Actually there were three MORGANs used in filming "The War of the Roses."
The car used in the initial scenes was (and is) owned by Jim Whelan. The
second (used as the "restored" car) was purchased by the studio and sold at
auction afterwards. The third was a "hulk" leased from Bob Couch for the
crushing scene. It was completely "gutted" no engine, transmission or drive
line was used. In fact, the wheels did not touch the ground. It was
mounted on a dolly with the jack. As the SUV rolled on top, the jack was
lowered to enhance the crushing effect. After the filming it was returned
to Bob who rebuilt it.
Unfortunately, most of the MORGAN scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.
Too bad. The film would have made a better six hour TV mini-series than a
movie. It was cut so drastically that the real story line was lost. All
you knew from the film was that they were in love then all of a sudden he
hated her shoes and she hated his car. In the screen play (Written by [then]
SNOBMOG owner, Michael Leeson) the marriage began to deteriorate when he
decided to restore the car and began spending more time in the garage with
the car than he did in the bedroom with her.
The MORGAN starting handle that they were diving for at the end, also
belonged to Jim Whelan and he never did get it back.
Gerry
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jane McDaid [SMTP:Murphys@ziplink.net]
> Sent: Monday, February 15, 1999 5:22 PM
> To: morgans@autox.team.net
> Subject: War of the Roses Car lives on
>
> Robert Couch of Morgan Spares rebuilt the War of the Roses car into a
> vintage racer for a client member of the 3/4 Morgan Group, who alas died
> before getting to race the car. I can't remember the owner's name, because
> I've only been to one NY area Mog event and that was in 1992!
>
> Couch told me he leased the car to the studio, knowing they'd squish it.
> He
> already had a new frame & body on order for when it returned to NY.
>
> How do you rebuild a Morgan? Well, if you start with a VIN, then
> everything
> else is readily available.
>
> Jerry Murphy
> '67 +4
>
> At 07:25 AM 2/15/99 -0800, Gerry Willburn wrote:
> >The front end was raised using a hydlauic jack under the car. Many years
> >later the same jack was used under the MORGAN in War of the Roses in the
> >scene where the SUV runs over it. The jack allowed them to lower the car
> >making it appear as though the SUV was crushing it even further.
> >
> >Gerry
> >
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Vandergraaf, Chuck [SMTP:vandergraaft@aecl.ca]
> >> Sent: Monday, February 15, 1999 6:32 AM
> >> To: 'L.D. McLaughlin, Jr.'
> >> Cc: Morgan Mailing List
> >> Subject: RE: movie
> >>
> >> Tony,
> >>
> >> I remember that one. Somewhere along the line the driver pick up this
> >> overly pregnant woman and the car becomes tail heavy and roars off with
> >> its
> >> front wheels in the air. I often wondered how they did that.
> >>
> >> Chuck Vandergraaf
> >> '52 +4
> >>
> >> > ----------
> >> > From: L.D. McLaughlin, Jr.[SMTP:ldmcjr@zebra.net]
> >> > Reply To: L.D. McLaughlin, Jr.
> >> > Sent: February 14, 1999 11:03 PM
> >> > To: Morgan Mailing List
> >> > Subject: movie
> >> >
> >> > I ran across a movie the other night that has a hilarious chase scene
> >> with
> >> > a
> >> > Plus 4 4-seater for about 5 minutes. It's "Silent Movie" with Mel
> >> Brooks,
> >> > and was apparently filmed in the early-mid-seventies. The car is
> bright
> >> > yellow, and is chased by a Lincoln limo and various police cars. It's
> >> sort
> >> > of a slapstick, typical of Mel... Watch it! You'll get a kick out of
> it!
> >> >
> >> > Tony
> >> > --
> >> > http://www.zebra.net/~ldmcjr
> >> >
> >> > ldmcjr@zebra.net
> >> >
> >
> >
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