Movie Lancaster IDs

Additional info here:

Dambusters : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046889/locations

Appointment in London : http://www.rafupwood.co.uk/film.html

The film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAPOpPqA7M8&feature=related

Upwood was used for filming “Appointment in London” Hemswell was used for “The Dambusters”. The film “Night Bombers “was shot at Hemswell in 1944/5 and is in colour. Best documentary film of Lancaster operations . Hope this clears up any confusion.

It’s true that Hemswell was extensively used as a location for Dambusters – certainly most of the aircraft ground work was done there. It’s well covered in ‘Filming the Dambusters’ by Jonathan Falconer. I too am a big fan of the lesser known Appointment in London. A great film. One other hidden gem that seems to have been largely forgotten is the superb, gritty ‘the Hill’ starring Sean Connery. While not an aviation film, it’s possibly the best British war film of its time – and all without a single German to be seen!

Hemswell being the satellite, it’s easily confused.

Appointment in London is a hidden gem. The flying scenes are superb, easily rivalling the “Dambusters”. I think it is just simply because it depicts area bombing, it’s been obscured in favour of the “Dambusters” which depicts an actual target. Also Appointment in London doesn’t really have the dark edge that “The Cruel Sea” or more gritty films have.

I’m curious to see the remake of “Dambusters” but I’m not holding any high hopes. I think Stephen Fry is not the man for the job.
I’m given the impression he’ll rewrite for modern audiences rather than produce a telling and powerful account. I hope I’m wrong.

Thanks for the info gents.

Dan

Never knew the bit about the N*gger stand-in not going near the real one’s burial spot!

There was a good thread on here a while back about various airfield ghosts, and it’s reckoned that N*gger’s ghost appears at a certain point in the movie. I watched that scene about half a dozen times and, sure enough, it was there! Though whether it was the ghost of N*gger, or his “actor”…. :rolleyes:

Anyway, back on topic! 😀

That’s funny, Dave, because I’m sure most accounts about the making of the movie say it WAS shot at Scampton…

:rolleyes:

Well, that is what I thought too. But this chap Brian and I spent qa whole afternoon together and he’s a really knowledgable bloke. Everything else he said seemed right, so I have no reason to doubt his word. In fact this site here also backs him up:
http://www.continuitycorner.com/Dfilm/00028.htm

I think a tiny bit was done at Scampton, around the mess or something. But Brian said that most of the film was not made on Scampton at all but instead at the base he was on, which I’m sure he said was Hemswell. I’ll ask him again.

He also said he remembers seeing the Wellington they used in the film fly into their station, and all the Lincolns posing as Lancs.

All I’ve got on these is:

NX782 – Mk VII built by Austin Motors , Longbridge, to 617Sqn KC-T. Used for filming Hemswell & Upwood, scrapped July 56

TW862 – Mk 1 built by Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley, Upwood for filming, scrapped December 54

That’s funny, Dave, because I’m sure most accounts about the making of the movie say it WAS shot at Scampton…

:rolleyes:

I cannot assist with the fate of the bombers, but as an aside I met a chap the other day who was serving in the RAF when they filmed The Dam Busters. He said the station he was on, RAF Hemswell, was down the road from the real 617 Sqn station Scampton, but they used Hemswell to represent RAF Scampton because most of the real base had changed, whereas his station which was to the same design was original. He very much enjoyed watching them film the movie.

Guess I can answer part of my own question. Apparently NX782 was also used in the film “The Dambusters”. And there is some suggestion it was at one time really assigned to 617 carrying codes KC-T

It was V for Victor, the WingCo’s aircraft in Appointment in London.

Wonder what ever became of her

Dan