Movie firearm question

[tlawler]

I’m a big fan of the apocalyptic thriller/survival genre in both books and movies. I’ve often stated here that one of my favorite books is Pat Frank’s “Alas Babylon.”

I was skimming through some old movies on amazon prime and came across one called “Panic in Year Zero.” It was made in 1962 and came out just months before the Cuban Missile Crisis. Starring Ray Milland and Frankie Avalon, it followed a family that had just left LA for a fishing trip when LA and several other cities were nuked.

In the film, Ray Milland stops at a hardware store to lay in some supplies and purchases a 1911 from the owner. The owner stated it was “made of magnesium, light as a feather.” Of course they can’t make a pistol out of magnesium, for obvious reasons. I was still intrigued by that statement and wanted to look it up on IMFDB, but the movie isn’t even listed. I was a little surprised to find out a movie with a couple of pretty big names in it wasn’t in the database.

Oh well, can’t satisfy my curiosity, but I highly recommend it. I haven’t seen Milland in many movies, in fact the only one I can remember is “Frogs”, and by then he was at the old family patriarch invalid stage of life and not a big part.

In Panic in Year Zero, he was a bad ***! Great acting and he directed it as well. Frankie Avalon put in a pretty solid performance as well. The movie is a little campy and dated, but still very good, especially if you like that era and especially that genre. I can’t believe I had never heard of it before!

Two thumbs up!

 

[The Last Standing Knight]

I read "Alas Babylon" back in high school. At the time I had a subscription to "Soldier of Fortune" magazine and was actively talking to Marine recruiters about going in after high school. The teacher found it amusing when I submitted my book report on it about Alaska and Hawaii not being mentioned in it....(I figure the book had been written prior to statehood for both),,,but my comment was that since they hadn't been mentioned, they had probably been vaporized by Russian boomers.
Is that book still even in print anymore? I haven't seen it in years.

As far as movies go, probably the scariest one of the doomsday genre was "Threads" from England. I saw it once and never had an urge to see it again without putting on my old cammie uniform. Like "Night In Fog" those movies tend to make me angry and raise my BP to unsafe levels.

 

[rockquarry]

Ray Milland was a big name actor in the '40s and '50s and in many good "A" movies. His career declined a lot after that and he ended taking a lot of horrible roles in low-budget losers. I watch films for the stories and don't get eaten up with the incorrect gun stuff.

 

[Alpo]

tlawler, on the subject of Alas Babylon.

When Randy was listing his guns - and comparing them to what people think you need to have to be ready for a post-apocalyptic world now is funny - he had:

A long-barreled 12 gauge goose gun.
A double barrel 20 gauge.
A bolt action Mossberg 22 with a scope.
A Remington pump 22.
The long 30/40 Krag rifle that had belonged to his grandfather.
The 30 carbine that he had disassembled and smuggled home from Korea (shame upon him).
A 45 automatic.

And hanging in a holster in the closet was a 22 target pistol.

What you reckon that 22 was?

Could have been a High Standard. More likely it could have been a Colt Woodsman Match Target.

But every time I read the book I have the same thought - it's a K22 Masterpiece.

 

[45Smashemflat]

Dial M for Murder… Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Hitchcock cameo. How can you go wrong?

Interestingly, this movie (Panic in Year Zero) has popped up twice I the same week on two different forums. I take that as a sign I need to stream it!

 

[Rustyt1953]

I am still stunned that this didn't receive an Oscar.

 

[tlawler]

I am still stunned that this didn't receive an Oscar.

Rosie Grier! My word…I haven’t thought about him in quite some time, but I really liked him.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

In 1962 the only readily available handguns with aluminum frames I can think of were the Colt Commander, the S&W M-39, the Walther P-1.
It's a movie, I'm still looking for one of those left handed Mauser M1893s the Spanish troops used in "Rough Riders".

 

[rockquarry]

Rosie Grier! My word…I haven’t thought about him in quite some time, but I really liked him.

No surprise that film was probably Ray Milland's very worst.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Rosie Grier?
Saw him one time in Memphis.
Singing in a Nightclub!

 

[Greyman50]

First off I completely Disregard anything on tv, movies or online regarding firearms. Very few exceptions in decent war movies. I almost get angry when some DA says, did you see the so in so gun on such and such movie or tv show, I want one. I usually tell them I have some ocean front land in Tenn. I’ll sell them cheap……

 

[Max242]

I’m a big fan of the apocalyptic thriller/survival genre in both books and movies. I’ve often stated here that one of my favorite books is Pat Frank’s “Alas Babylon.”

I was skimming through some old movies on amazon prime and came across one called “Panic in Year Zero.” It was made in 1962 and came out just months before the Cuban Missile Crisis. Starring Ray Milland and Frankie Avalon, it followed a family that had just left LA for a fishing trip when LA and several other cities were nuked.

In the film, Ray Milland stops at a hardware store to lay in some supplies and purchases a 1911 from the owner. The owner stated it was “made of magnesium, light as a feather.” Of course they can’t make a pistol out of magnesium, for obvious reasons. I was still intrigued by that statement and wanted to look it up on IMFDB, but the movie isn’t even listed. I was a little surprised to find out a movie with a couple of pretty big names in it wasn’t in the database.

Oh well, can’t satisfy my curiosity, but I highly recommend it. I haven’t seen Milland in many movies, in fact the only one I can remember is “Frogs”, and by then he was at the old family patriarch invalid stage of life and not a big part.

In Panic in Year Zero, he was a bad ***! Great acting and he directed it as well. Frankie Avalon put in a pretty solid performance as well. The movie is a little campy and dated, but still very good, especially if you like that era and especially that genre. I can’t believe I had never heard of it before!

Two thumbs up!

Love that book, I've read it multiple times. I had an older orange cover copy, lent it out and forgot to whom. lost it. Bought a newer copy. Always on the hunt for a 1st edition.

 

[DWalt]

The first apocalypse movie I remember seeing was “On The Beach” (1959) with Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner. That was really a total apocalypse, the entire population of the Earth was exterminated by radioactive fallout from a nuclear war. No happy ending, just everyone waiting to die. Pretty scary stuff back then, still is. Funny, I do not remember it ever being shown on TCM, etc. Maybe too grim to be considered entertaining.

 

[67tempest]

Surprised no body mentioned "The Lost Weekend" from 1945, one of Ray Milland's best.

 

[Rule3]

The first apocalypse movie I remember seeing was “On The Beach” (1959) with Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner. That was really a total apocalypse, the entire population of the Earth was exterminated by radioactive fallout from a nuclear war. No happy ending, just everyone waiting to die. Pretty scary stuff back then, still is. Funny, I do not remember it ever being shown on TCM, etc. Maybe too grim to be considered entertaining.

They were in a USA Sub around Australia, I really liked the movie

 

[Rule3]

Love that book, I've read it multiple times. I had an older orange cover copy, lent it out and forgot to whom. lost it. Bought a newer copy. Always on the hunt for a 1st edition.

Pretty scary living in Florida in between two major Air Force bases The Cuban Missile Crisis was a very tense time.

 

[tlawler]

The first apocalypse movie I remember seeing was “On The Beach” (1959) with Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner. That was really a total apocalypse, the entire population of the Earth was exterminated by radioactive fallout from a nuclear war. No happy ending, just everyone waiting to die. Pretty scary stuff back then, still is. Funny, I do not remember it ever being shown on TCM, etc. Maybe too grim to be considered entertaining.

I never saw the movie until years after I read Nevil Shute’s book. The book was great and the movie with Peck, Gardner, Fred Astaire, and a young Anthony Perkins was pretty good as well. I saw the 2000 remake a couple of years ago with Armand Asante, Rachael Ward, and Bryan Brown. It was enjoyable and a little more updated than the original, but not quite as good.

 

[tlawler]

Pretty scary living in Florida in between two major Air Force bases The Cuban Missile Crisis was a very tense time.

Where I grew up in Central Florida not too far from Sanford (San Marco) and the confluence of the Wekiva (Timacuan) and St. John’s rivers, the book had somewhat of a cult following. I was first introduced to it in a sci-Fi/mystery class in 8th grade and my teacher had actually met Mr. Frank as a young lad. You’ll see a lot of references that claim Fort Repose is actually Mount Dora, where Frank lived at the time he wrote Alas Babylon, but my teacher, Mr. Frink, was quite adamant that it was in fact near Sanford where the Wekiva emptied into the St. John’s.

 

[tlawler]

I al

tlawler, on the subject of Alas Babylon.

When Randy was listing his guns - and comparing them to what people think you need to have to be ready for a post-apocalyptic world now is funny - he had:

A long-barreled 12 gauge goose gun.
A double barrel 20 gauge.
A bolt action Mossberg 22 with a scope.
A Remington pump 22.
The long 30/40 Krag rifle that had belonged to his grandfather.
The 30 carbine that he had disassembled and smuggled home from Korea (shame upon him).
A 45 automatic.

And hanging in a holster in the closet was a 22 target pistol.

What you reckon that 22 was?

Could have been a High Standard. More likely it could have been a Colt Woodsman Match Target.

But every time I read the book I have the same thought - it's a K22 Masterpiece.

I always thought it was a revolver as well.

 

[robertrwalsh]

Wasn't Ray Milland in one of the older Invisible Man flicks?