The Fascination of A Night to Remember as a movie

[Robert T. Paige]

There has been another thread on "The Fascination of the Titanic". This is also true of the movie.

No doubt the producers, directors , actors and all the persons concerned would have never realized that the movie would be viewed on VHS and DVD nearly fifty years later...and especially viewed over and over in the comfort of the homes of a vast number of "nitpickers !"

Notice the details, such as the lavish sets of the Dining Saloon, Marconi Room, Boat Deck , et cetera, et cetera and so forth.

Even the "extras" did their parts very well. For example, in the Third Class scene, it's more of a scene of people having a good time rather than acting out their parts. Notice the persons in the background...some enthusiastic, others passive...
In the First Class Dining Saloon persons in the background are going about, each in their own particular way...the chef at the carving table going about his business quite oblivious of the actions of Molly Brown.

In short, it's not only the sets and technical aspects, but also the people that make this truly
"A Movie To Remember".

One nit-picking question: Was the bridge on the Californian actually as open to the weather as it was shown ? It seems this would have been rather primitive, even for 1912 ? Maybe so ?
Was that the way "it really was ?"...or was there an enclosed area for steering in foul weather ?

Does anyone know what that chart that appears on the wall of the Marconi Rooms was ? It is show (not too well in focus to really examine) in the Marconi Rooms of Titanic, Californian and Carpathia. Seems to be some kind of a graph. Maybe a propagation chart ?

 

[Robert H. Gibbons]

You might be talking about a chart that looks like a bunch of lines criss-crossing the page. This chart was prepared monthly, and the one on the Titanic, Carpathia, and Californian showed the various ships planning a crossing of the Atlantic during the month of April, 1912 and when your ship crossed the line of another ship, you were in range to communicate with this ship by wireless. During the filming of S.O.S. Titanic on board the Queen Mary in the late 70s, there was one of these charts posted on the bulletin board of the Second Class Library set. After the film company moved out during the night, there was a pile of debris left in the empty room and there was a full-sized copy of one of these charts! It is now in the THS archives, along with other props from S.O.S. Titanic left on the Queen Mary after the filming was over. Robert H. Gibbons, Past President and Co-Founder THS.

 

[Dave Gittins]

Californian's bridge was indeed open to the weather. In bad weather they probably rigged canvas dodgers to keep off the worst of the water. Remember that 1912 was not so far from the days of sail, when ships were steered from the poop and helmsmen were sometimes joined at their posts by the ocean.
Californian even had sails, and may have used them at times, if only to reduce rolling. Many things that were done in 1912 seem rough and ready to us. Think of Fred Fleet in his crow's nest.

 

[Bob Godfrey]

You can certainly see the Comms Chart on the wall in all three wireless room sets in the film. Here's the version that was specially prepared by the Marconi Company for use in the Inquiries following the disaster. Unlike the original chart, it shows only the vessels which were in wireless range of the sinking Titanic.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

Robert H. Gibbons-
Dave Gittins-
Bob Godfrey-

Thanks very much for the information. That was the chart to which I was referring. Charts shown in the movie must have been showing a number of ships as mentioned by Gibbons.

Another question

This may have shown up on another thread.)
The term "Magenta Clock" - which I have heard and assume it referred to the ship's master clock or chronometer ? : Was this in reference to the color or just a code name ?

I am a member of the Dallas Historical Society, but I don't think we have much (if any) Titanic material in the archives department. I'm strictly an amateur in the Titanic department. One of the main reasons I find this website fascinating !

Best regards,
Robert
aka jnb - "The Ghost of John Neely Bryan"
www.dallashistory.org www.hallofstate.com
www.johnwpaige.com/robert

 

[Dave Gittins]

It was actually called a Magneta clock. There were two master clocks that controlled (from memory) 48 clocks scattered about the ship. They were used for ordinary timekeeping by crew and passengers. It was an electro-magnetic device, hence the Magneta. Such systems may still be around. I worked in a hospital that used one into the 1970s. It wasn't much good. People used to get into trouble for going to lunch at the wrong time!

Titanic had two chronometers, which are totally different things. They were kept in gimbals in a specially made box and were treated like holy relics. They had to be wound regularly, preferably by the same officer. They were really extra fine watches, about 4" in diameter, which lost or gained time at a known rate. The navigator had to calculate the accumulated error in the chronometer as part of working a celestial sight.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

Dave Gittins-

That explains that ! There must have been a mis-spelling of "Magenta" instead of "Magneta" on my source of information. Thanks very much !

As I mentioned in another thread, the clocks in the state rooms on the Hotel Queen Mary in Long Beach were still in place but not operational.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

Are there any websites with deck plans or illustrations of Californian and Carpathia ?

 

[Robert T. Paige]

This might have been a subject better suited for the "nitpicker's" website.:

Reference First Class Dining Salon Dinner Scene in ANTR:

1.J.Bruce Ismay and Dr. O'Loughin appear to be dining together for dinner at a table for two. Would this have been likely ? Ismay is shown at The Captain's Table in the lunch scene.

2.Traffic on the Grand Stairway appears to be observing the "left hand rule." I would assume this would be the convention since vehicular traffic observed that rule in Great Britain. However, I would assume White Star would not dare impose such restrictions on its passengers !

I remember the rule in the USN was "D-A-P-F-U-S"
Down and Aft on the Port Side - Forward and Up on the Starboard Side. How is it on ships of Her Majesty's Navy ?

 

[Bob Godfrey]

Ismay and the Doc did indeed prefer each other's company at dinner, so that's one of the little details that ANTR got right. But they used a bit of dramatic license with the 'Captain's table'. The deck officers generally preferred to keep the passengers at a distance, and even the Captain often took his meals in his quarters adjoining the Bridge, where he might be needed at short notice. When he did use the passenger dining room, the Captain dined at a relatively small table for up to 6 people, not one of the big 12-seaters - it's likely that the Chief Purser presided at one of those.
.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

Thanks Bob Godfrey-

I would have thought that "The Captain's Table" was usually reserved for the evening meal rather than lunch.

Perhaps another bit of dramatic license.

Do you have any thoughts on the traffic pattern ?

"Keep on course, QM ! Aye, Aye, Sir !"

 

[Bob Godfrey]

Casting my mind back over many years of walking in the UK, I think there used to be a tendency here to veer left when passing people coming towards you. Maybe that's almost instinctive for most people who, being right-handed, will use their right arm for greetings, defensive action or whatever depending on who is coming in the other direction! But there does seem to be an unwritten rule in the US and elsewhere that pedestrians keep to the right, and maybe the Brits have come round to that way of thinking. Certainly as kids we were told to walk on the right in country lanes, so that vehicles (driving on the left) would not approach from behind.

For more thoughts on this dilemma:
http://www.gyford.com/phil/writing/2004/09/26/walking_on_the_r.php

 

[Encyclopedia Titanica]

At school we had always to keep to the left in the corridors. And obviously we drive on the left, so, when I ride to work on my bike along the river tow path I stay on the left. .. this explains a great many accidents.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

I am assuming - as always - that "they got it right" in ANTR.
Any information on that song "I'm Off To Philadelphia In The Morning" being sung in Third Class ?

 

[Robert T. Paige]

"Anyway you like, friend ! Anyway you like ! All roads lead to Rome "