96 replies to this topic

[Paul Parker]

This afternoon I watched an old British film 'Blue Murder at St. Trinians' that featured amongst others the well known British comedian and 'cad' Terry Thomas.

The interesting thing was that his character (a coach operator) had a series of pictures on his office wall that were in fact shots of Pierre Levegh at the fateful 1955 Le Mans in the 300SLR, these purporting to be of the character in his youth!

Question, how many other films have featured this kind of period racing material as backdrop.

[RTH]

This put me in mind of another Terry Thomas film "School for Scoundrels " - 1960 with Ian Carmichael and Janette Scott,
Denis Price and Peter Jones as dishonest high street used car dealers tried to pass off some terrible old open tourer ( somewhat visually altered for the film) they called a 1924 4 litre Swiftmobile , as a race winner to Ian Carmichael's character while Terry Thomas drove about in what looked like a late 50's Aston Martin or Lagonda sportscar with a rear 'hump' grafted on to the tail , under a ficticious 'Italian' name - a 3.6 litre 'Berlini'

It all ended up with our hero getting the girl.......as delightfully, films used to do in those days !

[MCS]

Yes, I noticed that Channel 4 showed all of the St Trinians films this week...

BUT WHY ?!!!

All the kids are back at school for goodness sake...and most of us bigger ones are back at work dammit

Mark

[917]

"Rear window" (director Alfred Hitchcock) with James Stewart as a professional photographer who was injured photographing a racing accident.

[Ruairidh]

Originally posted by RTH
This put me in mind of another Terry Thomas film "School for Scoundrels " - 1960 with Ian Carmichael and Janette Scott,
Denis Price and Peter Jones as dishonest high street used car dealers tried to pass off some terrible old open tourer ( somewhat visually altered for the film) they called a 1924 4 litre Swiftmobile , as a race winner to Ian Carmichael's character while Terry Thomas drove about in what looked like a late 50's Aston Martin or Lagonda sportscar with a rear 'hump' grafted on to the tail , under a ficticious 'Italian' name - a 3.6 litre 'Berlini'

It all ended up with our hero getting the girl.......as delightfully, films used to do in those days !

One of my all time fave movies (well, I never claimed to have any taste)

[MCS]

Yes, I remember School for Scoundrels well - great film

And based on Stephen Potter's book "One Upmanship" I believe. Now that was a good read too.

Mark

[Richard Neale]

If I remember correctly the Berlini was a Lagonda. Ex Le Mans or MM car.

[RTH]

I think you are probably right it does look very much like the cars they used in the 1956 film "Checkpoint" when they took part in the Mille Miglia as "Warren Ingrams " which was all done in co-operation with Aston Martin.

[Richard Neale]

'Checkpoint' ! Another classic British Film !!!!

[Macca]

The sportscar in 'School for Scoundrels' was an Aston DB3S with a strange hump tacked on by the fil company - I've seen something somewhere or other with the c/n.

The cars in 'Checkpoint' were indeed the Lagonda V12s, David Brown's unsuccessful pets. About 20 years ago there was an article about them in C&SC, and they still both exist......but haven't been seen since AFAIK.

They're on my list of 'cars to see & hear', together with (of course) anything with a Martin V8, a Ferrari 1512, 1968 Honda air-cooled V8, and Climax Flat-16.


Paul M

[ian senior]

Originally posted by Macca
The sportscar in 'School for Scoundrels' was an Aston DB3S with a strange hump tacked on by the fil company - I've seen something somewhere or other with the c/n.

The cars in 'Checkpoint' were indeed the Lagonda V12s, David Brown's unsuccessful pets. About 20 years ago there was an article about them in C&SC, and they still both exist......but haven't been seen since AFAIK.

They're on my list of 'cars to see & hear', together with (of course) anything with a Martin V8, a Ferrari 1512, 1968 Honda air-cooled V8, and Climax Flat-16.


Paul M

Glad you confirmed this, Paul. I thought it was a DB3S, but didn't want to say so in case I was wrong and made an ass of myself.

Did Aston supply the car with a road-tune engine for film use? Did they make any other mods to make it more acceptable for the likes of TT to drive? And who paid for the bodywork damage when he crunched the rear end in a fit of pique?

Great film that, by the way. Love it to bits. And some other nice cars in it too, especially the Austin Healey acquired by the hero in exchange for the Swiftmobile when Peter Jones and Denis Price were made aware of its "racing heritage".

[RTH]

Originally posted by ian senior


........... And who paid for the bodywork damage when he crunched the rear end in a fit of pique?

Great film that, by the way. Love it to bits. And some other nice cars in it too, especially the Austin Healey acquired by the hero in exchange for the Swiftmobile when Peter Jones and Denis Price were made aware of its "racing heritage".

I've cheated here by pulling the film out and having a look at it before posting, but if you look carefully the only bit of the car damaged was the 'hump' they fitted on themselves at the extreme rear of the car, + tying on a spare loose silencer with string to rub on the road, - films had sensible budgets in those days (so they could make ten times as many ) and damaging real cars was just not an option ! ......It's still a great film to watch today !

Anyone familiar with "The Green Helmet " 1961, - Bill Travers, Ed Begley, Sid James, Ursula Jeans & Meg Jenkins

Sportscars again Lister ? or some variant this time Sebring, Le Mans, & Mille Miglia again.

Sid James designs & builds the car in a wayside country garage Ed Begley (father of Ed Begley jnr who was in St. Elsewhere ) sponsored the team and brought his new tyres over from USA and Bill Travers was the racing driver following in his own fathers footsteps on the 1000 miler.

Some great shots going round Silverstone on a test day in 1961. Its an MGM film and seldom if ever shown on UK terestrial for some reason, still good to watch though.

[rl1856]

I can think of a few.

Elvis Presley- Viva Las Vegas. Climax of the movie is a road race with plenty of vintage sports cars. Assorted Ferrari's, Jag D types, Lotus 19, Cooper Monaco, and one of the Old Yaller's !!

Elvis also made another sportscar themed movie (Spinout) that again featured numerious period sports racing cars.

First Herbie the Love Bug movie- climax is a road race featureing Herbie against a Ferrari coupe.

Gumball Ralley- this was a mid 70's movie designed to capitalize on the legendary CannonBall Run- US Coast to Coast race. The main characters drive a Ferrari Daytona spyder and a Cobra 427 S/C respectively , at high speed, accross the US. A pair of minor characters (a pr of eccentric englishman, who sip brandy the entire way) drive a very nice 300sl roadster.

Alfred Hitchcock's "The Bird's". Main Character drives an Aston Martin DB3. AH's "Vertigo" Female lead drives a very nice Jaguar MK-IX.

Best,

Rsos

[petefenelon]

Don Siegel's "The Killers" is fairly naff, but has some interesting early-sixties sports car racing background to it. And Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager acting Ronnie Reagan off the screen ;)

[Alan Cox]

In "The Fast Lady", Leslie Phillips is a car dealer, and on the back wall of his office there are a number of period photos purporting to be of him during his racing career.

Regarding the "Checkpoint" film, see the recent James Robertson Justice thread.

[Stephen W]

Does anyone know if the GREEN HELMET is available on Video or DVD?

A lot of the shots were taken in Wales if memory serves. One of the better motor racing films which I haven't seen for years!

[Macca]

I've never seen 'The Green Helmet', so I can't say if it was shot in Wales - but I do know that the closing scenes in 'Checkpoint' were shot in North Wales, and the car and Stanley Baker fell into Llanberis Lake, I believe.

If you find the thread called "I'm afraid she's got a bad case of celluloid", there's a lot of stuff there.


Paul M

[Patrick Fletcher]

Originally posted by Stephen W
Does anyone know if the GREEN HELMET is available on Video or DVD?

A lot of the shots were taken in Wales if memory serves. One of the better motor racing films which I haven't seen for years!

I have made inquries from ABC and others but it seems The Green Helmet has been lost - I am sure DCN will know if there is a survivor.

[RTH]

"The Green Helmet" 1961 British made film funded and owned by MGM the Italian scenes were filmed in Portmeirion, 88 min, B&W, producer Charles Francis Vetter, directed by Michael Forlong, from the 1957 novel by Jon Cleary.

10 years ago on the analogue TNT satellite channel this film was frequently broadcast, I believe Ted Turners broadcasting empire and the MGM back catalogue he owned became divided.

Now the old film channel is called TCM (Turner Classic Movies) and is on Sky 327 digital according to the TCM listings website the film is next due for screening on Monday October 3rd 05 at 5.00 pm.

This is not a film that has ever been made available commercially on VHS or DVD.

Pity I would have liked a clean sharp DVD copy of it myself , - anyone got any contacts to get them to do it ?

Gary C where are you !

[Patrice L'Rodent]

Quote rl1856.... "Alfred Hitchcock's "The Bird's". Main Character drives an Aston Martin DB3".

I'm pretty sure the car driven by Tippy Hedren in 'The Birds' was actually a DB2 as can be seen here
www.ozemail.com.au/ ~puckett/images/aston.jpg

In the 90's movie 'Widows Peak' the heroine drives a delightful prewar Aston Martin tourer

PDR

[RS2000]

One of the magazines had an item a few years ago about the DB3S in School for Scoundrels (a bit before my time I'm afraid). Did it end up owned by someone who was killed in it at a sprint in Gosport - or am I on totally the wrong track?
I am trying to find what became of the 1958 Shell film "Coupe des Alpes". It was later used as a test film in early UK colour TV transmissions. Some extracts were in the rallying edition of the TV series "The Power and the Glory". The Shell film archive was dispersed some years ago. It was quite a "landmark" rally film despite some sequences being staged (with Denis Jenkinson driving the camera car?). I've never seen it listed on video/DVD.

[bradbury west]

The so called Swiftmobile was, I bel;ieve, a 3 litre Bentley, suitably remodelled for the film.

IOt was owned, post-filming, by Neil Twyman's father, Neil the eminent Potters Bar Ferrari/pre war Alfa restoration specialist and Goodwood regular.

Neil restored the car back to its correct body and mechanical spec and the car was sold at auction in the last 15/18 months, achieving circa £100,000K.

There is a good write up in one of the classic comics.


"Green Helmet" is regularly on TCM, almost ineviatably on some sort of repetitive loop, if you scan the TV pages, usually around 6am, so if you have a friend with the relevant satellite techno bits they could record it for you.

For something else, look out for Red Line 7000, early? 60s US stock car racing with James Caan, with some good period action, plus the inevitable baddies get their deserts bits.

Also see Winning, with Paul Newman, plus his wife, in the lavender Holman and Moody Honker from 1967. This was Mario Andretti's least liked, or most detested car. It han Newman's name on it for Mario, who suggested that Newman drive it and Mario put his own name on the car. Mr Roebuck will tell the story. Still, plenty of period Can-Am shots



Happy viewing

Roger Lund.

[petefenelon]

Anyone worked out where they filmed "The Race", the Goodies episode where they enter the Le Mans 24 Hours?

(It's definitely a bleak-looking British circuit, bits look rather Silverstone-ish.)

[bradbury west]

Re the film Winning; Sorry to confuse anyone. Memory playing tricks. I fear that the Honker only appears in the opening parts of the film, where Newman is stroking to a Can Am victory.

Apologies

Roger Lund

[Henk Vasmel]

I have checked my database for Aston Martins, looking for film cars, and I found 3:

Aston Martin DB3S/115 - 88HME, for the film Checkpoint
Aston Martin DB3S/5 - PAP625, for the film School for Scoundrels. This one was originally 9046H and has also been JAN800. It has a Le Mans and Mille Miglia history (as 9046H)
Aston Martin DB5 "DP/216/1 - 400/P/4" - BMT216A. I think I better let you guess what film it was in.
If you are desperate to find out, try looking at www.vasmel.com, my website with license plate info. All this info (that I have elsewhere too of course) has been copied from there to show you how useful this site is. (End of Advertisement ;-))

Kind Regards,

Henk Vasmel

[dolomite]

Originally posted by petefenelon
Anyone worked out where they filmed "The Race", the Goodies episode where they enter the Le Mans 24 Hours?

(It's definitely a bleak-looking British circuit, bits look rather Silverstone-ish.)

Funnily enough I've just obtained a copy of that one recently, via one of those naughty file sharing thingys. Looks a bit like Snetterton to me, at least in some places?

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by dolomite


Funnily enough I've just obtained a copy of that one recently, via one of those naughty file sharing thingys. Looks a bit like Snetterton to me, at least in some places?

Possibly - could've been the old long circuit at Snetterton. But in a couple of places there were grandstands that looked very much like the ones at Woodcote at Silverstone... They were using the pit straight of wherever it was in reverse if you watch the grid markings, I noticed that!

[Patrice L'Rodent]

Quote Bradbury West .........."For something else, look out for Red Line 7000,"

What I loved about that movie was that 7,000 rpm was perfectly safe all day, but at 7001rpm the engine detonated with the ferocity of a Claymore mine scattering shrapnel and fluids all over the track.
Gee, I hope they had accurate tachos ;)
PDR

PS, The Aston Martin in Widows Peak looked like this car (IIRC) http://www.classicdr...708874/biga.jpg

[bradbury west]

Saturday 9pmUK

You have just missed, so have I, Elvis Presley on TCM in Speedway where he is a stockcar racer pursued by the attractive Nancy Sinatra as a tax inspector. Apparenmtly they hit it off well in real life, but she say NO at the appropriate time, and they remained friends for ever..........

Wednesday night/Thurs am 12.05am ITV1 Winning , the Newman film, some good filmshots plus Mr Newman's ever delightful wife Joanne Woodward.

and, WAIT FOR IT.............

FRIDAY....

Channel 4 12.35pm

School for Scoundrels, complete with Swiftmobile.


Good viewing


Roger Lund.

[RTH]

Whilst on the subject of TV schedules.

Tomorrow Monday 24 Jan.

"Massive Engines" Ch. 5 8.00 - 9.00 pm - the development of the racing car engine


Tuesday 10.45 - 11.45 pm

" Monte Carlo Rally review " on Eurosport - likely to be rather better than ITV's offering this afternoon Sunday, at 3.30pm

[Pete Stowe]

Originally posted by bradbury west

Also see Winning, with Paul Newman, plus his wife, in the lavender Holman and Moody Honker from 1967. This was Mario Andretti's least liked, or most detested car. It han Newman's name on it for Mario, who suggested that Newman drive it and Mario put his own name on the car. Mr Roebuck will tell the story. Still, plenty of period Can-Am shots
Roger Lund.

Surely it was not the Honker, but a McKee that Newman used in "Winning" (a 1967 Mk 7, re-bodied in 1968 with a wedge shaped body, then in 1969 fitted with Twin-turbo engine & raced in CanAm by Joe Leonard)

[bradbury west]

Re Pete Stowe's note about ther Honker and McKee

Please see my earlier retraction about that. Memory playing tricks. I have looked at the start fo the film and I am sure the lavender car is the Newman car, only in shot for a little while.

Many thanks for the Combe DRW info last year, Pete.

I am still struggling to trace David (D J V) Lewis from 1962/64, and John Williams who hillclimbed a DRW at AMOC/WH&DLCC meetings in April/May 1973 and 1974.

Hoping to be back "in harness" for my research again very shortly after an enforced break from it last year.

Roger Lund

[WDH74]

Didn't Paul Newman own or sponsor a Can Am car at some point? I have somewhere a picture of what I think is a McLaren, painted bright red, with "Paul Newman" signwritten along the rear flanks. (No, it's not the Honker, as people usually suggest. I have a pic of that car, too!) I'll see if I can dig it out and post it.

Regarding the original post, if you watch pretty much any episode of "Seinfeld", you can spot all kinds of Porsche posters and pictures in Jerry's apartment set. Most memorably is the "Compromise Is For Politicians" early 90's promo poster. Jerry Seinfeld is, of course, a well known Porsche enthusiast. And I hate to admit knowing this, but on "Friends", there's a big, thirties style racing poster in Joey and Chandler's apartment set, which has migrated to the show "Joey", apparently. I do not recommend trying to find this one.....And finally, the character of Patrick on "Coupling" has an apartmet set that is decorated almost entirely in racing related memorabilia, including Monte Carlo rally plates and a Tyrrell nose over the fireplace.

I watch way too much telly........


-"Red-Eye" William

[dbltop]

In the movie "Red Line 7000", all the characters were stock car drivers. One of them drove a Shelby Cobra Daytona coupe as his personal car. IIRC he puts it in a ditch while avoiding a rabbit or something.

[Gokart Mozart]

Both the Joe Leonard/Charlie Hayes McKee and the Honker can be seen in the opening 10 minutes of Winning, as well as Robert Wagner (with Bondurant helmet) in what appears to be the ex Foyt #83 Lola-Ford

Newman's name cound be seen in 1970 on Bondurant's #21 Lola.

Also seen in the opening bit are some drivers from USRRC/Can-Am fame:

#24, white "Thermo King" McKee spinning - Bob Nagel
#14, white Lola T70 - Mike Goth
#8, Blue, yellow, red McLaren M1B - Ron Courtney

There are about 12 other cars that aren't as easy to identify since all of the USRRC results I've found online exclude car numbers.

[Pablo Vignone]

Not quite a movie, but an episode from the "It takes a thief" series, circa 1968. Robert Wagner has to be, in that chapter, a racing driver; the one who coach him is no less than Mario Andretti as himself, and, as background, they showed parts of the wet 1967 Canadian Grand Prix.

[Macca]

In the next few days on British TV, as well as 'Winning' & 'School for Scoundrels', we have 'The Fast Lady', in which Stanley Baxter dreams of winning a F1 race at Silverstone in a vintage Bentley.


Paul M

[RTH]

Sad news film actor Ian Carmichael died today aged 89 ,star of so many British films in the 50s & 60s.

might remember this with a motoring connection from 'School for Scounderels'

http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

http://www.youtube.c...feature=related


http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

Edited by RTH, 06 February 2010 - 14:07.

[Peter Darley]

I see that a 1956 DB3S has come up for sale, originally supplied to the Rank Organisation.

Could this be the car used in "School for Scoundrels" ?

[Carter Hendricks]

Does anyone know the date when the fake grid scene at Monaco
in "The Racers" was filmed? The finachi stretti Alfa Romeo
Disco Volante is sitting on the grid.

--Carrter

[Mal9444]

http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

http://www.youtube.c...feature=related


http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

Marvelous

They don't make 'em like that anyone: the cars or the films...

Edited by Mal9444, 06 February 2010 - 16:50.

[simonlewisbooks]

Sad news film actor Ian Carmichael died today aged 89 ,star of so many British films in the 50s & 60s.

Very sad, he was one of THE archetypal English movie stars of the era and like contemporaries Terry Thomas, Peter Sellers, Lionel Jeffries and Kenneth More had that effortless charm and flawless comic timing that puts most of today's crop to shame.

[RTH]

Very well put Simon and absolutely right on all counts I think.

[Mal9444]

Erm - looking at my post #41 it does seem rather badly put, to put it no more strongly

I was applauding the splendid films of Mr Carmichael et al - not his passing.

Heads quietly for the door in embarrassment...

Edited by Mal9444, 06 February 2010 - 16:50.

[fbarrett]

Don Siegel's "The Killers" is fairly naff, but has some interesting early-sixties sports car racing background to it. And Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager acting Ronnie Reagan off the screen ;)

Peter, I certainly wish that you could read this response.

"The Killers" also features great film footage of early racing Cobras and Peter Brock's Falcon Sedan Delivery, now preserved in the Shelby American Collection in Boulder, Colorado--and one of the cars featured in the book Shelby Cars in Detail.

Frank

[B Squared]

These are a few scenarios that I can add to this thread.

In the Nicholas Cage/ Tea Leoni movie, The Family Man, when Cage's character, Jack Campbell, discovers that he is not an EF Hutton executive and is now actually the sales manager for Big Ed's Tire Center. As he walks into his office, you see an old Indy 500 photo on the wall along with other open wheel cars, sports cars and a go-kart. On his desk is an Indy 500 coffee cup and a Jeff Gordon stock car model. In the desk drawer is a bottle of Glenlivet. He says, "you must have needed this everyday."

In the CBS television series Mannix, Mike Connors, who played Joe Mannix drove a GTX convertible. There was an episode built around an open wheel single seater race in which the driver is killed in a flaming crash as he goes over a cliff. This scene was used in the opening scenes sequence thereafter.

In the early '90's a documentary was produced called Behind the Scenes with Thunderball. They show the footage shot at Silverstone which had James Bond (Sean Connery) pursued by Count Lippe in a Ford Fairlane. Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) follows up on a BSA Lightning with rockets and blasts the Ford off the road. This is narrated by Patrick Macnee and features director Terence Young and special effects supervisor John Stears discussing the intricate shooting of the scene. They feared that stunt driver of the Fairlane, Bob Simmons, was trapped underneath the exploding car. Top notch documentary, in my opinion.

Finally, I recall an episode of The Avengers in which open wheel single seaters are featured. The final scene has Mrs. Peel strapped into a Lotus simulator in which she could get a lethal electrical shock if she puts it off the road. The Lotus Racing Simulator is seen below. From Competition Press & Autoweek May 4, 1968.

[Alan Cox]

I see that a 1956 DB3S has come up for sale, originally supplied to the Rank Organisation.
Could this be the car used in "School for Scoundrels" ?

No, the one currently offered by Post Vintage (chassis 116) was used in "Checkpoint", while DB3S/5 took part in "School for Scoundrels".
http://postvintage.c...es/for-sale/49/

[Terry Walker]

How about this wild card:

"Hell Drivers", British, mid 1950s. Macho truckers driving hell for leather in the dodgiest sheds ever to haul a load. Not sports, Not F1, but when I saw it year ago in my teens it was pretty scary and pretty hairy. Not the US movie of the same name. This one had Patrick McGoohan and other familiar Brit film faces.

Maybe I'm the only one who remembers it.

[Terry Walker]

And while I'm at it, "Genevieve".

Genevieve should have got an Academy Award. She was incredibly convincing as a 1904 Darraq.

[Alan Cox]

"Hell Drivers", British, mid 1950s. Maybe I'm the only one who remembers it.

Not at all, Terry. Saw it as a youngster and, like you, thought it was pretty hard-edged stuff. Bought it as a DVD and realised it was pretty crudely done, but still entertaining, nonetheless.

http://www.moviemail...pecial-Edition/