Heads up "The War Lover" BBC2 Tues 1.30pm

Shame that the B-1 4-6-0 and train that Steve McQ drove rather enthusiastically into Liverpool Street had very little done to it to make it look period, it could have been returning from a 60’s excursion to Hunstanton, but the trains always suffer in these epics.
Anyone see that film the other week with Dirk Bogarde as an NCO POW in Germany, the name of it escapes me, but the scenes of the POW’s working in an engine shed in ‘Germany’ were obviously shot in Cricklewood sheds in the 60’s, they didn’t even bother masking out the BR signs on the locos, carriages and wagons, it was ridiculous, the bits of plywood stuck on the LMS class 5 at what I think was Marylebone, didn’t disguise much either.

“The pass word is courage” ; have you noticed all the key scenes from The great escape, were borrowed from this film (notwithstanding the factual content)

Shame that the B-1 4-6-0 and train that Steve McQ drove rather enthusiastically into Liverpool Street had very little done to it to make it look period, it could have been returning from a 60’s excursion to Hunstanton, but the trains always suffer in these epics.
Anyone see that film the other week with Dirk Bogarde as an NCO POW in Germany, the name of it escapes me, but the scenes of the POW’s working in an engine shed in ‘Germany’ were obviously shot in Cricklewood sheds in the 60’s, they didn’t even bother masking out the BR signs on the locos, carriages and wagons, it was ridiculous, the bits of plywood stuck on the LMS class 5 at what I think was Marylebone, didn’t disguise much either.

Shirley-Anne Field was rather gorgeous in this.

You must remind me of any film she wasn’t gorgeous in 😉

Moggy

Damn – missed the movie.

I always thought that the belly-landing scene was borrowed from ‘Twelve O’clock High’.

I stand corrected.

I did say the splicing was good. 🙂

Mark

According to Scott Thompsons masterwork on B-17 post-WW2 histories ( The Final Cut ) ~ the belly landing scene was indeed borrowed from 12 O’clock High.

The 3 B-17’s used in the War Lover were painted so that existing footage could be used in the new motion picture.

Of the 3 aircraft ~ 2 were scrapped at Manston after filming ~ cheaper than either flying then out of the UK or paying the import duty to leave them behind.

The third airframe went back to the USA to undertake a promotional tour for the movie ~ 44-83563 is today better known as Fuddy Duddy.

In this guise ~ she has spent the past 2 summers out on tour selling rides with the EAA before going to here new owner in California where she is currently “resting” ~ still in airworthy condition.

I always thought that the belly-landing scene was borrowed from ‘Twelve O’clock High’.

WL must have been just about the last aviaition ‘epic’ to be shot in black/white, possibly so as to be able to use b/w footage from other productions.

Shirley-Anne Field was rather gorgeous in this.

The War Lover – Steve McQueen.

Is it really 45 years since we all bundled in to a car and rushed over to Bovingdon to see the three B-17’s in the revetments preparing for the filming?

I had long forgotten how good the the ground, internal and aerial shots, spliced with period 8th Air Force footage, were on this film.

Staggeringly low passes for the cameras and a real belly landing by John Crewdson – just imagine considering that in this day and age.

A very young (pre Betty) Michael Crawford as aircrew I noted.

Mark

Image credit: David M. Kay