# Films shown on board



## RMM (Dec 28, 2008)

Remember how on some ships the R/O would double as projectionist and show films to his shipmates. 

Films I remember seeing from the 60s are: How To Murder Your Wife; Guns At Batasi, Morituri; Hot Enough For June; Two Weeks In Another Town; The Cincinnati Kid; The Seventh Dawn and The Professionals.

When changing reels there would be catcalls if you took too long about it All the reels would have to be re-wound afterwards.

I visited cinemas in the following places.
USA; Canada; Antwerp; Aden, Colombo; Calcutta, Panama; New Zealand and Australia.

But spent lots of my pre-MN youth at the Plaza cinema in Blaydon.


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## sparkie2182 (May 12, 2007)

We got to show the films in the officers and crew bars and cater for the off watch lads too......I saw True Grit 12 times......I know every word of the script when I watch it now.

The golden rule was never to swap films with Russian ships......they had a reputation of scarpering with them.

I broke the rule every time.....no problems at all.

The old "confessions of a ……….." films were very popular with the Eastern Bloc...…...I sent the same two back to a Russian freighter in Basra a number of times on request.

Before she sailed I was invited onboard...… a great experience even if the booze was a bit "different".


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

On one ship we had the James Bond film "From Russia With Love" aboard for several months before we could change it. After the first couple of showings, only the reel containing the fight between the two gypsy girls was ever shown again - at least every day.


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

I was only on one ship that had films, or 1 film in this case. It was the Andes and the solitary film was Goldfinger, shown in the pig every night.
By the end of week 1, everybody knew every word of the dialogue by heart.
I can still hear the sound of all hands yelling "PUSSY" at the top if their voice(Jester)


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

Sea Containers had a couple of ships ferrying coal into Dover. Since each would be transiting the busy Dover Straits daily and would be in port every other day, it was decided by MIMCo to ask the owners for their permission to install and early Predictor ARPA on board one of the ships during its development. This was duly granted and for several months while the equipment was on trial, development engineers from Chelmsford visited Dover each time the ship docked, to examine the equipment and obtain user-reports.

Those engineers found their visits to be a life-enhancing experience. It was the first time many of them had seen hard-porno films anywhere, let alone being projected in the mess-room of a ship while breakfast was being served.


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## sparkie2182 (May 12, 2007)

"hard-porno films"

I'm shocked.


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

"Two for the Road" was one of my favourites. Romcom road movie, set in Europe about a couples over several years.


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## Paul Braxton (Jul 21, 2005)

"Black Christmas", and of course, "Butch Cassidy...etc." Two of my favourites. The former was really creepy, even when I'd shown it a couple of times. Never seen it on TV, but always hoping..

Film showings and mail arrivals. Both highlights of life at sea. Downside: lugging heavy Walport boxes along wharves and up and down other ships' gangways for exchange. But all so much better than TV though, or videos. Neither had the same effect of a kind of magic that films had.


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## dannic (Mar 10, 2013)

RMM said:


> Remember how on some ships the R/O would double as projectionist and show films to his shipmates.
> 
> Films I remember seeing from the 60s are: How To Murder Your Wife; Guns At Batasi, Morituri; Hot Enough For June; Two Weeks In Another Town and The Professionals.
> 
> ...


First trip cadet, we had the job of setting up and showing film. Saturday night, but not a problem as projector was on bar ….and we were behind it! Got very good at opening fridge door silently or during noisy part of movie. 3rd reel often went wrong though!
Dannic


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## sparkie2182 (May 12, 2007)

Ch. Steward coming around between reels with tubs of ice cream.

Offensive language that would make a black premier league footballer phone his agent everytime the film splicing split.


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## Engine Serang (Oct 15, 2012)

In the mid 70's when in Gavle in Sweden a chap used to come onboard and show Adult films in the Smokeroom. He charged for his services and everyone was more than willing to throw a few bob into his hat. Mary Millington was a great favourite.


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## ALBY2 (Feb 26, 2009)

Remember one very funny film which doesn't seem to be available anywhere now is “The great scout and Cat House Thursday” starring Oliver Reed as a Red Indian scout with a dose trying to give it back to the white man as revenge.


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## rknibbs (Mar 11, 2006)

Once had an RO from a Russian tanker in the Gulf ask if we wanted to swap films. OK I said, he asked what films we had and I told him we had a couple of Jame Bond films and a western. He left saying he didn't the James Bond films because the Russians always lose!


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## n. liddell (sparks) (Nov 21, 2008)

remember going aft to show films to the indian crew. They loved the westerns. it was like Saturday morning at the flicks when we were kids. I don't know what they were smoking ,but it wasn't Golden Virginia. My head was spinning as I walked back midships


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## sparkie2182 (May 12, 2007)

I exchanged with quite a few Russian ships......though they only had their own Russian films to offer which were useless to us....... they were housed in metal cases much like Jerry cans. 
I doubt most of the crews had much grasp of English so they must have been "short of a treat" 
to bother watching. 
In Basra when I was invited on board the Soviet ship.... I was given a tour of the ship..... met many of the appreciative crew (male and female) and ended up in the choffs cabin until a head appeared around the door....... the "doctor", the choff informed me. 
Shortly after I was back on the quayside having been escorted ashore by an apologetic bunch of sailor men/women..... all carrying bottles of Cuban rum for me. 

The power of the Commisar.


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## George.GM (Feb 8, 2006)

In 1969/70 on RFA Tideflow on Beira patrol we loaned our RNFC films to the local
Portuguese frigate in exchange for wine.
All went well until some rotten sod somehow let the MOD know what was going on and we had a sharp signal from Harold Wilson saying "this dubious practice must stop immediately!" As you can imagine, it didn't.


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## sparkie2182 (May 12, 2007)

The politicians really help, don't they?


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## Tony Morris (Oct 7, 2006)

The Russian ships were always keen for any Benny Hill shows that we had, we got the likes of Robin Hood produced in Russia. Needless to say not many watched them but we did get the odd bottle of vodka off them in appreciation.


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## sparkie2182 (May 12, 2007)

Quite right Tony.

I stocked up with Cuban rum in Basra …. the Soviet ship ran between those two locations.

Usually Vodka was the usual means of showing appreciation.


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

Onboard RFA Wave Chief in the Falklands early seventies a Polish fish factory ship was most appreciative of a James Bond RNFC film. I think it was “From Russia with Love”. Fish was received in turn and the film was returned. The Upland Goose was the handover location. I often wonder what the commissar onboard the factory ship thought about it.


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## slick (Mar 31, 2006)

*Films in th RFA*

ALL,
In the RFA the RNFC supplied the films.
Comments on the film concerning the type of films on the Log sheets from exchange of films with RN.
:- Any Western " A short range gunnery Drama"
Cartoons " Mickey-Ducks"
I seem to remember they were paid for........
Yours aye,
slick


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

slick said:


> ALL,
> In the RFA the RNFC supplied the films.
> Comments on the film concerning the type of films on the Log sheets from exchange of films with RN.
> :- Any Western " A short range gunnery Drama"
> ...



And of course “Good old Fred”.

Cheers

Rab T


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## matthew flinders (Feb 19, 2010)

Brought back a few memories. Getting a box of films already seen and they all seemed to have Fred McMurray in them. Like n.liddell I showed a film to an Indian crew once and once only. There was a short to start with, can.t remember what, but in it was a scene of someone contaminating a pot of paint with earth or the like. Someone shouted hey Cassab and all hell let loose, fists and knives and the projector went flying so that was the end of that.


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## Derek Roger (Feb 19, 2005)

In Brocklebanks we also had Walport movies ; mostly very good . We had a bar in the lounge of all the ships and on movie night we used to rate the films by ints : of draught tennants .. A really good film would get a say 3 pint rating ; where as a lousy movie would be a 5 pinter . The better the movie the less beer consumed . When it came to replays often a few of the wags would ask for the 5 pinter as opposed to a good movie .


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## Paul Braxton (Jul 21, 2005)

Hi Matthew. Any relation? To the explorer of the same name, I wonder?


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## mrcruisine (Oct 10, 2010)

*Saturday Night Movies*

I do recall, but on Bankline they came out with Walport video cassettes, endless watching of football games as we got 15 at a time and stuck with those for a month. Once I left Bankline I used to as Lecky do the movies every Saturday night on several foreign flag vessels. As usual I had to go through each reel before hand and repair and splice the film as they got damaged in the sprocket drive of the projectors. Most were 3 reelers however Bridge to Far was a 4 reeler. When we got into a port we see whether we could do a temp swap with other ships and binge watch as official exchange wasnt always possible. One tale was when I was on a drillship off Spain and crew were all from Barcelona. Well someone brought back the set of Fawlty Towers, and you can imagine reaction when the bit about Manuel being from Barcelona came up, initial outrage and finally they decided he was from some other place and was only a migrant to Barcelona


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## Zl2axh (Oct 2, 2016)

NZSco / FSNco I found 2/RO job was to show the movies. Billy Budd became a staple and I must have shown it dozens of times. 
My first trip, on the NZ coast the top movie was South Pacific and every girl you took out wanted to see it. I must have seen it a couple of dozen times.


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## frankkeavy (Nov 25, 2012)

*Reel movies*

I was Master on Sanko tankers in the early 70's, we had the film exchange, usually three boxes per movie. Often we would end up with two reels from one movie and the third reel from a completely different one. Made for an interesting night.
Given half a chance the Filipino crew would watch every movie the first night on a thirty day passage.


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## Zl2axh (Oct 2, 2016)

Went through Capetown on the Pipiriki. This was not a normal port of call and NZSC did not have a regular agent. Went ashore to swap movies and they didn't have any for us. After a bit of sweet talk they said they would send some down to the ship. When they arrived they were the movies intended for the Oriana. Ten movies for the Indian Ocean crossing was a luxury. I hope the Oriana crew liked Billy Budd.


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## searover (Sep 8, 2007)

Paul Braxton said:


> "Black Christmas", and of course, "Butch Cassidy...etc." Two of my favourites. The former was really creepy, even when I'd shown it a couple of times. Never seen it on TV, but always hoping..


Go to YouTube to get re-spooked


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## Hygromia/3rdShip (May 5, 2018)

On Shell tankers as an engineer apprentice1968-70) it was the apprentice's job to show the movie.
On first ship we got taught how to join up broken sections. Movies from Walport were shown in the Saloon and crew had them in their messroom.
On one occasion, only the skipper wanted to watch a cartoon so as the duty guy, I set it up for him alone then went to bar for a beer. Went back 5 minutes before the reel should have been finished and heard the drive reel spinning really fast as there was a break.....must have broken about 15 minutes before the end but the Skip just sat there, waiting for me to return.
My first trip as a 5th eng was on a topping-up ship at Bonny in Nigeria. We used to top up other ships over the bar to fill other tankers. We were permanently tied up to a buoy mooring and were the storage ship for Walport and used to have about 10 boxes (with 3 movies) at any one time. The Chinese crew and UK crew each had projector every 2nd day and we had a great choice of movies.
Some times we had no topping-up duties for weeks at a time and down time let the Chinese crew to have 24+ hour movies.
Never leaving Nigeria, we used to order supplies from visiting ships. Much of the oil went to a refinery in S France so we often got given crates of wine for free. From Spanish ships we also got Sherry and Port. Wine was always available for dinner and the waiters never knew the difference between sherry and white wine. You could ask for a glass of red wine and get 1/2 pint of port.
We used to get Carlsberg Elephant beer. Really, whatever the local food and drink from the supply ships.
I had 6 months on that ship.


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## Chris Wordsworth (May 10, 2006)

*Radio Officer showing films to the crew.*

It is an odd coincidence that only yesterday, here in New Zealand, on Covid-19 lockdown, I was looking through my old diaries. 

Here is an extract from my diary while aboard my first ship as junior R/O. Other than showing the films I really enjoyed this trip. The ship was an ex Eagle Oil ship that was just transferred to Shell, the SS San Calisto (GCDE) We sailed from Tilbury to Maraicaibo.

Sunday 16th December 1962
The swimming pool was filled up and we all enjoyed a swim.
There was a heavy swell and I had to do the film show for the crew back aft down in the crew mess. I had to haul the equipment across the flying bridge to the aft accommodation which was smelling of oil and fumes and was very hot. The aft of the ship was going up and down and I was slowly loosing my fight against seasickness. The sailors and greasers were all smoking and drinking huge mugs of strong coffee or cocoa which did not help my condition. I was looking forward to the film ending so I could pack up and get out of there but the crew had other ideas. Whenever the heroine in the film came on the screen they all demanded I wind the film back so they could see it again. I was very pleased when this show came to an end.
Had a can of Orangeboom beer from the Queen of Holland.


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## searover (Sep 8, 2007)

Aaah! Some memories: 
*** Under a 1954 Indian Ocean tropic sky - Doris Day in "Calamity Jane" 
*** 1954 Capetown. "Call Me Madam". My horror, in seeing Afrikaaners walk out of the cinema during "Go Save the Queen". I had lots to learn 
*** 1955 in Rangoon. "Prince Valiant" The locals really got into it.
*** 1955 Odessa. Several Soviet epic movies of high quality, showing Tartars battling with more northern tribe enemies to save "oppressed" peasants, similar to U.S. cavalry coming to the rescue. Use the hairdos to know who was who.
***Then onward to nightly projecting movies into the TV cameras on P&Os "Canberra" in the early 1960s.


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## Paul Braxton (Jul 21, 2005)

Hygromia (post #31 ). Was your 'topping up ship' "Haustellum", by any chance? Or one of the other 'H' boats, maybe? I remember tying up alongside one of these, probably in Bonny, maybe Forcados or Escravos.


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

"Topkapi" A favourite on board, is just about to start on BBC2 (UK) at 14.00.

PS I watched it again. It was Carp! I don't know what I saw in it before.


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## Raleigh (Nov 22, 2008)

Sadly on the MV Teakbank we did not any movies whilst I was there, but did have a lot of Natural Geographic magazines which were kindly given to us by the Priest at the Seaman's Mission on several occasions.


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## sparkie2182 (May 12, 2007)

"PS I watched it again. It was Carp! I don't know what I saw in it before"

I recently did the same with the "Magnificent Seven"


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## david freeman (Jan 26, 2006)

tell me does one still have wallport, and is John Wayne still galavanting about with his horse and sixshooter?


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## Loptap (May 2, 2016)

RMM said:


> Remember how on some ships the R/O would double as projectionist and show films to his shipmates.


My first trip, as 2nd R/O on Baluchistan, I was advised I was responsible for running “film night”.
We only had one film on bard - “Bonnie & Clyde” - seems like I watched it a dozen times only getting a replacement on a second visit to Cape Town after running around the Gulf.
I have never liked Warren Beatty since!


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## majoco (Oct 15, 2008)

The tankers that I served on always had a good selection of movies and there was a brisk trade around the Gulf to exchange them - hopefully you didn't get your old ones back! I remember changing five or six with a Caltex tanker in Mina or Ras Tanura and had a few with their sparkie of course. Two were in the boxes but one set was in a paper bag and it was hissing down with rain on the way back - the bag burst and one can dropped on to the wharf and slowly rolled to edge and ...... 

Fortunately my bacon was saved when one of the deckies said "We've had this filum in our mess for ages, can we change it...." - so the total was restored. I don't recall the titles but they had two reels of one and one of another....


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## Al Viljoen (Aug 30, 2017)

We always enjoyed the movies on board but the worst was if somebody didn't keep an eye on the projector and the film built up on the outside of the reel and then fell off when the ship rolled or pitched more than usual. That meant hours of re-spooling to get it right.
I went to sea after college in 1965 and all became friends with the lady who ran the Walport agency in Durban. She passed away at a grand old age not to long ago. I had a nostalgic visit with her daughter about 2 months ago when she visited South Africa from the UK where her family returned to some years ago.


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## cajef (Feb 8, 2012)

I can remember watching James Bond films in the cinema of the Empress of Canada sat in the back row with the Chilly Hos.


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## pitcrew (Jan 12, 2011)

cajef said:


> I can remember watching James Bond films in the cinema of the Empress of Canada sat in the back row with the Chilly Hos.


Excuse my ignorance but what’s a chilly ho?


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## chris8527 (Jul 26, 2008)

pitcrew said:


> Excuse my ignorance but what’s a chilly ho?


Childrens' Hostess


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## pitcrew (Jan 12, 2011)

chris8527 said:


> Childrens' Hostess


I had a feeling that whatever it was it would be enjoyable.


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## chris8527 (Jul 26, 2008)

It was never wise to 'tamper with the ship's fittings' as I regrettably found out, to my demise.


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## dannic (Mar 10, 2013)

The other outfit was Catermoule, wasn't it? Think they were first to go to video tapes but it wasn't VHS! was on one P&O bulker where there was a Philips video player but only cassetes were Sulzer training ones!
Dannic


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

chris8527 said:


> It was never wise to 'tamper with the ship's fittings' as I regrettably found out, to my demise.


(Jester)(Jester)


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## expats (Mar 9, 2013)

On a ship that shall remain nameless the films were shown first, in two showings in the saloon and then a couple of days later later in the e crew mess..
I showed the first session and the lecky the second..

The film was 'Darling' and we almost had a mutiny when I screened the crew's showing...

It turned out that, unknown to me in the second session, the demand to 'slow down' the boardroom sex session between Julie Christie and Laurence Harvey (to see if they could glimpse 'something more') had resulted in the session being just a brown blur...
I beat a hasty retreat pleading innocence..I think someone must have supported my position 'cos I wasn't murdered in my bunk...


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## makko (Jul 20, 2006)

We had a Sierra Leonian "Headman" (Bosun) who would go ashore and find the filthiest porno videos wherever we were in port. To recoup his investment, he invited all the officers down to his cabin with an entry fee of a case of pop (Fanta, Coke, etc., he was moslem). We always attended to keep up his stock of pop. We used to take the engine room stop-clock to rate the movies, dutifully "logging" the time for each activity and exceptional acts, beyond the norm.

Well, it passed some time and was, I suppose, harmless! It kept the crew happy too that we were subsidizing their bar bills.

The Sierra Leonian crews were very good and reliable, btw. Fond memories of them.

Rgds.
Dave


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## kribble (May 25, 2020)

It was my job as cadet to show movies on my first ship with the other Brit and two nice Indian deck cadets. I think they came from Catermouls? They always included a safety film first. I remember in one sone idiot dropped a bucket on someone ina tank bottom who clearly swore at them. There was no sound but it was obviously the F word! As my older brother was at sea I was warned about all the tricks. When we crossed the line, I and the two Indian cadets stayed locked in my cabin to avoid being doused in engine oil. Even when they faked a 'Crew Alert' we stayed in until they gave up! Happy days.


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## david freeman (Jan 26, 2006)

Alas dear youath in the 60.s the BP safety films were a must, Shown now and again we we could not exchange the Walport Film Box: Then real excitement, besides using an un- secured ladder on deck, or while inspecting deck derrick arms or suuging and painting, there were the galley incidents chip fire exectra, and fiddlies on the mess tables and galley stove use off in heavy weather, and for us all I believe it was 20 mins long {Shot in Swansea docks on a defunct BP Tanker] the training film ''FIRE DOWN BELOW''
Then the second steward, the old mans goffer, offering ice creams at the end of the session.
This all could off course be 'bull ****' does anyone know better???


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Painting on a trapeze without safety harness. Grabs aerial leadout. I leave the final scene to your imagination.


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## P.Arnold (Apr 11, 2013)

With Shell on movie night “Paint your Wagon”
One scene of cowboys around the camp fire eating copious amounts of baked beans. The soundtrack was augmented by peoples variations on a theme. (Raspberries, if you get my drift).


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Not "Blazing Saddles"?


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## Engine Serang (Oct 15, 2012)

I think it was Blazing Saddles.
The Second went about the engine room with a shifter pressed to his temple saying One move and the Geordie gets it. Oh how we laughed.


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## Bill Morrison (May 25, 2013)

Bonny & Clyde. Shades with one lens and a match stick in your teeth all speaking out of the side of you mouth "We rob banks!"


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## P.Arnold (Apr 11, 2013)

Varley said:


> Not "Blazing Saddles"?


David
It would seem by response that Blazing Saddles was the one of notoriety ,
BUT, 
Paint Your Wagon did have a song, Hand me Down that can o’ beans.
Now I will bow out gracefully .
Peter.


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

P.Arnold said:


> Now I will bow out gracefully .
> Peter.


Keeping your buttocks well clenched I hope.


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## pitcrew (Jan 12, 2011)

P.Arnold said:


> David
> It would seem by response that Blazing Saddles was the one of notoriety ,
> BUT,
> Paint Your Wagon did have a song, Hand me Down that can o’ beans.
> ...


Yes absolutely! Sung by the nitty gritty dirt band as I remember. Saw it in Wellington. No smoking but you could bring in a Cairry oot. Alcoholic take away for the uninitiated.


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

Engine Serang said:


> I think it was Blazing Saddles.
> The Second went about the engine room with a shifter pressed to his temple saying One move and the Geordie gets it. Oh how we laughed.



"You can't park that ox here!" Wham!


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## P.Arnold (Apr 11, 2013)

Ron Stringer said:


> Keeping your buttocks well clenched I hope.


Ron,
Clenched enough, you couldn’t park a bike.


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## P.Arnold (Apr 11, 2013)

Then there was “the Battle of Britain” being projected on a tarp suspended between the two aft Samson posts.
Coincident with the Stuka dive bombers hitting the radar aerials (in the movie) we were buzzed by a US Coast Guard aircraft. We were crossing the Caribbean on the way to Panama Canal. 
Talk about surround sound.


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## tunatownshipwreck (Nov 9, 2005)

sparkie2182 said:


> The power of the Commisar.


They were usually referred to as the "First Officer", not to be confused with the Chief Officer.


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## bolton sparks (Aug 14, 2009)

Paint your wagon was a long film. I woke up to the final reel flapping, looked round the bar to see the other 7 or 8 lads asleep and the floor awash with empty cans.
Also enjoyed Ron Jeremy "films" in the early 80's who by the way has, incredibly, just been arrested for sex crimes!!!


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

bolton sparks said:


> Paint your wagon was a long film. I woke up to the final reel flapping, looked round the bar to see the other 7 or 8 lads asleep and the floor awash with empty cans.
> Also enjoyed Ron Jeremy "films" in the early 80's who by the way has, incredibly, just been arrested for sex crimes!!!


"Paint Your Wagon" was a pretty good film. Remember the part where Lee Marvin takes the young Mormon lad under his wing and introduces him to a world of debauchery? I did a re-enactment of that with an engineer Cadet in Korea - he became incorrigible. Sadly, I may have ruined his life ... hope not.

John T


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## barry john macauley (Sep 5, 2012)

bolton sparks said:


> Paint your wagon was a long film. I woke up to the final reel flapping, looked round the bar to see the other 7 or 8 lads asleep and the floor awash with empty cans.
> Also enjoyed Ron Jeremy "films" in the early 80's who by the way has, incredibly, just been arrested for sex crimes!!!


Ron was a big man. You could see him coming.


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## 27780 (Sep 2, 2008)

Usually after a film night there were ribald commentaries from those present, as to the content or the actors/actresses, or general observations of the film shown except for the night when we had our first showing of the Ali McGraw / Ryan O'Neil film "Love Story"

At the end of the film not a word was spoken! The chairs were all returned to there places and the bar was closed! A very somber mood descended over the ship! It didn’t last very long though!


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