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01-4-2013 22:47:14  #1


Typewriters in Television and Film

This is the thread for our members to post in sightings of typewriters in films and television-episodes. I'll start off with a few...

Film/TV: Enid.
Typewriter: Imperial Good Companion, 1st Gen.
 

"Enid" is a film about the British childen's author, Enid Blyton, who was well-known for her love of the Imperial Good Companion. She used it extensively through her career, and there are loads of photographs of her using one. The typewriter in the film is given to her by her husband. Sadly, the typewriter lasts better than the marriage. 



Film/TV: Foyle's War
Typewriter: Imperial 50.
 

This acclaimed British TV series about the Second World War features an Imperial Model 50 in the opening credits of every episode. 




Film/TV: Murdoch Mysteries
Typewriter: Imperial 50, Oliver 5.
 

Despite taking place ca. 1895-1901, before either of these machines was introduced, these two typewriters appear prominently in the episodes of "Murdoch Mysteries", a Canadian Victorian-era police-drama. The Imperial belongs to Const. George Crabtree, and sits on his desk. The Oliver belongs to his superior, Detective William Murdoch, and sits in his office. 

Last edited by Shangas (01-4-2013 22:52:53)


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
 

02-4-2013 00:39:56  #2


Re: Typewriters in Television and Film

This thread was long overdue as I love "spotting" items I'm interested in (it's more than just typewriters I'm afraid) when watching films.

I've got many "film typers" to add to this thread, but only have photos of a few of them at the moment. 

Film: Valkyrie (2008)
Typewriter(s): Unidentified

I'd love to be able to identify the machines used in this film, any of them, as there were many used. These images aren't the best to use in trying to identify a make and model, so I'll have to see if I can grab better ones.

The most memorable typewriter moment in the film was the thunderous clacking produced by a mass of typers in a busy communications room. I grabbed this still and the following three from that scene:


Can you tell they used an antique for realism? I doubt a machine of the period would have already shown such pitting as this paper finger shows.


This is also interesting. Notice the missing slug on the very right?



This typewriter is very fascinating; I assume it was some sort of a teletype machine from the era?


These images were from another scene during which a lone typewriter was being used at a desk:







Film: Citizen Kane
Typers: Unidentified

Again, there were many typewriters shown in this film, not surprising considering the plot involves a newspaper company. These images are also not much help for identification purposes, but the one Kane was typing on did have a carriage shift. 


"Get me a typewriter, I'm going to finish Mr. Leland's notice," demanded Kane.





Film: Misery
Typewriter: Royal 10

Arguably the most famous typewriter in contemporay film. "I got a deal on this 50 pound clunker on account of its missing an 'N'," Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) said as she forced the Royal 10 on author Paul Sheldon (James Caan).





 

Last edited by Uwe (02-4-2013 00:47:51)


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

02-4-2013 01:46:12  #3


Re: Typewriters in Television and Film

Video Game: Alan Wake
*Features two typewriters (one of them is a giant typewriter with keys you can step on)



    My blog: http://papelymaquina.blogspot.com/  
            Photo gallery: http://papelymaquina.imgur.com/
 

02-4-2013 02:09:30  #4


Re: Typewriters in Television and Film

Game: Mafia (2001)
Typewriter: Main Menu

This game, set in the 1930s, has a typewriter in the main-menu screen, called "The Wolf". It's a three-bank desktop model. 

Film: "Schindler's List"
Typewriter: Underwood Standard (?)




Who could forget the famous scene in "List" where Schindler and Stern are typing out the famous list of Jews? I can't tell from the side-on shot, but it looks like an Underwood Standard. Although the chances of getting one of those in wartime Poland seems rather slim... 

Film: "Der Untergang" ("The Downfall")
Typewriter: U/K


In this film about the last days of Adolf Hitler, we begin with Hitler interviewing new secretaries. He takes one of them into his office for a dictation-test. We only see the typewriter's make for a split-second. But I'd like to think it was something like a desktop Continental...



Film: Moulin Rouge
Typewriter: Underwood Standard 5




The main character in this film is a writer living in Paris in 1900. His machine of choice, seen at the start of the film, is an Underwood 5 Standard. 

TV: Upstairs, Downstairs
Typewriter: Corona three-bank folding portable


In the TV series "Upstairs, Downstairs", the character of Hazel Forrest, later Mrs. Bellamy, secretary to Lord Bellamy, does all her typing on her folding Corona portable. The episodes featuring this machine take place in 1912. 



TV: Murder, She Wrote
Typewriter: Royal KMM


Who could forget the opening to "Murder, She Wrote", with Jessica Fletcher (the incomparable Angela Lansbury) typing her latest murder-mystery thriller novel on her trusty old Royal KMM "Magic Margin"? 


 

Last edited by Shangas (02-4-2013 02:42:26)


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
     Thread Starter
 

02-4-2013 14:42:29  #5


Re: Typewriters in Television and Film

How about 'The Shining' and this creepy old Adler? All work and no play...



http://hollywoodmoviecostumesandprops.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/original-costumes-and-props-from.html

 

02-4-2013 15:20:55  #6


Re: Typewriters in Television and Film

Y'know, not a single one of those pages is identical, and neither are they photocopied. Someone sat at that typewriter for HOURS and typed every single line out by hand. And every single one had to have some sort of flaw within it. 

Film: Shanghai
Typewriter: U/K


In the midst of the Sino-Japanese War, an American naval intelligence officer sails to the International Settlement of Shanghai in the Republic of China, to find out what happened to a friend of his. The Settlement is living on borrowed time and any day now, the Japanese could invade and overrun the Western-controlled downtown part of Shanghai. But in the meantime, it's business as usual. The officer sets himself up in cover as a journalist, working for the Shanghai Herald (an actual Shanghai English-language newspaper of the 1930s). 

There's a shot of the newsroom with all the reporters at their desks. But there's no clear shots of the typewriters. The film takes place in 1941. I'm guessing that the machines are probably Royals, but I have no idea. 

TV: Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction? (Episode: "The Scoop")
Typewriter: Underwood 1?


The episode is set in 1883, long before Underwood started making anything. But that's what the machines look like, anyway. For that period, the machines would probably be upstrike blind Remingtons or something.  

Here's the episode on YouTube for you to look for yourselves: 



 

Last edited by Shangas (02-4-2013 15:23:32)


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
     Thread Starter
 

06-4-2013 02:44:42  #7


Re: Typewriters in Television and Film

The typewriter used in "Schindler's List" was added to an exhibition in a Jewish history museum in the United States...


Does anyone recognise what model it is? 

That's Spielberg standing next to it, in case anyone doesn't recognise him. He said directing Schindler's List was one of the hardest films he ever had to do. 

I originally thought it to be an Underwood, but I doubt that's what it is. Or at least, it's no Underwood that I recognise. 

Speaking of Spielberg and Typewriters...

Film: The Adventures of Tintin - Tintin and the Secret of the Unicorn
Typewriter: Royal Portable




In one of Spielberg's latest masterpieces, the Adventures of Tintin, we get a shot of Tintin's office/study. Here, we can clearly see his sky-blue portable typewriter. 

At first glance, it immediately reminded me of the Royal Portable. As you can see, there's more than a passing resemblance between the two: 



The film takes place Ca. 1935. 

Here is some original artwork for the film. You can clearly see it's a Royal Portable: 



Talking of animated/CGI films, there's also Ratatoullie: 

Film: Ratatoullie
Typewriter: U/K


Anyone who's ever seen this delightful animated film about a hapless kitchen-boy and his rodent companion will surely remember the famous skull-faced desktop typewriter belonging to restaurant critic Anton Ego: 



Not, to my knowledge, modelled on any existing typewriter model, people remember it because of its "skull" appearance. The nose, cheeks and teeth are made up of the typewriter frame, and the eyes are made up of the mainspring drum and the carriage-bell. 

Film: King Kong (2005)
Typewriter: Corona 3B Folding Portable


In this film, Adrien Brody plays a scriptwriter, and hapless friend to Carl Denham, the movie-producer. Tricked into being trapped on the tramp-steamer "Venture", he kills time by working on the script for Carl's new movie. Just like the original film, this remake takes place in 1933... 



Thanks to some other shots in the film, I was able to find out what make and model the typewriter was: 



TV: Agatha Christie's "Poirot"
Typewriter: Underwood Standard




Poor Miss Lemon! Poirot's long-suffering secretary begs her employer for a new typewriter, constantly complaining about the old one jamming and locking up on her all the time. 

TV: The Waltons
Typewriter: Oliver No. 5.
 

In one of the first episodes of 'The Waltons', John-Boy borrows a typewriter from the Baldwin sisters, to type out his story which he wants to send to a New York literary magazine. 




The same model of typewriter on display at a Waltons museum in Virginia. 

Film: The King's Speech
Typewriter: Oliver No. 5




You'd think being a personal chum to H.M. would allow you to get a more up-to-date typewriter! In this film, Lionel Logue keeps a batswing Oliver in his office on Harley Street. 

Last edited by Shangas (06-4-2013 19:05:11)


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
     Thread Starter
 

06-4-2013 19:09:44  #8


Re: Typewriters in Television and Film

Upon closer inspection, I think Anton Ego's typewriter in "Ratatoullie" was inspired by the L.C. Smith No. 8: 





I notice a couple of similarities between the L.C. Smith, and the movie typewriter: 





Obviously they're not one and the same, but they look similar enough. 


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
     Thread Starter
 

07-4-2013 05:09:49  #9


Re: Typewriters in Television and Film

Film: Anatomie (2000) *Germany
Typewriter: Olympia SG-3


    My blog: http://papelymaquina.blogspot.com/  
            Photo gallery: http://papelymaquina.imgur.com/
 

14-4-2013 02:10:54  #10


Re: Typewriters in Television and Film

Film: "Warm Springs" (2005)
Typewriter: Royal Model 10 (Single Pane)


Set in the 1920s, 'Warm Springs' is about Franklin D. Roosevelt's attempts to cure himself of his paralysis through the use of hot mineral springwater, and to bring hope to others who had been crippled by polio, which was endemic throughout the U.S.A. at the time. 

About halfway through the film, FDR dictates a letter to his secretary, who types it up for him on a Royal 10: 




"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
     Thread Starter
 

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