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Bill McCormack
B9205690
FILM/TV SHOW CAR AND SCENE [Contributors names
listed in brackets]
Talbot-Style Alpines
1) Curse of the Demon [Dick Sanders] a 1957 horror flick
with Dana Andrews and a 1950 Alpine.
2) To Catch A Thief (1955) [C. Selvarajah, Dick Sanders]
Grace Kelley in her 1954 Alpine.
[Dick Sanders] Grace Kelly at the wheel of a Talbot-style
Sunbeam Alpine in this mid-fifties Alfred Hitchcock adventure.
Passenger Cary Grant holds on though the chase scene and is
amply rewarded later at the picnic.
Alpine Series I
3) Dobie Gillis (TV) [John McCormack] (1959 episode) Dobie
gets a new Alpine.
Alpine Series II
4) Dr. No [Bill McCormack, Dick Sanders, Brian Hutchinson]
(1962) En route to a tryst, James Bond is chased in his blue,
right-hand drive series II Alpine over a gravel road in the
hills above Kingston, Jamaica. Bond's Alpine is fitted with
white-walled tires and wire-rimmed wheels. The license plate
on the car reads: Z 8301 or possibly 3Z 8301 [although it
appears to to be the former].
The Alpine scene begins with Bond's would-be date (an agent)
giving him directions to reach her house. As she tells him the
route to follow, the scene melts from her room to Bond's car
driving in the Jamaican countryside. Here are the directions
Bond is given and shown following:
"You leave the Port Royal Road out of Kingston ... then along
the Windward Road until you get to the cement factory. Then
you turn left. Follow the road up the hill, down the other
side, and two miles further on, on the left: Magenta Drive
2171."
[Dick Sanders] Notice the background scenery the next time you
watch this movie. The Alpine chase scene takes place on the
same corner, over and over again, until just before the crash.
Alpine Series III
5) Anna Lee.(TV) [Neil Venn] I cannot remember the name of
it but some other Brit might. There was a series on tv a
couple of years ago about a young female private eye in
England. I think they made at least two series, but in the
first she drove a well worn, white Alpine. I think the actress
was Imogen Stubbs (maybe, not sure).
[Neil Venn] Yep, the second series had Alpine after
restoration, cant remember colour. Think it was series IV or
V. The name of series was Anna Lee.
[Andrew Austerfield] The alpine series on TV was called Anna
Lee. The Alpine was a light blue kind of colour and
unfortunely was bastardised by fitting an automatic escort
engine and transmission into it. Imogen Stubbs can only drive
automatic apparently!!
[Chris Mottram] This Tuesday night 8/2/95, on A&E at 9:00
(Eastern Time) is Anna Lee a Mystery series in which Anna
drives an Alpine. Yeah, I know most of you guys can just go
look in your garage, but some of us get a charge from see
Alpines/Tigers on TV (and yeah I know Nickelodeon always runs
Get Smart, but he changed over to that darned Kharman and the
show is pretty lame).
[Bill McCormack] Isn't Anna Lee's Alpine a series III?
[T.J. Higgins] Yes, it looks like a Series III GT, since in
last night's show she were driving around in the rain with no
top and her passenger was holding an umbrella over their heads.
[Rex Funk] I also saw the Anna Lee program "Stalker" Tues, and
have the following observations. The Alpine is a Series III,
RHD, Wedgewood Blue color with stock steel wheels, badge bar,
and square rally lights. The license plate number is RSK 727,
and there is a backup light on top of the left rear bumper
guard. Identifying features for this series are the high,
angled fins, quarterlight windows on the front of the door, the
early style bumper guards and lattice grille. This appears to
be a Sports Tourer model, with soft top (hood) and black vinyl
covered dash (not the wood grain dash of the GT) but the
overhead shot of Anna preparing to go on her trip reveals some
strange modifications. The soft-top [hood] compartment pannels
have apparently been upholstered in black vinyl. The seats
bottom cushons are one-peice like later Alpines, and not the 3
peice microcell buckets of the Series III.
Despite the use of the umbrella during the scene on the
country road when it was raining, there is a soft top partially
stowed. My guess is that the production crew had put the top
up to protect the actors between shots, and didn't fully stow
it away under the top compartment covers (a difficult job
sometimes).
I was able to catch a brief glimpse of part of the
gearshift, and It looked like the "T"-shaped shifter of an auto
trans. This would square with the message from Andrew
Austerfield about the Ford driveline conversion. It would be
great to hear from someone who is involved with the car about
its origin and modifications. I am told that the Anna Lee TV
series bit the dust. Is the car still in existence?
I was horrified to see the Land Rover smash into the front
end of the Alpine and start to push it over the cliff.
Unblemished front clips are nearly non -existant on Alpines.
The last scene shows the Alpine (after the body damage has
been repaired) driving off with the soft top up.
It made my heart beat a little faster just to see the
Alpine driving through the rolling hills of the English
countryside. I am partial to high fins, so I think the Series
III is a great choice for stardom. The story was watchable,
but leaned toward the "Chick Flick" genre. The role of the
Alpine in this TV series will do little to dispel the image
of the Alpine as a pretty car for the ladies. A car with the
performance and competition history of the Alpine deserves a
better "vehicle".
Alpine - Early Series (specific series not yet determined)
6) 10 [Alpine Owners Club Newsletter 1986, Dick Sanders]
A brief shot of an Alpine.
[Dick Sanders] Re: "10" Parked in front of the church where
Bo Derek is getting married is a white, early series Alpine.
Its not on for very long.
7) Secret Agent (TV) [Bill McCormack] (1966 episode)
Patrick McGoohan chased by a white, Series I or II Alpine.
8) Power and Glory [Bill McCormack] A tv series on racing,
showing Alpines at Le Mans.
9) Butterfield 8 [Dick Sanders] Liz Taylor, early 60's, in
Alpine. (Chris McGovern's Alpine book shows a shot of Taylor
that is captioned "The Human Condition" is this another
Taylor/Alpine film?)
10) Bachelor Flat [Chris McGoverns Alpine book] Terry
Thomas in an early series Alpine.
Alpine Series IV
11) The Avengers (TV) "The Danger Makers" [Dick Sanders]
Thrill-seeking British Army officers plan to steal the Crown
Jewels; their leader takes the delectable Emma Peel (Dianna
Rigg) for a hair-raising ride in a Series IV Alpine. Note:
The A&E Network, which most recently ran this show, has cut
the Alpine sequence completely out their version of this
episode in order to crammore commercials in.
12) The Parent Trap [Dick Sanders] David Niven's daughter
takes her Series IV for a spin - with a stuck throttle!!
Great airborne shot.
13) Commando [Richard George, Jay Laifman, Dick Sanders,
Dave Van Horn] Schwartzeneger in Alpine chasing Porsche.
[Jay Laifman] There was a movie (the name escapes me,
something with "Commando" in it) with Arnold Schwartzenegger
in which he was driving a red Sunbeam (I do not remember if it
was a Tiger or an Alpine, but think thelater) and racing it
against a Porsche 911 (so my allegiance was certainly torn).
Like in Dr. No, the clips of racing continued to repeat
themselves. Worse yet, the cars were getting banged up
against each other and when the earlier scenes were repeated
after the later scenes, the cars appeared to be miraculously
repaired only to be smashed again. The best part (and also
the worst part) was when Arnold ultimately drove the Sunbeam
into a tree at full speed with such devastation you would be
certain the passengers were pancakes. The camera immediately
zoomed in to Arnold and his passenger showing them thrown
forward as if they hit only a big pot hole and Arnold, with
all his seriousness possible, said "are you ok?", and they
were up and off again without a scratch. I'd say it must have
been due to the incredible strength of a Sunbeam driving
compartment and not any movie magic! So who needs air bags
anyway?
[Dick Sanders] COMMANDO Arnold Schwartzenegger was more
careful about choosing his scripts and producers after this
action-film fiasco. Arnold commandeering a red Series IV
Alpine = instant MUSCLE CAR. The bad guy in his girly-man
Porsche 911 doesn't stand a chance in this classically bad
chase scene. Arnold and his passenger aren't even phased by a
35mph crash into a telephone pole - with no seatbelts. Watch
for the terrible editing as the Alpine's front bumper is
resurrected time after time during the chase. Also watch the
very end of this scene as the Porsche, which has been bashed
repeatedly in the driver's door and then ROLLED onto its side,
is driven away at the end of the scene without a SCRATCH on it.
[Dave Van Horn] Amusing little side note -- they used at least
two Alpines for this (of course); you can see a badge on the
right front fender that appears and disappears in different
scenes.
Alpine Series V
14) Panic in the City (1968) [Dick Sanders] Howard Duff is
on the trail of some left-over WWII Nazis who plan to blow up
L.A. with a homemade atom bomb. The bad guys' henchmen drive
around town in a Series V Alpine looking for a machine shop
that will custom build the parts for the nuclear triggering
device, telling the machinists that the parts are for a "new
carburetor." (Apparently, with a little work, Strombergs will
blow away ANYTHING) Eventually there's a chase scene, with
some very poor driving by the bad guys in the Alpine as they
try to outrun a big police cruiser, and a cheesy crash.
15) The 1995 Aaron Neville music video, "For the Good Times"
(long version) featuring Don Lepore's Series V Alpine.
[Don Lepore] The name of the song is "For the Good Times" (a
re-make of a Kris Kristoferson (sp?) song I believe). My
Series V Alpine appears and only briefly in the long version of
the video (4:23). It did not make the short version. There is
also an early 60's Porche 356 in the video.
The video is about a rememberence of a romantic time and
love. Shot in black and white, it captures a romantice,
etheral mood. My car is in the background of a shot where the
couple in video are interacting.
I was the Production Manager on this job (I'm just getting
into producing them), and had driven my Alpine to the set the
day of the shoot. When the director saw it, he put it in the
video! And since I work on many of these types of projects,
when a car is called for be sure I'll be pushing my Alpine!
16) Pretty Poison (1968) [Sunbeam Alpine Club Newsletter
1986, Jay Laifman] Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins star with
a blue Series V Alpine.
[Jay Laifman] I have a write-up on a movie called "Pretty
Poison" which is a 1968 movie staring Anthony Perkins and
Tuesday Weld. Perkins plays a released mental patient who makes
up stories of himself as a government agent. Weld plays a
local cheerleader who takes him seriously. The write-up
describes the movie as between Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt"
and "Blue Velvet". The picture accompanying the write-up shows
Weld driving a Series V Alpine. The movie was being shown
locally at UCLA. I do not know if it is on tape.
Alpine - No Series Information
17) McVicker [Russell Best] Roger Daltry of the Who in an
Alpine trunk.
18) Get Carter [Sunbeam Alpine Club Newsletter 1986]
Michael Caine in an Alpine.
19) The Love Bug [Mark Morland] has 1 or 2 Alpines in
"race".
20) 'St. Trinians' films - the 'Train Robbery' one if I
remember correctly. I'm afraid that's all I remember - not
much I know...
21) [Neil Venn] Didn't Cliff Richard drive an Alpine in one of
his films?
Was it Summer Holiday?
Was he singing Move It?
[Bill McCormack] Pardon my ignorance, but who is Cliff Richard?
[Jay Laifman] I believe he's an old-time rock-and-roller from
the '60's, but I'm afraid I can't remember any of his hits.
By various accounts, his first car was a Sunbeam, either an
Alpine or Rapier. A recent magazine article said it was an
Alpine, but he's also been said to be searching around the
U.S. for a really nice Series I Rapier "like the one he used
to own."
Alpine - 1969 GT
22) Norwood(1970) [Dick Sanders] Country singer Glen
Cambell makes his acting debut as a country hick who
unknowingly agrees to transport stolen cars across the state
line, including a 1969 Sunbeam Alpine GT fastback.
Unbelievable premise: who would actually STEAL an Alpine
fastback? Only known movie involving a fastback Alpine in a
chase scene. Enjoy the awful early '70's dialogue.
Alpine or Tiger (Unidentified Sunbeam)
23) The Karate Kid. [Alpine Owners Club Newsletter 1986] An
Alpine or Tiger supposedly makes an appearance.
Tiger
24) Get Smart (TV) [Dick Sanders]
25-1) THE Get Smart episode. KAOS plans to assissinate top US
space scientists with "the old bomb-in-the-snack-truck-trick."
Features FOUR classic Sunbeam (Alpine) scenes, including one
crash, one chase, and demonstrations of every spy gadget known
to man. Well, would you believe.....ALMOST every gadget?
Watch closely for a "cameo" appearance by a Series II Alpine.
25-2) The NEXT BEST Get Smart episode. A national magazine is
doing a write-up about C.O.N.T.R.O.L.. Max tries to impress
the journalist with his Sunbeam (Alpine), which KAOS has
booby-trapped. Journalist: "A convertible? Isn't that a
little conspicuous?" Max: "There is nothing as INCONSPICUOUS
as a CONSPICUOUS car."
25-3) MORE Get Smart. KAOS threatens the world again with a
"sonic-boom machine." Max and '99' trail a KAOS agent through
Washington, D.C. in the Tiger. "Look, '99', he's going into
that car wash. We'd better follow him."
26) The Return of Get Smart (TV) [Larry Snyder] Max back with
his Tiger.
27) Casino Royale (1967) [Steve Cseplo] David Niven in a
Tiger.
28) The Chalk Garden [Donna Adam] A film starring Haley
Mills in which a sky blue Tiger makes an apprearance towards
the end of the of the movie.
29) Viva Las Vegas [Jim Fuerstenberg] A woman-friend of
Elviss supposedly in a green Tiger.
30) Flipper (TV) [John McCormack] A woman friend of Sandys
appears in a Tiger during the pilot episode of this series.
31) [Bill McCormack, Dick Sanders] A series on the history of
Rock and Roll, produced by public tv around 1993. It shows a
clip of a publicity event by the Animals parading in a string
of Tigers in some east coast city, possibly New York.
Sunbeam Minx
32) Charlie's Balloon (1982?) [Dick Sanders] Gramps (Jack
Albertson) and his grandkid set off across the country in
Gramp's homemade balloon. Mom and a 'free-lance TV reporter"
try to keep up with them in the reporter's Series IIIA Hillman
Minx convertible. Seduced by a Minx?
Other Sunbeams
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