The 50th anniversary celebration of the James Bond movie legacy was an Oscar’s highlight to me, personified by Shirley Bassey, still sultry in her 70s, and her powerful rendition of Goldfinger, emblematic of the Bond series and of an era when the power of gold still shone.
I wrote an essay rooted in those times, “All that Glitters,” which captures my own rendezvous with the gold vault at Fort Knox and the empty promises its symbolism held for me. You can find my essay by searching at http://www.chitlit.org for the title. Below is an excerpt:
“It was a cold late October night, four years later, as I hopped off the back of a military truck, my M14 rifle was handed down, and I reported for guard duty, marching the muddy perimeter fence at a mysterious place, the fabled United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.
“A few months before, I’d completed my degree in journalism, at Bradley University. As I trudged shivering along the barbed wire-topped fence surrounding the dimly lit vault building, 50 yards over my shoulder, I could barely imagine how my own path had brought me to this odd place.
“Absentmindedly, I wondered if the inside of the nearby vault looked anything like it had been portrayed in the newest James Bond film, Goldfinger, filmed right here at Fort Knox just the year before? And, were there still mountains of 27-pound solid gold bars, some 4,600 tons worth, stacked only yards from my humble guard path, or had those billions long since been trucked away and dissipated into the world’s coffers, as had been rumored? I wondered what was true, and what was just illusion. I was so far from any answers.
“In another seven months, I’d leave Fort Knox, bringing along two very small gold bars of my own — worn on my shoulders. My little war story had begun.”
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February 25, 2013 at 11:59
John Beddall
Dear Charles,
How lovely to read again recollections of your service at Fort Knox… emerging with, “two….gold bars of my own….” a witty link to your continuing narrative.
Yes, it was glorious to see Dame Shirley still packing a punch into ‘Goldfinger’ at the age of 76. Some associated with the making of that film (said to be one of the best ‘Bonds,’) have sadly departed. Ian Fleming didn’t live to see its release although his wartime intelligence colleague and director, Guy Hamilton is still with us as well as stars Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton (The Golden Girl) and of course, Sean Connery.
It’s said that Connery’s abiding interest in golf began when he played the match against the unscrupulous villain where the exterior scenes were shot at the magnificent mansion of Stoke Park GC, conveniently situated just five miles or so from Pinewood’s “007” stage.
Meanwhile, the Second Unit was filming at Fort Knox itself but the (supposed) fortress’s interior caused some consternation amongst the US public. The simulation was seemingly so accurately convincing that the studio had to assure the public that the scenery around the bullion storage was NOT genuine! It was mocked-up at Pinewood by distinguished Art Director, Ken Adam who was AA nominated three times and won two Oscars. The second of these was for ‘The Madness of King George.’
The play upon which this was based was actually called ‘The Madness of King George III’ but the title was apparently changed as it was thought that American audiences might think it was a sequel to a sequel…a bit like ‘Rocky III.’
Adam, now into his nineties, achieved great fame creating ‘The War Room’ for Kubrick’s ‘Dr. Strangelove,’ made in 1964….which takes us neatly back to ‘Goldfinger’ and your entertaining essay.
Regards, John
February 25, 2013 at 17:53
applewoody
John: you’re full of interesting background on the Bond saga, and I appreciate learning all this. I missed the filming for Goldfinger at Ft. Knox by one year. The fort was then also the home of the Armor School, and of the George Patton Museum, with momentous of his life, including his mobile command post from WW II. I once had Bond quotations as my answering machine greeting. The whole Bond world was great escapism, at a time I really needed it. The violence seems extreme, but not so much by modern standards. Of course, modern standards are despicable. The British always seem to do well at the Oscars, probably because they, or at least some, seem to exude a sense of style that is often absent from we Americanos.
Cheers,
Chuck