The late Andy Rooney owned a Subeam Tiger. In one of his columns he wrote how he was thinking of giving the car to one of his sons but, "He's getting too old for a car like that." Fortunately, the car is owned by one of his daughters and has been fully restored.
Flintlock76 Overmod And then, of course, there was April. April Dancer. The less said about "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E" the better.
Overmod And then, of course, there was April. April Dancer.
And then, of course, there was April. April Dancer.
The less said about "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E" the better.
Notice how I said nothing about "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E."
It was surprising to me even then that the 'formula' that worked so well at making the older show was not used in the 'female' version. Of course it would have had to be adapted into something other than what 'attractive' women in that line of work would be, in that time. That's a shame, as Powers could certainly have been the equal of, say, what Cybill Shepherd portrayed only a little over a decade later. (And think of her being given a strong female 'foil' with alternative characteristics to work with...)
OK, train connection!
This talk of The Man from Uncle got me thinking about my favorite show of the 1960s, after Star Trek, of The Avengers.
Of course, being a teenager in the 1960s, Diana Rigg was one of my true loves.
This picture is from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stapleford_Miniature_Railway
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
Oh wow, Diana Rigg as Mrs. Peel, a TV legend! Who wasn't crazy about Mrs. Peel? Smart, sophisticated, drop-dead gorgeous, and not afraid of anything!
"The Avengers" was everything "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E" should have been.
A paen to Mrs. Emma Peel is called for:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idtYckLIZnI
Flintlock76 Oh wow, Diana Rigg as Mrs. Peel, a TV legend! Who wasn't crazy about Mrs. Peel? Smart, sophisticated, drop-dead gorgeous, and not afraid of anything! "The Avengers" was everything "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E" should have been. A paen to Mrs. Emma Peel is called for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idtYckLIZnI
"The Avengers" is still run on TV in off peak times in Australia, although only a few episodes are run and re-run.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Avengers_(TV_series)
All series were run in Australia and I recall that in series 1 John Steed was conventionally dressed (with a normal hat rather than a bowler).
In the second series, I remember Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale,, later replaced by Diana Rigg as Emma Peel. Both these two played Bond girls in contemporary James Bond movies, Blackman as "*** Galore" in Goldfinger and Diana Rigg as "Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo" in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
One of the later Avengers episodes involved a plot to kill the Prime Minister by exploding a bomb in a train passing his special train on the West Coast Main Line, which, of course they prevent at the last minute.
(I note the full name of the Goldfinger character didn't make it through the filters)
Peter
There was, and is, no one quite like Diana Rigg. Of course she is a modern Emma Hamilton -- and, be it remembered, the only Mrs. James Bond.
Overmod There was, and is, no one quite like Diana Rigg. Of course she is a modern Emma Hamilton -- and, be it remembered, the only Mrs. James Bond.
Yes, and strangely this was remembered by James Bond through subsequent movies, even though the actors involved (both Bond and Blofeld) changed...
Overmod That's a shame, as Powers could certainly have been the equal of, say, what Cybill Shepherd portrayed only a little over a decade later.
That's a shame, as Powers could certainly have been the equal of, say, what Cybill Shepherd portrayed only a little over a decade later.
And let's not forget that Stephanie's older brother was Jeff Moreau, author of many RR history books. I have a copy of Central California Traction in my collection.
While not strictly a movie, I referred to a band "The Proclaimers" in another thread. While looking for other work of theirs, I found a version of Roger Miller's "King of the Road" on Youtube.
Apart from the song being sung with strong Scots accents, there are a number of rail scenes in the video. The recording of the actual performance appears to be in Spain, in a railway museum with one shot of a diesel railcar passing.
However, interspersed throughout the video are clips of trains and some stunt road driving filmed in Australia. One assumes the target market in the UK might have taken both of these to be the USA.
The Australian scenes were shot, quite some time ago, around Junee in southern NSW, including the locomotive roundhouse and scenes at crossing gates.
Anyway, here is the video...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbXapBdTT4o&feature=emb_rel_pause
Again, not strictly on topic...
In the absence of live sport, rail documentaries have become prolific in Australia.
Today we have one hour of Michael Portillo's Great Continental Rail Journeys (Germany) on one network 1630-1730, and on another network Mighty Trains (Rocky Mountaineer) 2030-2130, Railway Restorations with Peter Snow (Isle of Wight Coach) 2130-2230, Coastal Railways (Scotland East Coast) 2230-2330 and Paddington Station 24/7 2330-0030....
I don't know what to say...
M636CCoastal Railways (Scotland East Coast) 2230-2330
We are getting this series on one of our channels here. I haven't watched it yet.
I'm inclined to think that the "Trailer" video was recorded entirely in Australia. Some of the cars are vintage Holdens and the semphore signals show British practice which was common in Oz. The four-wheel boxcars, maybe, maybe not.
54light15 I'm inclined to think that the "Trailer" video was recorded entirely in Australia. Some of the cars are vintage Holdens and the semphore signals show British practice which was common in Oz. The four-wheel boxcars, maybe, maybe not.
The four wheel boxcars have the lettering "R.N.", an abbreviation of RENFE.
The diesel railcar passing the two performers is definitely Spanish.
The other rail scenes are definitely shot around Junee NSW before the semaphore signals were replaced by colour lights.
My biggest complaint with railroads being shown in any kind of movie or video. Continuity - either the railroad is from some other area or time frame than the story that is being told. A WW II film HQ'd in Europe and the rail shots are of SP's Sunset Limited moving through the desert SW being diesel power as a GLARING example.
Yes - I am a nit picker when that kind discontinuity gets displayed.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACDMy biggest complaint with railroads being shown in any kind of movie or video. Continuity - either the railroad is from some other area or time frame than the story that is being told.
A different kind of continuity problem drives me wilder -- mercifully, one that is limited to a comparatively small number of production years, roughly from the point that SMPTE developed cameras, lighting, and emulsions permitting 'feature' filming on board moving trains to the point that movies no longer treated 'train travel' as the normal way people got somewhere.
The problem is in tight alternating dialogue shots where one 'view' is out the train window. When the director doesn't pay attention to what is outside the window during takes, you're like as not to see boxcars speeding past, then one remark later, nothing; then 15 seconds later speeding passenger cars... it gets to the point VERY quickly not just that your attention seizes on the 'backdrop' action, but you actually start dreading what you will see and how it's an artifact of poor production rather than clever train operation or the chance to see historical railroad details.
OvermodThe problem is in tight alternating dialogue shots where one 'view' is out the train window. When the director doesn't pay attention to what is outside the window during takes, you're like as not to see boxcars speeding past, then one remark later, nothing; then 15 seconds later speeding passenger cars... it gets to the point VERY quickly not just that your attention seizes on the 'backdrop' action, but you actually start dreading what you will see and how it's an artifact of poor production rather than clever train operation or the chance to see historical railroad details.
That screws up virtually every scene where movement of a vehicle is a part of the scene - no matter the form of movement - walking, running, being in a motor vehicle, train or for that matter airplanes. Continuity directors have to be on the top of their game to keep the scenes 'continuous' especially when it has taken more that a single take to get the overall scene accomplished.
BaltACD Overmod The problem is in tight alternating dialogue shots where one 'view' is out the train window. When the director doesn't pay attention to what is outside the window during takes, you're like as not to see boxcars speeding past, then one remark later, nothing; then 15 seconds later speeding passenger cars... it gets to the point VERY quickly not just that your attention seizes on the 'backdrop' action, but you actually start dreading what you will see and how it's an artifact of poor production rather than clever train operation or the chance to see historical railroad details. That screws up virtually every scene where movement of a vehicle is a part of the scene - no matter the form of movement - walking, running, being in a motor vehicle, train or for that matter airplanes. Continuity directors have to be on the top of their game to keep the scenes 'continuous' especially when it has taken more that a single take to get the overall scene accomplished.
Overmod The problem is in tight alternating dialogue shots where one 'view' is out the train window. When the director doesn't pay attention to what is outside the window during takes, you're like as not to see boxcars speeding past, then one remark later, nothing; then 15 seconds later speeding passenger cars... it gets to the point VERY quickly not just that your attention seizes on the 'backdrop' action, but you actually start dreading what you will see and how it's an artifact of poor production rather than clever train operation or the chance to see historical railroad details.
One movie where the out of window shots seemed good to me was Hitchcock's North by Northwest where they even had a recognisable correct route. However in the arrival scenes at Chicago the stars end up walking past the E units at the head of the train at least twice with quite a lot of dialogue between.
Back to "Get Smart." His arch-enemy, Ziegfried worked for an evil group called, "K.A.O.S." What did that stand for, if anything?
KAOS has no periods. Think of it as a clever marketing name like Boxpok.
Betcha didn't know it is a Delaware corporation for tax purposes...
M636C BaltACD Overmod The problem is in tight alternating dialogue shots where one 'view' is out the train window. When the director doesn't pay attention to what is outside the window during takes, you're like as not to see boxcars speeding past, then one remark later, nothing; then 15 seconds later speeding passenger cars... it gets to the point VERY quickly not just that your attention seizes on the 'backdrop' action, but you actually start dreading what you will see and how it's an artifact of poor production rather than clever train operation or the chance to see historical railroad details. That screws up virtually every scene where movement of a vehicle is a part of the scene - no matter the form of movement - walking, running, being in a motor vehicle, train or for that matter airplanes. Continuity directors have to be on the top of their game to keep the scenes 'continuous' especially when it has taken more that a single take to get the overall scene accomplished. One movie where the out of window shots seemed good to me was Hitchcock's North by Northwest where they even had a recognisable correct route. However in the arrival scenes at Chicago the stars end up walking past the E units at the head of the train at least twice with quite a lot of dialogue between. Peter
Great observation of detail. One of my favorites of Hitch.
Check out the 1974 version of "Murder On The Orient Express" for some outstanding "out the window" shots.
And no damn CGI locomotive in that one either!
I sure as hell didn't know that about KAOS- pretty cool, I'd say. Get Smart was funny as hell. Whenever Maxwell Smart was up against a "Mr. Big," it was either a woman or a midget.
I could have a Murder on the Orient Express on my layout- I have a train of those "Wagon Lits" coaches. Also the earlier version of the OE similar to the one dining car where the armistice was signed in 1918.
Murder on the Orient Express spoiler alert!
EVERYBODY DID IT!
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Penny Trains Murder on the Orient Express spoiler alert! EVERYBODY DID IT!
Kind of like one of the best "NCIS" episodes ever a few years back! ALL the "red herrings" did it!
Hey, wait a minute! Didn't Monsieur Poirot also say there was the possibility an assassin stowed away on the train and wasted Richard Widmark's character, an American gangster on the run, and then jumped off when the train was stalled by the heavy snow? Hmmmmm...
The best variation on "everybody did it" was on "CSI" a number of years ago. A washed-up old pug was found dead of apparent foul play in a Wild West theme park. The investigation found that the victim had been beat up, knifed and a few other things by a number of people individually and independently at separate times. Nobody could be charged with homicide since each act was not fatal in and of itself but the string of acts taken collectively killed him.
CSSHEGEWISCHNobody could be charged with homicide since each act was not fatal in and of itself but the string of acts taken collectively killed him.
I believe in some jurisdictions each and every 'perpetrator' contributing to what eventuates as a death can equally be charged with homicide or manslaughter as appropriate. I remember offhand a number of cases where someone who only 'watched' a triggerman or other such person actually kill were prosecuted, and perhaps sentenced to execution, despite not even laying a hand on the victim; contributing to battery is surely less exemptive a test than that.
Years ago a friend rode the train from eastern Europe to Italy, and the Orient Express to Paris. She then flew to the U.S. on the Concorde.
Somewhere in Italy or Paris, there was an Orient Express shop of some kind. She had them send these two Orient Express lamps to us.
I've looked at pictures, and it looks like the lamps are close to what was on the trains at that time, but not quite the same. I don't normally like this kind of style, but I like these.
CSSHEGEWISCHThe best variation on "everybody did it" was on "CSI" a number of years ago. A washed-up old pug was found dead of apparent foul play in a Wild West theme park. The investigation found that the victim had been beat up, knifed and a few other things by a number of people individually and independently at separate times. Nobody could be charged with homicide since each act was not fatal in and of itself but the string of acts taken collectively killed him.
The episode was titles "Ending Happy",and I like your definition of "Wild West theme park".
I've mentioned this in another thread, but I watched "Death of Stalin" last night.
Trains play an important part in the plot, but are represented only by a static shot of a train hauled by an Su 2-6-2 with mourners boarding to go to Moscow.
It is a very funny movie but appears to be historically correct
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi4196972825?playlistId=tt4686844&ref_=vp_rv_ap_0
I'd seen it before, but I was able to pick up many points I'd missed on the first viewing.
I saw the "Jazz Singer" last week. There are two great shots of two ATSF passenger locomotives passing Al Jolson in a passenger station.
Ed Burns
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