20 Things You Didn’t Know About Goldfinger (1964)

6. “Where’s Your Butler Friend?” “Oh, He Blew A Fuse!"

Goldfinger, James Bond
MGM

Milton Reid, who previously had a speaking role as a henchman during the dinner scene in Dr. No, lobbied hard to portray Oddjob in Goldfinger.

When he learned that Japanese-American professional wrestler, Harold “Tosh Togo” Sakata had been cast, he suggested a wrestling match to determine which of them should appear in the film. However, the producers had deliberately not chosen Reid because of his earlier appearance in the franchise; therefore, the wrestling match never took place.

Reid later appeared as a temple guard in the Bond spoof, Casino Royale (1967) and returned to the franchise as Stromberg’s (Curd Jürgens's) henchman, Sandor in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).

Harold Sakata was determined to get Oddjob’s death scene right when James Bond electrocutes him in the vaults of the Fort Knox gold depository. The wrestler-turned-actor was badly burnt by the fireworks representing the electricity flowing through Oddjob’s lethal bowler hat, but kept acting until Guy Hamilton called cut on the scene.

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I started writing for WhatCulture in July 2020. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I have contributed to several short story competitions and I have occasionally been fortunate enough to have my work published. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I also started reviewing films on my Facebook page. Numerous friends and contacts suggested that I should start my own website for reviewing films, but I wanted something a bit more diverse - and so here I am! My interests focus on film and television mainly, but I also occasionally produce articles that venture into other areas as well. In particular, I am a fan of the under appreciated sequel (of which there are many), but I also like the classics and the mainstream too.