Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Reelstreets Research

Well.............this is how SHOULD be done! And from a guy who lives in Macedonia!!!
John

1. Unfortunately, I have never lived in United Kingdom (not in a single day). Because of that fact, I always choose interesting pictures from a special street scene of the particular film, and pictures which offer many clues. For instance, name of the shop, sign of the road, can be of great help (if they are real names). I also choose flyovers, bridges, aqueducts and big buildings, because they are easy to search, especially flyovers. If someone under the picture has mentioned with suspicion that some scene was filmed for instance Edgware Road, I will search if that scene was really filmed there or not.
2. This is my explanation:
A. For the road and street signs, I always use http://www.streetmap.co.uk/
B. If the name of the shop, road, street is not clear or missing some letters, I always use this web site:
http://www.taliesin-arlein.net/names/search.php because for most of the cases these names are in fact surnames.
For the searching query I always write an asterisk * at the start of the surname, or at the end of the surname.
C. When i search particular scene, and the name of the street was previously mentioned with suspicion, the most important thing is that I always use combination of http://www.multimap.com/ Bird's Eye option for searching; and http://maps.google.com/ Street View option for finding, (if these 2 options are available for that spot).
D. For finding postcodes I use http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm
E. I also use http://www.imdb.com/ for checking movie locations of the particular film.
F. Sometimes I use these old maps web sites:
http://www.old-maps.co.uk/IndexMapPage2.aspx
http://www.ponies.me.uk/maps/osmap.html
http://www.npemap.org.uk/tiles/map.html
G. I always use Google engine for various information, for searching name of the shops, streets, postcodes, and most important to find web sites like:
http://www.macfisheries.co.uk/page8.htm
http://www.windsorpubs.info/herts_arms.htm
http://www.janetandrichardsgenealogy.co.uk/broadstairs_etc_-_commercial_directory_a_to_c.htm
H. Also, sometimes I need information from yellow and white pages directories which are available and are easy to find on the net.
I. Sometimes, can be very useful my excellent skills in geography and history (especially british), and also my knowledge of remembering counties and origins from 5000 most common british surnames.
3. Beside finding movie locations, for myself very interesting researches are:
A. Finding secret and fictional locations in United Kingdom from the books; and
B. Finding locations from the well known actual events in United Kingdom, but the real locations today are unknown and therefore i am searching the real places (which unfortunately are filmed somewhere else).
An example of my research what I have found last year:
The "Carlton Hotel, Broadstairs, Kent" from the movie "Chariots of Fire" was filmed at the 18th hole of the old course at St Andrews Golf Club, The Royal and Ancient course club house and hotel, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JD.
http://www.scotlandthemovie.com/movies/andrews.html
I was looking if this hotel in Broadstairs really existed or was fictional.
In the IMDb Trivia http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082158/trivia there is information about Aubrey (Evelyn) Montague's letters to his mother.
Then, in this web site
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20082112,00.html
I have found a proof that letters are authentic and genuine.
So, Carlton Hotel, Broadstairs, Kent existed by that name. But the problem was: the hotel in Broadstairs with the name Carlton is not existing now. I was searching in Google many web sites and I couldn't find such hotel and I thought probably Carlton Hotel has different name now. Today, in Broastairs there are existing hotels, like: Royal Albion Hotel, Cintra Hotel, Anchor House Hotel, Fayreness Hotel, Bay Tree, Devonhurst, Gull Cottage Hotel... I was looking some evidence which any of these hotels previous was called Carlton Hotel, but I couldn't find anything. After that, I was searching in Google only by the name Carlton, because probably this hotel, today is not a hotel. Then, I have found this web site - old commercial directory for Broadstairs:
http://www.janetandrichardsgenealogy.co.uk/broadstairs_etc_-_commercial_directory_a_to_c.htm
And there was information for the address of Carlton Hotel: Victoria Parade.
In Google I was looking this query: "Carlton"+"Victoria Parade" and I found this web site:
http://www.bupacarehomes.co.uk/carehomes/asp/index.asp?ch=CarltonLodgeNursingCentre
There is information for this nursing centre that originally was a private house and hotel. So, "Carlton Lodge Nursing Centre" at 21 Victoria Parade, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 1QL must is the real "Carlton Hotel, Broadstairs, Kent" mentioned from the letters by Aubrey (Evelyn) Montague to his mother in the movie "Chariots of Fire", that was filmed at the 18th hole of the old course at St Andrews Golf Club, The Royal and Ancient course club house and hotel, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JD. So, I had found the real hotel which were staying british olympic team during their training on June 28th 1924 before Paris Olympic Games, the same year.


Best regards

Greg

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Quadrophenia's Lost Mod

QUADROPHENIA'S LOST MOD

SIMON WELLS INVESTIGATES THE STORY OF LONDON MOD BARRY PRIOR. HIS UNTIMELY DEATH AT BRIGHTON IN 1964 EERILY MIRRORS THE AMBIANCE IN PETE TOWNSHEND'S CLASSIC ROCK OPERA, QUADROPHENIA. WAS YOUNG BARRY AN INSPIRATION FOR THE STORY? AUTHOR SIMON WELLS TRAVELS DOWN TO BRIGHTON TO FIND OUT.

South American Film Location

Well, our fame is spreading, recent picture arrived from Montevideo, Uruguay; copyright El Pais, the national newspaper; about a film made in 1982, all in, and around, the streets of this wonderful South American capital city.



The pic shows a Citroen 2CV being shoved out of shot by actors and crew attempting a scene, in period costume during the making of the film "Mataron a Venancio Flores".

Do you know the film, can you identify the locations?

Hope to hear something ................from someone.

And if not you..............then perhaps you will be kind enough to pass this message on to someone who may have an interest.

By the way, Uruguay is where the most original veteran and vintage cars are to be found............www.tunstill.it

Best wishes

John Tunstill

Saturday, June 13, 2009

This Is My Street

I discovered where is the actual house in Sussex coast in which lived Sherlock Holmes in the story "The Adventure of the Lion's Mane" by Arthur Conan Doyle; and where is the real village of St. Mary Mead where lived Miss Marple from the stories of Agatha Christie.

I have found the possible location of picture tims006 for the movie "This is My Street".
If the signs "The Matador Coffee Bar" and "Beesley and Son" are real signs, this location is Windsor, in Berkshire.

Please check this site http://www.windsorpubs.info/herts_arms.htm and compare 2 pictures (old and new) with the picture tims006 for the movie "This is My Street".
According to this "The Matador Coffee Bar" is at: 16 St Leonards Road, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 3BW

And that confirms this yellow pages directory site: http://www.zettai.net/find/windsor/menswear-shops/ "Beesley's Outfitters Ltd." is the new name for "Beesley and Son".
"Beesley and Son" is at:14 St Leonards Road, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 3BW.


Best regards,
Grigor (Greg) from Macedonia

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

London on Film Festival

(That's right, the LOFF not the LFF)

This is a small film festival about London on film, showing in the tiny
Lexi cinema in Kensal Rise, London NW10.

Not a huge amount on but they are showing a couple of recent London
films, the London documentary film Finisterre and a BFI compilation of
London on film 1896-1945. Tickets seem to be available but it's only an
80-seater.

Short notice I'm afraid, it runs Tuesday to Sunday 16th - 21st June.
Details here www.londononfilmfestival.org.uk/index.html
Click on the where? and when? etc tabs for each day's events.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Hello my darlings.....Nah, could'nt be

Separated at birth?
Charlie Drake & Kim Jong-il
LBB.

The Quiet Man

The location of the two stills qtm013a and qtm013b is Thoor Ballylee in Ballylee, Gort, Co. Galway. The tower is also known as Yeats' Tower as the poet WB Yeats lived there in the early 20th Century.

I have no idea why this scene, and only this scene, was filmed in Galway, the tower is quite a long way from Cong.

The man in the first photograph is my grandfather, Martin Glynn and he is soaking the wheels of his cart which had dried out and were sticking. The filming of the Quiet Man for just a day or two in Ballylee was a huge event and was still often talked about when I was a child in the 60's and 70's.

All the best, Niamh Morris

Well what wonderful info..........have you got a photo of Grandpa Martin?
John Tunstill