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Demise of the Hartnell Prop

Started by policeboxnut, Jun 02, 2007, 03:25 pm

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policeboxnut

Jun 02, 2007, 03:25 pm Last Edit: Jun 16, 2010, 05:17 pm by scarfwearer
I think that is a  scandal - anything can be restored. Imagine walking in to a room in a museum and seeing every original TARDIS prop ever used. For all to enjoy. Not slung in a skip. Talk about undignified endings...
'It's only significant if you find significance insignificant' - Slipback

purpleblancmange

Jun 02, 2007, 03:47 pm #1 Last Edit: Jun 16, 2010, 05:17 pm by scarfwearer
Quote from: policeboxnut board=film thread=1180703773 post=1180797908I think that is a  scandal - anything can be restored. Imagine walking in to a room in a museum and seeing every original TARDIS prop ever used. For all to enjoy.


Give me a few years and we may just have that... though the point of originality may be a bit of a sore point.

chrisrowand

Jun 02, 2007, 09:24 pm #2 Last Edit: Jun 16, 2010, 05:20 pm by scarfwearer
If they can junk episodes up until 1978 then what's a tatty old prop to the BBC. Who knows, (excuse the pun)  maybe it survived and was rescued from aforementioned skip.

policeboxnut

Jun 07, 2007, 10:31 am #3 Last Edit: Jun 16, 2010, 05:22 pm by scarfwearer
that would be a nice thought. I just think it's a shame is all.
'It's only significant if you find significance insignificant' - Slipback

chrisrowand

Jun 02, 2007, 12:50 pm #4 Last Edit: Jun 16, 2010, 05:23 pm by scarfwearer
According to JNT the Hartnell box was put in a skip in the late 70's after years of being stored in a warehouse.

Teletran

Quote from: chrisrowand on Jun 02, 2007, 12:50 pm
According to JNT the Hartnell box was put in a skip in the late 70's after years of being stored in a warehouse.


Apparently the last straw was when it tried to kill the actors, The bbc took a dim view of this.
There's a topic active at the moment about sets that supposedly warped in storage, if it was falling apart when it went into the warehouse can you imaging the state of it when it came out?
(http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/1360/omni02g.jpg)

Volpone

One needs to understand that television in the 1970s was a considerably different thing than it is today.  Today even the most obscure show is going to get released as DVDs and exist forever.  In those days VCRs in homes wasn't a common thing.  You're shooting a "children's program" for the BBC, space is going to be at a premium.  What use is it to keep a busted up old prop, taking up valuable storage space?  Granted, by the 1970s the show had established it had some importance, but still, I can see how they made the decision.  I'm more mad about the aforementioned blanked tapes.
"My dear Litefoot, I've got a lantern and a pair of waders, and possibly the most fearsome piece of hand artillery in all England. What could possibly go wrong?"
-The Doctor.

ionsith

The original prop was only meant to last 6 weeks and it ended up in service for 13 years or so. That's not bad going for the old girl.

warmcanofcoke

Oct 07, 2012, 12:45 pm #8 Last Edit: Oct 07, 2012, 12:46 pm by warmcanofcoke
I kind of remember a story that Tardis Prop was left over from a previous police show .... or is this Urban Legend? I need to go grab my copy of Dr Who the early years and see if it mentions this ....
why doesn't the Guide mention them? - Oh, it's not very accurate.
Oh? - I'm researching the new edition.

Scarfwearer

From the Prop history on the TARDIS Library: http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/~trekker/policeboxes/tv1.html
Quote
There are three popular myths surrounding the creation of the first TARDIS / Police Box prop for the series Doctor Who. Those being that a) The prop came from stock left over by the police drama Dixon of Dock Green, b) The pilot episode TARDIS prop was replaced by another, much sturdier version for the re-recording of this episode as part of the full, four part adventure and c) The roof was cut off and lowered after the recording of the pilot episode because the prop was too tall for the scenery lift that led into the studio.
Neither of these are true.


(I think 'Neither' there means 'None of'.)

Crispin

warmcanofcoke

you know I may have read this very post a year or so ago ..... -_-

why doesn't the Guide mention them? - Oh, it's not very accurate.
Oh? - I'm researching the new edition.

ionsith

Quote from: warmcanofcoke on Oct 07, 2012, 12:45 pm
I kind of remember a story that Tardis Prop was left over from a previous police show .... or is this Urban Legend? I need to go grab my copy of Dr Who the early years and see if it mentions this ....


No, it was built specifically for Doctor Who.