Here is another wonderful film from British Pathe. A 1967 colour film showing model dinosaurs being made for use in stop-motion movie work.
Mr Arthur Hayward, who worked for the Natural History Museum in London, is shown making the models. Some were used in films such as One Million Years B.C.
There are several short clips of the final models in action, with one rampaging through city streets, amid a fleet of die-cast vehicles.
These are: Corgi B.M.C. Mini Police Van (dog patrol vehicle); Corgi Aston Martin DB4; I am not sure about the silver car on the right - a Jaguar saloon ? The bus that gets over-turned is the Corgi Major Midland Red Motorway Express Coach.
Paul Adams from New Zealand
Wow! That's my serving of Nostalgia Goodness for the day!
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard of Arthur Hayward, I assume he was just another uncredited technician buried in the foundations of the British Film Industry!
I thought Ray Harryhausen did all his own sculpting on his puppets in this period. Certainly his father was engineering the internal animation armatures. The miniature skeleton seen in this documentary was there purely as an illustration, as despite being paleontologically correct, it's unlike actual movie grade armatures!
I met Ray Harryhausen on his promotional tour in 80's Sydney and was able to tell him in person what an influence he had been on my life.
Likewise, I met Jim Danforth in his tiny studio beside Van Nuys Airport USA in the mid 80's and was so impressed with his artistry too...
Wow! A little Googling brought up this gem about Arthur Hayward and his plastic dinosaurs! I actually had that Triceratops as a kid!
ReplyDeletehttp://mltharmewom.blogspot.com/2018/04/today-i-relived-my-childhood-and.html?m=1
Thanks for the extra information, Lewis. I did not know he also worked on The Valley of the Gwangi. Never heard of Invicta Plastics.
ReplyDeleteI am afraid that back in the 1980s I would probably not have known who Ray Harryhausen was, despite having seen a number of his films. It was only later that I became interested in how all the movie magic was done, and the people who did it.
Neat Video!
ReplyDeleteDid you notice in the last second of the film, that it cut to a Cardboard Dalek attacking a Cardboard Robot?
It's only there for a fraction of a second, but I have to wonder what that news story was!
Yes I saw that too Scott!
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