Movie Clips References Sought (test your film knowledge)

Cafe Society
1

Hi, I’ve been charged with getting a number of movie clips for a project I’m working on. My memory is not that extensive. If people could name widely-available films, new or old, that I could get the following shots from, I’d apprecaite it.

In no particular order:

Pony Express rider
Smoke signals
Women gossiping
Roman Messenger
Air mail plane
Carrier pigeon
Someone screaming in somebody else’s ear
someone talking on a candlestick telephone
Devil & angels on somebody’s shoulder
Seance
Fish in newspaper
Telegraph (typing and/or wires)
Nautical flag waving
Lights dimming during execution
Third base coach passing signals
Flashing neon sign, i.e. “Gas/Food,” “Vacancy” etc.
Newspapers coming off the presses
Kids passing notes in class
Bank robber passing note to telller
Invisible ink becoming visible
Tattooed treasure map on person’s chest
Early television.

As you may have guessed, the theme is communication. Believe me, I’d much rather be doing something potentially degrading rather than wasting my time with this on a Saturday night.

Thanks.

2

Some of these may be kinda iffy,but:
-Women gossiping-

Gosford Park
-Roman Messenger-

Life of Brian, Gladiator
-someone talking on a candlestick telephone-

It’s a Wonderful Life
-Fish in newspaper-

The Godfather

-Flashing neon sign, i.e. “Gas/Food,” “Vacancy” etc.-

Thelma & Louise

-Newspapers coming off the presses-

Citizen Kane

-Bank robber passing note to telller-

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

-Tattooed treasure map on person’s chest-

Waterworld
This belongs in Cafe Society.

3

someone talking on a candlestick telephone
Streetcar named desire

Someone screaming in somebody else’s ear
Not a movie, but an episode of Fawlty Towers (Basil the rat maybe?)
Seance
Ghost
Early television.
Back to the Future

4

Off to Cafe Society.

DrMatrix - GQ Moderator

5

Invisible ink becoming visible: Who Framed Roger Rabbit

6

Pony Express rider
Smoke signals
Women gossiping
Telegraph (typing and/or wires) – any b/w RKO picture (the logo)

Third base coach passing signals – Major League

Newspapers coming off the presses – The Paper

Kids passing notes in class – Sixteen Candles

Bank robber passing note to telller – Raising Arizona

Tattooed treasure map on person’s chest – does it have to be chest? Yellowbeard (head) or Lust in the Dust (ass)

7

Oops, didn’t delete out the first three. Dunnos about Pony Express riders or smoke signals, but women gossiping – The Women or The Music Man.

8

A League of Their Own has a scene involving giving signals, but from the dugout, not third base.

The Fall of the Roman Empire should have some scenes with Roman messengers.

I believe Wagons East has a scene with a Pony Express rider.

The Naked Gun has a scene with a third base coach giving signals, and possibly one of the coach giving signals with nautical flags.

9

I don’t think so. Doesn’t John Goodman simply announce his intentions?

10

Lights dimming during execution
My Cousin Vinny

11

Gale: Alright ya’ hayseeds, it’s a stick-up. Everybody freeze. Everybody down on the ground.
Old Man in bank: Well, which is it young feller? You want I should freeze or get down on the ground? Mean to say, if’n I freeze, I can’t rightly drop. And if’n I drop, I’ma gonna be in motion. You see–
Gale: Shut up!
Old Man in bank: Okay then.
Gale: Everybody down on the ground!
Evelle: Y’all can just forget that part about freezin’ now.
Gale: Better still to get down there.
Evelle: Yeah, y’all hear that, don’t ya’?
[Everybody lays down. Gale looks at the now-empty teller windows.]
Gale: Shit! Where’d all the tellers go?!
Teller’s voices: We’re down here sir.
Evelle: They’re on the floor as you commanded, Gale

12

I think there’s a scene in It’s a Wonderful Life where someone (Clarence, maybe?) screams in Jimmy Stewart’s ear.

13

Is this project going to be published and/or shown commercially? If so, you’ve got to think of licensing. Virtually all of the suggestions above are from films that are under copyright. On the other hand, there are companies that specialize in providing public domain or inexpensive film clips, categorized by subject.

Some of these libraries:
Footage.net
WPA Film Library
VideoTraxx
Archive Films

14

Angels & devils on someone’s shoulders appear in Animal House.

Heed Walloon’s advice.

15

SEANCE - Peter Cook and Dudley Moore’s ‘Hound of the Baskerville’s’

PASSING A NOTE TO TELLER -

16

continued…Woody Allen ‘Take the Money and Run’

17

Angels & devils on someone’s shoulders appear in Jay and Silent Bob strike back.

18

Bank robber passing note to telller: Woody Allen’s Take the Money and Run, where the teller can’t read the message!

Tattooed treasure map on person’s chest: Bob Hope gets one tattooed (while he’s asleep) and must hide it in The Princess and the Pirate

Air mail plane: In Only Angels Have Wings, Cary Grant & co. fly mail over the Andes.

Fish in newspaper: The Godfather, where this indicates a character has been killed.

Women gossiping: The Pick-a-little song from The Music Man.

19

This will not be shown commercially. Only to a small audience of 15 people — thus contributing dangerously to my overweening sense of self importance.

Thanks everyone. It’s been a huge help. I’m off to the video store. My previous record is three movies. This should be interesting.

20

I did a project similar to this in High School.

It was quite fun and quite time consuming, as there were no inexpensive video editing software programs at the time…

two VCRs and quick hands on the pause button. Fun.

I know you’ve left, but if you still need help:

Pony Express rider: The Postman (?)
Smoke signals: Maverick or Shanghai Noon
Women gossiping: Definitely Music Man
Roman Messenger: Life of Brian
Air mail plane: Three Musketeers (“how do you know it’s a mail plane?” “you can see its balls”)
Carrier pigeon: Harry Potter has Carrier Owls
Someone screaming in somebody else’s ear: The Abyss (Harris reviving Masterantonio)
someone talking on a candlestick telephone: It’s a Wonderful Life
Devil & angels on somebody’s shoulder: Jay and Silent Bob
Seance: Ghost or The Others
Fish in newspaper: Godfather
Telegraph (typing and/or wires): RKO pics, possibly Citizen Kane
Nautical flag waving: Naked Gun movies always have this.
Lights dimming during execution: The Green Mile?
Third base coach passing signals: Major League
Flashing neon sign, i.e. “Gas/Food,” “Vacancy” etc.: Identity
Newspapers coming off the presses: Citizen Kane
Kids passing notes in class: Sixteen Candles
Bank robber passing note to telller: Take the Money and Run
Invisible ink becoming visible: ?
Tattooed treasure map on person’s chest?
Early television: Possibly Blast from the Past.