Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (NOT ANACHRONISMS)

[dave walsh]

Yes that was another repeat of Rock and Roll Britannia which has quite a few vintage bits in it [suitable for vintage viewers]. He was demonstrating the kind of Bass guitar available before the embargo on American Instruments was lifted [described as a "plank"]. The Murphy was the model with VHF so early sixties. It caught my eye as amps were expensive and only available on HP at that time so it was fairly common for us to resort to an old valve radio-sometimes through an extension spkr as the mags had warnings about radio spkrs/output stages not taking the strain. Of course distortion became the name of the game anyway. It took him ages to get any sound out [after 40 years he said]. Seemed to be the usual dodgy jack plug/socket problem. I presume he was just going in through the pick up socket. I suppose the baffle sets are pretty close to an amp cabinet anyway.
Dave W

[threeseven]

Thats a good spot, I'll have to watch that.

[Welsh Anorak]

Hi
Some nice equipment in the film American Hustle (my review on glyn-james.blogspot.com). Theer's a couple of Revox B77s, a Teac A3340S, a Sony reel-to-reel (possibly a TC788) and an Akai reel-to-reel I don't recognise with 10 1/2" spools and early logic control. Lots of contemporary Ameican TVs and a big and scary 'science oven' (a microwave) unwisely given to Jennifer Lawrence's character.
Glyn

[af024]

I don't know what it is, but the Boomtown Rats 'I don't Like Mondays' video features an old TV set at the back of Bob.

[telstar]

Hi. Not sure if this is the right slot to mention this? The other day I thought that I might go to see a film called "The Railwayman" (starring Colin Firth). Anyhow, some one must have had an interest in old radios, because in one scene there was a brief shot of a Philips 290U radio. Anyone else seen this film? I think that the props dept got it right as this scene was set after WW2.
Cheers
Mike

[threeseven]

Bond film, From Russia With Love, scene just after Bond arranges an explosion beneath the Russian consulate, he enters a room with about 10 or 12 'scopes. I think it's intended to be some sort of comms room, thats movies for you! Anyway, they looked like Teks from what I could see. FRWL was released in 1963 so they would have been valvers!

[threeseven]

Sink The Bismarck. Scene where Kenneth Moore is giving some sympathy to a rating thats just become ill, there is a what looks to be a pre war Radio on a shelf but I can't ID it.

[Junk Box Nick]

Andrew Marr's "Making of Modern Britain" is currently having a rerun on BBC2 daytime. Though I knew about it I haven't seen this programme before. Yesterday's programme had a lot of shots of Writtle and the 2MT set up plus archive footage of big valves. There was reference to the ex-Army shed where the 2MT transmissions were made but the other footage looked a more 'professional' installation perhaps from early BBC days. The programme will be on the iPlayer for a while.

[unitaudio]

The advert for Sheba cat food featuring the astonishing Eva Longoria and a beautiful blue-grey cat has a blink and you'd miss it shot of what appears to be an early to mid 70's stereo receiver but I can't identify it. It looks to me like one of the posher Fisher receivers but does anyone know for sure?

Regards,
Paul

[Junk Box Nick]

I caught a good chunk of "Enigma" film/drama on BBC4 last night. Lots of period technology apart from the machines themselves. I caught glimpses of HROs at the listening stations, etc., and a nice Art Deco bakelite radio - though I don't know what it is - in the Adephi Hotel bedroom set (a good close-up almost at the end of the film). I was also trying to place where the railway scenes were shot - unfortunately the credits rocketed by - plus there was a nice roadster car. And Kate Winslet.

[Station X]

Not a bad film. Better than the book in some respects as the Kate Winslet character gets to do some code breaking.

There are anachronisms in it though like the concrete railway sleepers. It's really let down though by the fact that the exterior scenes weren't filmed at Bletchley Park, a few shots of the mansion wouldn't have gone amiss.

[paulsherwin]

Originally Posted by Junk Box Nick

I was also trying to place where the railway scenes were shot

Great Central.

[DangerMan]

Whilst on the railway theme, there's a rather nice sequence in "The Titfield Thunderbolt" where Sid James's character goes into the pub to drown his sorrows and ends up plotting the downfall of the branch line.... with some shots of an Ultra set and what look like genuine screen shots from it.
If I can find the DVD I'll put up a couple of snapshots.

Pete

[DangerMan]

Here ya go, four captured pic's of the "Titfield Ultra".

Pete

PS Filmed on the Limpley Stoke to Camerton branch, what a shame it's gone.

PPS looks like the thread has gone full-circle, but at least we now know it's an "Ultra that looks like this"! (with respects to three-seven)

[threeseven]

See post #1

[antenna441]

Seeing the post ref James Bond FRWL, reminded me of the reactor room scene in Dr. NO, there was a whole row of Cossor dual beam Scopes Model 1045 I think. I was in training at the time the film was released, and was taught to drive a Cossor 1035. I remember being much impressed by the Z modulation function, two 1035s one supplying frame scan, and a source of 405 line video produced a magical green picture. Simpler days..

I attach a screen shot from Dr No.

[G6Tanuki]

Bond-movies are always fun to watch: I can't remember which ones have a couple of 19-sets and a Racal RA17.

Goldfinger has a Pye [A|F]M10D Cambridge two-way radio which plays a significant part in the plot.

Another movie I need to check out for equipment is "Eye of the Needle", where the German agent tries to use the 2-way radio in a remote Scottish croft to contact the U-boat he's supposed to be being collected by..

[DangerMan]

Originally Posted by threeseven

See post #1

See PPS, that's what I meant!

[Colourstar]

Originally Posted by af024

I don't know what it is, but the Boomtown Rats 'I don't Like Mondays' video features an old TV set at the back of Bob.

Hi Andy, I remember being rather transfixed by that when I first saw the video in 1979 on Top Of The Pops. (I was 9!) Of course back then the shot was gone in seconds and that was that! Now I can see it's clearly the shell of a Decca set with a b&w monitor shoved inside.

At last I can sleep sound.

Steve

[threeseven]

Originally Posted by DangerMan

See PPS, that's what I meant!

Roger that, I was just linking in case others may not have read the post.