MovieChat Forums > High Noon (1952) Discussion > The air conditioner

The air conditioner

posted 11 years ago by starmarker
22 replies | jump to latest

Once again, I'm amazed about the things we forgive when we love a movie. Major bloopers. The air conditioner clearly visible in the window of a building during the final shoot out/chase. The crane shot that clearly shows modern buildings beyond the backlot. (Did anybody lose their job over these screw-ups?) And there's more. I like Gary Cooper as an actor, but he's way too old for Grace Kelly. The fist fight scene with Lloyd Bridges is pretty weak--as is the entire shoot out with the Miller Gang. And Grace Kelly's acting? Meh.
But we forgive so much. We forgive it all. We love the black and white. We love seeing Kelly and Cooper alive again. Just goes to show: A movie doesn't have to be perfect to become a classic.

[–] Tresix 11 years ago

I'll definitely give you the age gap between Cooper and Kelly. However, that still goes on today.

"I'm in such bad shape, I'm wearing prescription underwear." Phyllis Diller 1917-2012

[–] OswaldshotKennedy 11 years ago

So whats the big deal? Grace liked mature men in her private life (if you could call her life private, that is!

"The internet is for lonely people. People should live." Charlton Heston

[–] caladon 11 years ago

Actually, it was quite common for older men to marry younger women in the period in which this movie takes place. In fact, it was not uncommon for a man in his mid-20's or 30's to marry a girl of 15 or 16 especially in the rural areas. Some parents wanted their daughters to marry a man who had already established himself; home, business etc..

Superstitious people are bad luck.

[–] bobo-29 11 years ago

Cooper in real life had just ended a 3 year affair with Patricia Neal when he made High Noon, a woman who was almost the same age as Kelly, so why is it so unbelievable? Neal was 24 when they started the affair, Cooper was close to 50.

[–] bobo-29 11 years ago

Where is the air conditioner? I must have watched High Noon 100 times in my life and I've never spotted an air conditioner in a window.

[–] generalusgrant 11 years ago

I totally disagree with all of the points made in the opening post. Bitching about these trivial things in such a wondrous movie is nit picking in the extreme. Who cares about the crane or AC? And the fact the OP mentions the film being in black and white and having to be "forgiven for this" is asinine. Most of the great films in cinema history have been in black and white.

And this is the most ludicrous point of all:

"I like Gary Cooper as an actor, but he's way too old for Grace Kelly."

You obviously have no clue that Gary Cooper at 51 was still incredibly handsome, desirable and the idol of millions of women then. He was an incredible catch and his screen presence was unequalled. Grace Kelly had an affair with him in real life! So it's totally believable they would be a couple on screen.

[–] movies789 11 years ago

The difference is that Gary Cooper was Gary Cooper - Will Kane wasn't. Sure, there are men 30 years older than the babes they hook up with - if they're Gary Cooper or Donald Trump or the like, i.e. leading-man actors or billionaires. But an aging ex-civil servant (and not that good-looking anymore) scoring a mega-babe like her, 30 years his junior? Naaah...

[–] darkavenger77 8 years ago

But an aging ex-civil servant (and not that good-looking anymore) scoring a mega-babe like her, 30 years his junior? Naaah...

The gap between Cooper and Kelly was about 28 years in real life. Hollywood uses the "suspension of disbelief" for things such as ages of characters vs. the actors that play them (say 5 years either way), so Will could have been only 18 years older than Amy. I'm sure if they had farmersonly.com or perhaps marshalsonly.com back then they may have found better matches. 

As to the OP, applying modern standards to 60 year old films is incorrect. When this was made, no one had a VCR/PVR or a big screen TV to rewind and re-watch for goofs.

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[–] redskydown-1 8 years ago

Good point. And they didn't have a/c window units when High Noon
was made in 1952.

--Did I ever tell you I was struck by lightning 7 times?--

[–] shotgunsalli 8 years ago

Modern air conditioning emerged from advances in chemistry during the 19th century, and the first large-scale electrical air conditioning was invented and used in 1902 by American inventor Willis Carrier. The introduction of residential air conditioning in the 1920s helped enable the great migration to the Sun Belt in the United States. This is found on the internet under 'history of air conditioners'.
KAS

[–] NewtonFigg 8 years ago

Can anyone post a copy of the air conditioner?

[–] kbarada 8 years ago

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjzo9bamv_PAhVMRyYKHX29Ce8QjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fckilpatrick%2Fstatus%2F571747638044975105&psig=AFQjCNHMyIfAOBdL9LJUpwodX0JmN78mKA&ust=1477802796807606

[–] NewtonFigg 8 years ago

Thanks for the picture, but... I've seen High Noon probably 20x (not recently), and I don't remember that shot. It looks as if there's a tall modern building in the background. So, was that AC actually visible on screen or is that a promotion still?

[–] kbarada 8 years ago

So, was that AC actually visible on screen or is that a promotion still?

As far as I know, this was visible on screen. You should look for it next time you watch the movie. I don't think it is a promotional still as you can't see the face of Gary Cooper and it looks like a very uninteresting "shot" except for the window air conditioner.

[–] NewtonFigg 8 years ago

Ok, I just watched the shoot out scene. Amy comes back from the train, sees the body in the street and goes in the office. Then we see Will running around the yard with the window AC overhead. What would we do without the ability to freeze a frame?

[–] kbarada 8 years ago

Well good for you Newt. I've tried to see it on two different occasions, but it happens fast. It's good to have a real person with real confirmation testimony that the A/C is actually in the film.

[–] NewtonFigg 8 years ago

The gun fight scene lasting 8 minutes is on youtube.

[–] kbarada 8 years ago

Thanks, I'll check it out.

[–] Beau_Buffet 9 years ago

Here it is : http://i.imgur.com/T9w25y7.jpg

[–] SSteveL 8 years ago

Kane was retiring, so he had to be old. And no one wants to see him marry a 50-year old woman; we want eye candy.

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[–] movies789 8 years ago

Not to split hairs, but he wasn't retiring; he was quitting to get married and become a storekeeper. Mind you, I'd quit, too, to marry a Grace Kelly-type; but, they weren't folding their tent to go live on a pension.

[–] Trax-3 7 years ago

Once again, I'm amazed about the things we forgive when we love a movie. Major bloopers. The air conditioner clearly visible in the window of a building during the final shoot out/chase. The crane shot that clearly shows modern buildings beyond the backlot. (Did anybody lose their job over these screw-ups?) And there's more.

Such things don't make or break a movie unless it gets to Plan Nine level.
Secondly, did you notice these things on the first viewing (I sure didn't) or second or third? Did somebody perhaps had to point them out to you?