The 77/78 TV series: Little mistakes and special moments

[Anita Bensoussane]

And I’d not even seen the Five magically move backwards during the end titles until I started reading these forums! Apologies if this is old news to you.

No worries. Yes, you can just see the Children move slightly backwards, before going forward again. I've been to the Heath where they shot the end credits, and you can easily walk its length before the signature tune ends! Quite missable at first, until you watch very closely! A crafty bit of editing!

Perhaps we should retitle this thread 'Little mistakes and special movements'!

[number 6]

Oh, very good, Anita!!

[Anne Gracie]

In Hike the Five are on their way to Blue Pond Farm when the police car stops. When the conversation is taking place it is filmed at a different location, Exbury House perhaps. Interesting thing is, when they were making the series I am sure they never really thought about the extent (or interest) to which the filming details would be scrutinised! Worth noting that I only just noticed this myself, and I have seen the episode many times, so it was very well done and not obvious, if my eye is anything to go by.

[daanton]

Indeed, were you to peruse the forum thread TV locations for the Famous Five series, you'll find (I forget which page it's on) where one of our fellow Forum'ers has posted a couple of pics of that very road junction(s) where J,D,A&G had met up with the Inspector in his police car. Pics namely: as seen on in the episode, and as it/they look nowadays....

[Onkel Quentin]

That´s right! Luke posted it a few days ago. The curve is also Luke's profile picture.
I've been to this place myself several times and every time I think to myself, the side street must be somewhere in the background. But it is not! This scene was shot in a different location.

[FiveFanDownunder]

There’s a couple of little moments I noticed in the last few weeks.

In Billycock Hill, the Five are camping. Dick asks Anne for some tea, and she replies ‘Pig!’, having just spotted Curly the piglet nearby. Julian replies with something like ‘That’s a bit severe, isn’t it?’, which I thought was wonderfully understated and a very English way to put it. George smiles at the exchange, but to me there is as much of the actress enjoying the moment herself as there is of the actress playing George, if you know what I mean.

The other is another Michele moment, when the five are discussing how to dupe the baddies into believing they have left the Secret Trail cottage. Just for a split second, something behind the camera catches her attention, and she steals a quick look. I wonder what it was?

[FiveFanDownunder]

Some more I’ve noticed along the ‘people who aren’t put supposed to be seen’ category ...

Again in Billycock Hill, right towards the end, the children are walking past a few bushes and hear the sound of a piglet. They rush behind to find Curly, and magically reappear around the other side without missing.a beat. It’s a rather quick pick-up, and when watching it again you can see that there’s someone behind the shrubs waiting to hand the piglet to the kids as they run past. You can’t see whoever it is, but you can see the handover if you like. It’s cute.

Another in Mystery Moor I had just finished posting, then realised it has been mentioned just in the previous page. I will read the rest of this thread over the next few days before I try to post the next scoop about stablehands in Mystery Moor looking kind of sheepish.

[number 6]

Thanks for that, FFD. I've not watched the episode for a while, but I'll definitely have a look now! I can't remember spotting the exchange.

Here's one...not a mistake, but more about continuity. When Richard joins the Five on their bike ride, they are obviously riding down Summer lane towards Exbury, where Richard is supposed to be dropped off at his Aunts house. However, a few shots later, where Richard is larking about and riding his bike no-handed, they are seen cycling back towards the camera, away from Exbury...on the same stretch of road! No wonder it takes them all day to get somewhere!
I like how Julian turns to Richard and says:- "You stay behind where I can keep an eye on you". Obviously, Julian has eyes in the back of his head!

[FiveFanDownunder]

Nice one Number 6.

I enjoyed watching this episode a while back and I’ll watch for this now when I next have a look. Yes, I suppose once you’ve plonked that heavy camera down in a good spot ...

I enjoyed the creation of Percy in the later parts of this episode, complete with soot darkened hair, and another fabulous 1970s Ford ... I think this one had the ford badge removed from the boot ( you can still see the adhesive j I suppose to avoid advertising the marque in the close ups where children are climbing in and out of the boot ?? I hope I am not getting muddled.

[Ed Fulcrum]

I've been re-watching the full series from beginning to end and have spotted a few interesting things that are of relevance to this thread and which I think haven't been mentioned before.

First in 'Five Go Adventuring Again'.
When the children are being chased through the tunnel near the end, Mr. Wilton is trying to squeeze through the narrow opening at the rock fall and you can clearly see the 'rocks' on the left bending showing they are made from some flexible material. It's very obvious as it flexes and bends a few times as he struggles to get through!

Then in 'Five Go Off To Camp', when the children visit the Andrew's farm for the first time to collect supplies. As George, Anne & Timmy walk through the farm yard, when they meet Jock for the first time, you can clearly see the sound boom/ microphone on the bottom right. Its sticking out from the piece of yellow and red farm machinery. I only spotted it because the sound person seems to be moving it around. If it had been static I probably wouldn't have noticed it as easily.
Another unscripted incident happens a few minutes later when the children are leaving the milking parlour when one of the cows gives the woman milking the cows a kick.

[pete9012S]

Most interesting Ed, thank you.

[Ed Fulcrum]

Some more interesting things I've spotted listed below after watching another chunk of FF episodes.
I hope that people don't think that I am being critical of the series by posting. Actually I love the series and it brings back happy memories from childhood. I think that all the things I've spotted are really minor and not obvious at all and at the time little would people have known that they would be viewed beyond their original screening and definitely not on HD TVs with the ability to freeze and rewind to spot these little mistakes and moments.

Five on a Hike Together

Just after they finish their picnic at the start of the episode and are clearing up you can see a man just behind the bushes on the left side of the screen. Of course in the story he could be just seen as a passer by but the impression given is that they are out in the middle of nowhere and it seems a bit strange that there should be someone hovering so close to them behind the bushes. I wonder if this person was a member of the film crew who thought that he was out of the shot.

I think I might have posted this before, but when the Five are on the raft just after they haul the sack of loot onto the raft you can see a hand of a diver steadying the raft on the left hand side. Gary mentions that there were divers steadying/ holding up the raft in the interview he did with Marcus, Jennifer and Gail Renard on the DVD Collector's edition so the hand here must be one of them.

Five Have a Wonderful Time

When Rogers is wandering around the caravans after dropping George off at the camp he puts a cigarette in his mouth and it is supposedly whipped out of his mouth by Bufflo's whip. You can see fishing line tied to the cigarette which must have been used to pull it out of his mouth, just before the camera then swings around to show Bufflo with his whip.

Five Fall into adventure.

At 20 mins 20 secs into the first episode when Anne is anxiously waiting for Julian & Dick to arrive back after they go to rescue George from the van in the woods. She is asked by Rogers where the others are and you can see the sound boom on the very right of the picture. Perhaps when originally screened this part of the film may have been clipped off the side of the standard TV screen and therefore may not have been seen at all!

Also in this episode when the Five are running along the beach when they spot Jo messing about in George's boat the camera sweeps the whole width of the sea from one end of the bay to the other and there is no sign of Kirrin island.

I think in a production photo someone posted on one of the forums some time ago it shows that Kirrin island was painted on a sheet of glass and placed in front of the camera. That the island is just painted on glass is especially obvious in Five Run Away together.

Anyway I've enjoyed watching all these episodes again!

[FiveFanDownunder]

I'm playing 70s FF tonight.

Something I haven't seen before, don't know if anyone else has. See what you think.

About 3 1/2 mins into FOKI Episode 1, JD&A are about to meet AF. She exits the house, stops, puts her hand on her hip, then walks towards the children. ( Shot 77.FOKI.1.35 )

"Hello, Aunt Fanny!" say the boys ... I am not sure if Jennifer manages to speak. She appears to have the giggles. At this point, Gary turns to her just momentarily and raises his eyebrows, just before Sue best says, 'Now, you must be Julian, and this is Dick." This appears to set Anne off laughing again at that point, but she hides it fairly well and brings it under control.

Looks like the children were having fun with their lines. Tell me if I'm imaging it.

[number 6]

I've not seen the series for a little while, FFD, but I shall have a look at the scene later.

[FiveFanDownunder]

Graminivorous Gary.

1 x Secret Trail, 2 x Adventuring Again.

Any predictions as to how many more I might find?