Culver City movie backlot Warbirds

[Pooner]

Too bad somebody didn't snag that PB4Y-2 nose for the Privateer that is currently flying.

It's the one currently fitted to Privateer N3739C at Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, TX.

I had my hands on it not 4 hours ago, and the restoration work on it is stunning. Ron Sathre, formerly of Union City, CA is credited with saving this one, and Jay Wisler for providing the turret dome. Restoration work was done by LSFM staff. It's beautiful.

I have no idea what became of the PB4Y-2 cockpit section as shown in one or two of the old Culver City studio shots. That one has always eluded me.

- Robert in PHX

[p51]

Too bad somebody didn't snag that PB4Y-2 nose for the Privateer that is currently flying.It's the one currently fitted to Privateer N3739C at Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, TX.

I'm so glad to hear that at least one of these movie props found a good home, especially for a bird that I'm sure will be flying agin someday!

[Jerry O'Neill]

I think the PB4Y cockpit was saved. I remmeber about 15 years ago there was a PB4Y guy who restored itn in California. I just can't remember who he was.

[bdk]

Which P-38 is this?

[bdk]

Nich Hamilton Standard props BTW! Should be Curtiss Electric.

[/quote]

[george]

Three more studio escapees:

Douglas Dauntless from MGM Culver city

Ultra-rare TBF from MGM Culver City

Rare SB2C-3 from Fox Studios

All 3 of these auction survivors are now at Yanks Air Museum.

That Hellcat has to be somewhere.

[CoastieJohn]

Good thread timing......I'm watching Hogan's Hero's right now (S5-E9) and it looks like they have some of those exact fuselage parts as part of the storyline of a bomber getting shot down at the prison camp.

[Lon Moer]

As for the PB4Y, the only time it might have been used was in the beginning of the movie [red]Lady Takes a Flyer[/red]. There is a scene early on where they are at Litchfield(?) and a rich Texas oil man(?) played by Alan Hale Jr. buys his wife a PB4Y so she has something to fly. He is trying to find a pilot to ferry it back. Other than that I agree, I don't recall any movies with close ups of a PB4Y in them. It has been 20 years since I saw the movie, so my facts may be a bit off.

Nice reference!
http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=26463

[Lon Moer]

As for the PB4Y, the only time it might have been used was in the beginning of the movie Lady Takes a Flyer. There is a scene early on where they are at Litchfield(?) and a rich Texas oil man(?) played by Alan Hale Jr. buys his wife a PB4Y so she has something to fly. He is trying to find a pilot to ferry it back. Other than that I agree, I don't recall any movies with close ups of a PB4Y in them. It has been 20 years since I saw the movie, so my facts may be a bit off.

Nice reference!
http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=26463

[Rajay]

Universal backlot August 1983

and this one too..........

I'm still interested in any information that might eventually confirm a specific identity (N-number or better yet OEM Grumman serial/construction no.) of the "static" Goose used for filming Tales of the Gold Monkey. Everyone knows that N327 (s/n 1051) was used for the actual flying sequences after a different Goose crashed at sea while being ferried from AK to CA to do the show.

Fred Knight's recent book "The Grumman Amphibians - Goose, Widgeon, & Mallard" covers an amazing amount of detail and history of these aircraft, but I don't recall seeing anything in it yet to identify this Goose which is now on display in faux Pan Am livery at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, LI, NY.

My working theory is that it was one of several Goose airframes that crashed or was damaged during service on the Long beach to Catalina Is. route and was bought by the studio for use as a set prop so it never got re-registered or had a BoS registered with the FAA. That's my theory anyway - and Chris Bell of http://www.catalinagoose.com once told me that he remembers N13CS (s/n 1007) disappearing from behind the Catalina Seaplanes hangar in San Pedro right about the same time that they started filming TOTGM.