1237 replies to this topic

[Terra Nova]

In the private observatory of Dr. Janos Rukh (Boris Karloff) in The Invisible Ray (Universal Studio, 1936), a very cool movie.

[BDS316]

In one of the Batman TV shows Bruce and Dick are using a large Newt on the Wayne Manor balcony because of an impending solar eclipse that winds up saving them from being fried by giant magnifying glasses IIRC

The movie "My Tutor" Bobby had an eq refractor

In the movie "10" neighbors spied on each other with refractors

A Tasco refractor was featured in an episode of "Nanny and the Professor"

On "I dream of Jeannie" Tony Nelson had a 60mm refractor in his study upstairs

RIP Larry Hagman

[StarWrangler]

Johnny Carsons 14 inch

http://loron91423.tripod.com/


Alan O.

[Live_Steam_Mad]

The opening minute or so of Season 1 Episode 16 of Sabrina The Teenage Witch "Mars Attracts" has a Celestron Orange Tube late 1970's C8 SCT being used on a wedge and tripod.

Some of Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World / Universe have shots of his (what looks like) C14 (black).

Moonlighting Series 1 Episode 7 The Murder's In The Mail has a Celestron / Vixen white tubed Fluorite refractor on display in the Blue Moon office.

Regards,

Alistair G.

[orion61]

Jerry Lewis has a Questar 3.5 in the movie Way Way Out..
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=pgh5kHqTjh0
I couldn't find a clip but Sean Connery as 007 looked through a modded C8 in one of the Bond movies...

[kfiscus]

1981(?) "Mork & Mindy" Mork had an Astroscan in the corner of his bedroom.

[Qwickdraw]

"Einstein and Eddington" currently viewing on Comcast HBO on demand has many period scopes and an astrograph used to photograph an eclipse. The movie Also tells the story of proving Einstein's theory of general relativity by viewing star positions close to the sun during an eclipse.

[M Schnittker]

Steve Martin made a modern remake of Cyrano de Bergerac in 1987 called "Roxanne" in which Daryl Hannah played Roxanne Kowalski who was an astronomer searching for a new comet (yeah, I know). At some point in the movie I recall Martin having to hump a fairly large reflector around for her.

http://en.wikipedia..../Roxanne_(film)

As to the original story, crank up your Netflix and treat yourself to Jose Ferrer in the lead role in the 1950 version for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, an incredible performance!

[Oliveira]

Hi folks,
I have started a thread on this subject before, and I can remember some thing looking Unitrons displayed in Jerry Lewis "Way...Way out" (1966). Also a refractor in "I dream of Jeannie" series.
An whole observatory in Robert Stack and Lauren Bacall "The gift of love" (1958)
If astronomical binoculars counts too, Jodie Foster's binoculars in "Contact" (1997).

[madeline]

That post about Dennis the Menace made me think about this one episode of Rawhide.   Would anyone know the make of this telescope?

[madeline]

For a quick view hop to 11:30.

[orion61]

Just about every Western and Pirate Movie when they use a Brass 2 or 3 pull hand held telescope, they have it extended ALL the way out!

There was a customized Orange tube C8 in one of the Bond Movies with Sean Connery.

[Terra Nova]

Thanks Madeline! I watched the entire episode. I always liked Rawhide. The fam used to watch that show when I was a kid, but I don't remember that particular one. The telescope was apparently real and not a prop, as everything from the equatorial mount to the diagonal and finder looked quite authentic. Those interior shots must have been filmed in an actual historic observatory, perhaps in some college in the West, tho I am not at all familiar with that instrument. It wasn't the Griffith Park Observatory in LA. The dome was wood, similar to the one at Lowell. The telescope looked to be late a late 19th or early 20th century 6" to 8" refractor, around f10 to 12. What a neat scope, and an interesting story as well.

[Perseus_m45]

that's a great scope omg

mike h

[Perseus_m45]

reminds me of this scope http://www.wetherell...ure_oddie2.html

[Sunkist]

That post about Dennis the Menace made me think about this one episode of Rawhide.   Would anyone know the make of this telescope?

Greetings all.  The scope pictured in the Rawhide episode is actually an 8 inch Clark.  The scope is more commonly known as the Langevin 8.  It was owned, along with several other notable instruments, by Mr Carl Langevin who owned and ran Telescopics when it was located in West Los Angeles.  I first came upon the scope in the late 70s after Mr Langevin passed.  I attempted to convince his widow that the scope would be best suited in the hands of the Polaris Observatory Association, of which I was a member, and be used for community outreach.  Unfortunately, or fortunately as it turned out, the scope eventually was acquired by Mr Garry Tous, a gentleman, scholar, and all one of the most knowledgeable antique instrument collectors/restorers in the country.  The scope was eventually loaned to his very close friend and mine, Bob Ariail, for examination and to ultimately be used in Bob’s planned private observatory.  Many of you may recognize Bob’s name from his collecting, writings, including Artists in Optics, and as a friend to our community and major contributor to the South Carolina State Museum (http://www.museum.state.sc.us/).    Unfortunately, as fate would have it, the observatory was not built. Bob asked Garry if he was ready to take the scope back but Garry was unable at the time as it is a rather large instrument and he had no room for it.  Garry asked me because of my earlier history with the instrument but I too was unable at the time and was forced to decline.  A solution was reached… Garry agreed to allow the instrument to be loaned to the Charlotte Amateur Astronomers Group, for use in their facility and to benefit public outreach.  The scope is still owned by Garry but is on loan to the CAAS and is handsomely mounted in a dome at their site.  See http://charlotteastronomers.org/ to see what it looks like today, all cleaned up and 2500 miles and 50+ years from where it was once featured in the Rawhide episode.  Hats off to Garry for his patronage of such a major outreach program by allowing the continued use of his beautiful and unique       8 inch Clark and to the CAAS for maintaining the integrity of the instrument and for providing an ongoing service to the community.  Hope the rambling proved interesting…

[madeline]

 

That post about Dennis the Menace made me think about this one episode of Rawhide.   Would anyone know the make of this telescope?

Greetings all.  The scope pictured in the Rawhide episode is actually an 8 inch Clark.  The scope is more commonly known as the Langevin 8.  It was owned, along with several other notable instruments, by Mr Carl Langevin who owned and ran Telescopics when it was located in West Los Angeles.  I first came upon the scope in the late 70s after Mr Langevin passed.  I attempted to convince his widow that the scope would be best suited in the hands of the Polaris Observatory Association, of which I was a member, and be used for community outreach.  Unfortunately, or fortunately as it turned out, the scope eventually was acquired by Mr Garry Tous, a gentleman, scholar, and all one of the most knowledgeable antique instrument collectors/restorers in the country.  The scope was eventually loaned to his very close friend and mine, Bob Ariail, for examination and to ultimately be used in Bob’s planned private observatory.  Many of you may recognize Bob’s name from his collecting, writings, including Artists in Optics, and as a friend to our community and major contributor to the South Carolina State Museum (http://www.museum.state.sc.us/).    Unfortunately, as fate would have it, the observatory was not built. Bob asked Garry if he was ready to take the scope back but Garry was unable at the time as it is a rather large instrument and he had no room for it.  Garry asked me because of my earlier history with the instrument but I too was unable at the time and was forced to decline.  A solution was reached… Garry agreed to allow the instrument to be loaned to the Charlotte Amateur Astronomers Group, for use in their facility and to benefit public outreach.  The scope is still owned by Garry but is on loan to the CAAS and is handsomely mounted in a dome at their site.  See http://charlotteastronomers.org/ to see what it looks like today, all cleaned up and 2500 miles and 50+ years from where it was once featured in the Rawhide episode.  Hats off to Garry for his patronage of such a major outreach program by allowing the continued use of his beautiful and unique       8 inch Clark and to the CAAS for maintaining the integrity of the instrument and for providing an ongoing service to the community.  Hope the rambling proved interesting…

 

That is one interesting bit of history, thank you for that information.

[fjs]

Hope the rambling proved interesting…

 

Yes

Edited by fjs, 18 August 2014 - 03:42 PM.

[Perseus_m45]

 

That post about Dennis the Menace made me think about this one episode of Rawhide.   Would anyone know the make of this telescope?

Greetings all.  The scope pictured in the Rawhide episode is actually an 8 inch Clark.  The scope is more commonly known as the Langevin 8.  It was owned, along with several other notable instruments, by Mr Carl Langevin who owned and ran Telescopics when it was located in West Los Angeles.  I first came upon the scope in the late 70s after Mr Langevin passed.  I attempted to convince his widow that the scope would be best suited in the hands of the Polaris Observatory Association, of which I was a member, and be used for community outreach.  Unfortunately, or fortunately as it turned out, the scope eventually was acquired by Mr Garry Tous, a gentleman, scholar, and all one of the most knowledgeable antique instrument collectors/restorers in the country.  The scope was eventually loaned to his very close friend and mine, Bob Ariail, for examination and to ultimately be used in Bob’s planned private observatory.  Many of you may recognize Bob’s name from his collecting, writings, including Artists in Optics, and as a friend to our community and major contributor to the South Carolina State Museum (http://www.museum.state.sc.us/).    Unfortunately, as fate would have it, the observatory was not built. Bob asked Garry if he was ready to take the scope back but Garry was unable at the time as it is a rather large instrument and he had no room for it.  Garry asked me because of my earlier history with the instrument but I too was unable at the time and was forced to decline.  A solution was reached… Garry agreed to allow the instrument to be loaned to the Charlotte Amateur Astronomers Group, for use in their facility and to benefit public outreach.  The scope is still owned by Garry but is on loan to the CAAS and is handsomely mounted in a dome at their site.  See http://charlotteastronomers.org/ to see what it looks like today, all cleaned up and 2500 miles and 50+ years from where it was once featured in the Rawhide episode.  Hats off to Garry for his patronage of such a major outreach program by allowing the continued use of his beautiful and unique       8 inch Clark and to the CAAS for maintaining the integrity of the instrument and for providing an ongoing service to the community.  Hope the rambling proved interesting…

 

that was a wonderful story thank you.

mike h

[Terra Nova]

Wow! That is quite a tale! And quite a telescope!

[figurate]

Glad to see a happy ending, for once. There is a scene in the original "Thomas Crown Affair", starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway, showing a nice antique brass refractor installed in the main character's rooftop suite; also a monocular of unusual design is used elsewhere in that film. Added bonus: McQueen films of that era always featured classy automobiles.

 

Fred     

Edited by figurate, 18 August 2014 - 06:50 PM.

[gnowellsct]

There is an old Avengers episode where Ms. Peel idly swings a big Newt around on its GEM while talking to someone.  GN

[choran]

Here's a picture of Johnny Carson with his Unitron, complete with Unihex.  Cover of tv guide.

 

http://www.ebay.com/...=item2a42598d5b

[BFaucett]

While watching Netflix shows with my young grandson recently we stumbled across the old Dennis the Menace TV show that I used to watch as a kid. There was an interesting episode listed from the first season (1959) called "Innocents From Space." ...  In this episode he purchased a brand new Unitron Model 152- the four inch equatorial.
 

 

 

I'm arriving late to this party as I'm a newbie here.  After reading Terra's post, I wanted to see this episode once again (I grew up in the late fifties and the sixties; I was born in 1954).  I checked Netflix but it seems that Dennis The Menace is no loner available.  No worries, though...  It's on YouTube (as of the date of this post):

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=K2lzT1zvLr4

 

There are some great views of the telescope!!!  However, it looks like Mr. Wilson could have used a few lessons in how to properly use an equatorial mount!!! 

 

Terra, thanks for your post!... It brought back some nice memories! 

 

Cheers!

-Bob F.

Edited by BFaucett, 21 August 2014 - 09:01 PM.

[BigC]

Thanks for the sharing of the Rawhide scope story.

 

And to  Mr. Garry Tous , a hearty HIP,HIP, HURRAH!