Peter-Spotting
      Card #30

 
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1975

ONE OF OUR DINOSAURS
IS MISSING

Walt Disney Productions
directed by Robert Stevenson
starring Peter Ustinov, Helen Hayes,
Clive Revill, Derek Nimmo
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A bumbling gang of Far-East thieves
steal a giant brontosaurus exhibit from the
Natural History Museum. They're hoping to
retrieve the micro-film that's been hidden
within the skeleton. But their efforts are
thwarted, not by British Intelligence, but
by a gaggle of resilient English nannies...

This knockabout Disney romp was filmed
at Pinewood and EMI Elstree, and on
location at the real-life Natural History
Museum in London.

The film's stunt arranger was Peter's
old pal Bob Anderson. He brought Peter
on board as one of the stunt performers...
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"Stop them!"

Peter pops up 48mins in to the film,
as the gang attempts to steal the
dinosaur from the musuem. He plays
a MUSEUM GUARD caught up in the
melee.

The guards and thieves were nearly
all played by stuntmen, with folks
switching roles and wigs from shot
to shot. But there's no mistaking
Peter as he gets punched, sharply,
in the stomach, and tumbles out
of frame!



Peter's colleague is kicked into the great
grizzly arms of a stuffed bear. And then..

Peter himself gets a kicking. He makes a
big cartoon slide across the floor in to the
base of a display, and a troop of stuffed
monkeys rains down upon him!
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Stunt tricks

• Look closely as Peter begins his slide
   and you'll see the wires attached to
   his skateboard, pulling him back!

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Did you know?

• It's said, the film's famous skeleton
   later resurfaced on Tatooine. Look
   for it in "A New Hope" when C-3PO
   is wandering the desert. It's
   masquerading as the bones
   of the Krayt Dragon!

   So how did it get there? - Well, a
   number  of the film's technicians
   went on to work with George Lucas
   (Peter amongst them, of course, and
   Bob Anderson too). Presumably, the
   props guys saw a use for it,
   in Tunisia.  

   Reusing and recycling has always
   been part of the movie game. Set
   and props, footage and plots -
   anything goes in this industry!