50th Anniversary of Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

By: Anders Frejdh

Published:
2021-12-17

On this day in Bond history, Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Sean Connery's sixth film as Ian Fleming's James Bond, premiered at cinemas 45 years ago. Diamonds Are Forever was first released in USA on 17th December 1971. The Swedish premiere took place on 20th December 1971. In the UK, the film premiered on 30th December the same year.

Blofeld holds the world to ransom with his diamond-powered laser satellite orbiting in space.

This film was directed by Guy Hamilton (his second Bond at the helm).

For anecdotes from the filming, read our interview with Bruce Glover and part I of our interview with Putter Smith, aka Mr Wint and Mr Kidd.

Be sure to also check out our interview with Lana Wood and interview with Terence Mountain.

Production notes (Source: MGM / Eon Productions)
• 1 May 1971: Shooting began at the Techtronics Plant (actually Johns Manville Gypsum Plant)
• 13 May 1971: Guy Hamilton shot the craps game with the infamous Plenty O'Toole
• 19 May 1971: Shooting began on Bambi & Thumper's fight with Bond
• 27 May 1971: Hamilton shot Bond and Tiffany Case's confrontation with Blofeld on the oil rig
• 17 Jun 1971: Shooting began on the pre-credits sequence in which Bond kills the fake Blofeld
• 22 Jun 1971: Lois Maxwell shot her scene in which she poses as an immigration official
• 28 Jun 1971: Jill St. John was shooting Tiffany Case’s switching of the tapes
• 8 Jul 1971: Sean Connery filmed the scene in which Bond is nearly burned alive in a coffin
• 20 Jul 1971: Guy Hamilton filmed the scene in which Bond steals the moon buggy
• 24 Jul 1971: The pre-title scene in which Bond strangles Marie with her own bikini was shot
• 26 Jul 1971: Shooting began on the fight in the lift between Bond and Peter Franks
• 13 Aug 1971: Sean Connery finished shooting DAF, his last official Bond film
• 6 Sep 1971: Shooting was completed on the film

A selection of filming locations for Diamonds Are Forever:
• Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, Oceanside, California, USA (Blofeld's Oil Rig lair)
• Chatham Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent, England
• Circus Circus Casino, 2880 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (James Bond and Tiffany Case at Casino with trapeze artists)
• Coastal waters, Oceanside, California, USA (Blofeld's Oil Rig Lair)
• Customs Section, Dover Ferry Terminal, Dover, Kent, England (Bond becomes Peter Franks)
• Elrod House, 2175 Southridge Drive, Palm Springs, California, USA (Willard Whyte's Winter Villa Desert House)
• Frankfurt Airport, Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany
• Fremont Street, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (car chase - downtown Las Vegas)
• Highway 10, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (The Slumber Mortuary)
• Hover Port, Dover, Kent, England (hovercraft scenes)
• International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (The Whyte House Casino)
• John Mansville Gypsum Plant, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (Whyte Techtronics missillaboratorie)
• Landmark Hotel, Convention Center Drive and Paradise Road, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (exterior elevator scenes - now demolished)
• Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, 3000 S. Paradise Road, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (Willard Whyte's Whyte House)
• Las Vegas Visitors Bureau, Highway 10, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (The Slumber Mortuary)
• Los Angeles International Airport, 1 World Way, Los Angeles, California, USA
• Magere Brug, Centrum, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (Body dragged from canal)
• McCarran International Airport, 5757 Wayne Newton Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
• Nevada Desert, Nevada, USA (Desert scenes)
• Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England (studio)
• Reguliersgracht 36, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (Tiffany Case's Dutch Apartment)
• Riviera Hotel & Casino, 2901 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (Casino Interiors - James Bond meets Plenty O'Toole and wins 50,000 USD)
• Skinny Bridge, Amstel River, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (Body dragged from canal)
• The Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (car chase)
• Tropicana Hotel & Casino, 3801 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (Bond's hotel in Las Vegas)
• Universal Studios Parking Lot, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA (car chase)
• Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California, USA (Satellite Launch)

Vehicles used during the filming: (Source: BMT 216A: The James Bond Vehicle Library)
• Bell 206 Jet Ranger
• Cadillac hearse - 1968
• Ford Custom 1969
• Ford Custom 1970
• Ford Custom 500 sedan 1971
• Ford Econoline Van 1971
• Ford Mustang Mach 1
• Ford Thunderbird
• Honda ATC 90
• Hughes 500/OH-6A Cayuse
• Triumph Stag

A selection of the cast and crew from Diamonds Are Forever:

>Albert R. Broccoli (producer)
>Bruce Glover (actor)
>Desmond Llewelyn (actor)
>Don Black (lyricist of "Diamonds Are Forever")
>Doug Robinson (stuntman)
>George Leech (stuntman)
>Guy Hamilton (director)
>Harry Saltzman (producer)
>Jennifer Castle (actress)
>Joe Robinson (actor)
>John Barry (soundtrack composer)
>Ken Adam (production designer)
>Lana Wood (actress)
>Lois Maxwell (actress)
>Monty Norman (composer of the James Bond theme)
>Nosher Powell (stuntman)
>Pat Gill (actress)
>Putter Smith (actor)
>Richard Maibaum (screenwriter)
>Rocky Taylor (stuntman)
>Sean Connery (actor)
>Shirley Bassey (singer of the title song)
>Sid Haig (actor)
>Terence Mountain (actor)
>Tom Mankiewicz (screenwriter)
>Trina Parks (actress)

United Artists, Harry Saltzman & Albert R. Broccoli present Ian Fleming's James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever:

Photo above:
The original Swedish film poster for Diamonds Are Forever (1971) from FSWL's private collection.

Read more about the film Diamonds Are Forever on MGM's official website:

www.mgm.com/#/our-titles/529/Diamonds-Are-Forever

Tags:

#anniversaries

#diamonds_are_forever

#film_anniversaries

#guy_hamilton

#mgm

#on_the_tracks_of_007

#sean_connery

#sean_connery_james_bond_films

#trina_parks

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50th Anniversary of Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

United Artists, Harry Saltzman & Albert R. Broccoli present Ian Fleming's James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever:

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