This third Bond film involved a plot by the villain, Auric Goldfinger, to invade Fort Knox and contaminate the US gold reserves in order to boost the value of his own stockpile. It is widely thought to be one of the finest and iconic instalments in the franchise.
The film was responsible for one of the iconic moments in history involving Bond girl Jill Masterson who reached a rather "glittering" end. Jill was played by British actress Shirley Eaton who, although appearing in a number of successful films, will forever be remembered as "the golden girl".
However, the star of the film was, of course, Pussy Galore who was played by Honor Blackman who had, at the time, found fame as the leather-wearing high-kicking Cathy Gale in The Avengers. The name Pussy Galore caused quite a controversy and it was suggested that the name Pussy be changed to Kitty. However, it is said that the name was retained after a photo of Ms. Blackman and Prince Philip was published in the papers under the heading "The Prince & Pussy".
Pussy Galore is considered the second sexiest Bond girl (after Honey Ryder) and many people's favourite despite her being completely clothed throughout the film.
The title theme was sung by Dame Shirley Bassey and is widely considered to be as iconic as the golden girl herself. It was written by John Barry with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. Bassey's sexy growl suited the song to a tee.
The song gave Bassey her only American Top 40 hit (reaching no. 8) while in the UK the song reached no. 21.
Incidentally, Honor Blackman also had her moment in pop history when Kinky Boots, a single she recorded with her Avengers co-star, Patrick Macnee, in 1964 charted at No.5 in 1990 after being re-released. As a matter of trivia, Patrick Macnee also had a role in a Bond film (A View To A Kill) as did his co-stars Blackman, Diana Rigg and Joanna Lumley.
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