I noticed in season 1, episode 5 of the subject series a brief scene showing a steam locomotive numbered “89” hauling at least two tuscan red passenger cars. I didn’t see any listing in the movie credits of railroad equipment used. I wonder if no. 89 and cars were those belonging to the Strasburg Railroad. I realize Strasburg’s engine was built after “The Gilded Age” period, but since the scene is fleeting most people would not pick up on that fact. After all, “Hollywood” does take license with history on occasion (!).
Yes, I confirmed with the Strasburg Railroad on their Instagram feed that it is indeed their #89 in episode 5. And they mentioned that we might recognize some cars in episode 1!
Strasburg 89 is a former Canadian National 2-6-0 Mogul, part of a 25 engine order built in 1910 by the Canadian Locomotive Company for the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. Like many engines from the first generation of superheated boilers they proved ideal for branchline operation and remained in service until the very end of CN steam, and seven survive today.
There are very few actual 1880s engines left in operation today, and anything from the pre-WW1 era looks close enough, especially if pared with wooden passenger equipment of equal vintage.
Having said that, there are two 1880s Canadian Pacific 4-4-0s still in steam in Canada, one at the South Simcoe Railway north of Toronto and the other at Manitoba’s Prairie Dog Central, which was used last year in the filming of a new CBC series about Pullman Porters.
Let’s face it - they could use a streamlined NYC Hudson (we wish) in a turn-of-the-cetury (1900) era film and most movie-goers wouldn’t give it a thought. We would, but they wouldn’t.
I’ve heard of some typography fans complaining about a movie where a newspaper headline was using a typeface that was created several years after the supposed timeframe of that scene in the movie.
Any kind of a movie depends on what’s called “The willing suspension of disbelief” to work. For example, you know what you’re watching is just a movie but the film-makers if they’ve done their job right will make you believe what you’re watching is real. Unfortunately depending on who you are and what you know it doesn’t take much to crack the illusion.
At this point if I see something that I know is wrong I just ignore it if the story’s good and entertaining.
In my dim and distant youth, I can remember Dad pointing out any number of howlers while watching the TV series “12 O’Clock High”. The story lines weren’t too bad, though.
Watching ANY job type specific TV or Movie show - and those who actually know about those kinds of jobs will howl and howl and how - and righfully so. “dramatic license”.
I remember that show! I loved it! Although I wasn’t too thrilled when they killed off General Savage and brought in Colonel Gallagher, but Joe Gallagher was OK when you got used to him.
You can find those “12 O’Clock High” TV shows on YouTube, I’ve watched a few and they’re just as good as I remember them.
(OK, as a veteran I know there’s thing’s going on that wouldn’t happen that way but I still enjoyed seeing the shows again.)
I was quite a fan of “12 O’Clock High” as well, though only started watching in the last season and a half. Did think the B-17 flying overhead was a nice touch for the final scene of the final episode.
The running gag for my brother and I was spotting the ME-109 with the big number “3” on the side of the fuselage in episode after episode.
The movie is superb, in my opinion the best aviation-themed war film ever made.
You know, when some people thing of Greg Peck they think Atticus Finch, others think Captain Ahab, but the first thing that comes in my mind is his superb portrayal of Frank Savage, I can’t imagine anyone else in the role.
You’ve got to give that German pilot credit, he was persistant! [;)]
Seriously though, it’s no surprise “12 O’Clock High” made a lot of use of stock footage, TV shows in the 1960’s had nowhere near the budgets they do today and military-themed shows were expensive to produce to begin with.
In the same period, there was a short-lived NBC series titled “Convoy” that was shot in balck & white due to the use of so much stock Navy footage. NBC was almost entirely color shows (a big deal at the time) so this was quite a concession.
The television show “Emergency” was well produced and technically accurate.
But they used stock shots, lika any other program. The flag raising, used to signify the start of a new day/shift, was always the same shot.
There is one scene where the squad is responding down a residential street. Always the same street, and the same VW bug was always parked at the side of the street. You probably wouldn’t notice it if you didn’t binge watch (I have the DVDs).
Randolph Mantooth (Johnny Gage) related at a seminar I attended that the reason why Roy always drove was because all of the stock shots involving the squad had him in the driver’s seat.
Randy’s a great guy, by the way. Although he turned down the opportunity to become a real firefighter/paramedic (they attended the training), he’s been an advocate for EMS ever since. I had a chance to chat with him at a conference here.
If you watch CHiPS or Adam 12 - you see the same vehicles, over and over they start out ‘pristine’, then they get sideswiped by one of the villians on one side in this episode and on the other side in another episode,
I was just thinking about “Convoy” when you brought it up. And yes, that’s what I heard, it was cancelled because it had to use stock shots and they were all in black and white. From the same period was the series “Combat” - which was the most popular show Armed Forces TV - Vietnam (out of Saigon) ever broadcast.
“Combat” started off as a black and white series, then switched to color later on, just to stay feature competitive with the other networks. As I recall one of the stars Vic Morrow (Sgt. Saunders) didn’t like the switch to color believing it ruined the grim, gritty look of the show.