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 Author  Topic: They Were Expendable movie
Dick

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Dick   Send Email To Dick Posted on: Dec 18, 2011 - 11:57pm

I did some quick and dirty research on TWE. I have the movie on my Mac's computer hard drive, and decided to view it in MEG-StreamClip where I could view it-fast forward-back-pause-frame advance and take screen shots. Below are some images with comments based on comments already posted - check them out.

Dick . . .


Just a nice shot of the movie's 41 boat:

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Side by Side (Elco) 34 boat, (Huckins) 35 boat.

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Movie beginning, 2 Elcos foreground, and four Huckins background. Nearly always seen in this combination. With the Huckins boats always played down, and in minor fill-in action.

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Beached & Burning 34 boat, The first shots of the beached 34 shows an Elco 80 with minor fires, and a few hollywood gasoline can explosions. Then after several back and forth cuts the movie ends up show an Elco 77 burning intensely (below) in place of the Elco 80.

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Jerry talks about 3 Elcos and some Hunkins. But the movie mainly shows 2 Elcos and 4 Huckins. However later in the movie the 34 and 35 boats are being towed by the 41 boat, and this time in two scenes a third Elco 80 is seen. In the beginning of the tow just the very most forward part of the foredeck can be seen of the third boat. When they cut away to an at-sea scene you clearly see 3 Elco 80's line up (below).

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Torpedo Tubes & the Mix: here you see the Elco 34 and Huckins 35 boats both carrying possible dummy MK-19 tubes. both are mounted on what appears to be wooden blocks and the aft end of the tubes have no pressure domes (required for high pressure applications).

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Another stern view of the 34 boat, again dummy tubes.

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These next two photos show the 41 boat, It has real MK-19 tubes, please note the pressure domes on the back side of the tubes.

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Finally two interesting shots of a Huckins boat with two different types of tubes. One a dummy MK-19 aft, and a standard Power Charge Elco Mk-18 forward.

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What a mixed bag of tricks on these boats and tubes.


Are we having fun yet ! ! ! ! !




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Frank J Andruss Sr

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank J Andruss Sr   Send Email To Frank J Andruss Sr Posted on: Dec 19, 2011 - 1:39am
Photo eight is what I was referring to in my latest post. Look at the Elco doing the towing. Notice her transom has that over hanging strip of wood the runs the entire length of the stern, yet PT-34 has that high arch. I can now see it is because PT-34 is missing that strip along her stern . That high arch threw me when I had seen the movie, thus I thought it might have been a made up boat..........


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Will Day

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Will Day   Send Email To Will Day Posted on: Dec 19, 2011 - 3:11am
Dick: Thanks for posting. I for one am having a hell of a lot of fun with this!!!

Will

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alross2

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of alross2   Send Email To alross2 Posted on: Dec 19, 2011 - 4:19am
Those compressed air tubes aren't MK19s. Some of them are the interim tubes used to launch MK13s; others appear to be crude copies of same. At least one of the Huckins boats has a MK18 tube. Will have to spend a little more time looking at these shots!!!!

Al


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David Buck

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Buck   Send Email To David Buck Posted on: Dec 19, 2011 - 4:25am
The 77' boat makes a number of apperanes, the first I can find is as the 31 boat as it is being hit by Jap shells and appers to have a number of fires on board ,note preceding seene where the mast has been koncked down but in the next scene the mast is back up and there are none of the crew visable (lets put saftey first here).
The next time she shows up is as the 34 Boat that is stuck on the coral the best way to pick this is to note the chine height at the bow much lower on the 77" Boats compared to the 80' Boats. this is seen just after John Wayne dives into the water and the camera is panned around to show us the 34 Boat Ref. Dicks first photo of the 41 Boat.
The three Boats in the towing scene the first is an 80' Boat the next is a 77' Boat then the last is a 80' Boat again note the chine depth at the bow.
The scene with the 34 Boat on the marine railway shows not only that the Boat used is a 77' but careful examination of the bow section shows that it has been altered to form a straighter line rather than the normal reverse line that the 77' had at the bow.An interesting note here is that as the boat slips into the water there is a 80' boat behind her and at one point you can make out both bows from a dead on shot, if you can freeze the frane at that point the differant height is quite clear.
The scene of the 34 Boat being destroyed has a 80' boat underway while fighting the Japs and being hit but then as she comes into the beach it is a 77' boat that the crew is jumping off, wether they used a prop during thenext scene is an interesting question but they do a cutaway to John Wayne watching the boat blowup and when they return to the boat instead of being high out of the water as in the preceeding scene the boat seems to have lost most of its hull which seems a little wrong if you look at the actor reteiving the mast, an explosion of that size would turn the Boat into matchsticks even if done by a prop company. Also all one has to do is look at some of the photos on this board to get an idea of how sever the damage to the Boats was and none I have seen here have shown a Boat with its hull blown out from under the deck leaving the deck to burn,also the 50 cals seem to be missing as well as the engine room air vents.
The last time it appears is in the scene where they tow away the 41 Boat the best take on this is as John Wayne stops at the cabana and watches the boxes being loaded at the frount of the Boat, again that chine line is a 77' Boat giveaway.
I also noticed that the 77' Boat is not used in any of the scenes with the Boats underway, mayby she had been cleaned out for safety reasons, the scene with her comeing into the beach could have had her being pushed in so I do not count that as an underway moment!
Anyone find any thing else?

D.buck

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Dick

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Dick   Send Email To Dick Posted on: Dec 19, 2011 - 9:34am
David . . . Sharp, sharp eyes, nice catch. I went over the scenes mentioned and made screen captures, very interesting. I hope to have some time to edit the captures and post them late tonight. All seem to bear out your comments except for the Army take-over of the 41 boat. The shape and configuration seems strange but not a Elco 77.

Great observations David.

DIck . . .


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boater dave

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of boater dave  Posted on: Dec 19, 2011 - 12:45pm
In the pic of the 34 boat starting up, why is there exhaust bubling up from the side? Is that where the shorter (not the 80') Elco's exited? Or is this some other through hull fitting? It looks like the boat ahead has lots of exhaust bubbles at the transom. Or did I miss something said before?

Dave

Sorry, I just realized this was the towing scene! My bad.

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Frank J Andruss Sr

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank J Andruss Sr   Send Email To Frank J Andruss Sr Posted on: Dec 19, 2011 - 2:56pm
In the towing scene, if in fact we are seeing a 77 foot boat being towed, then MGM must have done some mock up work, because that boat has a charthouse and spray shield around the helm. Maybe we can see a close up shot.............


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Dick

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Dick   Send Email To Dick Posted on: Dec 20, 2011 - 12:05am
PhotoS show what could be an Elco 77' modified to appear as an 80'. One of the points in this direction is the shape of the hull seen from the stern and the shallower chine. The 80' chin is steeper, raising much higher on the bow then the 77'. Some deck shots what could be the Deck stiffener beams. The location of the hatches and the configuration (specially) the aft gun turret. The earlier beach scenes really show the Elco 77', one photo or camera angle appears to be purposely hiding a good front shot of the suspect 77' with a palm tree. Some photos have over laid art with Red as Elco 80' and Green as Elco 77', the art was traced from the microfilmed prints of the Elco Lines.

Se what you guy think.

Dick . . .

Beached ?? modified 77' ?? just prior to burning.

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Beached ?? modified 77' ?? just prior to burning.

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The 34 on the rocks

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The 34 pulled from the rocks

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The 34 in tow.

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The 34 at Pop's for repair

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The 41 being hauled away by the Army - Looks like an 80'

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The 41 being hauled away by the Army


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Frank J Andruss Sr

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank J Andruss Sr   Send Email To Frank J Andruss Sr Posted on: Dec 20, 2011 - 4:34am
The evidence seems to be pretty conclusive when you view the enlarged photo's. I watched the beaching scene several times, and I must say she sure looks like a 77 Footer. In any case, it seems as though at least one 77 footer was used for the making of this movie. It would be nice to know which one was chosen for this movie, and just curious was that 77 footer ever used under her own power, or was she just pulled along to appear she was under her own power.


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