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Royal
Air Force Northolt
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Movie
Appearances - Goldfinger
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The
following screen shots are from the James Bond film, Goldfinger, which
were filmed at Northolt. The Lockheed Jetstar featured apparently arrived
on 1st May 1964 and departed the next day. Northolt has been used
for Bond films several times, partly due to it's proximity to the Pinewood
film studio's, about five miles west of the field.
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In Goldfinger,
James Bond, at this time played by Sean Connery, the airfield scenes are
supposed to be situated in 'Bluegrass', Kentucky. Initially, Bond is captured
and brought to the airfield in a Lockheed Jetstar, N711Z (c/n 5023), pictured
left taxying in at Northolt. Titles added in gold lettering near
the nose read 'Auric Enterprises Inc', the company operated by the villain,
Auric Goldfinger. The aircraft is 'piloted' by Pussy Galore', played
by Honor Blackman. For later shots(right) the aircraft was repainted
in a red scheme with a large American flag on the tail. Some similarities
remain though.
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The Jetstar
taxies into hangar 311, a banner above declaring it to be the home of 'Pussy
Galore's Flying Circus', a team of Pa28 Cherokee display pilots run by
Pussy herself. A clever piece of editing meant that the action actually
took place at two airfields, the scenes with the American registered Cherokee's
being presumably at an American airfield, whereas the Jetstar scenes were
at Northolt.
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Pussy
Galore seen standing actually at Northolt (left), then silhouetted awaiting
her team in the USA(note different ground,centre), who walk towards her
(right) back at Northolt, the old tower visible in the background.
Whether it is actually Ms Blackman in the centre shot is not known!
The
main action then takes place, the Cherokees actually being used to spray
sleeping gas over Fort Knox to allow the villains to plant a nuclear bomb
in the gold repository, the idea being to irradiate the US Gold reserves
for many years, thus causing global instability in world markets and an
increase in price of Goldfinger's own gold. Of course, Bond overcomes
them and wins the day!
Bond
is then flown out in the Jetstar, now in a red scheme with 'United States'
titles, after being saluted by an honour guard. Northolt's hanger
can be seen in the background, with two Dakotas strategically parked.
These are two of three C-47's based at the time with the 3rd AF, namely
; 0-51133, 0-77214 and 0-48913.
However,
once airborne, Goldfinger appears on the aircraft and a fight ensues, he
gets sucked out of a hole in the fuselage, Pussy and Bond parachute clear
and the aircraft crashes into the sea!
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'Controllers',
(probably in Northolt tower) watch thier screens as the Jetstar goes out
of control (left) and eventually crashes into the sea (right)
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All
images of course with credit to the film 'Goldfinger'.
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