Paddleducks
Paddler Information => Research => Topic started by: thewharfonline on October 07, 2012, 09:22:20 PM
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We had a bit of a chat about this vessel during the PS Melbourne Centenary over dinner.
The Amphibious was used in a number of films, the main one we're interested in is the television adaptation of the novel 'The River Kings'.
The boat was converted to look like a traditional paddle steamer, and goes through a few different forms in the series.
She starts the series with a look similar to that of the Adelaide (end of era Adelaide/in the gardens with square boxes)
They then pull the boat apart in the film to stoke the boiler and win a race, after which they add an additional cabin behind the funnel.
We had some debate about the steam engine- luckily my Mum found a DVD copy of The River Kings (incredibly hard to come by) in a news agency DVD clearance box ($6 or 2 for $10 or something) so I could do some checking and screen grabbing of both the exterior of the boat, and the engine. We had discussed that the Industry's engine and boiler was used for these shots (Industry was already being used as the Lady Mabel in the film- and she looks like she got 'dirtied up' for the role) while some of us disagreed and believed a steam engine had been installed in the Amphibious. The argument that a diesel was in the actual vessel one, but with the evidence I have now I can prove it's not Industry's engine used in boiler room shots.
(Also- the studio set piece Lazy Jane is hilarious, basically the front of the boat, filmed mainly from front on, but when shot from the side you realise how much smaller than the real boat it clearly is.)
So I can establish it's a Marshall and Sons, portable of some kind. Was it just a set piece, used in studio, or was it the engine from another boat? I took a grab from the boiler room when it wasn't facing the engine too, just in case that helped us decide what boat it was (too enclosed to be the Pev) No huge fly wheel like the Marion. I'm guessing it's just a stand in portable. Question is, was it on the boat? Was it steam powered during filming? The ahead/stern sign was used visually as a gag, constantly sending the boat into forward and reverse to avoid a snag- we all know the bell system, but that wouldn't have translated to a TV audience, and the joke would have been lost
Check out the screen grabs and tell me what you think. Also spot the 'wreck' of the 'Comet' as it's described in the film...I'm sure you'll all be able to recognise the real vessel.
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Hi PD's......& welcome back Sean...... :coffee
After re-reading & viewing the images in "Parsons" ....the only look a like is W.F.B ....Official Number 137222
The image is poor ....but a possibility.......Derek
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The 'wreck of the Comet' is the Tarella, now a houseboat, just outside of Mannum. Much of the filming occurred around Morgan.
Probably worth asking- anyone know anything more about the Tarella? Still a houseboat?
Could it be one of the options for restoration we hadn't considered?
Engine and boiler is still a mystery.
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I have to admit that the engine doesn't look like the Industry's. I was positive I'd been told the Dick Bromhead (owner at the time), but my recollection might be a bit faulty. I was definitely told that, but probably by someone else. I can confirm, though, that the steam plant wasn't in the boat. I assume that it must've been done in a studio. The engine in the Amphib at the time was a Perkins 6-354 diesel.
Remind me next time we catch up and I'll bring the letter I have which describes the boat.
The Tarella - now owned by the owners of the Flender Himmel. Not sure what their plans are, but I believe they're still using it as a houseboat and base for the FH. It would be interesting to know.
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Just went & found a couple of pics and scanned them quickly. All but the one of the Industry were provided by Dick Bromhead (hope he doesn't mind me posting them). The one of the Industry was provided by Rod Williams (who passed away several years back).
The two close ups are not actually of the Amphibious. They were taken in a studio. The superstructure is actually the Amphibious'. When she was converted to a paddler the superstructure was built in panels and originally assembled on a mock (apparently floating) hull in a studio. Once the studio shooting had been completed the structure was disassembled and then rebuilt on the Amphibious hull.
Building the structure in panels allowed sections to be unscrewed and removed for the filming of the first episode where the story had the crew burning wood from the boat for fuel. There's a shot of this in Sean's first post. The dining saloon shot below shows one of the panels removed for internal filming. Also, while the timber looks aged, it was a deliberate look achieved through clever painting.
I have 5 other shots taken at Mannum in '93, but I'd have to check with Frank Tucker before posting.
I really should go through all my photos and individually digitise them though.
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Hi PD's......Excelsior.....that last image is interesting :bravo as it shows the Amphibious inboard of what appears to be the hulk of PS Decoy which is the house boat of Dick Bromhead at Mannum.....
We had a cup of tea on board [Decoy] some years back........ :coffee ...Derek
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I was on a different boat in a river convoy, and had run out of red wine.
Peter was selling Akuna wine from the cellar in what was then PV 'Akuna Amphibious'.
I went aboard.
The downstairs guest bedroom had a double bed which tilted to the ceiling, revealing the engine and wine store.
IIRC Shawn was married aboard his newly-acquired 'Tarella': it was the pulpit; the guests were on PS 'Marion', rafted off. The wedding breakfast was held on Marion. I don't know what role 'Flender' played.
At the time when the film was made, Tarella was still with an earlier owner.
Post edit: the 'Lady Mabel' nameboard is preserved as part of the PS 'Industry' memorabilia, and was on display at the Apr.11 centenary celebration.
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor
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The ageing on both boats is evidently good scenic paint work. A very simple trick that I use quite often when I work in theatrical scenic design. I picked it up straight away on the Industry.
They're great shots of the studio version of the boat, and next to the Decoy is great too.
I'm guessing the engine is just a working portable then they got for a shot. The production team were probably quite thankful that we built our boats that way, rather than needing to build replica engines.
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Amphibious was diesel powered in the movie.
That Marshall was in the Oscar W at the time of filming, it was removed in the late 1990s and replaced with a forbes boiler
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And there's our answer!
See now we would have had this all sorted that night at dinner after the centenary celebrations if Michael hadn't been working and could've come out with us.
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My Bad, had Steam engines to play with!!!