Reading Geoffrey Doughty's article "Filming the 20th Century Limited" in the August Trains, I was reminded of something that has always been a head scratcher for me. Doughty mentions the scene where Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) shaves in the LaSalle Street Station mens room, using a miniature safety razor he found while hiding out (from the pullman conductor) in the washroom of Eve Kendall's (Eva Marie Saint) compartment on the 20th Century ( setting up the line: "Big face, small razor"). My question is: was that razor supposed to be from Eve Kendall's luggage, or was it a "passenger convenience item" supplied by NYC?
Since the 20th Century Ltd traveled with a barber on board, I am guessing that the razor was not a convenience item. - just my guess. Wish I could have ridden that train.
It's from Eve Kendall's luggage. That's part of the sly humor of the situation.
Just check out the look on the face of the guy shaving with the straight razor on Cary Grant's left, in so many words...
"What d'Hell you doin' shavin' with a broad's razor?"
Firelock76 It's from Eve Kendall's luggage. That's part of the sly humor of the situation. Just check out the look on the face of the guy shaving with the straight razor on Cary Grant's left, in so many words... "What d'Hell you doin' shavin' with a broad's razor?"
I was able to watch the movie again on TV on Saturday afternoon, having just read the article in the latest Trains magazine....
I have always believed that it was a convenience item on the train, much as I got similar items on international flights (even in economy class until the early 1980s). I think the theory was that passengers may have left their shaving items in their checked luggage.
Thornhill picks up the razor while hiding in the toilet compartment, suggesting to me that it was supplied by the railroad (or Pullman). Again, Eve Kendall might be expected to have left such items in her checked luggage.
For those who've read the article, it is clear that back projection was used in some stages of the Chicago platform scenes, although it looked like live filming in others.
The blunt end of the SP sleeper was clear, once drawn to my attention. I did know about those cars, just hadn't noticed that feature before.
M636C
Trust me, it's a woman's safety razor. My mother had one just like it. As a matter of fact I remember watching "North by Northwest" with her (on the TV) when I was teenager and she was laughing during that particular scene.
Goes without saying in this disposable day and age you don't see razors like that anymore, anymore than you'd see a man shaving with a straight razor. Which I've done, by the way. A straight razor's not really dangerous, just time consuming if you use it correctly.
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