Secret of the Incas (1954)

Stoo said:

Harry Steele's neckwear is more along the lines of an ascot, untucked.

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Is it a reference to the silk scarves favoured by pilots? Chuck dresses like a Flying Tiger.

As to anyone not liking it, he's an entirely different character, and we wouldn't want our Indy to be a complete rip-off would we?

Scarface

Heston's scarf in SECRET OF THE INCAS is actually a hotel towel he stole from a hotel in La Paz, Bolivia. In some scenes you can just make out the words "Hotel La Paz" on the scarf. It represents what a cheapskate gringo he really is.

Stoo said:

Yes, indeed it is Mrs. 'C'! We were talking about her (last year) on this page & the previous one (beginning with post #88).

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Thanks.

Maybe I should change my name to Agent 86.

SOTI similarities Stoo

Stoo, I have just read on another Raven page about searchlights of another similarity you have dug up between Indy and SECRET OF THE INCAS and you mentioned you have some more that aren't widely known. I would love to know what these are Stoo.

a shame it was never released to DVD.

Montana Smith said:

Is it a reference to the silk scarves favoured by pilots? Chuck dresses like a Flying Tiger.

As to anyone not liking it, he's an entirely different character, and we wouldn't want our Indy to be a complete rip-off would we?

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The 'rip-off' comment raises a BIG issue I've been pondering for many years... Yes, he does look like a Flying Tiger but only Mr. Byrne can answer your question.

James Byrne said:

Heston's scarf in SECRET OF THE INCAS is actually a hotel towel he stole from a hotel in La Paz, Bolivia. In some scenes you can just make out the words "Hotel La Paz" on the scarf. It represents what a cheapskate gringo he really is.

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Thanks for that! I was going to ask you about the letters on the scarf.

James Byrne said:

Stoo, I have just read on another Raven page about searchlights of another similarity you have dug up between Indy and SECRET OF THE INCAS and you mentioned you have some more that aren't widely known. I would love to know what these are Stoo.

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Not sure what you're talking about, James. Which post/thread are you referring to?

StoneTriple said:

Maybe I should change my name to Agent 86.

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Heh heh. Nice reference...Yeah, "Get Smart!", Stone!

Re: Marion Ross. Earlier in the thread, James mentions that she became a 'dishy' lady in "Happy Days". As a kid, I never found her 'dishy' since she was playing a mom but seeing her in one of the "Battle of the Network Stars" changed my mind. She looked really good in those baseball pants.

Due to James' correspondance with Marion Ross, rewatching Chuck's boorish snog scene with her in "Incas" makes me chuckle. As James has already remarked, it's 'no wonder she looks surprised'. Harry Steele is not only a 'cheapskate gringo'...he's a PIG!

"When did Flash lights start being used"

Stoo, the above title is the post I was referring too regarding another link to SOTI/Indy. I stupidly typed "search light" instead of "Flash light" in my haste. You mentioned on a post somewhere (can't find it off hand) that you had noticed a few other similarities between Harry Steele and Indy that aren't generally known. I would love to know these, please. There was talk on the IMDb boards when KOTCS was released about the similaities of the "Red Truck" shown in the first scene that nearly collides with the crazy kids, and the Red Truck shown in SOTI that Elena Antonescu has travelled in. Why did Spielberg include a Red Truck in that scene? (albeit very briefly).

Marion Ross as Miss Morris

StoneTriple said:

Is that Richey's mom in the beginning of Incas?

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Marion Ross was only 25 years old when she appeared in SECRET OF THE INCAS. Her character, Miss Morris, was originally supposed to be a fortyish frumpy spinister school teacher who was in charge of three giggling highschool girls, but the director finally decided to ditch the girls in the scene at the airport, they were too distracting.

James, whatever similarities I can find between the Indy & Harry Steele are most likely things you're already aware of. Don't know which post you're referring to and can only surmise that I was talking about the light beams & and the yellow, inflatable raft. Until fairly recently (the past 1 or 2 years), not many RavenHeads seemed to be aware of "Secret of the Incas" and I might have been trying to point out that there was more than just the costume.

Another freaky thing is the timing of Indy's movements as he approaches the entrance to the Chachapoyan temple. Juxtaposed with a similar shot in "Incas", both Harry & Indy turn back and look behind and the movements are very similar. (When I made my shot-by-shot comparison video, no fudges to the timing were needed as they were identical.)

Now, since the release of "Crystal Skull", there are even more similarities such as the flashlight. I hadn't thought of the red truck (I LOVE the way the roadster swerves off the asphalt to avoid it!) but the colour might be just a coincidence. Will have another look.

Re: the schoolgirls. Did you hear that story from Marion Ross or read it sowewhere else?

Is there a character limit on this site? yesterday morning I typed out a very long reply to you Stoo and when I clicked "submit reply" my whole post disappeared???

No Stoo, Marion Ross didn't volunteer that bit of info about the giggling schoolgirls, I already knew it. I have a vast collection of articles, newspaper reviews, stills, 1950's magazine articles, pressbooks from around the world, 54 giant 200 page files full of downloaded internet stuff, etc. etc. (I have much more stuff than is shown on my website - http://www.secretoftheincas.co.uk).

It's funny when people ask me "How come you know so much about SECRET OF THE INCAS?"
The info and collection I possess is freely available - you just have to dig it out.

James Byrne said:

Is there a character limit on this site? yesterday morning I typed out a very long reply to you Stoo and when I clicked "submit reply" my whole post disappeared???

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There is a character limit per post, James, but you get a warning when you try to submit it. It shouldn't just disappear - which must have been really annoying.

Hi Montana - it was more than annoying, especially since I had to go out for the rest of the day and didn't have time to type out an abridged version. Btw, I'd like to know what the character limit is ... just for future reference, so I don't have to growl and grimace at the computer if it happens again.

James Byrne said:

Hi Montana - it was more than annoying, especially since I had to go out for the rest of the day and didn't have time to type out an abridged version. Btw, I'd like to know what the character limit is ... just for future reference, so I don't have to growl and grimace at the computer if it happens again.

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I can't remember what the limit is, but I've always been given the chance to go back and copy a chunk of the text before cutting it down to size, and then paste it into the next post.

I usually type Forum posts using Windows Notepad and save them before posting.
I'm sure that Apple machines have a similar program to Notepad.

As to "Secret of the Incas", I have seen the film on television several times
and liked it, especially after having visited Peru.

However, there is a scene in the film where Charlton Heston enters an airplane,
and shoves a loaded pistol, pointed down, under his belt.

That scene seemed odd after Heston's involvement with gun groups became public.

If it discharged...

James Byrne said:

No Stoo, Marion Ross didn't volunteer that bit of info about the giggling schoolgirls, I already knew it.

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Figured that was the case. I know Marion Ross only has a bit part in "Incas" but I love "Happy Days", too, so anything else you feel like sharing about your correspondance with Mrs. 'C' would be fun to hear.

When you have the time, I'm interested in what you had to say in your disappearing post. (There is more I have to talk about as well, re: the "rip-off" aspect.)

James Byrne said:

I have a vast collection of articles, newspaper reviews, stills, 1950's magazine articles, pressbooks from around the world, 54 giant 200 page files full of downloaded internet stuff, etc. etc. (I have much more stuff than is shown on my website - http://www.secretoftheincas.co.uk).

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James, I've been to your site many times and you truly are THE EXPERT on "Secret of the Incas"! Not sure if I've mentioned this before but my best friend obviously knows I love the movie and about 1 or 2 years ago, sent me the link to your website with a wait-'til-you-see-this-you're-going to-love-it type of comment. Little did he know how acquainted I was with the site and it's creator.

P.S. Don't know about the character limit for posts to the board but for Private Messages it's 3500. If something like that goes wrong again, try clicking the 'Page Back" button in your web browser. It usually takes you back to the reply window with all your text still in place. As WilliamBoyd advises: when making a long post, it's a good idea to type it out in Notepad or Word, etc. beforehand and then paste it in.

Stoo, here is an abbreviated version of my "long, lost post".
For the past few months I have been typing out material to improve
http://www.secretoftheincas
and now that I have finished my colleague at work, who is a bit of a computer geek has decided that he hasn't the time to put together the large amount of material I have presented him with. I wish I had the talent to do it myself but I'm not that way inclined. So the site will remain stagnant, which is a great pity, for I had more than doubled the "trivia" section with newly acquired facts that I had painstakingly unearthed and with the new colour photos and production stills the site would have been upgraded substantially. My knowledge of computers is practically zero - to me a computer is a typewriter with photos - in fact I hadn't even seen one until August 2004 when visiting my niece. She knew I loved SECRET OF THE INCAS and googled IMDb and I was very disappointed with only four comments on display discussing the movie. I also noticed that there were a few mistakes in the cast and goofs sections which I later amended. My niece told me to quickly write a review, which she typed out after enrolling me on the IMDb. After seeing my review in print I suddenly got hooked on this new toy called the internet. In Apr 2005 I started interracting with other fans of the movie on IMDb and had a whale of a time discussing different aspects of the movie.
Roughly about three years ago I was typing out some rough notes on the movie on the works computer during my lunch break. One of the bosses looked over my shoulder and enquired what the hell was I up to using the computer for non-work related reasons. I told him about SECRET OF THE INCAS, how it inspired Indiana Jones, how rare it was, how I'd met Heston and conversed with other members of the cast, and how the movie inspired me to travel to Peru. Instead of bellowing at me, he asked me if I had a dvd of the movie, (Yes!) and if I would like to own website devoted to the movie (Would I!). Well the next few weeks very busy with me typing out the info and supplying photos, posters etc. and then he took all this material home and http://www.secretoftheincas was born.
My work colleague is a very talent photographer and his passion takes him all over the English countryside at the weekends with his wife snapping the beautiful English scenery. He has told me he doesn't have the time anymore which is a great pity. The new site would have been magnificent.

WilliamBoyd8 said:

I usually type Forum posts using Windows Notepad and save them before posting.
I'm sure that Apple machines have a similar program to Notepad.

As to "Secret of the Incas", I have seen the film on television several times
and liked it, especially after having visited Peru.

However, there is a scene in the film where Charlton Heston enters an airplane,
and shoves a loaded pistol, pointed down, under his belt.

That scene seemed odd after Heston's involvement with gun groups became public.

If it discharged...

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William Boyd (can I call you Hoppy?), did you visit Peru before or after viewing SECRET OF THE INCAS ... and what did you think of Machu Picchu?

Stoo, I have ordered a dvd of the Ronald Reagan anti-commie flick HONG KONG in which he gives Chuck Heston a run for his money in the "Who looks like Indy most" of 1950's adventure movies. Can't wait to see it, and will inform you on its good/bad aspects after viewing it. Just hope the thing would hurry up though, its been a week already.

Ronald Reagan as Indiana Jones in HONG KONG

HONG KONG finally arrived through the post, or should I say snail mail, and I was bowled over by the similarities to Ronald Reagan and Indiana Jones. The dvd isn't very good unfortunately, it's original source was obviously a twenty year old video, but for the little amount I paid ... who's complaining?

Stoo, you should add this to your collection of Indy-lookalikes at once!

The biggest mystery is - why hasn't this movie been added to the list of Indy inspirations like SECRET OF THE INCAS, CHINA and THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE?

"Dr. Livingstone I presume?"

Stoo,
You have an incredible collection of adventure movies. Can you tell me if those famous words spoken by Stanley to Livingstone pop up in any of them, apart from the obvious Spencer Tracy movie STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE.
Heston says them to Robert Young in SECRET OF THE INCAS and so does Ava Gardner to Clark Gable in MOGAMBO. Can you list any others from your great collection?

James Byrne said:

William Boyd (can I call you Hoppy?), did you visit Peru before or after viewing SECRET OF THE INCAS ... and what did you think of Machu Picchu?

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Funny, I'd never seen a Hopalong Cassidy film until about a month ago when I managed to watch *2* on an overseas flight (they were in the Classics section). I love Boyd's voice.

James Byrne said:

ps- if you need a copy of LEGEND OF THE LOST I have a dvd taped off the telly going spare.

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As you know, I only have the last half of the movie and didn't transfer it to DVD so, yes, I need it. The Marion-chase-in-Cairo parallel is an essential acquisition. Let's talk...

James Byrne re: Dr. Livingstone said:

You have an incredible collection of adventure movies. Can you tell me if those famous words spoken by Stanley to Livingstone pop up in any of them, apart from the obvious Spencer Tracy movie STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE.

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The only one that comes to mind at the moment is in, "Forbidden Territory: Stanley's Search for Livingstone". This was a 1997 TV movie produced by National Geograhic with Aidan Quinn as Stanley and Nigel Hawthorne as Livingstone. Very fine flick. I know I've heard the famous line in some other movie but my mind is drawing a blank right now.

Thanks for the details about how your "Secret of Incas" website was created and congratulations on obtaining a copy of "Hong Kong"! I want that one, too.