Fountain Pens in Movies and TV

[SIR]

Parker something or other (?) in The Soong Sisters from 1996.

IMG_20160728_101844.jpg

[dr.grace]

Looks like a Vacumatic Major. Great movie, by the way!

[Blue Note]

Agreed. It's got all the signs of a 1940s Vac. I don't see a blue diamond on the top of the clip and it looks like a long clip so could be late one.

David the Vac Man will know for sure.

[SIR]

Great movie, by the way!

Indeed!
I don't suppose a sequel would be too much to ask for?

It's got all the signs of a 1940s Vac. I don't see a blue diamond on the top of the clip and it looks like a long clip so could be late one.

Which, unfortunately for accuracy in detail lovers, would make it about 25 years too soon for the time of the particular scene...

[Blue Note]

Indeed!
I don't suppose a sequel would be too much to ask for?

It's got all the signs of a 1940s Vac. I don't see a blue diamond on the top of the clip and it looks like a long clip so could be late one.

Which, unfortunately for accuracy in detail lovers, would make it about 25 years too soon for the time of the particular scene...

Ah, I see what you mean. I haven't seen the film, but I see it is set between 1911 and 1949. What year is the scene in question?

[SIR]

What year is the scene in question?

Roughly about 1915 - I'd need to swot up specific dates as the movie rarely reminds the viewer (it is a very well known period of events for most Chinese!).

[Blue Note]

[QUOTE=SIR;178264]

What year is the scene in question?

Roughly about 1915 -

Bit of a cock up in the props department then as the Vacumatic didn't exist before the early '30s. It's difficult to date this one. There were so many slight variations on the Vacs over the years I'm certainly no expert, but now that I look at it again this one could be anywhere from the mid 1930s to the late '40s. I'm not sure when the blue diamond appeared, but 6 of my late ''30s and '40s Vacs are blue diamonds and one with 2 thin cap bands, which is either a 1936 or 46, does not.

[carlos.q]

In the 2014 film "Kingsman: The Secret Service" the nefarious archvillain "Valentine" uses a gold colored fountain pen to check off some very important names.

Valentine2.jpg

But the best part is what he says while he is writing:

"You know what I love about pen and paper? Nobody can hack into this shit."

[carlos.q]

In another part of "Kingsman...", there is a Conway Stewart pen that is used as a murder weapon (remote control poisoning)...

conway1.jpg

.... and is later used by the character "Eggsy" to remove an explosive microchip from a person he has just killed:

conway.jpg

[pengeezer]

In the 2014 film "Kingsman: The Secret Service" the nefarious archvillain "Valentine" uses a gold colored fountain pen to check off some very important names.

Valentine2.jpg

But the best part is what he says while he is writing:

"You know what I love about pen and paper? Nobody can hack into this shit."

My guess? A Dunhill or a Caran D' Ache.



John

[TropicalPenGal]

Sadly, I don't have a screenshot to show you, but on the latest "Inspector Lewis" episode "One For Sorrow", (available to watch on the Masterpiece website now) I saw the murder victim signing with a Lamy Safari, complete with ink-stained fingers!

[Scrawler]

Sadly, I don't have a screenshot to show you, but on the latest "Inspector Lewis" episode "One For Sorrow", (available to watch on the Masterpiece website now) I saw the murder victim signing with a Lamy Safari, complete with ink-stained fingers!

As a result of this comment I have been watching Inspector Morse to get the full background before watching Inspector Lewis. In Inspector Morse S6E2 "Family Matters" a fountain pen is a clue. It was owned by the murderer. It was identified as an expensive pen that was made in Montreal in 1971. We only get a brief shot of the pen which has the appearance of a heavy silver body. So now I need the detectives on this forum to help me decide if the author drew that out of their imagination or if there was a maker of expensive silver pens in Montreal at that time.

[Kaputnik]

I thought I had posted this here before, in addition to another forum, but it seems that I didn't.

The two part British TV movie Going Postal takes place on a distant world of magic and strange creatures; it's based on one of Terry Pratchett's Disc World novels, for those familiar with that series. Despite the setting, there is a late 19th century English ambience to many of the books, which is evident here.

In a story about the revival of a moribund postal system, there are innumerable scenes of people using dip pens. Here, con-man turned postmaster Moist von Lipwig writes a letter.

[Kaputnik]

Posted this at another place too.

Just watched Mr. Holmes (2015), starring Ian McKellen as a 93 year old Sherlock Holmes, struggling against his own memory loss to remind himself of his last case, some thirty years before. Although it's hardly central to the plot, I noticed the use of three types of pen.

Here, Holmes uses what is apparently a ballpoint refill to make tick marks in a journal whenever he realizes that he can't recall a name. In 1947, it's possible that he could have such a thing lying around, although in this particular household it doesn't seem likely. I wondered if it might actually be some sort of ultra-compact dip pen, but after looking more closely I'm fairly convinced that it's a ballpoint.

MrHolmesBallpoint by waranoid, on Flickr

In most of the scenes where he is writing at greater length, he uses a fountain pen. I can't make out what it is, or whether it is right for the period.

MrHolmesFP2 by waranoid, on Flickr

In a flashback, we see Dr. Watson, who is long dead at the time of the principal action, writing using a dip pen. There is also a scene where Holmes writes a letter with a dip pen.

Jwatson by waranoid, on Flickr

[Freddie]

[QUOTE=Kaputnik;184113]Posted this at another place too.

Just watched Mr. Holmes (2015), starring Ian McKellen as a 93 year old Sherlock Holmes...


MrHolmesFP2 by waranoid, on Flickr

A Waterman Laureat late 1980's - 1990's.........................

Fred

[Kaputnik]

[QUOTE=Freddie;184120]

Posted this at another place too.

Just watched Mr. Holmes (2015), starring Ian McKellen as a 93 year old Sherlock Holmes...


MrHolmesFP2 by waranoid, on Flickr

A Waterman Laureat late 1980's - 1990's.........................

Fred

So considerably more anachronistic than the ballpoint refill (pending identification of the exact refill). Thanks.

[carlos.q]

On last Friday's episode of Hawaii 5-0, a British MI-6 agent is arrested with all sort of goodies in his possession, including an acid spraying pen that I first thought was a MB149:

jinhao1.jpg

However, on closer inspection, it was revealed to be a Jinhao 159:

jinhao3.jpg

I guess we shouldn't be surprised. Budget cuts must be affecting everyone, including spy agencies.

[pengeezer]

I recently re-watched Chariots of Fire,and there's a scene where Eric Liddell is talking with his sister
about how God gave him the ability to run. They are interrupted by a young girl wanting his
autograph. He tells her to pick a pen out of his suit coat pocket. She picks,and he pulls out--


--a ballpoint.

Go figure.



John

[carlos.q]

During last Sunday's episode of "The Strain", there is a scene which supposedly takes place in 1962, in which one of the characters uses a gold colored fountain pen to write a check:

strain1016.jpg

[carlos.q]

In a recent ad about internet realtors there is a MB look-alike that writes magically on its own:

realtormb.jpg