The Sand Pebbles Movie Message Board (2008)
(Although individual responses are not usually listed here, I do answer all email I receive)
From: haristas
Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2008 11:39 AM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: Attenborough Stable In Hospital
Cris, just read this:
Attenborough Stable In Hospital
21 December 2008 5:57 AM, PST
Veteran actor Sir Richard Attenborough is in a stable condition in hospital after collapsing at his home in Surrey, England.
The 85-year-old Oscar winner fell and suffered a knock to the head last week (beg15Dec08). He fell into a coma and was admitted to St George's Hospital in Tooting, West London, where he is now said to be in a stable condition having regained consciousness.
Attenborough's niece, Susan, confirmed her uncle remains under the watch of medics but is hopeful he will be home before Christmas.
She says, "My uncle is still in hospital but doctors say there's no cause for concern. He had a fall and banged his head. He's not 30 anymore. He's 85 and falls hurt, you know. He's doing well. We don't know when he will be released or whether he will be home in time for Christmas, but we all hope so."
Attenborough was due to unveil an English Heritage blue plaque on Thursday in Surrey, England, where he was born. He was forced to cancel the engagement after being taken ill. British actor Tom Courtenay took his place at the event.
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From: Aikido Auckland Aikikai
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 5:56 AM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: The Sand Pebbles...
Great work !
Was a pleasure to read through your site and reminisce on those days.
A great film and endearing story.
Thanks from
ROSSO FERNANDEZ
(in New Zealand)
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From: Murray Bollen
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2008 3:58 AM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: Nola D (aka San Pablo)
Sir,
I happened to Google your page while writing my history for my children.
In 1975, I came across the "Nola D" - engineless and forlorn against a dock in Tarakan Indonesia. She was being used as a base camp / accommodation camp for a seismic survey company Delta Exploration, then a Houston Based company. I was at the time working on one of their other vessels, the Rio Das Contas and happened to see her in Tarakan. I did not realise what the significance of the vessel was as I had not seen the movie at that time. Only years later I saw the movie and can virtually confirm her to be one and the same.
Do you happen to know what happened to her after that?
Best Regards
Murray Bollen
Mandurah West Australia
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From: Rory Monteith
Sent: Saturday, September 06, 2008 3:22 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: Lafayette theater screening of The Sand Pebbles
Cris,
Got this response from this site:
The print quality was OUTSTANDING! Not a line on it. The color was perfect, and had very fine grain. The sound was awesome, being an optical SR Stereo representation of the original magnetic L-C-R tracks. There was no doubt you were listening to stereo. Pete told me this was a 4K scan from the original camera neg, digitally cleaned up (no CinemaScope negative splice lines), and spit back out to film. Beautiful. It started with a curtain closed overture, film, intermission w/ music. Entre Act music, and walk out music. Pete handled the show like the true professional he is with 12 changeovers, all perfect. Thanks Pete! Great print, great film.
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/2897_0_2_0_C/
Rory
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From: Rory Monteith
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2008 3:41 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: Rare Sand Pebbles screening
Hi Cris,
I've known about this for several weeks, but it's only now been put up on their website.
People living in the area of Suffern, New York will have a chance to see THE SAND PEBBLES on the big screen. The historic Lafayette Theatre there will be showing a "new print from the Fox vault; in Panavision and Dolby SR stereophonic sound" on September 6, 2008!
Here's a link to their website: http://www.bigscreenclassics.com/indexlafayette.htm
Rory
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From: Willard Carroll
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 8:26 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: The Sand Pebbles...
Hi, Crispin:
I greatly enjoy your site. I saw the Roadshow engagement in Baltimore when I was 11 and have lost track of how many times I've now seen the movie.
In addition to many other collections, I have a fairly extensive soundtrack and film-related LP and 45 library.
I have a few more recordings of "And We Were Lovers"/"Theme From The Sand Pebbles" - not on your site - by the following artists:
VIC DANA
DENNY MCLAIN
THE BRASS RING
THE HOWARD ROBERTS QUARTET
LEE EVANS
HORST JANKOWSKI
Would you be interested in these for your audio section of the site?
All the best,
Willard Carroll
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From: Michael Conley
Sent: Friday, July 04, 2008 11:06 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: The Sand Pebbles...
Hello:
I was watching the DVD of SAND PEBBLES and decided to find out more about Richard McKenna. Various links led me to SandPebbles.com -- and I just want to tell you that I am blown away by the wealth of information on here! Thank you very much.
The accumulation of material is phenomenal. I always like looking at the artwork and posters -- and you have a link to a selection of Howard Terpning's various movie posters. I love the film's soundtrack, in particular, the "Getting Acquainted" track -- and you've got a link to two dozen artists performing the song from that music. I have a the original souvenir program book -- and you've got versions in other languages. Not to mention a collection of reviews, the Mad Magazine parody, interviews with people who were involved in the making of the film, and -- amazingly -- the WHAT'S MY LINE show with Steve McQueen.
My favorite film is DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, and I only wish there were something half as good as your site for that film. But fortunately, you've set the standard. Thank you VERY much.
Michael Conley
San Diego
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From: Manfred Kramesberger
Sent: Monday, June 09, 2008 7:40 AM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: The Sand Pebbles...
Dear Mr. Garcia !
I am asking for permission to place a link from my site www.lordjim.at to your trailer-page (Missing scenes: dinner with Shirley) to show this trailer to my visitors.
www.lordjim.at is a private, non-profit site, dedicated to the memory of great artists.
Thank you in advance and kind regards !
Manfred Kramesberger
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From: Rory Monteith
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 3:24 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: Early TSP Blu-ray review
Cris,
This is in today's post on FilmScoreMonthly.com. Nothing detailed, but sounds like the movie (theatrical version) looks as good as we expected:
"Making its Blu-Ray debut following a hugely successful DVD release last year is THE SAND PEBBLES (***, 183 mins., 1966, PG-13), Robert Wise's epic starring Steve McQueen (never better), Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna and Candice Bergen in a story -- set in 1926 China -- that drew close parallels to the U.S.' then-recent involvement in Vietnam but offers numerous pleasures (McQueen's performance, its wide scope lensing and, of course, Jerry Goldsmith's score) to counteract its somewhat clunky pacing and uneven script.
Fox's Blu-Ray release of "The Sand Pebbles" is almost the definitive word on the film, offering an MPEG-2 transfer that falls somewhere between "Patton" and "The Longest Day" in terms of its HD presentation, but overall is spectacular when compared to any prior version of the movie you might've seen outside of a theater. The DTS-MA audio, meanwhile, does a fine job balancing Goldsmith's classic score with the dialogue.
When I say this release is "almost" definitive, it's because only the theatrical release edit (183 minutes) of the picture has been included here, while the prior DVD featured both that cut plus the premiere of the Roadshow presentation, offering 13 minutes of added footage that did appear faded in relation to the pristine quality of the theatrical print. Perhaps it's because of the latter that the decision was made to include only the theatrical version in HD, and offer the Roadshow scenes in the supplemental section. Either way, fans of "The Sand Pebbles" may want to hang onto their Special Edition DVD versions for that reason.
Extras, culled from that superb prior release, are on-hand in abundance. An isolated score track also includes comments from Nick Redman, Jon Burlingame, and veteran screenwriter/movie buff/historian Lem Dobbs, who rightly regard Goldsmith's score as one of his all-time finest, and intersperse Goldsmith's music with commentary on its creation (and even fragments of a 2000 interview with the great composer). An older audio commentary featuring Robert Wise, Candice Bergen, Richard Crenna and Mako is also on-hand.
Numerous featurettes comprise a detailed "Making Of" section while a slew of vintage materials (advertising reels, radio documentaries, TV spots, trailers) and additional "side bars" (a featurette remembering McQueen among those) round out a marvelous Blu-Ray disc -- a must for all "Sand Pebbles" fans."
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Response - One of the first online comparisons of the 2007 DVD and 2008 Bluray disc can be found at www.dvdbeaver.com - CG
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From: Monush, Barry
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 10:23 AM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: Regarding Charles Robinson
I only just read today that Charles Robinson (Ensign Bordelles) had passed away almost two years ago in Palm Springs. So sorry to hear this.
I always liked his performance in The Sand Pebbles in addition to finding him a strikingly handsome man. I also remember him in films like The Interns, Splendor in the Grass, and Shenandoah. I notice that he does not seem to have many film or TV credits since the 1980s. Did he simply stop working and retire to Palm Springs? Does anyone know much about his later life? And did he actually change his billing on occasion to Charles Knox Robinson and Charles Robinson Knox as the imdb indicates? If so, does anyone know why? Just curious.
Barry M
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Response - Go to the Wikipedia website for more information on Charles Knox Robinson III - CG
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From: Rory Monteith
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 2:05 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: TSP Blu-ray
Cris,
The Digital Bits has info posted on the Blu-ray DVD for TSP. Looks like everything will be carried over from the 2-disc standard release -- except the Roadshow version, but "13 deleted 'Road Show' scenes" will be included as extras. This is good news, and I think Fox doing the right thing -- as long as they can't or won't restore those scenes properly (meaning 2.35:1 Panavision transfers equal in quality to the restored general version).
Rory
Digital Bits:
First up, 20th Century Fox and MGM have set a number of classic war films for release on Blu-ray on 6/3, as part of their Father's Day promotion. They include The Longest Day, Patton, The Sand Pebbles, A Bridge Too Far and Battle of Britain (SRP $39.98). Each will include 1080p anamorphic widescreen video and DTS 5.1 HD audio. In terms of bonus material, The Longest Day will offer a historical audio commentary with Mary Corey, a film commentary with Ken Annakin, 4 featurettes (A Day to Remember, Longest Day: A Salute to Courage, Backstory: The Longest Day and D-Day Revisited), a stills gallery and the theatrical trailer. Patton will include an introduction and commentary by writer Francis Ford Coppola, 2 featurettes (History Through the Lens: Patton - A Rebel Revisited and Patton’s Ghost Corps), The Making of Patton documentary, a production stills gallery accompanied by Jerry Goldsmith’s complete musical score, a behind-the-scenes photo gallery accompanied by audio essay on the historical Patton, and the theatrical trailer. Finally, The Sand Pebbles will include audio commentary by director Robert Wise, Candice Bergen, Mako and Richard Crenna, the film's isolated score with commentary by music producer Nick Redman, film music historian Jon Burnlingame and screen writer/historian Lem Dobbs, a trivia track, 13 deleted “Road Show” scenes, 6 featurettes (The Making of Sand Pebbles, Steve McQueen Remembered, Bob Wise in Command, China 1926, A Ship Called San Pablo and The Secret of the San Pablo), a trivia track, the theatrical trailer and 2 radio documentaries (Changsha Bund and the Streets of Taipei and A Ship Called San Pablo)...
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From: Michael Proulx
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 9:09 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: The Sand Pebbles...
Hello there!
Congratulations on an excellent site. I’ve become an avid fan. Your latest addition - Icelandic movie program - even sparked an interest in me to learn a word or two of the language!
I’d like to add a bit of trivia if I may: Saul Wurtzel – Production Manager – died November 19, 1984 (IMDb)
Thought you might like to add this to the CREW section.
Best regards
Michael Proulx
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From: Ted Magnuson
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 4:06 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: DVD's at COSTCO
Hi Crispin,
I blundered onto your website a while back, and enjoy it! I was in Taiwan as a young Navy officer in '65/'66, and saw & met many of the principal actors & crew members (including Steve McQueen & Robert Wise), and saw some of the filming take place. Maybe more of that at a later time. The main reason I'm writing, is to tell you that COSTCO has the "Roadshow" & "Theatrical" DVD set of The Sand Pebbles for sale right now, for a penny less than ten bucks, quite a good deal.
Best regards,
Ted Magnuson
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From: Peter A.Manic
Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:56 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: The Sand Pebbles...
Just want to drop a line commending you for a job well done. I've read the book and have the movie in my collection (DVD Widescreen). The movie itself is a timeless classic, and I feel bad the scene (which was filmed but was dropped from the final cut) when Holman was leaving his posting aboard a battleship (played by the U.S.S. Texas) and picking up when he arrived in Shanghai (where the movie begins)......THEY DON'T MAKE MOVIES LIKE THEY USED TOO!!!!!!!............
Peter A.Manic.......Atlantic City N.J.
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From: Fred Borgmann
Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2008 6:01 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: The Sand Pebbles
Hi Crispin,
I watched the DVD of The Sand Pebbles last night and curiosity lead me to the web site. I saw this show when it was a new release and loved it and always remembered it. When in San Diego a victory ship named the Lane Victory was in port and I took a tour. I was surprised and delighted to find that what they claim was the engine used in the movie was on display in one of the holds. This wasn't the Cummins diesel actually used to propel the ship but the one used in the engine room scenes. It seemed smaller than I imagined but seeing it was the impetus for me to get the DVD which I greatly enjoy.
I got to use a line from the movie last week while in Las Vegas. Early one morning a lady stopped me on the walkway and asked if I would like some company. I was wearing my Green Township Fire Department cap and told my buddies, "The uniform gets 'em every time."
I would like to get the CD sound track from the movie but its kind of hard to find. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks for your message board.
Fred Borgmann
Cincinnati Ohio
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From: Darren Wright
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 9:35 AM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: The Sand Pebbles Bluray on Amazon.com
Cris,
Amazon.com now has The Sand Pebbles on Bluray up for pre-order:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00158K0UQ?tag=bluray-012-20
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From: PAUL KOVACS
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 7:08 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: The Sand Pebbles Audience Preview Version
Hi Crispin. Thank you for your quick reply. The other things that I recall were Jake climbing up the steps to get topside of the flagship that he was leaving, Jake telling the SP Captain, or the other officer, that a piston rod would go through the hull and sink the ship (which fascinated me), and a full side angle shot of Chien actually in the crank case holding the wrench on the connecting rod bearing cap bolt before the accident happened (I guess this shot was to show the audience how dangerous the work was). It was in B/W. As I mentioned in the previous message, I saw this on a NYC station (channel 11 or maybe 7 abc) on a Saturday or maybe a Sunday afternoon. I was maybe 13 at the time and it left an impression on me to say the least. One of these stations may still have it in their vault. You can find anything in NYC. Thanks again, Paul.
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From: PAUL KOVACS
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 6:04 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: The Sand Pebbles DVD
I just visited your site. Very well done. I can remember seeing the version of the movie back in the early 1970's on a NYC Saturday afternoon movie station (probably channel 11 which was PIX at the time) that actually showed the crankshaft straightening scene. I recall this because back then my JHS shop class friends and I were convinced that the work in this scene was next to impossible to be done right. We liked engines too. Last week I happened to see the movie for the second time on AMC and this part was not included. What DVD should I buy that would include the proper engine room work scenes and other missing scenes. BTW I'm an Engineer also, like Jake was. There are very few movies made that show this kind of action. Thanks for your kind attention on this, Paul Kovacs.
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Response -
Thanks for your email and for confirming that you saw the crankshaft straightening scene which you may be surprised to learn is only remembered by a few people.
The scene is not in the 182 minute theatrical version and was not even part of the original 195 minute roadshow version available on the 2-disc DVD set released in June 2007.
It was part of the 200 minute audience preview version screened in the selected cities of Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Dallas.
Interestingly enough the 200 minute version was allowed to circulate without fanfare in a few cities like Detroit and San Francisco which likely happened because Twentieth Century-Fox did not want to destroy these expensive prints and did not want to bother to re-edit these versions.
The crankshaft scene was not in the original script and was probably added in toward the end of shooting for reasons unknown, but I suspect at the insistence of Steve McQueen who wanted to show his (and Jake Holman's) mechanical prowess. Robert Wise was trying to trim the 200 minute version down to 190 minutes before its 1966 premiere in NYC but only managed to excise 5 minutes and the crankshaft scene was evidently part of what he saw as expendable. A shame since it sounds interesting and I was never able to see it myself.
So enjoy your memories of this scene since it may never surface again...but then again who knows what treasures Fox has buried in their vaults.
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From: Quinn Bastian
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 3:56 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: DVD
Hi Cris,
First of all, my thanks for persevering and getting a “restored” DVD of this fine film out. I know that it took quite an effort and I am gratified that Fox finally relented and released the DVD we have. I must say that seeing restored scenes, some of which I was involved with, was a thrill since it has been so many years since I last saw them. I was particularly gratified with the” battle of the boom” sequence. I screened it with my family and was able to give them a personal commentary which really brought back many memories of being associated with so many hard working skilled and brilliant people. I do wish that they could have restored the road show print (and restored some still missing scenes) but at least we do have a partially restored film which is better than nothing. I was out of the country for quite a while (in Peru and Ecuador) and by the time I got back Mr. Wise had passed. To say I was both shocked and saddened is an understatement because he truly was one of a kind and a real gent. They just don’t come like him anymore.
Many thanks again.
Best regards,
Quinn
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From: Mitch Carter
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 6:21 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: The Sand Pebbles...
Hi
Great site! I’ve been several times and continue to uncover gems. The latest is John Norris’ page. He mentions having several shots of him with Steve, both on the SP set and The Getaway. His description makes them sound very much worth seeing. Can you get those posted on the site as well? Thanks.
Oh, by the way…I am making a strong effort to be considered to play Steve in the upcoming biopic. While at this point, it’s only an option on Neile’s book, I figure it’s never too early to start lobbying. I was an actor for 14 years, often compared to Steve, got out 10 years ago and am making a “comeback” to try to get this. You can see pics at mcqueenonline.com. We are shooting two scenes from the Getaway this weekend and those will be posted on YouTube once the editing is done—assuming they turn out in such a state that I think they will withstand international exposure and scrutiny. I’ve been a fan of Steve’s for years and, if I never did another acting job, this one would leave me happy, doing the biopic.
Thanks again.
Mitch Carter
West Hills, CA
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From: Haristas
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 4:55 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: Interesting news
Cris:
From TheDigitalBits.com Jan. 15, 2008:
"The other Fox note today pertains to the anticipated release of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World on Blu-ray Disc, which had been set for 2/5. TCFHE's marketing team has apparently decided to delay the title and bundle it with others as part of a large Father's Day promotion in June. Among the additional titles set to be included in this promotion are Mrs. Doubtfire, Patton, The Longest Day, The Sand Pebbles, A Bridge Too Far and Battle of Britain among others. The exact street dates and specs are TBA."
Sounds unlikely the roadshow version of TSP is what will be on Blu-ray, most probably the general release (and restored) version -- of course! But, TSP has certainly come to Blu-ray faster than I expected.
Rory
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From: Jim Myers
Sent: Sunday, Jan 13, 2008 2:22 PM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: San Pablo
I have always been curious as to the fate of the "U.S.S. San Pablo" after the movie. Any idea?
Jim Myers
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Response - This is a question that comes up from time to time. The trail seems to end in Vietnam 1966 when the boat was sold to a contractor rebuilding bridges there. In the 10 years that the TSP website has existed no one has come forward with any additional information. Perhaps someday.
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From: Pascal Dupont
Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2008 2:01 AM
To: Crispin Garcia
Subject: Jerry Goldsmith French Website online !
Crispin - Hello and Happy New Year 2008.
As I had promised you, here is the announcement of the official launch of our site.
www.goldsmith-themusicallaw.net
I come back often to your wonderful site with a lot of nostalgia. The Sand Pebbles is one of my favorite movies. Steve McQueen and Candice Bergen are fantastic. I think Steve McQueen should have earned a gold statuette for this role. Because of its splendid music, I decided to do something for Jerry Goldsmith in France. Today, it's done! And I am pleased that you can share that with me. I created a link to your remarkable site...and thanks to "The Sand Pebbles" between France and the United States, now there is only a passion.
Happy New Year Crispin - Good continuation and long life for your site!
Sincerely,
Pascal and Quentin
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Past years of the Sand Pebbles Movie Message Board are available below: