Ernire Kovacs One-Wheel Lands a P-51 in 1960 film.
Sat May 04, 2013 9:48 am
I watched a film the other day called "Wake me When It's Over", a mildly funny film released in 1960. Story line is about a forgotten USAF base on a backwater island off Japan's coast called "Shima". Everyone's on the island is board so Kovacs and Dick Shawn come up with an idea to make money by using surplus USAF equipment to build a resort hotel around a hot spring located on the island. Lots of neat ideas for using wings, horizontals and drop tanks for decorations.
The highlight, aircraft-wise, is Kovacs landing with one wheel up in a P-51. Not sure if it's the actual serial number, but 413362 is painted on the tail.
Pardon the images, as I shot them off the screen with my camera!
Capt. Stark ( Ernie Kovacs )after landing with one gear up.
Video clip of landing. looks like they used a wheel or something attached to the wing pylon to be able to "taxi-crash" the aircraft down the field. Clever.
http://s1221.photobucket.com/user/Jerry_ONeill/media/DSC_2425_zps46477615.mp4.html
Pool bar with what I think are F-86 canopies and three bladed props for decor.
Jerry
The highlight, aircraft-wise, is Kovacs landing with one wheel up in a P-51. Not sure if it's the actual serial number, but 413362 is painted on the tail.
Pardon the images, as I shot them off the screen with my camera!
Capt. Stark ( Ernie Kovacs )after landing with one gear up.
Video clip of landing. looks like they used a wheel or something attached to the wing pylon to be able to "taxi-crash" the aircraft down the field. Clever.
http://s1221.photobucket.com/user/Jerry_ONeill/media/DSC_2425_zps46477615.mp4.html
Pool bar with what I think are F-86 canopies and three bladed props for decor.
Jerry
Re: Ernire Kovacs One-Wheel Lands a P-51 in 1960 film.
Sat May 04, 2013 10:14 am
That one wheeled landing is a pretty good effect!
Re: Ernire Kovacs One-Wheel Lands a P-51 in 1960 film.
Sat May 04, 2013 10:28 am
I thought so too. Looks like the pilot had good control with rudder and right brake. Obviously there is something keeping the left wing off the ground, but it is "real" and not a digital effect so I really like it. Maybe not so much sparks coming of the wing tip, but otherwise a very good effect and no damage to the aircraft.
Jerry
Jerry
Re: Ernire Kovacs One-Wheel Lands a P-51 in 1960 film.
Sat May 04, 2013 10:44 am
That was the great stunt pilot Frank Tallman doing that scene. I think there were many takes before the director was satisfied.
Re: Ernire Kovacs One-Wheel Lands a P-51 in 1960 film.
Sat May 04, 2013 1:48 pm
Frank also did the B-25 crash in "Catch 22" by landing the plane and going thru the smoke of the "Crashed" B-25, then the camera swings around and there is the "crashed" one. He also did the L-5 cut the guy in half.
Re: Ernire Kovacs One-Wheel Lands a P-51 in 1960 film.
Sat May 04, 2013 10:26 pm
The movie also had the remains of a Japanese kamikaze plane that the islanders kept in a shrine, but they later burned it. The plane was actually a Stearman minus its top wing.
(A certain WIXer is no doubt thinking "No great loss.")
(A certain WIXer is no doubt thinking "No great loss.")
Re: Ernire Kovacs One-Wheel Lands a P-51 in 1960 film.
Sun May 05, 2013 9:25 am
Here's that Stearman just before they burn it. It was portraying a Japanese fighter that had crashed in WWII that the local villagers made into a shrine.
Jerry
Jerry
Re: Ernire Kovacs One-Wheel Lands a P-51 in 1960 film.
Mon May 06, 2013 10:17 am
Slipping a bit O.T., Kovacs was a true comic genius-one short bit on his TV show was a close up of him lighting a cigar then holding the match in front of the camera lens because he knew it would fry the cathode ray tube.
Many very famous folks were under the masks in the Nairobi Trio. It's too bad he died before Mad Mad World was filmed.
Many very famous folks were under the masks in the Nairobi Trio. It's too bad he died before Mad Mad World was filmed.
Re: Ernire Kovacs One-Wheel Lands a P-51 in 1960 film.
Mon May 06, 2013 11:54 am
The Inspector wrote:Slipping a bit O.T., Kovacs was a true comic genius-one short bit on his TV show was a close up of him lighting a cigar then holding the match in front of the camera lens because he knew it would fry the cathode ray tube.
Many very famous folks were under the masks in the Nairobi Trio. It's too bad he died before Mad Mad World was filmed.
Kovacs was a real talent a somewhat ahead of his time.
Jerry
Re: Ernire Kovacs One-Wheel Lands a P-51 in 1960 film.
Mon May 06, 2013 7:34 pm
The Inspector wrote:Slipping a bit O.T., Kovacs was a true comic genius-one short bit on his TV show was a close up of him lighting a cigar then holding the match in front of the camera lens because he knew it would fry the cathode ray tube.
Many very famous folks were under the masks in the Nairobi Trio. It's too bad he died before Mad Mad World was filmed.
His widow Edie Adams was in Mad Mad Mad Mad World. She played Sid Cesar's wife. Kovacs was supposed to have Cesar's role, but was killed in a car accident before filming began.
Re: Ernire Kovacs One-Wheel Lands a P-51 in 1960 film.
Mon May 06, 2013 8:23 pm
maxum96 wrote:The Inspector wrote:Slipping a bit O.T., Kovacs was a true comic genius-one short bit on his TV show was a close up of him lighting a cigar then holding the match in front of the camera lens because he knew it would fry the cathode ray tube.
Many very famous folks were under the masks in the Nairobi Trio. It's too bad he died before Mad Mad World was filmed.
His widow Edie Adams was in Mad Mad Mad Mad World. She played Sid Cesar's wife. Kovacs was supposed to have Cesar's role, but was killed in a car accident before filming began.
She also felt obligated and worked her fanny off to pay off all his substantial debts.