Cool News
The Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day goes ting-a-ling-a-ling!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with today’s Behind the Scenes Pic!
I’ve always been fascinated with movies that never happened, especially the ones that got really, really close with incredibly interesting people attached. Today’s photo is from a movie that got so close they actually shot a good chunk of it.
The film was called The Bells of Hell Go Ting-a-ling-a-ling (great title, no?) and was a 1966 World War 1 film about an air raid on a Zeppelin base set to star Gregory Peck. The screenplay was written by Roald Dahl (yes, that Roald Dahl) and was abandoned after unexpected heavy snowfall in Switzerland messed up the schedule and star Peck broke his ankle. That’s some Gilliam-level “God doesn’t want this movie to happen” shit right there.
So, I give you the very first BTS pic in this column’s history for a film that was never completed. If you look closely you’ll see a very, very young Ian McKellen in this shot. This was to be his first feature film appearance.
Thanks to Titan Books’ Tom Green for sending this one in! Click to enlargen.
That is just one of many awesome photos put out in the edition of the book Hollywood Movie Stills, which focuses on the art of onset still photography. You’ll see a few more images from the book pop up here over the next week and you can get the book yourself by clicking the below:
If you have a behind the scenes shot you’d like to submit to this column, you can email me at quint@aintitcool.com.
Tomorrow’s pic has been workin’ like a dog!
-Eric Vespe
”Quint”
quint@aintitcool.com
Follow Me On Twitter
Click here to visit the complete compilation of previous Behind the Scenes images, Page Two
Readers Talkback
comments powered by Disqus-
+ Expand All
-
No to first posters.
-
..nice poses guys, loved you in Zoolander!
-
June 14, 2012, 6:19 p.m. CST
Young McKellen looks like Matt Smith, the current Doctor!
by obijuanmartinez
-
June 14, 2012, 6:25 p.m. CST
Nevermind. He is the one in the back. One of those guys looks like Joseph G Levitt.
by Gus
-
The one wearing a hipster scarf.
-
June 14, 2012, 6:29 p.m. CST
For those viewing in black and white the hipster scarf is in yellow..
by paul burnett
..And scene!
-
'Fuckin hell Greg, the photographers head comes off!, do it man'
-
..Mckellan can be Slim Pickens,..'Oh shit, now we in trouble!'
-
June 14, 2012, 6:39 p.m. CST
That's Burr DeBenning as the airman on the left. He did a cheesy, low budget sci fi film in the seventies called THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN
by Mark Williams
-
...Mckellan asks 'is that spiderman shit on top of green lantern shit??'
-
sorry. couldn't help it.
-
...pretty sure that's David Battley. Oh, c'mon, you know David Battley. Charlie's science teacher in WILLY WONKA and the comic relief in KRULL. Tons of Brit TV, and was even an original Ruttle. Yeah, that David Battley...
-
Charlie's teacher in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory?
-
Pinch me, I must be dreaming.
-
For reals.
-
I was just going to post that when you guys beat me to the punch... that confused look reminds me of the scene where he says, "I can't figure out just two..."
-
June 14, 2012, 7:43 p.m. CST
If you look closely, you will see that these men somehow acquired
by Brank Hud
the storyboard for the War. Maybe even for Life Itself.
-
I'm surprised they didn't push a little harder on this one.
-
...that AICN has shown me anything that I already didn't know about or have not been privy to previously, but my God Quint, you got me on this one. Quint, I generally think of you as a blithering idiot, but I am now on a journey to learn all I can about this film. Yes, the title is gold. Peck is an eternal badass. Guns of Navarone is in my top five, easily, and now my mind is racing with thoughts of "how cool could this have been"? WW1 is not a common setting either, and is (still) ripe for mining, the insipid Spielberg tripe "War Horse" notwithstanding. I will see footage of this flick someday.
-
The dreck machine churns out an unending supply of garbage today. Couldn't it be retooled to only put out 1/50th the product, but 50 times as good, like this would have been? Sigh.
-
....isn't that guy on the right the shopkeeper in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?
-
the teacher :-)
-
I have my moments. Feel free to go back to the hatred tomorrow!
-
June 15, 2012, 6:28 a.m. CST
tomorrow's pic is gear, it's fab, and all those other pimply hyperbolies
by durhay
-
Now that would be a find...
-
Gregory Peck, Danny DeVito (background), Van Damme (or possibly Oliver Reed), McKellen, Mel Brooks and Rob Brydon. Fuck I wish they'd manage to make this!
-
June 15, 2012, 7:07 a.m. CST
Although Brydon was shot with a 4:3 camera and had to be stretched to fit in with the other actors.
by MotherPussBucket
-
Is reference to a poem that goes something like: "The bells of hell go ting a ling a ling For you, but not for me. The bells of heaven go sing a ling a ling For there I soon shall be. Oh death, where is thy sting a ling a ling Oh grave, thy victory? No ting a ling a lin No sting a ling a ling But sing a ling a ling for me.
-
Gee durhay I thought I was the only one that remembered and used that line in real life. Thanks for letting me know there's more than one of us out there.
Top Talkbacks
- Harry dives into STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS' spoilers to reveal the truth behind the blockbuster we're seeing! -- 938 total posts 165 posts
- Nordling Reviews STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS! Spoilers Abound! You Are Warned! -- 1210 total posts 69 posts
- John Ary's Video Review Of The New CAPTAIN AMERICA (1990) Blu-ray!! -- 62 total posts 62 posts
- ‘Darkness Will Devour Them All!!’ Sunday Brings Antepenultimate GAME OF THRONES For HBO!! -- 262 total posts 44 posts
- Capone gets Extremis talking to actor James Badge Dale about IRON MAN 3, THE LONE RANGER and WORLD WAR Z!!! -- 28 total posts 28 posts
- UPDATE The Friday Docback Calls 'The Name of the Doctor'!! DOCTOR WHO's S7 Finale Arrives This Weekend!! Now With Glen's Ultra-Brief, SPOILER FREE MiniReview!! -- 464 total posts 28 posts
- Capone reviews STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS and considers the art of messing with canon and why it doesn't bother him!!! -- 566 total posts 27 posts
- Here's A Behind-The-Scenes Look At MAN OF STEEL With New Footage! Also... Is Supergirl In The Prequel Comic? -- 260 total posts 24 posts
-
Ben Affleck Tonight Hosts
SNL’s 38th Season Finale!! -- 95 total posts 23 posts - Hey! Fat Face! Here's The New Teaser To ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND CONTINUES! -- 253 total posts 19 posts