Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines -or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes (20th Century Fox) (1965)

Spectacular Comedy, ‘Those Magnificent Men,’ Is Film Tribute to Flying’s Early Days ‘Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, or: How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes” is a film tribute, in the form of a comic valentine, to those daring men the world over who, at the beginning of the century, took to the air in the first outlandish flying machines. DeLuxe Color opens For the large cast of ‘Those Magnificent Men,” 20th CenturyFox recruited an imposing roster of internationally famous actors. In the leading roles, Hollywood’s Stuart Whitman teams with a quartet of English stars—Sarah Miles, James Fox, Terry-Thomas and Robert Morley. They are joined in their airborne frolic by Italy’s Alberto Sordi, Germany’s Gert Frobe, France’s Jean Pierre Cassell and Irina Demick, and Japan’s Yujiro Ishihara. In addition, there are portrayals by Sam Wanamaker, Eric Sykes, Benny Hill, Flora Robson, Karl Michael Vogler, Tony Hancock and Red Skelton in a cameo role. “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines” is the culmination of a collaboration between director Ken Annakin and screenwriter Jack Davies. Annakin had long been considering a serious film on the early days of flying, when he discovered Davies developing an original screenplay treating the comic aspects inherent in the exploits of adventuring aviators in their bizarre flying machines. Annakin collaborated with Davies in the writing, and then they joined their talents to those of producer Stan Margulies. The film is set in an exciting and colorful era which has been faithfully recreated through the skil] of production designer Tom Morahan and the costumes of artist-designer Osbert Lancaster. Sharing top-billing with the film’s stars, in a sense, are the planes themselves. Exactingly duplicated to the most minute detail are such antique aircraft oddities as the Demoiselle, Antoinette, Bristol Box-Kite, Avro Triplane, Eardley-Billings _ biplane and a Bleriot of the type which was the first plane to fly the English Channel. There are more of equally strange name and design, and they were all captured by the pen of Ronald Searle, the famous cartoonist who created titles for “Those Magnificent Men.” Each of the six planes which did most of the flying had two stand-ins: one to use in case of mishaps, and another specially constructed so that it could be taken apart to facilitate close-up filming. None of the pilots who flew these ancient aircrafts had stand-ins, and fortunately, none were needed. Most extensive of the many film sets was the Brookley Aerodrome, a mammoth setting covering approximately 80 acres. It was patterned after Brooklands, the aerodrome which, a little more than half a century ago, was the hub of experimental aviation in England. Nestled in England’s lush Buckinghamshire countryside, the setting is actually an abandoned RAF base. “Those Magnificent Men,” in its special reserved-seat premieres, earned an_ incredible number of rave reviews from newspapers and magazines all over the world. od) 8) 0) 6.8 STUART WHITMAN stars in “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines” opening at the Theatre. Mat 1D at the Theatre. The production, in CinemaScope and AIRBORNE TWOSOME—Stuart Whitman and Sarah Miles head a huge international cast of stars in the 20th Century-Fox adventure-comedy spectacle, “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines” in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color opening the Ao oF ee ee at Theatre. The film tells of a London to Paris air race held in 1910 with pilots from all over the world. Mat 2A Irina Demick Enacts Six Roles In “Magnificent Men’ Comedy Rarely can an actress, with many sides to her personality, reveal them all to advantage in a single film, but that is exactly what Irina Demick has been able to do in the 20th Century-Fox CinemaScope-DeLuxe Color attraction “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, or: How I Flew From London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes.” In the film, which opens .... ate see as , Miss Demick portrays six different women, most distinct from one another in character despite the fact that they look alike. One of these characters is Brigitte, a French artist’s model who poses au naturelle on an isolated beach near Dover. The script calls for Jean-Pierre Cassel, as a French pilot, to spot the bare-skinned beauty as he is flying his antique plane and to become so interested that he loses control and lands tail-up in a nearby sand dune. Film-making is not without its unpredictable hazards, however. The buzzing plane attracted a swarm of curious spectators to the secret filming site. Police were finally dispatched to hold crowds back at a safe distance while all periscopes, ladders and high-jumpers were barred. With due consideration to Miss Demick’s modesty and with the aid of strategically held bath towels, the scene was finally filmed. Fortunately, the characterizations of Ingrid, Marlene, Claudia, Yvette and Betty were not quite so troublesome, although each of the roles proved dramatically challenging. Joining Miss Demick and Cassel in “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines” are such international favorites as Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox, Alberto Sordi, Robert Morley, Gert Frobe, Eric Sykes, Terry-Thomas, Benny Hill, Yujiro Ishihara, Flora Robson, Karl Michael Vogler, Sam Wanamaker, Red Skelton and Tony Hancock. Ken Annakin directed for producer San Margulies from an original screenplay by Jack Davies and Annakin. TerryThomas Replaces Moustache For Role In “Magnificent Men’ Ever since Charlie Chaplin donned the little tramp outfit with which he was identified as a star, trademarks have been considered a_ distinct asset among film comedians. No comic actor subscribes to this theory more wholeheartedly than Terry-Thomas, one of the many international stars in 20th Century-Fox’s “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, or: How I Flew From London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes,” in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color opening Sethe. fe. 3 Theatre. Although Terry-Thomas is given to flamboyant waistcoats and an exaggerated cigarette holder, his most readily identifiable trademarks are the wide, natural gap between his front teeth and his bristling moustache. As the villainous Sir Percy Ware-Armitage in “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines,” the script called for Terry-Thomas to sport a handlebar moustache, something he could really get to twirling when he was up to no good. The actor, expecting the make-up department to add an inch or two of false hair to his own effort was chagrined to learn that it is impossible to stick hair on hair. The famous Terry Thomas moustache would have to be replaced, and in order for that to happen, the original had to go. Although the experience of being moustacheless proved traumatic, it was not without its beneficial side effects. TerryThomas went house-hunting with his wife sans moustache and got a decent price offer on a house they liked. “Without my moustache, they didn’t know who I was from Adam,” declared Terry-Thomas. “I’m sure the price would have rocketed if they’d recognized me.” He was, of course, very careful not to grin. In “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines,” TerryThomas is just one of an impressive list of international stars who comprise the cast. Others include Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox, Alberto Sordi, Gert Frobe, JeanPierre Cassel and Irina Demick. Film Re-Creates Edwardian Age For ‘Magnificent Men’ Comedy Most extensive film set for “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, or: How I Flew From London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes,” in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color opening ...... at thes 4s% Theatre, is the film’s Brookley Aerodrome, where the pilots gather for the big London to Paris Air Race and from where the event starts. The mammoth setting, in many aspects, is a reproduciton of the famous Brooklands, which, in 1910, was an aerodrome inside an auto racing track within easy reach of London. This was the hub of flying and experimental aviation in England a little more than half a century ago, and it figures prominently in Great Britain’s aeronautical history. Twentieth Century-Fox was fortunate in finding an ideal site at Booker Air Field near High Wycombe in England’s_ lush Buckinghamshire countryside. This had been an RAF base during World War II but today it is used as a glider training centre, an operation which in no way interfered with the filming. Booker Air Field is so situated that the required scenes for the picture could be photographed from the air in almost any direction without exposing TV aerials, electric wires, paved roads, modern homes or any detail inconsistent with the 1910 period of the story. And the antique planes could fly in and out without interfering with present day commercial air routes. The mammoth setting covered approximately 80 acres. In addition to the banked auto racing strip circling one end, there were such other features of the famous Brooklands as the adjacent sewage farm, into which even the best pilots sometimes landed, and an unused windmill from the top of which the fire chief kept constant surveillance of the aerial activity with his telescope so he could dispatch a rescue squad when nedeed. Also built were the cafe where the pilots and crews gathered during their leisure time, spectator stands and some two-dozen hangars with signs bearing such pioneer names in aviation as A. V. Roe, Sopwith and Bristol Aeroplane Although “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines” is a comedy, this setting, like all others in the film, was created to achieve an authentic background and almost every incident is based on an actual occurrence that took place during the early days of flying. The characters, however, are fictitious and although the story is told to ensure the maximum amount of fun and entertainment, it does not lessen respect for the pioneers of aviation. The Todd-AO-DeLuxe Color production boasts an impressive cast of international stars including Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles and Gert Frobe. ONE HORSEPOWER AIRCRAFT—Terry-Thomas requires the use of a horse to get his aeroplane back to its hanger in this scene from “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines” in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color opening at the Theatre -Mat 2C eos eee Magnificent Moment In Air History Retold In ‘Those Magnificent Men’ The International Air Race across the English Channel from Dover to Calais shown in “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, or: How I Flew From London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes,” is fictional, but flying records show that such an event would have been quite possible in the 1910 period of this adventure-comedy of pioneering aviation. What’s more, Louis Bleriot, in making the first cross-Channel flight in 1909 had landed on the very spot where the race was filmed exactly 55 years to the month afterwards. In 1909 powered aviation came of age. The aeroplane became technically mature and established in the public’s mind. By being the first to fly the Channel, Louis Bleriot won the London Daily Mail prize of 1,000 pounds. Official observers recorded the fact that Bleriot, feeling none too fit after a recent accident, took off from Les Baraques (near Calais) at 4:41 a.m. on the morning of July 25, 1909, and landed at 5:17 a.m. on July 26 after a devious and perilous flight of about 23% miles in his frail craft. He flew a Bleriot No. XI, one of the two classic types of monoplanes of the period, with a 3 cylinder, 25 h.p. Anzani motor. The resounding fame which attended Bleriot’s flight had an immediate and lasting effect on the embryo aviation industry, and Bleriot’s Type XI — in various modifications -— became known the world over and remained in service until World War I. A duplicate of this model is one of the planes which participates in the Air Race in 20th Century-Fox’s Todd-AO-DeLuxe Color production. The first Channel crossing with a passenger, incidentally, was made in a two-seater Bleriot from Calais to Dover by the Franco-American, J. B. Moisant, on August 17, 1910. Long distance flying came into its own when Pierre Prier flew non-stop from London (Hendon) to Paris (Issy) in a Bleriot on April 12, 1911. He flew the distance of 250 miles just under four hours. The first cross-Channel flight by a woman, the American Harriet Quimby in a Bleriot, was accomplished in April 1912, from Deal to Cape Gris-Nez. “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines” in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color opens One. ire. BUN ae ec: Theatre. The attraction boasts an impressive roster of international stars including Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox, Alberto Sordi and Gert Frobe. JAMES FOX, last seen in Joseph Losey’s “The Servant,” stars as a fearless young pilot in “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines,” a 20th Century-Fox release in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color opening ......... at thesis eae ae Theatre. Mat 1F Robert Morley Grounded In ‘Magnificent Men’ Magnificent though he may be, Robert Morley never leaves the ground in the 20th CenturyFox CinemaScope-DeLuxe Color film, “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, or: How I Flew From London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes.” “Very good thing, too,” Morley declares siyly. “I’m not exactly a lightweight, you know, and these 1910 planes are rather flimsy. I might have cost the studio a lot of money if I’d gone through the seat. Those reproduction vintage planes cost a small fortune to build, I believe.” Morley feels that he is well cast as Lord Rawnsley, the newspaper peer who instigates the first international air race, although he personally believes flying to be for the foolhardy. “Of course,” Morley adds genially, “I’m, generally so well cast that I’m often accused of playing Robert Morley all the time. Well, I don’t mind, just so long as Robert Morley is interesting to the public.” Off stage and screen, Morley is an acknowledged wit, but he insists, never an unkind wit. “If I’m unkind, it’s usually about myself,” Morley avows. He is fond of telling the anecdote about his first appearance on the London stage as a pirate in “Treasure Island.” At an early rehearsal, the director exclaimed, “That fat boy quite spoils the picture. He’s out!” “And I was,” adds Morley with a rueful smile. Today, Robert Morley is very much “in” as he shares stellar honors in “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines” with Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox, Alberto Sordi, Gert Frobe, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Eric Sykes, Terry-Thomas, Irina Demick, Benny Hill, Yujiro Ishihara, Flora Robson, Karl Michael Vogler, Sam Wanamaker, Red Skelton and Tony Hancock. Ken Annakin directed for producer Stan Marguilies. LOVELY IRINA DEMICK plays six roles in “Those Magnificeré Men in their Flying Machines,” the aeronautical comedy now showing at the Theatre.