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

19. “Place Him Where He Can Be Assured Of Warmth.”

Moonraker Roger Moore 1979
MGM/UA

Although screenwriter, Tom Mankiewicz had officially departed from the Bond franchise after The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), he contributed ideas for both The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker.

Recalling the “hoods’ convention” in Goldfinger (1964), Lewis Gilbert filmed Drax meeting his financial partners in the blast pit beneath Moonraker Five in his jungle lair; however, this was removed for time and pacing reasons. Nevertheless, the idea of Drax leaving Double-0 Seven and his leading lady trapped with the Moonraker immediately before it launches was adapted directly from Ian Fleming’s 1955 novel.

Gilbert also filmed James Bond and Dr. Holly Goodhead walking through a zero gravity meditation chamber onboard Drax’s orbiting space station, which was cut for similar reasons. However, Topps released images of the scene in a trading card set promoting the release of Moonraker.

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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.