Film sets shown in UFO

In watching 'Mindbender' and 'Timelash' back to back this week, I have
become curious as to what films the large sets (shown as backdrops to
much of the action) were used for. I'd be interested in seeing clips
from those films.

Knowing both the above were made at Pinewood, I'm sure the Regency
buildings (apparently dressed for a wartime film) and Victorian Street
must have featured in some films released around 1970-71. Anyone got
any ideas?

Similarly for some of the earlier episodes made at Borehamwood,
e.g 'Exposed'.

Hi,

This link might help:
http://www.pinewoodshepperton.com/html/filmography/1970.htm

Best to all, Griff

-----Original Message-----


In watching 'Mindbender' and 'Timelash' back to back this week, I have
become curious as to what films the large sets (shown as backdrops to
much of the action) were used for. I'd be interested in seeing clips
from those films.

Knowing both the above were made at Pinewood, I'm sure the Regency
buildings (apparently dressed for a wartime film) and Victorian Street
must have featured in some films released around 1970-71. Anyone got
any ideas?

Similarly for some of the earlier episodes made at Borehamwood,
e.g 'Exposed'.






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I wouldn't assume that the films (I doubt that any TV series of the time could have afforded such massive sets) for which the sets were built were necessarilly that recent. A complex street set at Elstree Film Studios which appeared in a multitude of ITC series episodes was built for an early 60s Cliff Richard film (Wonderful Life, I think) and was standing well into the 70s when it was destroyed for Stand Up Virgin Soldiers. It was part of the usual studio deal at the time was that a production could use any still standing sets, or set elements, for free.

Guesses, off the top of my head, for a major exterior street set left standing at MGM might be Dr Zhivago, the set dressed for a war film at Pinewood might be for Zeppelin and the Victorian street, The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes and/or David Copperfield. Of course they may well have been built for films which are long forgotten and may have been re-used for a number of films,

Regards
John

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

that"stand up virgin soldiers was a great show" I remember seeing
Hywel Bennett in "Percy"! Cheap rude and bloody wonderful stuff!





--- In [hidden email], "JKS" <jks@...> wrote:
>
> I wouldn't assume that the films (I doubt that any TV series of the
time could have afforded such massive sets) for which the sets were
built were necessarilly that recent. A complex street set at Elstree
Film Studios which appeared in a multitude of ITC series episodes was
built for an early 60s Cliff Richard film (Wonderful Life, I think)
and was standing well into the 70s when it was destroyed for Stand Up
Virgin Soldiers. It was part of the usual studio deal at the time was
that a production could use any still standing sets, or set elements,
for free.
>
> Guesses, off the top of my head, for a major exterior street set
left standing at MGM might be Dr Zhivago, the set dressed for a war
film at Pinewood might be for Zeppelin and the Victorian street, The
Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes and/or David Copperfield. Of course
they may well have been built for films which are long forgotten and
may have been re-used for a number of films,
>
> Regards
> John
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Hello

You're quite right about the Pinewood 'Baker Street' set. It was created for
the Private Life of Sherlock Holmes film and continued to be used into the
seventies. However it always suffered from flooding and was destroyed
sometime that decade (I think). There are still some cobbles left from the
road surface at Pinewood, and two years ago the main street set from Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory was constructed in the vicinity of here. The
original street also featured prominently in Carry On at Your Convenience!

There is a little known film i remember seeing a few years back
called "The Breaking of Bumbo", made in 1970
(http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0066861/combined), starring Richard
Warwick, Joanna Lumley & Edward Fox.
It has a scene with Lummers & a group (?platoon?) of Guardsmen,
incl. Warwick (I think they were wearing the full parade uniforms
with Busby Hats like what you'd see on parade outside Buckingham
Palace.) on a parade ground outside a big grey building quite
similar to the Military Academy at Sandhurst which is familiar.
I'm gonna fast forward thru 'Exposed', 'A Question of Priorities'
and maybe a few other episodes from the first production block
today/tomorrow.


--- In [hidden email], "JKS" <jks@> wrote:
>
> I wouldn't assume that the films (I doubt that any TV series of the
> time could have afforded such massive sets) for which the sets were
> built were necessarilly that recent. A complex street set at
Elstree
> Film Studios which appeared in a multitude of ITC series episodes
was
> built for an early 60s Cliff Richard film (Wonderful Life, I think)
> and was standing well into the 70s when it was destroyed for Stand
Up
> Virgin Soldiers. It was part of the usual studio deal at the time
was
> that a production could use any still standing sets, or set
elements,
> for free.
>
> Guesses, off the top of my head, for a major exterior street set
> left standing at MGM might be Dr Zhivago, the set dressed for a war
> film at Pinewood might be for Zeppelin and the Victorian street,
The
> Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes and/or David Copperfield. Of course
> they may well have been built for films which are long forgotten
and
> may have been re-used for a number of films,
>
> Regards
> John
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>

On checking 'Timelash' there is a point about 30 minutes in where
Straker & Lake are pursuing Turner with all three in a pair of blue
studio jeeps round the Pinewood backlot. Turner drives onto a piece
of tarmac in front of and then between two large grey buildings
(fakes probably) which are set at a right angle to each other.
The two senior SHADO officers follow him and Lake stands up to take
potshots at the rogue operative, Straker tells her to shoot the
tyres which she does. This sends Turner crashing through a gate or
door that is between the two facades.
I think these two fake building fronts were the ones i saw
in ...Bumbo, there were two differences:-
1) The bit in the flick was filmed several dozen yards off to the
left (or behind the camera) of what we see in the U.F.O. episode so
they're in the distance and,
2) It was probably filmed in the winter of 1969-70 about 8 months
before 'Timelash' was shot in mid-late August, (Yes, i cheated by
checking my copy of a certain book by Chris Bentley!) as Joanna
Lumley is seen wearing a fur coat and IMDb has it's production year
as 1970, so i don't think it was '70-71.


--- In [hidden email], "Simon Graves" <simongvs1@...> wrote: the
> > time could have afforded such massive sets) for which the sets
were
> > built were necessarilly that recent. A complex street set at
> Elstree
> > Film Studios which appeared in a multitude of ITC series
episodes
> was
> > built for an early 60s Cliff Richard film (Wonderful Life, I
think)
> > and was standing well into the 70s when it was destroyed for
Stand
> Up
> > Virgin Soldiers. It was part of the usual studio deal at the
time
> was
> > that a production could use any still standing sets, or set
> elements,
> > for free.
> >
> > Guesses, off the top of my head, for a major exterior street set
> > left standing at MGM might be Dr Zhivago, the set dressed for a
war
> > film at Pinewood might be for Zeppelin and the Victorian street,
> The
> > Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes and/or David Copperfield. Of
course