"Von Ryan's Express" P-38
Mon Jul 03, 2006 1:26 pm
hello all
just saw the first few minutes of "Von Ryan's Express" (1965), and there is a P-38 (o/d & grey with red & white striped rudders) posed in a 'crashed" position; it looks like it has had the nose gear retracted so that it is sitting on its mains with its face in the dirt, and there is a bunch of greens tying it in to the landscape, and some fake looking flames as well.
Does anyone know if this was a real aircraft or some studio mock-up? If real, what happened to it?
Just curious
greg v.
just saw the first few minutes of "Von Ryan's Express" (1965), and there is a P-38 (o/d & grey with red & white striped rudders) posed in a 'crashed" position; it looks like it has had the nose gear retracted so that it is sitting on its mains with its face in the dirt, and there is a bunch of greens tying it in to the landscape, and some fake looking flames as well.
Does anyone know if this was a real aircraft or some studio mock-up? If real, what happened to it?
Just curious
greg v.
Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:34 pm
Let's ask 'ole Blue Eyes himself...
Nope, he don't know...
Fade to Black...
Nope, he don't know...
Fade to Black...
Mon Jul 03, 2006 4:19 pm
...your reply to this question is the best laugh I had today...thank-you very much!
Mon Jul 03, 2006 4:44 pm
Looks like a plywood mock up. Wheres dem turbochargers at?????
Mon Jul 03, 2006 5:48 pm
ww2John wrote::lol:
...your reply to this question is the best laugh I had today...thank-you very much!
Hehe... happy to oblige with a laugh whenever I can.
I only wish I had more info on this... 'P-38'. But it sure do look like a mock-up...
Fade to Black...
????
Mon Jul 03, 2006 6:10 pm
Nope, he don't know...
He looks like he just got a plate of bad clams!!
Last edited by Jack Cook on Tue Jul 04, 2006 12:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:59 pm
wow, looks like he's outta words to describe how bad that mock-up is. Or is he just saying "hey, its a paycheque"?
anyways, thanks for the still, it cleared that up pretty quick.
cheers!
greg v.
anyways, thanks for the still, it cleared that up pretty quick.
cheers!
greg v.
Tue Jul 04, 2006 12:15 am
remember the me 108's posing as faux 109's in the alps portion of the movie?? beware........ with all his old mob connections make fun of frankie & he'll have ya wacked from the grave!! 
Tue Jul 04, 2006 9:45 am
Loved that movie when I was a kid.
David Westheimer, the author of Von Ryan's Express was a POW in Italy and drew upon his personal experiences for the novel. He was with the 98th Bombardment Group and "Killer" Kane was his commanding officer (later to get the MOH over Ploesti). Westheimer's B-24 was the first American plane to be lost over Italy.
If you're a fan of POW memoirs, he wrote a non-fiction book about his POW years, Sitting It Out. Great book, better than Von Ryan.
David Westheimer, the author of Von Ryan's Express was a POW in Italy and drew upon his personal experiences for the novel. He was with the 98th Bombardment Group and "Killer" Kane was his commanding officer (later to get the MOH over Ploesti). Westheimer's B-24 was the first American plane to be lost over Italy.
If you're a fan of POW memoirs, he wrote a non-fiction book about his POW years, Sitting It Out. Great book, better than Von Ryan.
Tue Jul 04, 2006 11:59 am
Some meaningless off-topic trivia here: The leather jacket worn by Frank Sinatra in Von Ryan's Express is the same jacket that Robert Crane later wore for the TV series Hogan's Heroes.
I told you it was meaningless trivia.
I told you it was meaningless trivia.
Tue Jul 04, 2006 2:36 pm
on the contrary!!! exceptionally cool trivia!!
Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:21 pm
Von Ryan's Express and the first season of Hogan's Heroes were both filmed in 1965. Frank must have handed it directly to Bob when he was finished with it ! 
Von Stalag 17 Express
Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:46 pm
Col Klink gave it to Hogan as a memento of Von Ryan it's true, I read it
on the internet!
on the internet!