond.
Mr. Ling – Burt Kwouk
Mr. Ling is a Chinese agent who is very adept in knowledge about nuclear fission. His government sends Goldfinger a bomb to use in Operation Grand Slam. He works along side Goldfinger, arming the bomb on the final day. However, he is shot by Goldfinger when things start to turn to the worse and American troops arrive.
Kisch – Michael Mellinger
Kisch is a lesser servant to Goldfinger, helping him out primarily at the Auric Stud. He, under orders, triggers the deadly Delta 9 nerve gas that kills the Hoods at the convention and then comes along to Fort Knox for the operation.
He gets locked inside the vault with Oddjob, and does not intend to merely stay there, waiting to die. Sensing his disloyalty, Oddjob throws him over the railing to his death.
Memorable lines:
“You can be a hero, I’m not!”
Capungo & Bonita – Alf Joint & Nadja Regin
These two take on Bond in the precredits sequence. Bonita distracts James Bond with her great beauty, but Bond quickly uses her as defense as Capungo is about to get a hit on him. A fight ensues, with Capungo killed in the bath tub, and Bonita left on the floor with a sore head. Shocking.
Girls
Bonita – Nadja Regin
A treacherous dancer who lures Bond into a trap, the beautiful Bonita gets herself swung into the action when Bond realizes her deceit against him.
Jill Masterson – Shirley Eaton
Jill Masteron is Auric Goldfinger’s assistant in cheating at cards. Bond first sees her in a skimpy black bikini, playfully arching her leg and staring down from a hotel suite. She immediately takes a liking to him, and doesn’t protest when he sabotages the well set-up plan of Goldfinger’s.
After making love, Bond is knocked out while going to get a bottle of wine and wakes up to see her entire body covered in gold paint, dead.
Memorable lines:
“I’m beginning to like you Mr. Bond.”
Tilly Masterson – Tania Mallet
Tilly Masterson is the revenge seeking sister of Jill, out to kill Auric Goldfinger. She encounters Bond when she nearly shoots him from a high hilltop. After running her off the road, and then innocently assisting her, he finds out as much about her as he can.
Later on they meet again at Goldfinger’s warehouse. Being chased, they try to escape in Bond’s Aston Martin, but Tilly eventually dies as a result of Oddjob’s steel-brimmed hat.
Memorable lines:
“I wasn’t! I was shooting at him.”
Pussy Galore – Honor Blackman
Pussy Galore is the head of the Flying Circus and Mr. Goldfinger’s personal pilot. Bond awakes to see her face staring down at him, and his usually effective charming personality doesn’t penetrate her at first.
Later on in Kentucky, they ‘play’ in the barn, as Bond convinces her of the insanity of Goldfinger’s plan. Switching the deadly nerve gas canisters, she later on escapes with Bond from the crashing plane, and they finally get some time to relax.
Memorable lines:
“My name is Pussy Galore.”
“I’m a damn good pilot. Period.”
Mei-Lei – Mai Ling
One of the assistants to Pussy Galore on Auric Goldfinger’s private jet, Mei-Lei offers Bond a drink and the bathroom as a changing room before they arrive.
She tries to keep an eye on him while he’s in the other room, but Bond outsmarts her both times.
Gadgets
Walther PPK – (Dr. No – Tomorrow Never Dies)
The Walther PPK is first issued to James Bond in Dr. No by Major Boothroyd, when his Beretta is taken away. It delivers shots like a brick through a plate-glass window and has excellent stopping power. It has saved the life of James Bond on many of his missions and has been used to stop several of his main adversaries.
Bond has lost the PPK on numerous missions, always getting a new replacement from Q Branch. Professor Dent is the first unlucky victim of the powerful handgun in the famous scene in Dr. No.
The Walther PPK is 7.65mm and carries six rounds.
Homer –
The small-sized homers were used for surveillance throughout the mission. Activated by sliding one side of them, they tracked Goldfinger throughout the film. The smaller of the two was magnetic and could be concealed in the bottom of Bond’s shoe, allowing Felix Leiter to keep an eye on him. The dashboard in Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, a small map showed the whereabouts.
Bowler Hat –
The classic hat adorned by Oddjob throughout the film, it was discovered to be one of the most lethal gadgets in the series. Hidden inside the brim of the hat was a magnificently sharp razor edged steel plate that could cut through stone and sever the necks of intended victims.
The hat is demonstrated early on at the golf club and then is later used to bring a downfall to Tilly Masterson.
Industrial Laser –
Goldfinger’s powerful laser could “project a spot on the moon, or at closer range, cut through solid metal.” The gadget was used in the famous scene to slowly move towards Bond’s genitals while he was speaking with Goldfinger.
Later in the film, the laser is aboard one of the trucks that are used to break into Fort Knox. It is used to cut open the steel doors at the facility.
Goldfinger’s Bomb –
Given to Goldfinger by Mr. Ling, the bomb was of integral use to him during the final plan at Fort Knox. Enclosed in a box approximately six feet long, the bomb could be wheeled into position. Upon detonation, it would render all of the gold in Fort Knox radioactive for 58 years, creating mayhem for the US economy and increasing the value of Goldfinger’s gold many times.
Bond comes to the rescue with the help of his allies and stops the catastrophic weapon with only “007” seconds left on the clock.
Seagull Snorkel Device –
While used only briefly during the precredits sequence of the film, this odd gadget is useful for allowing Bond to impersonate a seagull on the water – thus keeping out of sight of possible enemies.
Quotes
Bond: Shocking. Positively shocking.
Bond: Goldfinger…sounds like a French nail varnish.
Jill: I’m beginning to like you Mr. Bond.
Bond: My dear girl, there are some things that just aren't done, such as drinking Dom Perignon '53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That's as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs.
Hawker: If that's his original ball, I'm Arnold Palmer.
James Bond: It isn't.
Hawker: How do you know?
Bond: Because I'm standing on it.
Q: Now this one I'm particularly keen about. You see the gear lever here? Now,
if you take the top off, you will find a little red button. Whatever you do,
don't touch it.
Bond: Yeah, why not?
Q: Because you'll release this section of the roof, and engage and then fire
the passenger ejector seat.
Bond: Ejector seat? You're joking!
Q: I never joke about my work, 007.
Bond: I think you made your point. Thank you for the demonstration.
Goldfinger: Choose your next witticism carefully Mr. Bond, it may be your last.
Bond: Do you expect me to talk?
Goldfinger: No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!
Pussy: My name is Pussy Galore.
Bond: I must be dreaming.
Goldfinger: Man has climbed Mount Everest, gone to the bottom of the ocean. He's fired rockets at the Moon, split the atom, achieved miracles in every field of human endeavor... except crime!
Bond: You know he kills little girls like you.
Pussy: Little boys too.
Bond: You'll kill 60,000 people uselessly.
Goldfinger: American motorists kill that many in two years.
Bond: Special plane, lunch at the White House…how come?
Leiter: The President wants to thank you personally.
Bond: Oh, it was nothing really.
Leiter: I know that, but he doesn't.
Bond: I suppose I'll be able to get a drink here.
Leiter: I told the stewardess liquor for three.
Bond: Who are the other two?
Leiter: Oh, there are no other two.
Bond: This is no time to be rescued.
Last Updated - 02/13/2005