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‘Goldfinger’ and the Bomb Countdown Blooper | Movie Detail Monday

Margaret Nolan Goldfinger Title Sequence
United Artists

This edition of Movie Detail Monday is in honor of the release of “No Time to Die” and Daniel Craig’s final performance as the iconic James Bond character.

As with any Bond film, there are TONS of Easter eggs and bits of trivia to report. But this one in particular from 1964’s “Goldfinger” stands out more than most: the atomic bomb countdown sequence contains a pivotal blooper.

By all accounts, the bomb was supposed to be diffused with just three seconds until detonation, giving Bond and everyone in the audience flop sweat and an anxiety-induced heart attack. Bond even says after the fact, “Three more ticks and Mr. Goldfinger would’ve hit the jackpot.”

Yet the countdown clock never hits three. We’re shown the countdown to have stopped at seven, or more specifically 0:07 (get it?). But why?

Simple. The scene would’ve been written by co-writers Richard Maibaum and Paul Dehn with as much tension and anxiety as possible–because that’s what writers do–hence the countdown clock nearly reaching detonation.

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However, a keen-eye editor in the editing suite would’ve also noticed the countdown clock hitting “0:07,” which is just too good of a coincidence to pass up.

Therefore in the final cut, the visual doesn’t jive with the audio. Had James Bond simply said “a few more ticks” as opposed to specifically “three more ticks,” this all probably would’ve gone by the wayside. Yet this is one blooper-related detail that we’re glad didn’t end up on the cutting room floor.

Check out the video for proof below.

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