ON Fakes and Film

[Bruce Simcox]

Hi All.

This is something that I got to re-thinking about just the other day. I was into about the third viewing of 'D-Day' and I was really paying more attention this time around to the decorations being worn than to the movie itself.

Just how much responsibility lies in the hands of movie-makers for the amount of FAKES on the market today.

I think that it could be argued that there was a demand for FAKES by the prop masters but, then where did all those FAKES end up after the film got into the can????

Some unscrupulous crew member unloading them on the public or some unfortunate collector????

Got me to wondering.

--------------------

Bruce

[DaveL]

Movie props after use go back into studio store or to the independent prop house they were rented from; many are sold on the open market at some point when no longer needed. Some were used over a long period of time, as you can see if you are a student of this - for example, i recall seeing the really bad "Heer" tunics with shiny buttons & huge, crude breast eagle in films of the 1930s-40s, & the same ones again on the TV series "Combat" & in films of the '60s! Film props make up a collecting specialty in themselves (many pieces have the markings of famous studios or prop houses) & many genuine items have also been used, altho sometimes modified in some way. In some cases the studios or prop houses have fabricated items that give what they think is a general impression of a correct buckle, badge, or medal. If & when these come on the market they can be a source of confusion for the novice colector, altho they usually differ tremendously from any original. I myself have never seen any badges, medals, or insignia out there with film provenance (i've seen a couple film prop "German" buckles), altho presumably they exist. More typically, in my own experience, the collector will come across uniform items & weapons (real or dummy). The subject is relevant to those interested in Hollywood & film history, as well as to militaria collectors. I don't think much research has been done on it. Maybe one of our members will pioneer a reference book on the subject!

[McCulloh]

You may wish to read "Hollywood Dresses The Military" in the Military Advisor magazine from @1994.Lots of original items were/are used. After John Boy Walton finished the miniseries "All Quiet On The Western Front" about 150 original WW! overcoats were sold in California to a military surplus company. They were being sold for only $40 in 1991.
Recently there have been a number of the props from Saving Private Ryan sold as well as items from BAnd of Brothers-one could get them directly from the wardrobe areas at the studios. They also show up on ebay and are clearly marked.
The most famous story is of George Mason(?) wearing Rommells' original jacket (obtained from Manfred) for the movie, "The Desert Fox". After filming was done the jacket went missing.
Cheers,
JeMc
.

[Paul Massucci]

Hi Carl ,
according to the " Military Advisor" article by Richard Mundhenk in Vol 3/ #3 the uniform was borrowed and retailored to fit Mason but went missing after filming was finished. Note the missing EKI spange and P/O badge, empty loops in their palce.

[DaveL]

I recall seeing recently in one old thriller (don't recall the title)- starring...damn, the mind is going - the famous little guy who was one of the thieves in The Maltese Falcon, in this film he plays a writer researching the alleged death of a mysterious Greek or Turk...anyway in a scene with the (Cairo? Ankara?) police busting someone in the casbah bar, they have rifles fitted with what appear to be the scarce German-made Transvaal contract Mauser M-1896 sawback bayonets (see Janzen 189-1), which in fact never were delivered to the Boers, but ended up being used by the Turks...seems the film was not far wrong there, if at all (no doubt somebody here will fill in all the blanks i've left!)

[DaveL]

NOW i remember - it was Peter Lorre, in The Mask of Demetrios.

[paddywhack]

over here in dublin alot of films get made and after filming aload of stuff what ever film is dumped in the irish market! after saving private ryan there were loads of spanish helmets,props etc gonig round afterwards! same after braveheart there were loads of plastic swords and axes going round!