batman

What is Mythbusters?

Bats.

"Boom boom a baby .... Banham Zoo .... Banana pants! Hahahaha"

bloodworm

I dont know what all theu fuss is about.

Last week i watched "This is England" made in 2006, written and directed by Shane Meadows. The film made unashamed use of the word "nigger" in its foulest meaning. Director Meadows was not afraid to use the word as he was trying to portray 80s lifestyle in the midlands. Why all the fuss then about its use as it was in 1943, a dogs name and a code word.

The one that gets away is always the biggest but not always the best !!

Moor Larkin

I'm sure Charlton Heston's 'Earthquake' promised to be ground-breaking........ I can't imagine the local cinema could have operated the equipment though.

No, in this version he climbed into a Lotus 7 and drove straight on into the distance..........


BTW. If you investigated the "properties" tab on that photo. you'd find that old Gibbo was not the only one with a dubious name on his dog-tags......
BBC - WW2 People's War - Images of WWII - Jack Burgin’s Photograph Album Photo No. 241



Full-Flaps and hard a-starboard Ginger!

[code]http://www.flickr.com/photos/29487363@N02/sets/72157606700675506/code]

Aaryk Noctivagus

A TV series where a couple of Practical Effects experts test Urban Myths to see if there is any reality to them. They set up experiments to try and reconstruct the circumstances.

Its a very entertaining show. I think it had a very short run on BBC 2 this year, but I catch it mainly on Cable.

nanduthalange

Thanks, Cooleyn, for reminding us what a wonderful, powerful and deeply moving e4xperience it is, to see The Dambusters on the big screen.

I've been lucky enough to see a few Lancaster flights, and the deep-throated roar of those mighty engines sends a tingle down my spine. I have been in the immediate post-war successor to the Lancaster, the Avro Shackleton. When you see the environment the crew worked in, their achievement is all the more remarkable.

I remember seeing a programme on the Shackleton - part of the Perpetual Motion series, where it was memorably described as 10,000 rivets flying in close formation!

I have read Guy Gibson's biography, "Enemy Coast Ahead", published posthumosly in 1946, and it captures the intensity and strain of flying night after night, very memorably. I think Richard Todd's portrayal was superb. Gibson was an aloof self-contained man, who was utterly driven, and Todd capyures this superbly.

NappieB

This has enjoyed an extensive run here in the US. I'm not sure it's exactly the same series, but the premise is the same (the Americans tend to copy Brit series, e.g. "Till Death Do Us Part", "Steptoe & Son", "Robin's Nest", etc.)

I was never totally satisfied that the (American) series actually tested out the "myths" properly. Most of the myths were debunked (or were they?!)

"The future is yet to come" - George W. Bush

NappieB

Excellent post! I thought the Shackleton pre-dated the Lancaster by a few weeks ...but at my age the memory dims.. please correct me if I'm wrong.

Perhaps Richard Todd's finest performance!!

"The future is yet to come" - George W. Bush

cooleyn

I used to live on the Morayshire coast, and during the eighties, when the Shak was still flying regularly over us, it was an incredible experience to be lying in bed late at night and to hear a Shack slowly approaching from out at sea.

The sound slowly grew and grew, until the aircraft flew over the town, and the doppler effect deepened the gorgeous engine note as it flew past.

Can't say my wife enjoyed it too much in the early hours of the morning though, but hey, we were young, and once she was awake I had other reasons to thank those Shackleton crews.

I went to the open day at Lossie on the day they retired the Shaks, and we got to crawl around inside, sit in the pilots seat, etc. The overwhelming impression was of the smell of a real old (but working) piston aircraft; all cramped, crowded and lovely, and it gave an idea of what a Lancaster must have felt like.

In the ATC in the seventies, we were lucky enough to go on a long flight on a Vickers Varsity from Finningley - again a lovely old machine that droned away all day - lovely.

Happy days

penfold

I was in the RAF section of the school CCF back in the 70's, and one summer camp we ended up RAF Kinloss....lots were drawn for the joyrides on offer - in the Nimrod MR1's....but I lost out....however, on the fourth day we were coached to Lossie too, then a Jaguar and Shackleton base, there was a 'Lucky loser' draw and four of us went on AEW patrols in the Shacks....THE NOISE!! CRAMPED!! The old quote of a Shackleton being ten thousand rivets flying in close formation...I don't think we were chuted up, just as well as I would never have got over the main spar box, which if you remember cuts through the fuselage and makes for a great obstacle if you're getting out in a hurry....but being brought up on The Dambusters, it was an experience I would never have missed for the world. A bit more exciting than the Chipmunks we normally got to fly...
For the record, the genealogy of the Shack is as follows. First came the twin engined Manchester....a death trap by all accounts, underpowered. The Lancaster was basically a stop-gap to use spare Manchester fuselages, going to Merlin engines (Instead of Vultures IIRC) and four at that, with extended wings and modified tail. The York was the passenger/cargo version. Late in the War, the Lincoln was developed, basically a Lancaster with upgraded Merlin engines and new larger wings. The civilian version of the Lincoln, same wings but a pressurised cabin, was the Tudor. The Shackleton was a Lincoln with Griffon engines powering contra-rotating props, and had a maritime reconnaissance and Airborne Early Warning variants....and these lasted well into the eighties, forty-odd years after the poor old Manchester.

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

NappieB

Thanks Penfold! I was indeed thinking of the Manchester!

"The future is yet to come" - George W. Bush

716Jones

There was a very good biography of Gibson by Richard Morris, 300+ pages, published in 1994 which is well worth getting your hands on. It's out of print now, but copies do turn up on ebay, which is where I got mine. It describes a young man with very human strengths and failings, not just the celluloid hero from the screen. As for Gibson's private life, everyone has some skeletons in their cupboards, don't they?

Saxon

I'm gutted to learn that I have somehow managed to miss the experience of seeing the Dambusters on a genuinely big screen and was poised to buy a DVD copy in HMV today but was wondering if anyone knows whether there are any plans to release a special edition version on DVD in the near future - I would rather buy the definitive version from day 1 even if it means waiting.

Congratulations to all those who saw this wonderful film as it should be seen, I have a pretty decent home cinema system but the visuals can't compete with the local Odeon.

Best regards,

Jonathan

Marky B

I was going to watch on the big screen in Middlesbrough on 4 September as a self given birthday treat,but when I found it was at 830pm,I decided to give it a miss as you might imagine I would rather be somewhere else at that time on my birthday.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I am special. The heavens always open for me.

ALewis

Hello ~ I'm new to this Forum so please bear with me while I find my way around!

I'm organising a very special and unique charity event that might appeal to Richard Todd/Dambusters fans. The event is 'An Evening with Richard Todd~star of the stage and screen' which is being held at Grimsthorpe Castle near Bourne, Lincolnshire on Saturday, October 6th 2007 commencing at 6.30pm to support the National Deaf Children's Society. Richard will be speaking to an audience about his fascinating life and career and he will be hosting a questions and answers session. Colin Young, a BBC TV antique expert(Bargain Hunt) will be conducting an auction of prizes and Ruth Montgomery, an internationally acclaimed flautist will be performing a selection of Richard's favourite pieces of music. The tickets are £35 each and includes Champagne, drinks and canapes. The dress code is lounge suit.

Tickets are strictly limited and MUST be purchased in advance. For more details or to purchase tickets, please contact me as soon as possible.

Marky B

Sorry,I won't be able to make it,but I wish you every success for the evening - sounds great!
Ta Ta
Marky B

I am special. The heavens always open for me.