Hackett

Talking of dubbing didn't the alas no longer Charles Gray from "THE DEVIL RIDES OUT" dub for Jack Hawkins.

Jim

Yes you're right there Hackett - he dubbed for Jack many times. Lovely voice! Jim thumbs_u

Good morning boys.

smudge

Yes - and was it Robert Rietty who was Jack's second voice double ? There were definitely two of them....

SMUDGE

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

Stephen Pickard

Smudge said:
Yes - and was it Robert Rietty who was Jack's second voice double ? There were definitely two of them....

Yes Smudge, you are correct.
When I worked at Pinewood I worked on at least three of Hawkins' films ("Waterloo", "When Eight Bells Toll" and "Kidnapped") and both actors contributed to revoicing Hawkins' voice.

Stephen Pickard

alan gowdy

Nice to see that so many of you appreciate this classic British movie. The tennis courts are still there but disused now.

"Don't forget... one of petrol, two of meths"

Genevieve's Mechanic

I loved the used car salesmen it still rings true.
Peter Jones was on a recent edition of just a minute on radio 4 here in GB.

Being a petrol head I would love to know the true Identity of the Swiftmobile possibly a bentley of about 1928?. And the "bellini"? maybe an aston martin???with the added fin.
It always irks me that they dont get a listing.
the same applies for check point ,and the green helmet

Rennie

Was 'School For Scoundrels', the film which had a early scene on purporting to be at YEOVIL railway station? (which it wasn't!)

Freddy

Hi Rennie,
I noticed on the Reelstreets web site they list the locations for SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS . . . Hertford East Stn. Was that the Yeovil station?
regards
Freddy

The world wags on.

Rennie

Thks Freddy. So presumably the scene was in this film. Certainly not any of the four (at that time) Yeovil stations, all of which were suffixed with the location of the station within, or out of Yeovil.

Freddy

I wish I could be more help Rennie, I am assuming that Hertford East was used for both scenes though Elstree and Borehamwood Stations are the nearest to the studio as well as the hotel. Look at
http://www.hertford.net/history/histrail.asp
the station looks familiar, though with no video I can't be sure.
regards
Freddy

The world wags on.

alan gowdy

Swiftmobile was a Bentley - it was auctioned a while back, minus the film bits - and the sports car was an Aston Martin. The car salesmen scenes are simply sublime.

"Don't forget... one of petrol, two of meths"

Nick Dando

I have just discovered some details about the Bellini, as driven by Terry-Thomas. I was looking through some old copies of Classic and Sportscar magazine (September 1996) and came across this.

"Aston Menáge Ã* trois

An Aston Martin DB3S team car gunned by Moss, Collins, Brooks and Salvadori, subsequently driven into the Solent by a suicidal love-sick mechanic and later co-starring with Terry-Thomas in the legendary film School for Scoundrels? That's just one of the fascinating histories discovered by Aston historian Chris Nixon and related in Palawan Press' latest masterwork, DB3S.
The car in question is DB3S/5, which started life as a road car for David Brown with an experimental glassfibre body. After a disastrous '54 Le Mans it was given the aluminium body of 3S/2, to begin an active racing life as a factory team car.
After successful outings with Roy Salvadori, the car eventually came into the hands of privateer Dennis Barthel, in 1957. He had the car prepared by Rob Walker's Pippbrook Garage where it was fettled by Alan Overton. Unfortunately the caddish DB3S owner took up with the young mechanic's fiancée and the "seeds of tragedy were sown".
Barthel allowed Overton to drive the Aston at the Gosport Speed Trials and although the mechanic set fastest time in his class he didn't live to collect his trophy on that fated April bank holiday. Overton never lifted off the throttle beyond the finishing post and ended his life by driving straight into the sea.
The car was rebuilt with a new body; re-registered PAP 625, it was christened the Bellini to co-star with Terry-Thomas and Ian Carmichael in the comedy School for Scoundrels.
The car, with its distinctive front end, was styled by Carrozzeria Touring and passed through the hands of several historic racing enthusiasts before being acquired by the late Bill Lake. Lake had it meticulously restored to its original factory team car style and tracked down its old works registration 9046 H. The present owner, Erich Traber, is a regular Mille Miglia entrant following in the tracks of Peter Collins."

The Palawan book is very rare and extremely expensive (£375 in cloth, £900 in leather when published at 1996 prices) and the cheapest is on ABE at £400.

Nick

Ady

Hey ! Thanks for that, Nick. I've often wondered what base vehicle it was - didn't realise that it was an actual (not just for film special) car.
Thanks again.

Ady.

DB7

alan gowdy

The Austin Healey that the Ian Carmichael character cons the car dealers into selling to him is still registered and in use. I'm still looking for the location by the gasometers where Terry-Thomas reverses his 'Bellini' into a wall and dents its tail. I suspect it was the gasworks near to Elstree railway station. Must get up there sometime and check it out.