What the Green Car in Funny Farm
MGs may often be seen in the movies.
Sometimes they are featured prominently, but more often than not they flash by before you know it.
You must watch everything with a mindful eye or you may miss them (who can forget the Jerry Seinfeld's "Summon the Hounds" commercial with the black MGA?).
The following list is by no means complete, so you may find it fun to continue the search with me as we look for our favorite car on film.
Warner Brothers, 1988.
Chevy Chase plays a New York sportswriter who abandons his career in the city. He and his wife leave Manhattan in his green MGTF and head off for life in the country where he plans to write the great American novel. This movie is not for the faint of heart as before the movie ends, he has driven the TF both into a lake and off a cliff.
Dimension Films, 1996.
Jackie Chan plays a cop who joins forces with one of the latest "Bond" girls as his partner. They have fairly typical and very exciting Jackie Chan-type karate adventures culminating in a chase scene where he jumps into a red MG Midget and takes off to catch the bad guys who have kidnapped his partner.
Entertainment Partners, 1983
Robert Wagner plays a nightclub owner in Lisbon in 1940. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor have become the targets of a Nazi kidnap attempt. Robert Wagner teams with Teri Garr to foil this attempt. His car is a black MGSA and there is great footage of it being driven and raced throughout the countryside.
Disney, 1996
Paramount, 1995
Tim Robbins plays a very bright, but uneducated, auto mechanic who is attracted to Einstein's (Walter Matthau) niece (Meg Ryan). Her stuffy British fiancee is the owner of a red MGTF which has some (believe it or not) electrical problems. While this car is only seen briefly, Tim Robbins has a comment about the British and their automobiles that makes this movie well worth watching.
Paramount, 1970
This is one of the most romantic movies ever made and is certainly enhanced by the addition of a black MGTC (by the way, what color are the door panels?). Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw each received Academy Award nominations for their roles as college students in love. Remember that "love means never having to say you're sorry...[that you own an MG]".
Orion, 1983
Richard Gere plays an irresponsible loser car thief who tracks down a former lover named Monica (Valerie Kaprisky) a French girl studying at UCLA. One of the cars he steals and drives is a "pink" MGB [by the way, this car was auctioned at Newport Beach in the mid '80s and it was actually orange]. This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen, my only recommendation is don't bother.
Orion, 1986
Rodney Dangerfield (Thornton Melon) discovers that his son plans to drop out of college so he enrolls in the same university to set a good example. While there, he is attracted to an English Professor (Sally Kellerman). Sally Kellerman's stuffy British boyfriend (Paxton Whitehead) drives a red MGTC. This car is seen several times throughout the movie. If you like Rodney Dangerfield you'll like this film. The TC is a bonus.
Disney, 1993
Based on the true story of four Jamaicans who leave home to compete in the Winter Olympics. Their sport is bobsled racing - something they know nothing about. Enter John Candy as their coach. The team raised money for the Olympics by one of the team members selling his red MGA. Only the hood appears, so pay attention or you may miss it.
1998.
Harrison Ford plays a bush pilot who flies a couple to an island paradise for vacation. Work requires Anne Heche to fly out in the middle of the vacation. She and Harrison Ford have their plane forced down by a storm. There are two brief occasions when Harrison Ford is boarding the plane that you can see a blue MGB in the background. Look quickly and you may see people leaning over the hood working on it.
During the song "I am a Walrus" George Harrison walks in front of a blue MGB. This same footage is contained in the Beatles Anthology .
Michael Rose Productions, 1998.
20th Century Fox, 1967.
Mark (Albert Finney) and Joanna Wallace (Audrey Hepburn) reminisce about their 10 year marriage in hopes of rekindling the magic. Through a series of flashbacks we get to witness their lives and their British Racing Green MGTD. Joanna is seen entering the TD by stepping on the running board and says "You never should have bought an MG, you should have bought a tractor!" At one point she is seen pushing the TD, a scene which reminds me of a certain night at the Dairy Queen with my TC. By the way, what is it that Mark keeps forgetting in this movie? And what is it that has a "donk"? Wonderful MG movie. Put this on your "Do not miss" list.
Homevision, 1969.
The German Luftwaffe attacks a greatly outnumbered British Royal Air Force in the beginning of World War II to create one of history�s greatest air battles. More than 100 vintage aircraft were assembled for this movie which recreates in the air Britain�s second finest moment (the first of course was the creation of the MG). There is brief footage of a green MGTC which must have been meant to represent a TA since TCs wouldn�t be built for another 5 years.
20th Century Fox, 1967.
While I have not seen this film, I understand it contains footage of an MGTF
1956.
Classic noir suspense-drama about an elaborate racetrack robbery is considered a masterpiece of its genre. With its colorful (although black & white) characters and unusual structure, this tightly wound, fast-paced pulp story thrills noir devotees. And who can forget the scene when one of the REALLY bad guys tries to make his getaway in an MGTD. Guess which part of the car fails.
Castle Rock Entertainment, 1998.
Movie star agent Sam Kamen (Billy Crystal) is in Romania with a client when his car, a dark green MGF , goes off the road and overturns in a river. He is rescued by a 7 and one half foot giant (Gheorghe Muresan) who actually fits in the car! Good footage of this car a speed, something we here in the U.S. aren't likely to see. Check out the credits to see what contribution Petr Hnetkovsky made to the film.
Brad Allen (Rock Hudson) is a songwriter who shares a party line phone (do these still exist?) with Jan Morrow (Doris Day) who is an interior decorator. Jonathan Forbes (Tony Randall) is a very rich client of Jan's and "admires" her to the point that he offers her a brand new Mercedes 300 SL roadster, which she declines - aaaargh!
While at a business party she is offered a ride home by a client's son who drives an ivory TF 1500 with chrome wire wheels. They stop for a drink on the way, and when he gets too drunk to drive her home, who should appear to help but Brad Allen. Watching Rock Hudson trying to get his large body in and then out of the TF is worth the price of admission to this movie. Although a bit dated, it is good fun.
The movie takes place in London in 1940 where Donald Sutherland plays a German spy. David Young, an English Spitfire pilot, marries and heads off for his honeymoon in what appears to be a white MGTC sporting cycle fenders and a "Just Married" sign. (I assume this was supposed to be either a TA or a TB since the TC wasn't built until 1945.)
While sampling some "bubbly" on the way, he manages to crash by running off the road, down a cliff, and landing the beautiful TC on its nose. As all this happens in the first 10 minutes of the movie, you can save yourself 2 hours of very depressing war/spy flick time by stopping then.
& Tommy Lee Jones
Reggie Love (Susan Sarandon) plays an attorney who represents a young boy who witnesses the suicide of a mob lawyer and learns information that puts his life in danger. Reggie drives a yellow rubber-bumper MGB convertible. Mark, her young client, climbs over the door to get in her MG (not the Abingdon approved method of entry). Uncle Johnny (mob leader) has an interesting snack on his desk. In all, this movie is too depressing for me, and I've seen rubber-bumper cars before.
& Elizabeth Hurley
Special Agent Austin Powers (Mike Myers) is cryogenically frozen in 1967 for future use against his similarly frozen arch-enemy Dr. Evil (also Mike Myers). When he reappears in 1997, the Cold War is over and other changes have occurred. Brief glimpses of a white MGBGT are shown during the opening credits, but you'll have to look closely. Powers drives a dark blue XKE painted with a Union Jack - really neat. Don't be surprised if the word "shag" means something besides carpet.
Source: http://gothere.com/mg-world/mg-movies/movies.htm
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