1242 replies to this topic

[Terra Nova]

Has anyone here watched the TV series called Granite Flats? I started it last night (on Netflix). It's set in the very early 60s in a small desert town. Very period and has the feel of a cross between an old sci fy movie and a Speilberg epic. Anyhoo, the staring kid in it has a classic 3" reflector. Looks like a black tube Edmund, but it might be a Gilbert?

Edited by terraclarke, 01 April 2016 - 10:06 AM.

[TCW]

Has anyone here watched the TV series called Granite Flats? I started it last night (on Netflix). It's set in the very early 60s in a small desert town. Very period and has the feel of a cross between an old sci fy movie and a Speilberg epic. Anyhoo, the staring kid in it has a classic 3" reflector. Looks like a black tube Edmund, but it might be a Gilbert?

I noticed that scope. It looks like a Gilbert to me. Granite Flats is a great little show. Too bad it was canceled.

[Mr Magoo]

We have a channel here locally that shows old horror and sci-fi movies called Comet TV. They are currently showing the 1963 Vincent Price movie "The Raven". In the first few minutes of the movie he is sitting in his study where he has an old brass refractor on a tripod. There are a few really good shots of it. If anyone has this channel, you should check it out. I'm wondering if someone can identify the maker. Here is a link to a youtube video. https://www.youtube....h?v=lXXFwLkGELA  Quality is not great, but you can see it. Looked better on my television.

 

This clip was more clear on my computer than the other. Shows the focuser end and finder. https://www.youtube....h?v=O_NBFJ4pow8

[Mr Magoo]

Another old Sci-Fi show on Comet TV this morning and more telescopes. The show is "Men into Space". It was a short lived series that aired for 1 year from 1959-1960. In the 12th episode,  "Christmas On The Moon" in the first few minutes some boys receive what looks like a Unitron 140 for Christmas. https://www.youtube....&nohtml5=False

At the 14 minute mark, you get a good shot of the scope and the mount.

 

Also on the Moon base there is a GEM mounted reflector. The saddle looks like it could be Cave. There is never a good shot of it in the episode. There are telescopes in several of the episodes. I think all of the episodes are available on YouTube.

Edited by Mr Magoo, 10 April 2016 - 09:12 AM.

[Terra Nova]

Cool! I just watched it! For the life of me, I cannot remember that show being on when I was a kid. It was a ZIV production, like Sea Hunt and Highway Patrol so maybe it wasn't carried by our affiliates, or more likely, it was up against something else that I watched. I thought the reflector looked like a Cave too. Maybe an 8" F8 or F9? It looked really long! Definitely a Unitron 140- box and all, and the dad referred to it as a refractor! The finder looked big tho, like the 10x40 that went with the 4". The tube was drilled for solar projection but the brackets weren't attached. And they were viewing with the porroprism! Lastly, the moon set and backgrounds were really cool in a vey Chesley Bonestell way, but there was definitely an atmosphere, that you could detect in the dust plumes and eddies every time a meteor struck (and of course, the sound of the meteorite strike as well)!

Edited by terraclarke, 10 April 2016 - 09:54 PM.

[Marc-Andre]

The Ghost in "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir"   kept an eye on things with a brass telescope.

Edited by Marc-Andre, 11 April 2016 - 06:55 PM.

[Terra Nova]

I absolutely love that movie! It is in my top 10!

[Littlegreenman]

Cool! I just watched it! For the life of me, I cannot remember that show being on when I was a kid. It was a ZIV production, like Sea Hunt and Highway Patrol so maybe it wasn't carried by our affiliates, or more likely, it was up against something else that I watched. I thought the reflector looked like a Cave too. Maybe an 8" F8 or F9? It looked really long! Definitely a Unitron 140- box and all, and the dad referred to it as a refractor! The finder looked big tho, like the 10x40 that went with the 4". The tube was drilled for solar projection but the brackets weren't attached. And they were viewing with the porroprism! Lastly, the moon set and backgrounds were really cool in a vey Chesley Bonestell way, but there was definitely an atmosphere, that you could detect in the dust plumes and eddies every time a meteor struck (and of course, the sound of the meteorite strike as well)!

 

I've been watching Men into Space since it appeared on Comet TV. Missed some; it comes on at the ungodly hour of 7:30 AM! That is way past this amateur astronomer's bedtime. (Sunrise).*

I did catch today's show. As far as I was concerned, they could have turned the whole show over the the telescopes. I'm guessing the refractor the young boys got was and 80mm f/15? The show is an odd mix of getting a lot of the science with a few errors. The sound of meteorites, although...the sound could be reverberation coming through the ground.

     Nah!

Chesley Bonestell is listed in the credits. The lunar landscape is depicted as much more jagged and "un-flat" than in real like.

 

* I have a theory. Populations of humans that had no variation is diurnal sleep patterns had a lower survival value (think Darwin) if almost everyone is asleep during the night. But, throw in a few % of the population that are awake all or part of the night, and we can call the alarm if marauders or saber-tooth tigers come calling. Those latter tribes would have a higher survival value.

Edited by Littlegreenman, 11 April 2016 - 01:26 AM.

[Littlegreenman]

Cool! I just watched it! For the life of me, I cannot remember that show being on when I was a kid. It was a ZIV production, like Sea Hunt and Highway Patrol so maybe it wasn't carried by our affiliates, or more likely, it was up against something else that I watched. I thought the reflector looked like a Cave too. Maybe an 8" F8 or F9? It looked really long! Definitely a Unitron 140- box and all, and the dad referred to it as a refractor! The finder looked big tho, like the 10x40 that went with the 4". The tube was drilled for solar projection but the brackets weren't attached. And they were viewing with the porroprism! Lastly, the moon set and backgrounds were really cool in a vey Chesley Bonestell way, but there was definitely an atmosphere, that you could detect in the dust plumes and eddies every time a meteor struck (and of course, the sound of the meteorite strike as well)!

 

For those of us who remember Southern Calif in years ago, watching Highway Patrol and a lot of other shows offers great fun trying to figure out where things were filmed. I commonly can match the mountains in the background to place a lot in the San Fernando or San Garbriel Valleys. There are even websites devoted to finding out were scenes in TV shows and movies were shot. The opening scene with the low arial shot coming on a Highway Patrol road block is tantalyzing. No one has claimed to know the location, although Hwy 101 is suspected.

 

Does anyone know where the 1960's Outer Limits were filmed?

LGM

Edited by Littlegreenman, 11 April 2016 - 01:33 AM.

[Terra Nova]

I have most of Highway Patrol on DVD. I do the same thing. Also with Perry Mason which is on MeTV at the more civilized time of 9AM! There is an interesting old brass telescope that periodically shows up as a prop on Perry!

[Littlegreenman]

I have most of Highway Patrol on DVD. I do the same thing. Also with Perry Mason which is on MeTV at the more civilized time of 9AM! There is an interesting old brass telescope that periodically shows up as a prop on Perry!

 

Perry Mason on DVD. Episode 15 or 16 something is probably the pilot. Paul Drake looks younger. The first broadcast versions were something like 54 minutes as the FCC only allowed so many commercials per hour. All TV re-runs were shortened, sometimes a lot. At least until recent times. I'm not sure if MeTV is showing the full versions or not.

A few of the shows made it to VHS, but not in any order; some were full length, some the truncated versions. They finally made it to DVD and were well done, full length. Whoever owned the shows however, shot themselves in the foot. The prices of the DVD sets were high, and each season was two sets, making it one of the more expensive shows to buy on DVD. But, just in time Hulu and other places to watch them on the internet arrived. I'm sure this cut into sales of the DVD.

Similar money issues afflicted Dobie Gillis re-runs. The owners demanded top dollar, after all it was a big hit for many years. But the market was independent TV stations looking for cheap content. As a result, it was rarely shown in re-runs. Ask anyone under 50 about Gilligan's Island and everyone knows the show. Ask them about Dobie Gillis, co-starring Bob Denver, and nobody knows it. 

Anyway, end of rant. Back to telescopes.

[Terra Nova]

I love all the the Perry Mason episodes. The old ones from the late 50' are very film noirish! They seem to be fairly complete on MeTV. However, you can watch the full and unexpurged version with Perry, Della, and Paul along with alot of other old CBS shows online or streaming to your device-enabled TV for a nominal monthly fee on CBS-All Access:

http://www.cbs.com/a...CFcNehgodT10Aww

They are currently not showing Perry on Hulu or Netflix. Perry Mason and Route 66 (the ones with Todd AND Buz) are my favorite shows. Route66 is especially cool because they were filmed on location all over the country. The cinematography, writing, and direction are superb! A number of them were filmed in Ohio. There is a website called Ohio66 that shows many of the locations then and now! Very cool!

Edited by terraclarke, 11 April 2016 - 10:24 AM.

[YourNotSirius]

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...

Yeah!  Hit that heavenly body with that Questar and SOMEONE will see stars!   LOL

 

 

Q

[SpaceNetworks]

Here’s a scene from the 1988 4-episode miniseries about the voyages of Captain James Cook, including the expedition on the Endeavour to Tahiti in 1769 to observe the transit of Venus.

https://youtu.be/o3KhmP45znQ?t=12m11s

 

Information about the telescopes:

http://www.antiquete...s.org/cook.html

 

http://science.nasa....004/28may_cook/

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129669/

 

Captain James Cook/Kirk on the Endeavour/Enterprise:

"...to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before."

Edited by SpaceNetworks, 10 May 2016 - 11:13 AM.

[bobhen]

Here is a classic (in more ways than one) that everyone on this forum will enjoy. Not only are there 2 telescopes in this episode (in the beginning the kids get a nice 60mm? refractor for Christmas!) but the storyline is typical 1959 TV – God and all!

 

The 1959 TV series Men into Space was supposed to depict what America’s space program would be like in the future (1980s?). It’s a hoot.

 

Storyline: McCauley and astronomers Farrar and Nichols are on the Moon on Christmas Day when it passes through a comet's path. When Farrar is stricken with appendicitis, only a miracle will save him... but Nichols doesn't believe in Christmas, God, or miracles.

 

This episode was written by David Duncan.

 

HERE is a link to the complete YouTube video

 

Bob

[deSitter]

Hey Chuck is that you at 15:36?

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=Yhrv1EFbQIw

 

-drl

[droid]

Ok classic or no classic? Id really love some one to ID this..........from the movie meteorites

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=BRx1T6_wU0c

 

 

 

first seen at 19:41

[Mr Magoo]

Here is a classic (in more ways than one) that everyone on this forum will enjoy. Not only are there 2 telescopes in this episode (in the beginning the kids get a nice 60mm? refractor for Christmas!) but the storyline is typical 1959 TV – God and all!

 

The 1959 TV series Men into Space was supposed to depict what America’s space program would be like in the future (1980s?). It’s a hoot.

 

Storyline: McCauley and astronomers Farrar and Nichols are on the Moon on Christmas Day when it passes through a comet's path. When Farrar is stricken with appendicitis, only a miracle will save him... but Nichols doesn't believe in Christmas, God, or miracles.

 

This episode was written by David Duncan.

 

HERE is a link to the complete YouTube video

 

Bob

This is the same one I posted about in post #104.

[bobhen]

 

Here is a classic (in more ways than one) that everyone on this forum will enjoy. Not only are there 2 telescopes in this episode (in the beginning the kids get a nice 60mm? refractor for Christmas!) but the storyline is typical 1959 TV – God and all!

 

The 1959 TV series Men into Space was supposed to depict what America’s space program would be like in the future (1980s?). It’s a hoot.

 

Storyline: McCauley and astronomers Farrar and Nichols are on the Moon on Christmas Day when it passes through a comet's path. When Farrar is stricken with appendicitis, only a miracle will save him... but Nichols doesn't believe in Christmas, God, or miracles.

 

This episode was written by David Duncan.

 

HERE is a link to the complete YouTube video

 

Bob

This is the same one I posted about in post #104.

 

 

Sorry – I somehow missed your post. 

If you (or anyone) is/are a fan of the show Men into Space (or early depictions of space travel) and you want to see how far society's depiction of the role women will play in space travel has come since 1959, have a look at Season 1 episode 11: First Woman on the Moon (if you can find it). All I can say is WOW!

Bob

[TCW]

At the opening of the movie Stardust there is a large classic observatory refractor.  It looks real enough although the observatory itself looks like a set.

 

Apparently the scope is fake and the room real!

 

http://www.stowe.co....ue-hire/filming

Edited by TCW, 23 July 2016 - 02:25 PM.

[TCW]

In the Mechanic Charles Bronson uses a Questar as a telephoto lens.

[Ben Bajorek]

We have a channel here locally that shows old horror and sci-fi movies called Comet TV. They are currently showing the 1963 Vincent Price movie "The Raven". In the first few minutes of the movie he is sitting in his study where he has an old brass refractor on a tripod. There are a few really good shots of it. If anyone has this channel, you should check it out. I'm wondering if someone can identify the maker. Here is a link to a youtube video. https://www.youtube....h?v=lXXFwLkGELA  Quality is not great, but you can see it. Looked better on my television.
 
This clip was more clear on my computer than the other. Shows the focuser end and finder. https://www.youtube....h?v=O_NBFJ4pow8

I would guess it's a Bardou telescope.  Roger Corman likely has it now in the study of his gothic castle, overlooking the Pacific ocean, for those midnight dreary moments. 
Image
 

[Terra Nova]

Sunny but continuous veil of cirrostratus and cold (around 40) so I opted to stay inside, and since I was alone today, and this is a Saturday I decided to relive my childhood and have a Saturday afternoon Sci-Fy matinee. I made popcorn and picked out a movie I haven't seen in ages- The Angry Red Planet (1959)! Anyway, if you get a chance to see this, watch for all of the cool different tracking scopes shown in the first part of the film! Never seen so many in one movie and all types, even a truss tube and what looked like a couple of big Maks, plus the usual suspects. The movie is cheesy but fun! Made me think of you Tim, when they did their Mars overflight. That looked pretty good. Once they got there tho? Not so much! Anyway, it was fun to back in time almost 60 years! It made me feel 10 years old all over again!

[deSitter]

Sunny but continuous veil of cirrostratus and cold (around 40) so I opted to stay inside, and since I was alone today, and this is a Saturday I decided to relive my childhood and have a Saturday afternoon Sci-Fy matinee. I made popcorn and picked out a movie I haven't seen in ages- The Angry Red Planet (1959)! Anyway, if you get a chance to see this, watch for all of the cool different tracking scopes shown in the first part of the film! Never seen so many in one movie and all types, even a truss tube and what looked like a couple of big Maks, plus the usual suspects. The movie is cheesy but fun! Made me think of you Tim, when they did their Mars overflight. That looked pretty good. Once they got there tho? Not so much! Anyway, it was fun to back in time almost 60 years! It made me feel 10 years old all over again!

My eyes were dying for greens and blues after seeing that! I had the hots for Irish! Cheesy delicious film! I just watched "Robinson Crusoe on Mars".

 

-drl

[PaulEK]

Sunny but continuous veil of cirrostratus and cold (around 40) so I opted to stay inside, and since I was alone today, and this is a Saturday I decided to relive my childhood and have a Saturday afternoon Sci-Fy matinee. I made popcorn and picked out a movie I haven't seen in ages- The Angry Red Planet (1959)! Anyway, if you get a chance to see this, watch for all of the cool different tracking scopes shown in the first part of the film! Never seen so many in one movie and all types, even a truss tube and what looked like a couple of big Maks, plus the usual suspects. The movie is cheesy but fun! Made me think of you Tim, when they did their Mars overflight. That looked pretty good. Once they got there tho? Not so much! Anyway, it was fun to back in time almost 60 years! It made me feel 10 years old all over again!

I'm pretty sure my older brother had that solar system poster shown in the meeting at the beginning of the film.

 

I'm also always happy to see the old Speed Graphic press cameras in these films. I repair/refurbish them. The one I got a clear glimpse of when the rocket landed back on earth sure looks like a Super Graphic, which came out in 1958, so was cutting edge when this movie was made. And the used it properly: usually they show them with the bellows close to fully extended, which you'd only do for extreme close-ups. They showed them this way even in older movies, when they were in actual use. It always bugged me.

 

I remember watching this movie on a local TV station one afternoon when I was home sick form school, but didn't recall (if I ever even really knew) what it was called. But we had a black and white TV, so I missed out out on some cheesiness.