20 Things You Didn’t Know About Moonraker (1979)

4. “Hang On, James!” “The Thought Had Occurred To Me!”

A climactic cable car fight had been been planned for On Her Majesty's Secret Service and was resurrected for Moonraker on Rio’s famous cableway between Morro da Babilônia and Morro da Urca, leading to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain.

The location was scouted in February 1978 and filming commenced in January 1979, during which stuntman, Richard Graydon (doubling for Roger Moore) nearly fell to his death over 2,000 feet below when his safety harness failed. The terrified crew, including Ken Adam watched in horror from Sugarloaf Mountain as Graydon clambered to safety. A stunt double also represented Jaws on location as, ironically, Richard Kiel was afraid of heights.

Close-ups for the cable car fight were filmed at Pinewood Studios, alongside the film’s space and miniature sequences. Stuntman, Paul Weston doubled for Kiel in leaping over a 12-foot gap between the recreated cable car gondolas using a mini-trampoline, but his landing almost shook his real metal fillings free, to say nothing of his faux Jaws teeth (an orange peel lined with tin foil).

Meanwhile, Richard Kiel savoured biting through the thick cable - despite wearing Jaws's teeth - as it was made of liquorice!

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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.