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Vacuum Tubes in movies

wunderkind

wunderkind

Active Member
I just watched "The Railwayman" starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman. There were a few sections of the movie with some sort of vintage tube playing a prominent role. The movie was great too. Not gonna give spoilers away. Worth a watch if only to check out the power tube "in action". Yeah my wife thought it was funny that I suddenly propped up for those scenes. Haha...

Not sure what tube it was, maybe someone can ID it.

Wonder what other movies that showcase tubes in a prominent way and not some background prop. :yes:
 
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The Mechanic starring Jason Statham. There's a scene where they show him putting a record onto his TT, powered by a pretty sweet looking tube amp.
 
No Time for Sergeants Starring Andy Griffin. Shows WW-2 type airplane transmitter filled with 211 tubes glowing very bright
 
"Animal House"- scene w/ Dave Jennings smoking pot- Dyna ST-70, PAS and AR's, I bet.
 
Another great one is Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation" starring Gene Hackman. Very gear centric flick with tubes playing a prominent role at film's conclusion.
 
Time traveler tube radio

(Dennis Quaid) Time traveler using tube radio to talk to his son(Jim Caviezel) in Frequency
 

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In Back to the future they retrofitted the time machines with tubes to replace a fried chip. There were some other wild tube-based inventions too.
 
Spok (spelling?) on Star Trek built a contraption with a bunch of antique balloon tubes on a board once. I can't remember what it was far, but it worked.:yes:
 
jaymanaa said:
Spok (spelling?) on Star Trek built a contraption with a bunch of antique balloon tubes on a board once. I can't remember what it was far, but it worked.:yes:
Click to expand...

It was the episode "City on the Edge of Forever." In fact, Spock made some sort of remark about having to make a neumatic (?) memory circuit with vacuum tubes. Probably better clips out there, but you can glimpse some tubes in the background of this clip:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...bThcVecKwoNjF3U0w&sig2=p1L_aeJh0jJqMwdR8EW1uw
 
^^^Correction:^^^

Spock: I am endeavoring, ma'am, to construct a mnemonic memory circuit using stone knives and bearskins.

Here we go:

Capt. Kirk: Time we faced the unpleasant facts.
Spock: First, I believe we have about a week before McCoy arrives, but we can't be certain.
Capt. Kirk: Arrives where? Honolulu, Boise, San Diego? Why not Outer Mongolia, for that matter?
Spock: There is a theory. There could be some logic to the belief that time is fluid, like a river, with currents, eddies, backwash.
Capt. Kirk: And the same currents that swept McCoy to a certain time and place might sweep us there, too.
Spock: Unless that is true, Captain, we have no hope.
Spock: [looking down at his tricorder] Frustrating. Locked in here is the exact place and moment of his arrival, even the images of what he did. If only I could tie this tricorder in with the ship's computers for just a few moments.
Capt. Kirk: Couldn't you build some form of computer aid here?
Spock: [raising an eyebrow] In this zinc-plated, vacuum-tubed culture?
Capt. Kirk: [applying psychology on Mr. Spock] Yes, well, it would pose an extremely complex problem in logic, Mister Spock. Excuse me. I sometimes expect too much of you.
 
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Valveglow said:
^^^Correction:^^^

Spock: I am endeavoring, ma'am, to construct a mnemonic memory circuit using stone knives and bearskins.
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Ha, how cool is that? :yes: I don't know why, but I never got into Star Trek. I loved lost in space though, go figure. :dunno:
 
And you wern't watching Robbie the Robot. You were watching June Lockhart(Dr. Maureen Robinson), Marta Kristen (Judy Robinson), and or Angela Cartwright (Penny Robinson). :D
 
larryderouin said:
And you weren't watching Robbie the Robot. You were watching June Lockhart(Dr. Maureen Robinson), Marta Kristen (Judy Robinson), and or Angela Cartwright (Penny Robinson). :D
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Robbie the robot made one guest appearance on lost in space , he was in the movie Forbidden planet , the invisible boy and a couple of episodes of the twilight zone also .

In Forbidden planet their klystron oscillator tube was smashed by the monster from the ID . I wonder what the real Kell amps looked like (sic)
 
larryderouin said:
And you wern't watching Robbie the Robot. You were watching June Lockhart(Dr. Maureen Robinson), Marta Kristen (Judy Robinson), and or Angela Cartwright (Penny Robinson). :D
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I was watching Judy Robinson, personally. Batradio is correct; it actually was not Robbie the Robot, who is shown here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=rob...niv&sa=X&ei=rKwOVciXIsagNrehgPAH&ved=0CCoQsAQ

Here is Dr. Smith's nemesis:

https://www.google.com/search?q=los...v&sa=X&ei=2KwOVZ-OKKXLsASy7oGABw&ved=0CB4QsAQ
 
Current TV show Suits the lawyer Harvey Specter is a audiophile and his office has an entire wall full of vinyl, high end turn table and a modern tube rig.
 
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