BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Sad news to report:

Just head on 1010 WINS that the legendary Gene Hackman was found dead in his home, along with his wife and dog (beyond tragic)

Who can ever forget the late Mr. Hackman speeding hell-bent-for leather beneath BMT elevated trackage in Brooklyn, in 'The French Connection"?

The cars used in this part of the film were R-42s (4572/4573); these cars were put under 24-hour guard at CIY when not in use.

The extra cars that these "movie star" cars were later coupled to had just come off of a morning rush-hour assignment, but were back in place in time for the PM rush hour.

All of the interior scenes were shot on the BMT's West End line.

An interesting bit of artistic license was taken, however, and one scene was actually filmed out in Ridgewood along the Myrtle Avenue line.

A further deviation here was the incorrect signing of the train; the proper sign then for a West End train was the "B".

The cars chosen for the film were normally assigned to the "N" line, and were not furnished with "B" line signs; the train operated with orange-and-white "N" signs in the front sign slot.

Also in this film was a sequence filmed on the GC-TSQ shuttle.

Who among us can forget that heart-stopping chance scene beneath BMT elevated trackage in Brooklyn?

*Info courtesy of "UNDER THE SIDWALKS OF NEW YORK" (Cudahy)

RIP, Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle..............

"NYO"

["R-42"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

There are a number of interesting scenes here depicting the BMT El; one photo (towards the bottom of the page) shows a "Tee-Yay" green Fishbowl heading towards the camera, beneath the El............

www.imcdb.org/movie_67116-The-French-Connection.html

["4572"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Here we have "R-42" #4573 at Coney Island, way back in 1969 (two years before "THE FRENCH CONNECTION") , signed for the "N"..............

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?158317

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["N"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Here's the same "movie star" car working the "Gee Gee", back in 1976.........

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?5401

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["GG"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

The "BAY 50TH" station was also featured in "THE FRENCH CONNECTION"; this scene depicts a train of "tagged" R-42s, circa-1970s..........

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?150536

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["ST. LOUIS CAR COMPANY"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Photo locations used in "THE FRENCH CONNECTION" (note photos of elevated BMT stations and El structure); it took over five weeks to film the famous train-chase sequence, which involved a stretch of 26 blocks...................

https://movie-locations.com/movies/f/French-Connection.php

["BMT LINES"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Scroll down page to section on the West End Line in "popular culture"........

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMT_West_End_Line

["D"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Further............

Just was watching a tribute report on the late Gene Hackman on World News Tonight, and there was (of course) footage of the chase scene beneath the BMT El from "THE FRENCH CONNECTION", where we see "Popeye" swerving to avoid a "Tee-Yay" green Fishbowl, at about 75MPH.

Wonder if this clip was filmed under the West End El, or the Myrtle Avenue line, and what route that Fishbowl was running on............

"NYO"

["ta"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

I remember reading in Brian Cudahy's Under the Sidewalks of New York, the reasons why the 'N' train was running on the 'B' line in the film: it had to do with the yard where 4572/73 was assigned at the time of filming, which was not where the 'B' was kept (which I see this was also touched on in bringing up Mr. Hackman's death).

Now, back in 1971 when the movie came out, 1010 WINS' anchoring and reporting staff was way different from today. Their anchor staff included Jim Gordon (later the voice of New York Rangers hockey), Paul Smith, Lew Fisher, Irwin Brown, Don Baldwin, Bill Jay, Gary Alexander, Stan "Z." Burns, Stan Bernard, Gil Fox, George Burgeson, Dave Henderson (in his first of two stints, the second being c.1980-1998), Bob Howard, Charles Edwards, Charles Scott King, Clarence Rock, Paul Sherman (the onetime "Crown Prince of Rock 'n' Roll" from when WINS was a Top 40 music station), Jim McGiffert, Lee Murphy, Dick Kulp, Henry Marcotte, Allen Shaw, Dan Scanlan, Brad Sherman and Brad Phillips; and reporters Stan Brooks, Doug Edelson, Paul Parker, Dick Levitan, Stan Scott and Barbara Lamont (the first Black female reporter to be hired by any of the all-news radio stations in NYC, preceding by two years WCBS's first hiring of Jane Tillman Irving). They had a lot of Group W features, including reports from Jay Bushinsky in Tel Aviv, health and science reports from Roger Field (who would later become a fixture on WBBM-TV in "Shik-aga"), commentary from people like Erwin Canham, Peter Lisagor and Rod MacLeish, and on Sundays various religious commentaries (today, only Sister Camille d'Arienzo and Rabbi Joseph Potasnik remain).

Late 1971, after The French Connection came and went in movie theatres, was when WCBS hired veteran morning anchor Lou Adler as their news director. Over the next year there would be a massive overhaul of their sound. They also unshackled themselves from carrying the long-running Arthur Godfrey Time, which ended April 30, 1972. Adler hired Jim Donnelly away from WNEW 1130 and paired himself with his new recruit on AM drive. He hired the aforementioned Ms. Irving, plus the first female news anchor on any NYC all-news station, Rita Sands (WINS was two years behind in that regard, only hiring their first female anchor, the late Kate Doordan, in 1974); as well, after the spring of '72 was when WCBS ran their own homemade Teletype SFX, which sounded to me like about two or three Model 28 KSR's a-clackin', and would be heard behind all their anchors through 1986. Plus unveiling a new batch of sounders that are well-remembered to this day, even though they were last used around 1989.

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

As always, greatly appreciate your always "in-depth" input (and also fascinating "time capsules"!)

Recall, in 1971, the "Em-Tee-Yay" still (for a couple od more years, anyway) was operating those iconic "Kramdens", and "The Little Red Bus That Could" was still running "Pattons", the very last anywhere in the city.

On the subway side of things (in '71), the veteran "Arnines" were the last prewar cars still in revenue service (however, prewar cars still abounded in the MOW fleet, particularly "Lo-Vs")

In 1971, the venerable "Toid Aven-uh" El was still in operation.

On the "Isle Of Staten", the 1925 "ME-1s" (aka "Staten Island Toonervilles") would still be running for two more years; the ferry fleet was still operating sxeveral steam vessels.

And, in 1971 Queens, the old "indies" were still in dominance on the streets (and "ALL IN THE FAMILY" premiered that January)

Alas, it's all so long ago, now.......

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Recalling now the long-ago, colorful diversity of bus and subway operations, in the year (1971) that the adreniline-pumping film, "THE FRENCH CONNECTION", premiered, starring the late (and legendary) Gene Hackman................

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?153635

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?154652

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?153008

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?1764

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?2716

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?4717

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["M23X"]

["B"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

This scene is from one of of the late Mr. Hackman's best movies, "HOOSIERS", set in the 1950s Midwest.

This interesting little school bus indeed looked QUITE dated, and, in fact, "antique", even by 1950s standards!

www.imcdb.org/vehicle_191034-Chevrolet_Heavy-Duty-1039.html

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Also...............

In 1971, you still had a small number of ancient , owl-eyed "Em-Pee 41s" running out their final miles on the "EL-Eye-Double-Are", as well as the iconic MP-72 double-decker MUs.

And, look at the large number of subway stations (particularly on the "Eye-En-Dee" that were still lit by incandescent bulbs......and "Jetson" fishbowls were still commonplace, and still attired in classic "Tee-Yay" green.

Ah, me......what we have lost, since then...............

"NYO"

["NYCTA"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Also from the year that "THE FRENCH CONNECTION" premiered.........

Though the new "Em-Tee-Yay" would still be operating a dwindling number of stalwart "Kramdens" for a couple more years, "stoa", on the other hand, now had a fleet that was "all modern", meaning the last of the "Kramdens" had been purged from the fleet (and, IMHO, far too early) the previous year.

Recall, also, that there were also some "Kramdens" running in Queens..........

"NYO"

["STEINWAY"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]