Steve McQueen

[Mycroft]

Steve McQueen is one of the best actors of all time...in my opinion. He has been in some of the most famous movies of all time such as Bullit or the Great Escape, as well as many others. He in my opinion is as good and renounded as Bogart or Gable. I find that almost no one today knows who he is, why is this?

 

[The Mad Hatter]

I thought that McQueen was well known.

But anyhow, at least at one time Real McCoys offered a "Real McQueen" A-2, which was an exact replica of McQueen's on the Great Escape.

Also, McQueen is famous for the black turtleneck sweater.

 

[PrettyBigGuy]

Steve McQueen was the greatest! In his day he DEFINED cool. If you are a fan, take a look at the "Making Of" Featurette on The Magnificent Seven DVD. James Coburn points out how aggrevated McQueen was with sharing the spotlight with Yul Brenner. He explains that every time they shared a scene and Brenner had all the dialogue, McQueen would do something to draw your eye to him and away from Brenner! They show some examples and it's hilarious
Also, normally I don't like when advertisers use deceased actors in commercials, like Coke did with Bogey and Satchmo or Bud Light did with The Duke, but Ford's new Mustang campaign with Steve McQueen gives me shivers! It always makes me want to watch Bullitt!
PBG

 

[PADDY]

Quite right, RMNZ do a copy of the RoughWear A-2...

That McQueen wore as V.Hilts in "The Great Escape!" (The Cooler King). It was a RoughWear 27752 A-2 (I know, I'm such an anorak knowing such anal facts! LoL). But he was the height of cool guys!
In fact, I have a heavy weight copy of his cut down sweatshirt he wore in "TGE." which I often wear with my K-1 khaki pants, Dock Booners and A-2 flying jacket. Just need the German Army BMW motorbike!

 

[Mycroft]

Also, normally I don't like when advertisers use deceased actors in commercials, like Coke did with Bogey and Satchmo or Bud Light did with The Duke, but Ford's new Mustang campaign with Steve McQueen gives me shivers! It always makes me want to watch Bullitt!

I agree and also have any of you seen the Raging Inferno or something to that effect. By the way PADDY thanks for the info on the jacket and glad to see you doing better.

 

[Jack Scorpion]

Being 20 years old I guess you can call me the voice of "today" - I thought he was good in The Magnificent Seven, so I guess I can believe your claims, Mycroft, but it is also true that I never hear his name anywhere. I only watched Magnificent Seven because I loved Seven Samurai, and even then, Yul Brenner was the real star of that I think, so his was the only name that carried on with me. I forgot Steve McQueen was in it until this thread reminded me.

However, The Thomas Crown Affair bored the hell outta me. Those are the only 2 movies of his I've seen.

 

[Lana]

I must agree with your comments about Steve McQueen being a great actor. He's definitely one of my favorites.

I can't explain why no one today remembers McQueen. I'm 22 and was in a conversation about movies recently. I brought up the name "Steve McQueen" and my friends had no idea who I was referring to. I find this quite sad. Maybe it has to do with the fact people from this younger generation don't want to watch films from another era. Who knows?

 

[MikeyB17]

Steve was the coolest of movie actors,

definitely my favourite of screen tough guys. Mind you , I read his biography a while ago, and he was a complete fatherless individual a lot of the time, by all accounts, as is often the case with very talented people. Thing is, he could back it up-he really was a tough SOB-he was a US Marine and recieved a citation for bravery. He spent a lot of time going through scripts taking dialogue OUT, as he felt he could convey the meaning better through looks rather than unnecessary talk. And he was a total nightmare as far as studio bosses were concerned, going through contracts with a fine-tooth comb and arguing over every penny. As soon as he finished shooting a scene he would be on his motorbike and gone off into the hills before anyone could stop him. I wasn't aware that his name had been forgotten, but sad though it is, I can't say I'm that surprised-a lot of young people these days (God, I sound like a right old git) don't seem to have much concept of the past, even the relatively recent past. It's not that long ago that Ford did their fantastic car ads using computer-enhanced scenes from 'Bullitt'-sounds like they may be doing something similar in the US at the moment. Paddy, is your sweatshirt one of the ones Aero does? I've looked at them in the past, but they're the wrong colour for McQueen's 'Escape' shirt, and I've always been suspicious of that big wide waistband, which looks to me like it would end half way up your belly! Am I wrong? I must say if there's something missing from my wardrobe, it's decent, vintage-style sweatshirts, and particularly one like Steve's. I know one of the Japanese companies did a 'Great Escape' sweatshirt, but we know what getting anything like that in western sizes is like!

 

[MDFrench]

I grew up with Steve McQueen in The Great Escape and The Blob from the time I was five years old. (I am 26) Since then, I have collected a number of his films, and I even went so far as to buy the limited edition Bullitt Mustang that came out in 2001.

She's still purring! What a great car! Long live the memory of Steve McQueen!

McQueen films everyone should see:

The Great Escape
Bullitt
The Blob
Hell is for Heroes
The Sand Pebbles
The Hunter (his last film)
The Magnificent Seven
The Getaway
Nevada Smith
Le Mans
Junior Bonner

And yeah - Thomas Crown Affair was kinda slow.

Mike

 

[Hamsterjeep]

Grand Prix

I heard a story that it was "understood" that the lead role in "Grand Prix" was to go to McQueen, and when James Garner got the role it ruined the friendship between them, and they never spoke again. Later, McQueen went on to play the lead in "Le Mans". McQueen was an avid motorcycle and race car driver, and usually did his own stunts in films. He was "The King of Cool", a man women wanted to be with, and men wanted to be.

 

[Harp]

McQueen

Steve McQueen had credibility, a quality that is sorely lacking today.

 

[John in Covina]

Don't Forget "On Any Sunday"

Fun documentary on motorcycles and racing in I think late 60's early 70's.
McQueen and friends on dirt bikes occasionally spraying eachother with cow pies from the back wheel.

PBS has a program on McQueen, American Masters? Anyway his friends said he was so into talking "hip" that many of them often had to have him explain what the heck he meant!

Bullit and the Getaway both are heavy duty films, BABY!

Cooler!

 

[Dixon Cannon]

'The War Lover' (1962)

http://imdb.com/title/tt0056676/

-dixon cannon

 

[Dixon Cannon]

'The Great Escape' 1963

Some 'Great Escape' trivia from IMDB:

Steve McQueen accepted the role of Hilts on the condition that he got to show off his motorcycle skills. (He) held up production because he demanded that the script be rewritten to give his character more to do.

(His) character was based on an actual American prisoner in the camp who flew on Doolittle's raid on Tokyo.

McQueen's character Hilts was based on amalgamation of several American characters, including Major Dave Jones, a flight commander during Doolittle's Raid who made it to Europe and was shot down and captured. Another character was Colonel Jerry Sage, who was an OSS agent in the North African desert when he was captured. He was able to don a flight jacket and pass as a flier otherwise he would have been executed as a spy.

In the scene following Hilts' theft of a German motorcycle, he rolls into a nearby town, and stopped by a police officer. He tells Hilts something in German, to which Hilts kicks him away and rides off. The officer asked Hilts for identification papers Hilts doesn't have.

Although Steve McQueen did his own motorcycle riding, there was one stunt he did not perform: the hair-raising 60-foot jump over a fence. This was done by McQueen's friend Bud Ekins, who was managing a Los Angeles-area motorcycle shop when recruited for the stunt. It was the beginning of a new career for Ekins, as he later doubled for McQueen in Bullitt and did much of the motorcycle riding on the television series CHiPs.
Hilts (Steve McQueen) strings a wire across the road to obtain a motorcycle. McQueen himself played the German motorcyclist who hits the wire.
The motorcycle scenes were not based on real life but were added at Steve McQueen's suggestion.

During the climatic motorcycle chase, John Sturges allowed Steve McQueen to ride (in disguise) as one of the pursuing German soldiers, so that in the final sequence, though the magic of editing, he's actually chasing himself.

-dixon cannon

 

[Hondo]

McQueen’s Chocolate shirt

Thanks for that bit of info Cannon, I didn't know that, its greatto know. I'll watch much closer next time I view "The Great Escape"
BYW: do you notice that in the photo of Warlover, McQueen’s Chocolate shirt with tunic? Is this a film error and not the official USAAF way to wear them? I thought he proper way to wear uniform was pink shirt, khakis with choclate tunic[huh]

 

[carebear]

"Don't be a Stu, be a Steve."

"Be excellent, be desireless, be gone."

From a nice little romantic comedy called "The Tao of Steve".


Love "The Getaway".

"Punch it baby!"

 

[MrBern]

but it is also true that I never hear his name anywhere.

CherylCrowe had a song with his name in the title a couple years ago.
Ford use his image in the commercials for the MustangGT a coupl years ago.
He's referenced more than most people realize. He was stylish but masculine & modern.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Choco shirt

Thanks for that bit of info Cannon, I didn't know that, its greatto know. I'll watch much closer next time I view "The Great Escape"
BYW: do you notice that in the photo of Warlover, McQueen’s Chocolate shirt with tunic? Is this a film error and not the official USAAF way to wear them? I thought he proper way to wear uniform was pink shirt, khakis with choclate tunic[huh]

Hi Hondo, Great eye! I didn't even notice! It is my understanding that they had great latitude as far as uniform coordination. In the early Air Corps days it was black ties. Then khakie ties with chocolate shirts (or khaki shirts), or O/D ties with khakie shirts, or O/D ties with choco shirts.

These could be mixed and matched with the 'pink' trousers or the O/D.

I'm staring at my gallery of uniformed AAF guys now and see three different combinations. It may have been more strict Stateside, but in theatre I think they had a lot of leeway - the officers anyway.

Anyone else have a take on this subject - in this thread or elsewhere???

-dixon cannon

 

[Harp]

Uniformity

Uniform standards do tend to relax somewhat overseas; especially
in wartime, at least that was my experience. Once back stateside,
however, things revert to normal issue without exception or latitude.
I would guess that during WWII, US Army Class A uniform worn in
transit comprised basic issue for enlisted men, while airborne were
permitted to blouse jump boots up to and including Class As.
Air Corps officers might have been given some choice in shirts/ties.

 

[jake431]

Uniform standards do tend to relax somewhat overseas; especially
in wartime, at least that was my experience. Once back stateside,
however, things revert to normal issue without exception or latitude.
I would guess that during WWII, US Army Class A uniform worn in
transit comprised basic issue for enlisted men, while airborne were
permitted to blouse jump boots up to and including Class As.
Air Corps officers might have been given some choice in shirts/ties.

This is true - I have a photo of my Grandfather stateside in fall 1942 wearing a chocolate shirt with his tunic.

-Jake