Morning coffee

[CobraJoe]

The other thing for me was, the face in the rear view mirror. Supposedly, when you can see the face in the rear view mirror, it was Steve McQueen driving, if the mirror was turned down, it was stunt driver Bud Ekins.

Still my favorite movie of all time.

[fdlrc]

You guys are good. I just happened to tune in to Bullitt the other night, just as the 15 minute chase scene was starting. Needless to say I watched it a few times and came up with some observations, until my wife kicked me out of the house:
1. Green VW Bug in four scenes
2. Yellow LeMans in four scenes
3. 68 Charger lost two right side hub caps before I saw right rear had one back on
4. I wonder whose idea it was to have the sound of the Mustang during the chase, sound as if it was
    being double clutched
5. Surprised the Mustang didn't have traction-lock rear end

I know Rich, the color of my TV screen is the color of my car.

[Tom S]

... the face in the rear view mirror. ...

Or is (it) the 'bad guy' in the Charger?

[fdlrc]

This is the bad guy in the mirror, not the driver, but the guy with the shotgun. They're being followed by Frank Bullitt, just don't know it yet.

[CobraJoe]

This is the bad guy in the mirror, not the driver, but the guy with the shotgun. They're being followed by Frank Bullitt, just don't know it yet.

Sorry, I should have clarified before I segued into the McQueen/Atkins trivia. I meant seeing someone in the rearview mirror in a chase scene is rare; today if the mirror is not turned down it is usually removed, kinda like they do with headrests today on tv.

Also on Atkins;
"After Steve McQueen lost control of his car and smashed into a parked vehicle, his then-wife Neile Adams begged Peter Yates to use stuntmen. So when McQueen reported for duty to find stuntman Bud Ekins sitting in his car, dressed as McQueen, he was furious."

A little more trivia, the bad guy is actually stunt man Bill Hickman. "The driving scenes netted him additional stunt work, which included yet another classic car chase for The French Connection . In 1973, he drove the Pontiac Bonneville as "Bo", in the chase of Roy Scheider's character "Buddy", driving the Pontiac Ventura Sprint coupe in The Seven-Ups. Bill was highly experienced in driving stunts and in racing. Thirteen years before this film, being a good friend of actor and budding race driver James Dean, he was accompanying Dean to a race in Bakersfield, California, driving Dean's station wagon and car trailer while Dean drove ahead in his Porsche Spyder. Dean died in an accident on the way and it was Bill Hickman who extricated Dean's body from the wreck."

You guys are good. I just happened to tune in to Bullitt the other night, just as the 15 minute chase scene was starting. Needless to say I watched it a few times and came up with some observations, until my wife kicked me out of the house:
1. Green VW Bug in four scenes
2. Yellow LeMans in four scenes
3. 68 Charger lost two right side hub caps before I saw right rear had one back on
4. I wonder whose idea it was to have the sound of the Mustang during the chase, sound as if it was
    being double clutched
5. Surprised the Mustang didn't have traction-lock rear end

I know Rich, the color of my TV screen is the color of my car.

"...The next few scenes are different camera angles that capture the same sequence as the two cars head downhill and turn west off the same street. This is obvious, due to the repeated presence of the same Cadillac, and a green Volkswagen Beetle that is seen three times."

I think the actual number was eight hubcaps.

"Initially the car chase was supposed to be scored, but Lalo Schifrin suggested that no music be added to that sequence, pointing out that the soundtrack was powerful enough as it was."

"Bullitt's reverse burnout during the chase scene actually wasn't in the script, Steve McQueen had mistakenly missed the turn. The footage was still kept, though."

Some more stupid trivia:

"Director Peter Yates called for speeds of about seventy-five to eighty miles per hour, but the cars (including the ones containing the cameras) reached speeds of over one hundred ten miles per hour. Filming of the chase scene took three weeks, resulting in nine minutes and forty-two seconds of footage. They were denied permission to film on the Golden Gate Bridge."

"According to Peter Yates, Steve McQueen made a point to keep his head near the open car window during the famous chase scene so that audiences would be reassured that it was he, not a stunt man, who was driving"

"In the first scenes, when the guy is leaving the garage, one might notice, just as the credits are running, Steve McQueen's green Jaguar D-type parked in the garage."

..and how different would this have been:
"The choice of cars had more to do with corporate marketing than dramatic inspiration. Ford and Warner Bros. cooperated on movies, so a Mustang and Fairlane were selected. Both were taken to Max Balchowski to be modified, but he said the Fairlane would not survive any serious stunt work. He suggested a Dodge Charger."

[fdlrc]

Awesome info, pics and commentary. I wouldn't want music either. It was the sound of Bullitt's engine as he was shifting gears at high speed that sounds like he was double clutching, not that he was, just an unusual but awesome sound.

I'd want to be the guy in the trunk, best seats in the house.

Dirty Harry and Frank Bullitt should have teamed up.

[RICH MUISE]

Had to share........found on a jug of Roman's wallpaper remover today:
"This product contains NO ingredients which are hazardous to your health.....if used blah blah blah..........This product contains chemicals which are known to the state of California to cause birth defects"

[Ford Blue blood]

Well Rich I sure hope you don't have any birth defects.......other then the same one we all suffer from on this site!

[RICH MUISE]

I really had to laugh at it............was it their way of saying "kiss my butt, California".

[fdlrc]

When I think about it, it's worse than the warning to remove windshield sun /shade screen prior to driving.

[RICH MUISE]

Strange stuff going on here. I'm sure most of you know I lost my engine this past week, and I've talked about the one owner Mark VIII it came out of. Well, yesterday I met that owner for the first time since I got it in '13! We have mutual friends, and yesterday for the first time we actually crossed paths! Weird!
This morning.....woke up in my 1957 built house, made coffee, and went out to the garage where my '57 is for a cigarette. Flipped on the space heater, it read 57 degrees, looked at the digital weather thingy, and it not only said 57 degrees, the humidity was an unusually high 57! what time was it? 6:57 !!

[rmk57]

[djfordmanjack]

you're not the only one Rich. quite some interesting stuff happening sometimes.
Yesterday I got this old title/pic of an old Volkswagen van from a friend. check out the license plate. pure coincidence. neither a 1957 model nor date. pic shot in 1955. plates not related to anything.

[KYBlueOval]

Strange stuff going on here. I'm sure most of you know I lost my engine this past week, and I've talked about the one owner Mark VIII it came out of. Well, yesterday I met that owner for the first time since I got it in '13! We have mutual friends, and yesterday for the first time we actually crossed paths! Weird!
This morning.....woke up in my 1957 built house, made coffee, and went out to the garage where my '57 is for a cigarette. Flipped on the space heater, it read 57 degrees, looked at the digital weather thingy, and it not only said 57 degrees, the humidity was an unusually high 57! what time was it? 6:57 !!

Rich, you should go buy a lottery ticket and put  "1957" somewhere in the numbers.

[RICH MUISE]

Yeah, I should. My gambling is out for a while also though, lol.
Have had a heck of a time getting on the internet today......windy as heck here today, probably the reason......although so many changes with tv, internet, etc., I have a hard time keeping up with what's cable/phone lines and what's satellite.