Prop Guns in early Hollywood. Heck they just used real bullets..

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Interesting that the guy on the machine gun is in costume , and look how casual Cagney looks as the scene is being set up. Pretty cool for a guy who is about to dodge live fire.
 
Movies that had archery in them also used real arrows that were shot into a block of wood under the stunt mans costume. Usually shot by a fellow whose name was Howard Hill. Yes, he was that good... ;)
 
I recall reading an interview with James Cagney. In one of the scenes (I don’t recall which movie) he and a couple of other actors were hit by the debris from the bullet impacting the building or street. After that, they started looking to creating stage effects.

Kevin
 
StrawHat said:
I recall reading an interview with James Cagney. In one of the scenes (I don’t recall which movie) he and a couple of other actors were hit by the debris from the bullet impacting the building or street. After that, they started looking to creating stage effects.

Kevin
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Dang. Not just pretty boys, huh? I thought being a movie star would be easy street!:D
 
I think the actors in days of yore had more talent, more grit, more daring, and were just plain better human beings.

They knew guns and they knew horses and they could sing and dance. They came from places like Indiana not born and raised in Southern California.
 
Waveski said:
Interesting that the guy on the machine gun is in costume , and look how casual Cagney looks as the scene is being set up. Pretty cool for a guy who is about to dodge live fire.
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One thing that caught my eye in the photo also is that the bolt of the Machine gun looks cocked. Now this could be because they are using a drum and even if you load an empty drum you have to cock back the bolt. So you have the star there looking at a cocked firearm. But you would think the shooter would lower the bolt out of politeness (safety).. Unless the drum was loaded with ammo??? You would not want the bolt forward resting on a love round. So if that is true, you have Cagney looking down the barrel of a cocked loaded machine gun.
 
indy1919a4 said:
One thing that caught my eye in the photo also is that the bolt of the Machine gun looks cocked. Now this could be because they are using a drum and even if you load an empty drum you have to cock back the bolt. So you have the star there looking at a cocked firearm. But you would think the shooter would lower the bolt out of politeness (safety).. Unless the drum was loaded with ammo??? You would not want the bolt forward resting on a love round. So if that is true, you have Cagney looking down the barrel of a cocked loaded machine gun.
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The film crew is in danger as well. That camera is on feet raised off the casters and if that film crew had to stay in place to operate that camera. Geez.
 
chicharrones said:
The film crew is in danger as well. That camera is on feet raised off the casters and if that film crew had to stay in place to operate that camera. Geez.
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You know, you really make a good point, I just assumed this to be an early set up shot, people all moving to line up the shot.. But that Camera is about in the correct spot to make the shot. If you look at the legs the wheels have been locked and legs have been lowered. That camera is locked in place.

Another thing that looks odd, That wall where the bullets will hit.. Looks patched.. Was this done several times????
 
Yikes!!!! I just watched the video .... "took the edge off the wall" .... !!!!!! Real bullets! Zowie! It made me cringe.


Thank Gawd for squibs!

Wow .... "those were the days" .....:what:
 
One of the peculiarities of the Hayes Code was that you could film firearms being shot, you could film actors being "hit" with rounds, but you could not film that in one shot (e.g. gun and target in same frame). So, during the "Code" era, directors had to "jump cut" scenes.
One of the "big" things introduced in the Post-Code "noir" era was filming people being shot. This peaked with Peckinpah's over-the top staging (which, at the time, was referred to as "ultra-vilolence").

That camera operator will need nerves of steel, as will the focus-puller.
 
CapnMac said:
One of the peculiarities of the Hayes Code was that you could film firearms being shot, you could film actors being "hit" with rounds, but you could not film that in one shot (e.g. gun and target in same frame). So, during the "Code" era, directors had to "jump cut" scenes.
One of the "big" things introduced in the Post-Code "noir" era was filming people being shot. This peaked with Peckinpah's over-the top staging (which, at the time, was referred to as "ultra-vilolence").

That camera operator will need nerves of steel, as will the focus-puller.
Click to expand...


ha then they stole that term from Anthony Burgess the robbers.. :) who would have thunked it of hollywood people..
 
Never seen that one before, using a real MG instead of simulating it. Seems like, even then, a terrible idea. And... better get it in one or wait a week for the stonemasons to redo the building? Seems odd.

I have seen many tales of them up through the 70s using reduced power projectiles, wooden bullets and so on, when you need to kick up dirt, damage things, etc. and there are NO actors downrange, but you are on a set or in a built up area.

As well as stuff that was, well, the same as early FOF. Wax bullets used to shoot AT actors. This was a thing anyway, and if we were alive in the 20s, we'd be doing it

During the early 20th century, there was some interest in mock dueling with pistols loaded with wax bullets. The sport first gained popularity in France, and heavy canvas clothing was worn to protect the body, a metal helmet with a thick glass plate protected the head and face, and the pistols were often equipped with guards on the front of the trigger guard that extended outwards to protect the shooter's hand.[7] For a brief time it was popular. It was featured as an associate (non-medal) event during the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.[8][9]
duelling_with_wax_bullets_1.jpg ​

Sorry for the tangent.

Anyway, do I recall some blood packs being perforated by impact way back, like pre-code? Not sure if I am mis-remembering or what.
 
Do we know how many (if any) actors were killed in live-fire filming mishaps? I remember at least two being killed by blanks; at least one of those (Jon Erik Hexum) died horsing around with a blank-loaded gun.)
 
An old Gun Digest article on movie guns described a large bore air gun with a variety of projectiles.
There were capsules of "blood" (CORRECTION chocolate syrup works in BW) and dust; ball bearings to really break windows.
Even one with a barrel big enough to "throw" a short bladed knife into a board under the actor's shirt.

Live fire: Annie Oakley once shot a cigarette out of the Kaiser's mouth. She later said "If I had known what he was going to do to our boys, I'd have pulled that shot."
 
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