20 Things You Didn’t Know About On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

8. “He’s Branched Off!”

The filmmakers wanted to shoot the climactic bobsleigh chase between Double-0 Seven and Blofeld on St. Mortiz's Cresta Run in Switzerland, but there were too many spectators.

Instead, they commissioned bobsleigh champion, Franz Capose to construct a two-mile track on a hazardous former bobsleigh run near Mürren, supervised by John Glen. However, the ice constantly melted due to mild weather, requiring more to be imported from Bern, Switzerland, 80 miles away.

Bobsleigh champion Heinz Leu doubled for George Lazenby, whilst Olympic skier, Robert Zimmerman represented Telly Savalas, filmed by former Olympic downhill skier, Willy Bogner, Jr.

Leu was thrown backwards on a sharp corner and Zimmerman collided with his own bobsleigh, requiring stitches inside his mouth, but returned to the set mere hours later. Leu was then accidentally blown off the track by a hand grenade, but his bobsleigh bore the brunt of the explosion.

Glen did not tempt fate when stuntman, Joe Powell’s first attempt at capturing Blofeld’s fate saw him collide with a tree due to a faulty harness. Instead, the stunt was filmed by Telly Savalas at Pinewood Studios against background footage that Bogner had captured by skiing backwards down the bobsleigh run.

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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.