Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965)
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Synopsis
A parody of the highly successful James Bond entry "Goldfinger",
"Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine" finds Vincent Price
as the titular mad scientist
who, with the questionable assistance of his resurrected
flunky Mullaney, builds a gang of female robots who are
then dispatched to seduce and rob wealthy men.
Robot #11/Diane
(Susan Hart) is sent after millionaire Todd Armstrong
(Dwayne Hickman).
Frankie Avalon portrays bumbling SIC (Special
Intelligence Command) agent Craig Gamble, who is charged
with solving the crimes that Dr. Goldfoot is perpetrating.
"Igor, you
idiot, why must you listen to me when I'm WRONG?" -
Dr. Goldfoot
Vital Statistics
Studio: American International Pictures (AIP)
Running Time: 88 minutes
Release Date: 6th November 1965
Budget: N/A
Box-Office (Domestic): N/A |
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Cast & Characters
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Vincent Price
Dr. Goldfoot |
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Susan Hart
Robot #11 (Diane) |
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Frankie Avalon
Craig Gamble |
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Dwayne Hickman
Todd Armstrong |
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Locations
San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California,
USA; San Francisco, California, USA
Trivia
Vincent Price returned for the 1966 sequel,
"Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs", directed by Mario Bava and
produced in Italy. These films, particularly the idea for the "fembots",
were a major inspiration for Mike Myers in the 1997 spy spoof
Austin
Powers: International Man of Mystery.
Title
Goldfoot's name reflects his and his robots'
choice in footwear. In Britain this film was released as "Dr. G. and the Bikini Machine" due
to legal action by a London-based Doctor Goldfoot.
A poster tagline read: "This is a Bikini
Machine - order your '66 model now! ...manufactured by the evil
Dr. Goldfoot with Kiss-Button... Kill-Button and of course the
Mystery Button. All new parts (some parts!) tested, approved
and ready to go-go-go!"
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Producer James H. Nicholson first laid eyes on female star
Susan Hart (above) when production on Goldfoot began, and
by all accounts it was love at first sight.
Before long he divorced his wife and the two were married.
Hart retired from acting. |
The Bond Connection
Goldfoot is an unsubtle spoof on the title "Goldfinger",
the James Bond movie that smashed box-records a year previous.
At the time of release, a television special
was also named to echo a Thunderball promotion.
The film itself hit theaters one month before Thunderball in
order
to
maximise box-office from spy-fi fever and the anticipation
of Connery's routh outing as 007.
Above: Vincent Price as Dr. Goldfoot |
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Production Notes
Despite its low production values, the film has
achieved a certain cult status for the appearance of Price
and other AIP Beach Party film alumni, its in-jokes and
over-the-top sexism, the claymation title sequence designed
by Art Clokey, and a title song performed by The Supremes.
The original title was "Dr. Goldfoot and His Bikini
Machine", and while the title was changed to "the" rather
than "his", the song still reflects the original
title.
Vincent Price stated in a 1987 interview
that the original script was a camp musical, comparing
it to Little Shop
of Horrors. Price stated, "It could have been fun,
but they cut all the music out," though he is not
clear whether the footage was actually shot or the idea
was abandoned during production. An AIP Television special
that appeared on Shindig! in November 1965 called "The
Wild Weird World of Dr. Goldfoot" featured many songs that
may
have been cut from the cinema release. |
The title of the television show may have been
inspired by the November 1965 The Incredible World of James Bond
designed to give publicity to the upcoming release of Thunderball.
The film's climax is an extended car-bike-cable
car-boat-on-wheels chase through the streets of San Francisco,
and the film is notable for its scenic photography of the city.
The cablecar scene was filmed at the West Portal tunnel.
Above: Mary Hughes and Salli Sachse as Dr. Goldfoot's
bikini-clad robots
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