Old 405 line tellies seen in Hellboy II movie

[high_vacuum_house]

Hello there,
I bought the film "Hellboy II" from Morrisons as it was on offer and whilst watching it I noticed at least 3 405 line tellies apparantly working in Hellboys room!

Hellboy is quite an odd character who has lots of tellies stacked up working in his room (Bit like the end of the secret life of the telly) and watcing all of them at once.

I noticed a GEC BT1901, a Pye LV30 and a Bush TV53. possibly other sets there as well all apparently working!.

Suprising since they are UK made 405 line sets yet it is a US made film !

Has anyone noticed other 405 line tellies in any other films or can identify other 405 line sets in this film?

Christopher Capener

[paulsherwin]

Despite the American funding, was it made at Pinewood?

There is at least one specialist company which supplies 405 era TVs for film and TV use, though I can't remember the name now. These TVs have modern 625 line innards fitted.

Paul

[ppppenguin]

Golden Age TV supply all sorts of broadcast related props for TV and film. One half of GATV is Paul Marshall, as seen this year on Antiques Roadshow from Lincoln with one of his 1950s TV cameras.
http://www.golden-agetv.co.uk/

[high_vacuum_house]

After having a closer look at the scenes with the tellies in there is also a rather battered Murphy transportable set.
The cabinet looks original although if you pause the film and look closely there is a modern CRT inside and it is rather badly fitted partly due to the modern CRT being too rectangular and flat fronted for the mask.
Christopher Capener

[Michael Maurice]

I hope this isn't too OT, some years ago my wife and I went to MOMI, the Museum of Moving Images, there were a number of 'old TV's with modern innards, in fact the modern innards were colour sets with the colour turned down, they couldn't even be bothered to grey scale them properly.

Of course I pointed this out in my usual loud voice.

[Darren-UK]

Originally Posted by paulsherwin

Despite the American funding, was it made at Pinewood?
Paul

It's a Universal Studios production filmed in Budapest and Pinewood.

[paulsherwin]

Originally Posted by Darren-UK

It's a Universal Studios production filmed in Budapest and Pinewood.

That would suggest locations=Budapest, interiors=Pinewood. The set design may well have been done by Brits. Not having seen the movie, was the interior scene being discussed supposed to be in the US? (I vaguely remember that the first Hellboy movie was set in New York.)

The first film certainly had a retro feel to the art design.

Paul

[Darren-UK]

The Pinewood/Shepperton website says travel, hotels, vehicles etc etc for the cast and crew were arranged by Sky Media Travel, who have a base at Pinewood but are, as it happens, a Hungarian based company. That may have influenced the Budapest/Korda Studios use but I've not been able to discover anything about the set with the old televisions.

I suppose it's possible the set (with the teles) could've been at Korda or Pinewood, I just don't know.

Universal Studios released the film but I guess they would've commissioned Pinewood or whoever to make it, so I'm not baffled by the fact that a US-released film contains old British teles.

[Scottart]

Hi Everyone,

I was the Designer on Hellboy II, "The Golden Army", and also the earlier Hellboy I movie.
We shot all of this picture in Hungary, at both the new Korda Studios outside Budapest, and other nearby locations. We only spent a few weeks in Pinewood in early pre-prep days - initial design work.
It was funded and distributed by Universal (USA), and myself, and a number of other British technicians had the good luck to work on the movie in Hungary. And yes, the TVs in Hellboy's room, were hired from specialist prop suppliers in the UK. But our budget just couldn't stretch to bringing in working period sets from the States !! - so it was an artistic compromise ! Some of the televisions had their 405 line chassis replaced with 625 units. I know, a sacrifice
Additionally, the sets were all synchronised via 'black box's' to the film camera, and the picture sources ( usually from computers ), to ensure frame lock,etc. as necessary.
I can't remember the UK props suppliers who hired us the televisions, but if anyone's interested, I'll dig out their details.
As an aside, I met a guy in Budapest with an outstanding private collection of Orion and Phillips radios.

Stephen

[HamishBoxer]

Re Paul's comments,it is or was STV in London who supplied the props.Over the past years I was the one who ripped out the original chassis and put in the modern replacements .Sadly inc HMV 900 series, then having been asked where was the old chassis by STV. It had been returned to them, only to them and turned out they had binned same!
The gent in question took great pride in having as many sets running as possible in his mega big warehouse, White City I think.

David

[Brigham]

There's a 405-line set in Kubrick's 'Lolita', supposedly in America.

[Scottart]

Your right, David, I checked out the supplier of the TV sets used in Hellboy, and they did come from the 'ex' STV Hire Company. I say 'ex', as they are now part of the 'Chase 55 Prop Hire' Group in West London. Nice to know you were part of the movie

Stephen

[high_vacuum_house]

Hello there Scottart,
Well now we know who did the Hellboy set maybe when (if) hellboy 3 is made then maybe have a few pre war sets Pye D16's and lots of TV22's plus get the sound department to add the line whistle as well

Christopher Capener

Oh and have an underwater Pye V4 for Abe Sapiens tank as well !!