Fountain Pens In Movies And Tv

[Loeschpapier]

Apologies for potential repeats, I skimmed the thread to try avoid just that.

 

In "What Dreams May Come", a newly transitioned man attempts to communicate to his despairing wife that he still exists, the pen playing quite the role. So she starts: "Dear Diary, I am writing in your bull**** pages because my shrink is crazier then I am. ..."

She suddenly pauses and writes out under tears : "I still exist", those of course being her husband's words, standing next to her and practically yelling at her, bit difficult of a conversation with one side alive, and one 'dead'. So, the pen is still used to converse.

The pen is a hooded fountain pen, very reminiscent of a Parker.

I still remember thinking, gosh, that's some awfully thick paper, and toothy as all heck. Probably parts of the props since the character was also an artist and painter, the paper looked like watercolor paper to me, or even pastel paper, tons of tooth.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Loeschpapier

[Loeschpapier]

In Doctor Who's "The impossible Astronaut" the Doctor (time traveling humanoid Gallifreyan with two hearts) manages to materialize right in the Oval Office, with Pres. Nixon at the helm. I think there are plenty of shots of desk sets around, here's this PR photo with TARDIS crew, Amy and Rory Pond/Williams. '<ahttp://liberalvaluesblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Doctor-Who-Oval-Office.jpg' alt='Posted Image' class='bbc_img' />Doctor Who is usually full of depictions of every pen the BBC ever owned. Because Doctor Who's "Victory of the Daleks" also depicts The Doctor, Amy Pond, Sir Winston Churchill heading down the war rooms and a shaken Lilian handing Churchill a file to sign. So... What's this then? '<ahttp://img580.imageshack.us/img580/9198/doctorwho2005s05e03vict.png' alt='Posted Image' class='bbc_img' />And continuing with the BBC. "Hawking" (excellent biopic, narrow focus on specific years) features several scenes, after all there us writing to be done. Most of it in chalk on a blackboard.Hawking's character is shown to write his dissertation with a fountain pen. Can't quite make it out, looks black +silver clip. Two scenes with pen, one down to the wet ink drying. '<ahttp://img707.imageshack.us/img707/8281/bbchawking2004pdtvxvida.jpg' alt='Posted Image' class='bbc_img' />

Edited January 17, 2014 by Loeschpapier

[carlos.q]

In BBC's series "The man who would be Bond" there is a scene in the first episode where Ian Fleming's brother signs a book with a black fountain pen. I imagine it would have been a Conway Stewart?

[cplschnapps]

This may have been mentioned before - but if not - "Somewhere in Time", 1980, with Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour. Scene where Richard is checking into the Grand Hotel (about 1:00 on Netflix) the desk clerk is using a lever fill desk fountain pen, maybe an Estie?

Edited February 7, 2014 by cplschnapps

[Water Ouzel]

Yesterday I watched the German film Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel, 1930) and lo and behold the main character is a teacher and he and his students all use dip pens. I was particularly intrigued because it looked like the inkwells were built into the desk, which was pretty cool. Or there might've just been a compartment in the desk that holds an inkwell and the pen, but that isn't as cool.

All the desks I sat at in elementary school (1956-64) had a hole in the top for an inkwell. Which we did not have, nor dip pens either. I think a paste pot (the white paper paste that dried sort of chunky if you spread it too thin; does anyone else think it smelled like root beer?) sort of fit, but not very well.

 

Not knowing any better, we initially thought that it was for scrap paper disposal. That guess failed fairly quickly.

 

Our third and fourth grade teacher used a fountain pen, and told us about inkwells and dip pens, but I never knew what brand/model she used, apparently not waking to FP's until high school.

Edited February 8, 2014 by Water Ouzel

[Opooh]

The Great War started 100 years ago. On the VRT, a Flemish television station, they started a series about this war, In Vlaamse Velden ( In Flanders Fields ). One of the main characters, doctor Boesman, is using a fountain pen, however it looks like a Montblanc 14x, a pen from decades later.

[carlos.q]

A few night ago I saw a documentary on TV titled "Hunting Hitler's Treasures: The Monuments Men", where FPs made a few appearances.

 

The first was a picture of the Director of the Louvre in 1939:

 

 

The second was a picture of one of the Monuments men. Although the pen is not completely displayed, you can clearly see the ink bottle on top of his desk:

 

 

Finally there is a reenactment of Hitler signing an order. The pen resembles a Montblanc without the white star:

 

Edited February 10, 2014 by carlos.q

[Ink Stained Wretch]

Another weekend, another film noir with a fountain pen in it.

 

This one was City That Never Sleeps (1953). In it Gig Young, playing Johnny Kelly, a Chicago cop who's fed up with his entire life and is intent on leaving it all behind and starting a new one out west somewhere, is writing his resignation letter as a cop. He sits down at a desk that has a desk set, something very unlikely for a working class person of that era to have set up at home, and he picks up a fountain pen from the desk set and writes that resignation letter, after that he addresses the envelope with it. Then he replaces the pen in its tulip/trumpet/socket.

 

It was a dark, probably black, desk pen with the long taper and all. I couldn't make out more than that. I say probably black because it's a black and white movie and that pen was one of the darkest things in the movie.

 

[jamesh]

Tippi Hedren & Esterbrook.... I think.....in "The Birds"....when she addresses the envelope/note to Rod Taylor....

Yes she did! A green one. I was actually just going to post that, luckily I read the thread first.

[Paul80]

Just watched this weeks edition of Jusified and Marshal Givens used a Silver Montblanc, unfortunately it was a ballpoint so doesn't really count but still nice to see some quality product placement though.

 

Paul

[therecorder]

Has anyone seen the film, "The Thirteenth Floor" ? In the opening scene, a gentleman is writing a letter. In the film, you find out that the year is 1937, and he is in L.A., in a room at a high end hotel. The scene is is a close up of him writing the letter, using a dip pen and inkwell. Can anyone identify the pen, and detemine if it, and its accoutrements are "right for the time"? Sorry for the not so clear photos... They are the best snapshots I could get. (If you haven't seen the film, see it! You won't regret.)

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirteenth_Floor

Edited February 16, 2014 by therecorder

[carlos.q]

In the last episode of BBC's miniseries "Fleming: the man who would be Bond" fountain pens make appearances in both the opening credits and the final shot. In the opening credits, Fleming offers officer Monday a fountain pen to sign a document and then uses it as a sleeping gas gun to put Monday to sleep.

 

 

In the last scene, there is a shot of a MB fountain pen and a pencil on top of a book as Fleming and wife walk away from the camera. The scene supposedly takes place in 1952, but the MB is clearly a 1960's model (a 22/32/34 type).

 

Edited February 23, 2014 by carlos.q

[brewerjeff]

"Closely Watched Trains" Czechoslovakia 1966, Dir Jini Menzel;

(Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia) The station dispatcher is a "ladies' man" and in one scene seduces the willing young telegraph girl. While "playing around" one night he applies the official stamps to her thighs and (finally) her buttock. When the girl's mother sees the stamps she is outraged and eventually there is a disciplinary hearing for the dispatcher (it is a railroad matter, not a civil one). The officials use dip pens to take notes. While the old guys are examining the stamps on her cute thighs and butt one of them says, "This is Pelikan ink. It will be there for a week!"

Endorsement enough for me

[pw1224]

Monuments Men... I don't have a screen cap but I think it was either a Montblanc or a Pelikan. A particular Austrian guy was signing a discriminatory law.

[inBOIL]

Was just watching Twin Peaks (second season, episode 5: "The Orchid's Curse"), and there's a whole lotta action going on here with a Pelikan. (Probably an M800? Hard to tell.) Like 5 minutes-worth of action, spread over a few different scenes.

[iNSERT MISSING SCREEN CAP HERE]

Also: When he first uncaps the pen and posts it, he does this crazy sorta' "Gettin' down to business with my fancy pen" movement that in all likelihood would've flung ink all over the place. Or maybe not (don't have one to test it with)--but it sure made me jump. (If it'd been an Estie or something, then it certainly would've.)

[Veltri]

On Friday's season opener of Hannibal, he signed a release and deliberately held the nib to the document to pool the ink.

It was black ink, but would have been great if it was red.

[Ernst Bitterman]

Has anyone seen the film, "The Thirteenth Floor" ? In the opening scene, a gentleman is writing a letter. In the film, you find out that the year is 1937, and he is in L.A., in a room at a high end hotel. The scene is is a close up of him writing the letter, using a dip pen and inkwell. Can anyone identify the pen, and detemine if it, and its accoutrements are "right for the time"? Sorry for the not so clear photos... They are the best snapshots I could get. (If you haven't seen the film, see it! You won't regret.)

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirteenth_Floor

 

That looks rather like an older (appropriate to setting) Esterbrook feed, but I wouldn't swear to it. I agree with your recommendation of the film, too.

[therecorder]

 

That looks rather like an older (appropriate to setting) Esterbrook feed, but I wouldn't swear to it. I agree with your recommendation of the film, too.

Thanks for the info... Unfortunately, the film came out at the same time as the Matrix, and was under-appreciated. Imho, it actually relates a more believable scenario. It doesn't have the action and the special effects that The Matrix has, but the mood is captivating, and and the acting is superb.

[usk15]

I've seen yesterday "Wasabi" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0281364/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) and Jean Reno was using a Montblanc.

[hbdk]

In "The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared" wonderful and funny movie BTW, you see Stalin dropping dead over his desk as he is presented with some bad news. Next to him is a Montblanc, bird dropping pointing right at camera.