A movie that almost got it gun perfect

[Nom de Forum]

Any movie with a Webley Mk VI or C-96 is "gun perfect" even if the usage and historicity is absurd. No other pistols or revolvers have as much brutal combat charisma, although the P-08 is a close runner-up.

I have seen all the movies mentioned in the thread several times. Quite a difference between the messaging of The Sand Pebbles and The Wind and The Lion. Shout at the Devil is the only movie about WW1 events in Sub-Saharan Africa I can think of off the top of my head other than The African Queen.

 

[toivo]

Lee Marvin was excellent as a drunken ivory hunter.

Lee Marvin had his home base in Woodstock, NY, near where I live. A friend of mine remembers him from the '50s and '60s. Marvin's real life mirrored his screen persona in a lot of ways -- let's just say his barroom exploits were legendary.

Here are some photos from his early life -- just out of the Marines and still raising hell:

http://pointblankbook.com/images-of-lee-in-postwar-woodstock-new-york/

The Heckeroth plumbing business mentioned is still in operation. In fact, they fixed a broken pipe in my house last month.

 

[Alte Schule]

Two of my favorite Steve McQueen flicks are:

Hell is for Hero's. McQueen as bad a** Pvt. Reese with his M3 "Grease Gun" and butcher knife. Fess Parker, James Coburn, Bob Newhart and Bobby Darin round out a top notch early 1960's cast. The gun play is excellent.

1972 The Getaway. McQueen as Carter "Doc" McCoy recently paroled bank robber. He favors the Government 1911 (a Star Model B was used in the action shots as the Colt wouldn't cycle blanks) and a High Standard K 1200 shotgun. Ben Johnson (Single Action Army) and Al Lettieri (Colt Python) are the bad guys. Lots of gratuitous gun play and directed by the master Sam Peckinpah. I'm somewhat biased as I knew a few of the extras in this flick.

 

[bannockburn]

Thought of another "gun perfect" movie for you: "The Professionals" with Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, and Jack Palance.

 

[nofendertom]

And Woody Strode.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

tark

Yeah you really had to love "The Sand Pebbles" with the '03 Springfields, the BAR, and especially the Lewis guns!

They got the scene where he teaches Po Han the steam cycle in the engine room right too. We'd quote it while I was in my steam engineering classes just to mess with the instructor.

 

[bannockburn]

nofendertom

And Woody Strode.

Yep and Claudia Cardinale. One of my favorite scenes is when Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster discover that Claudia Cardinale wasn't kidnapped but actually had run off with her "boyfriend" Jack Palance. Once they figure that out Lancaster looks at Marvin and says: "Amigo, we've been had"! Great stuff!

And to keep this gun related, there's a Lewis Gun in the movie along with some Winchester lever actions, '03 Springfields, Colt SAAs, and what looks like a Colt New Service revolver.

 

[lysanderxiii]

tark

One of the most "gun perfect" movies I can think of is "The Wind and the Lion"

Check it sometime; I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

It MAY have gotten some of the guns right, but not perfect.

In 1904 (the date of the events) some ships detachment were still armed with the M1895 Lee, in the case of the USS Brooklyn it seems they had Krags, for USS Atlanta, information is inconclusive. Here is a photograph of the officer commanding the Marine detachment of the USS Brooklyn taken around 1904, you can tell those are Krags behind him.

However, in the movie, the Marine Major's sidearm is wrong, it is a large frame S&W, what he should have is a Colt New Model .38.

The Marine uniforms, however are a odd lot. As you can see, Marine Officers wore a braided work working jacket. The four pocket patrol jacket was not introduced until 1908.


Later in the movie they get it right:


And before anyone say maybe in the first sequence he is wearing his dress uniform, no. The USMC Officer's Dress uniform for the period: