Just watched an episode of 'Big Valley' from 1966 'Last Train to the Fair'.
Departure from realities.
Car was cut off on the fly - as if it was link & pin, with knuckle couplers visible, as well as air hose visible on both cars at the coupling.
Car rolls to a stop, without the person that initiated the action using the stem winder hand brake. Balance of train continues without noticing the missing car. No protection is provided for the car against a following train.
Ultimately train returns for the car, backs to a coupling, without anyone visible to make the coupling and no more does the head end contact the car than the train is pulling away with it.
Poetic License indeed.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Hollywood takes a lot of license with factual information.
Norm
Norm48327 "Hollywood takes a lot of license with factual information."
"Hollywood takes a lot of license with factual information."
Absolutely, agree...I would add also the People who Produce Television Programs, as well !
They must think that folks will not notice some details....Specifically, the Programs on the Travel Chanel...Mysteries at the Museum, and some of their other programming...Historical representations of rail travel sequences, about travel in AMERICAN hISTORICAL VIGNETTES... Why do they seem to think no viewer will notice Historical British Steam Engines, and British passenger cars, shown to represent an American scene?
I guess I'm picking nits??? But sometimes, I think they are mocking their viewing public....
There was a pretty good TV show in the late 60s or early 70s called "Banacek" with George Peppard. Set in Boston and one episode involved transporting a racing car on an open flatcar (like that's gonna happen) and it gets removed from the flat car and the flat car is dumped in a lake with no one noticing. Also, I really didn't know that the Santa Fe served New England, such was the lettering on the locomotives and the caboose.
Season 1 Episode 2 - Project Phoenix
The multi-million dollar Phoenix, prototype for a revolutionary new car, disappears from a non-stop train en route to Boston - flat-car included. Banacek is called in to find the missing vehicle before a huge insurance claim must be paid.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0518366/
samfp1943They must think that folks will not notice some details...
Most folks don't.
Major news outlets are just as guilty. How often do you see an item about — say — a grade crossing accident in Texas (insert your own scenario) and the accompanying photo is an Amtrak Acela train in WUT.
Just sayin...
Ed
Reminds me of a series that was on "The History Channel" a year or two ago called "The World Wars." A pretty good action-packed series if you didn't know what you were looking at.
Unfortunately, I knew what I was looking at. Too many failed attempts at authenticity to list here. Oh well.
Firelock76 Reminds me of a series that was on "The History Channel" a year or two ago called "The World Wars." A pretty good action-packed series if you didn't know what you were looking at. Unfortunately, I knew what I was looking at. Too many failed attempts at authenticity to list here. Oh well.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Just be thankful they were trying to do something related to history. It used to be my favorite channel. I hardly ever watch it anymore.
Jeff
Several years ago, I saw a movie that was presumably set on the Sunset Limited--and the sleeper passengers had keys to their rooms. The only sleepers I ever rode which had room keys were on VIA Renaissance cars, between Montreal and Halifax.
Johnny
jeffhergert Firelock76 Reminds me of a series that was on "The History Channel" a year or two ago called "The World Wars." A pretty good action-packed series if you didn't know what you were looking at. Unfortunately, I knew what I was looking at. Too many failed attempts at authenticity to list here. Oh well. Just be thankful they were trying to do something related to history. It used to be my favorite channel. I hardly ever watch it anymore. Jeff
The TV show "Emergency" about Fire Department Paramedics was set in the 70's, yet in any scene involving railroads, there were always steam whistles and chuffing sounds in the background. Mind you, I loved the sound effects, but they just didn't go with the Dismals in the scenes.
Then there is a magazine that I won't mention the title of, but it had to do with everything Scientific in America. I loved reading that mag... felt like whatever subject an article was about I had really learned something... then one month they had an article about a subject I was considered an expert in... Oh dear, if what I learned about nuclear power and bird song and coal mines was of the same caliber, I have to say that I bet birds in coal mines are nuclear powered.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
gmpullman Major news outlets are just as guilty. How often do you see an item about — say — a grade crossing accident in Texas (insert your own scenario) and the accompanying photo is an Amtrak Acela train in WUT. Just sayin... Ed
BaltACD Just watched an episode of 'Big Valley' from 1966 'Last Train to the Fair'. Departure from realities. Car was cut off on the fly - as if it was link & pin, with knuckle couplers visible, as well as air hose visible on both cars at the coupling. Car rolls to a stop, without the person that initiated the action using the stem winder hand brake. Balance of train continues without noticing the missing car. No protection is provided for the car against a following train. Ultimately train returns for the car, backs to a coupling, without anyone visible to make the coupling and no more does the head end contact the car than the train is pulling away with it. Poetic License indeed.
Are you new to Movies.?They miss the facts about every subject.....from Knitting Needles to Jet Planes.
There is nothing special about trains, that Hollywood would get right at the expense of every other category under the stars.
"Hollywood" Movies are about entertainment, not documentaries.
Semper VaporoThe TV show "Emergency" about Fire Department Paramedics was set in the 70's, yet in any scene involving railroads, there were always steam whistles and chuffing sounds in the background.
At least the railroad stuff was shot in LA...
One thing about that show was that anything fire or medical related was accurate, at least for the time. The technical advisor (Jim Page - after whom "Johnny Gage" was named) ensured that was the case. The fire station used (LACoFD 126) still stands as a fire station.
Other stuff, not so much. I recall episodes when the squad magically acquired a Federal "Q" (wind-up) siren. OTOH, the reason Roy always drove wasn't because he was senior. It was because he was driving the day they did all of the stock shots...
Murphy SidingHellcats chasing Stukas at Midway!
Footage from the movie "Tora Tora Tora" has found it's way into a number of movies about WWII since it came out. Kind of odd seeing cranes in the middle of the ocean...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Stukas at Midway? Doesn't everybody know that the Japanese were aware that they would lose many planes and pilots there so they persuaded Adolf to send the Stukas, with pilots?
A few years back I read a magazine article about a big World War Two re-enactment, don't remember where it took place, but anyway the action was going hot and heavy, Americans versus Germans, and then a Japanese Zero (one of the "Tora-Tora-Tora" modified T-6's) showed up and began "strafing" the Americans!
No problem, a P-51 Mustang arrived just in time and took care of the Zero!
Not authentic of course, but played for laughs and the crowd of spectators just ate it up!
Firelock76 A few years back I read a magazine article about a big World War Two re-enactment, don't remember where it took place, but anyway the action was going hot and heavy, Americans versus Germans, and then a Japanese Zero (one of the "Tora-Tora-Tora" modified T-6's) showed up and began "strafing" the Americans! No problem, a P-51 Mustang arrived just in time and took care of the Zero! Not authentic of course, but played for laughs and the crowd of spectators just ate it up!
Reminds me of a classic John Belushi line from the movie Animal House: “Over? Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!”
Ever see the classic film, Hell's Angels? It used authentic aircraft from the First World War in every scene. Howard Hughes wanted it to be authentic as possible and filmed it in cloudy skies so the aircraft could be seen. It's funny how the battlefields of northern France in 1917 sure look like California farmland.
Back in the mid-1960's there was a movie about the 1944-45 "Battle of the Bulge" by that name. My Dad - who was there - was disappointed in the scenes of the climactic battle at the end, which looked like it was filmed in some desert-type terrain. For those who don't know, the real battle occurred in the bitter cold of winter and snow in the Ardennes forest (mostly evergreens) and surrounding farm fields.
Around the same time there was a movie about the D-Day invasion of Normandy called "The Longest Day". Those who were there and saw it said it was pretty realistic, as they do about "Saving Private Ryan".
Also at the same time (1965) Trains Editor David P. Morgan wrote a review of 3 movies: "Von Ryan's Express" starring Frank Sinatra as a USAF officer (not very accurate), "The Train" starring Burt Lancaster as an SNCF official (pretty good), and and "Cat Ballou". I had thought some of it was filmed on the D&RGW narrow gauge, but a Wikipedia article* says "A former Great Western Railway of Colorado 2-8-0 Consolidation steam locomotive, number 51, owned by Boulder Scientific Company of Boulder, Colorado, was used in the film, with scenes shot at Canon City, Colorado, in September 1964." As recall it too wasn't very realistic, though DPM's closing line was a classic, something along the line of "But Jane Fonda in an upper is compensation of a sort". Can't find an image of that on-line, but I believe this scene is from Sir Harry Percival's (railroad magnate?) private car:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/08/79/13/0879135154f9118a9eb9b5f1cc336023.jpg
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Ballou
- PDN.
DeggestyStukas at Midway? Doesn't everybody know that the Japanese were aware that they would lose many planes and pilots there so they persuaded Adolf to send the Stukas, with pilots?
My Father-in-Law (RIP) was in the Navy and served on a PBY observation/patro plane in the Carribean - he swore to his dying day that they saw and attacked a Japanese submarine on one of their patrols.
BaltACD Deggesty Stukas at Midway? Doesn't everybody know that the Japanese were aware that they would lose many planes and pilots there so they persuaded Adolf to send the Stukas, with pilots? My Father-in-Law (RIP) was in the Navy and served on a PBY observation/patro plane in the Carribean - he swore to his dying day that they saw and attacked a Japanese submarine on one of their patrols.
Deggesty Stukas at Midway? Doesn't everybody know that the Japanese were aware that they would lose many planes and pilots there so they persuaded Adolf to send the Stukas, with pilots?
Balt, I've had the priviledge over the years to meet quite a few combat veterans, and when I heard them say things about events that just didn't jibe with the official versions of same I just kept my mouth shut and my ears open out of pure respect. They were there and I wasn't, they fought in World War Two whereas I only majored in it.
And besides, you just never know, do you?
I saw The Battle of the Bulge when it first came out. My brother had a paper route and each of the paper boys plus one friend (me) were taken on a bus to the Paris theatre in Manhattan. It was cinerama and the big tank battle near the end had to go on for 20 minutes. I saw it again in a theatre on Long Island and that battle was cut out. There was a scene with a tank sitting on a narrow-gauge railroad track. You could see the overhead wire. A train (You never really get a good view of the locomotive) with reinforcements for Bastogne came through a tunnel and the tank blasted its boiler and it blew up with a cloud of steam. I was nine years old and I knew that was nonsense. Also, they were called "The Blood Bashers of Bastogne" - we all know that's nonsense too. And did General Mcauliffe really say, "Nuts!" I would think he said something a little more...you know.
Whaever it was that General McAuliffe said, I understand that the German officer did not understand it.
Here is the Wikipedia entry about general McAuliffe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_McAuliffe
Trust Wikipedia or not, the story is recounted all over the web in lots of various websites.
Paul_D_North_Jr wrote the following post [in part]
"...As recall it too wasn't very realistic, though DPM's closing line was a classic, something along the line of "But Jane Fonda in an upper is compensation of a sort". Can't find an image of that on-line, but I believe this scene is from Sir Harry Percival's (railroad magnate?) private car:>>"
Paul: No disputing the words of David Morgan, Ihe only image I have in my mind, is the photos of Jane Fonda. That just about every service member saw when she was in Vietnam, of her cavorting around Hanoi; in the gunner's seat of a NVA anti-aircraft gun... Myself, and thousands of other service personnel, to this date despise her, and wish her a slow ride to perdition... but I digress
see site links @ https://patriotpost.us/pages/80
Cat Ballou was filmed several years before Jane's escapades with the NVA. Based on a couple of stories I've read about what happened during her visit, the emnity that armed forces personnel have towards her is understandable.
BaltACDMy Father-in-Law (RIP) was in the Navy and served on a PBY observation/patro plane in the Carribean - he swore to his dying day that they saw and attacked a Japanese submarine on one of their patrols.
I would not be surprised if he was telling the truth. I'm sure something like that was kept pretty quiet. And recall that the Navy duty officer at Pearl didn't believe the skipper of the Ward, either...
A family friend (and I think he was related to my step-grandfather) spent time in a German POW camp. I'm told he said that "Stalag 13" was fairly accurate, including the hilarity that occasionally occured. They didn't assign the "best and the brightest" to the camps.
I've read that Luft-Stalag 13 did exist in the German town of Hammelburg. A real place. Hammelburg is the site of a German army training base today.
Yeah, and the army officer who was told that aircraft were approaching Oahu said, "Don't worry about it., It's probably B-17s froom the States." Nope.
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