Typewriter Talk / Typewriters in the Movies

**Posted by Repartee** 22-5-2016 18:29:04

KatLondon wrote:
... there's a funny interview with the lead actress, about being taught touch typing for the film - bless her, because you'd never win a competition with technique like hers. She does EXACTLY what Lenore Fenton says NOT to do, in the 1944 US Navy video.

I am always interested how scenes in films where the actor is supposed to use a physical skill he or she cannot possibly have are handled. For a pianist you would assume they cut to closeups of somebody else's hands or obscure the hands so the actor can just rock back and forth and make music faces.

But the 1947 movie Night Song hit upon a very deft solution to this: for pianist Artur Rubinstein they cast... Artur Rubinstein! Oh, the crafty, crafty casting director.

**Posted by TypewriterKing** 26-5-2016 22:19:33

JoeV wrote:
They could've used foley sound for the typewriter. In my typewriter videos I try to actually type something legible when I'm seen typing on camera, but sometimes it ends up garbled, as I'm concentrating more on my dialog and camera work than typing.

~Joe

Off and on I've fantasized about getting a bit-part in some movie as a typist. I would really try to type something not only legible, but actually germane to the scene or scenes I'm "scene" in. Knowing me, though, the lunar moths in my stomach, plus a really bad case of sweat and drymouth, I'd be lucky to squeak out anything that sounded like a typewriter--let alone anything readable.

**Posted by Javi** 29-5-2016 06:33:15

I love to identify typewriters on the screen as well, and a good one is father Karras´ Royal KMM (The Exorcist). You can see a good pile of IBM´s in Catch Me if You Can (and a Olympia SM3 IIRC), and another IBM Selectric in the first Airport movie. In Boardwalk Empire Maggie uses a beautiful Underwood 5

In Spanish sitcoms Olivetti Lexicon 80´s are fairly common, as well as Studio 45´s.

And in video games, I think the big prize goes to Alan Wake: I´m not sure which typewriter he uses, but I think it´s some Smith Corona. Sorry, I´m pretty much lost with SCM´s, they´re quite rare around here.

**Posted by aliut** 30-5-2016 06:58:42

Sorry to revive an oldish thread, but one of my recent nagging dilemmas definitely belongs here. I'm trying to figure out what typewriter is used in the 'Crossroads' episode of Band of Brothers. The episode kind of revolves around it, but they never show it properly, just quick close-ups here and there and I'm not knowledgeable enough to recognise the model. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

**Posted by SoucekFan** 30-5-2016 11:32:26

I believe it is a Remington Model 1, a portable sometimes referred to as the "noisy noiseless."

**Posted by aliut** 30-5-2016 11:56:12

OMG it does look like it, thank you

**Posted by colrehogan** 13-7-2016 09:12:00

It's not really in a movie, but I was watching a CBT (computer based training) thing at work yesterday and there was a Royal FP-1 sitting on the desk in the video.

**Posted by Uwe** 06-4-2017 14:41:27

I just watched Fletch again - it's probably been ten years since I last saw it - and although it's probably not everyone's idea of a classic '80s film, I think it's pretty funny. There were a number of typewriters in it, but most notable was Fletch's personal typewriter, a Royal HH, and a SG3 on the desk of the real estate office that he broke into.

Trumbo was a great film, as was the IBM Model B Executive that he used in it, but I wonder if the real Trumbo used that model? The only photos that I've seen of the man with an IBM featured the standard Model B.

However, the most notable - and funny - recent typewriter film reference showed two women typing using two standard machines that I didn't recognize, and their carriages weren't moving at all despite their fingers frantically working the keys. Mime typers? I wonder if the machines were too loud for the scene and the two extras were told to pretend that they were typing instead? Unfortunately, I don't remember the film - I think it was from either the Avengers or Capatain America franchaise - but it will come to me eventually.

**Posted by Rattle Tap** 10-4-2017 15:14:55

For anyone that may live here in Wisconsin and get the Milwaukee Journal Centinal there is a great review of a play that is running at the Broadway Studio Theater in Milwaukee.
I believe the entire thing takes place in the office of a publisher in 1919.
Sounds like quite a lark and one of the props is a No5 Underwood sitting on the desk next to an equally nice "candlestick" phone.
They obviously don't do any actual typing on the Underwood as it seems to be missing the platen or even the entire carriage.
Still, it looks like an eye pleasing set if you like old stuff and sounds like an interesting show.

**Posted by KatLondon** 16-4-2017 04:04:37

Here's the review

and here's the play.