MovieChat Forums > Honeydripper (2008) Discussion > Possible anachronism

Possible anachronism

posted 16 years ago by wjspencer
12 replies | jump to latest

When Tyrone and Maceo first discover Sonny's guitar, they don't understand where the sound will come from. Then Maceo figures out that it needs an amplifier and reaches into Sonny's duffel bag and pulls out an old tube amplifier. There was only a brief shot of the amplifier, but it did not appear to have a power cord permanently attached, as any electrical device in the '50s would have. Instead there appeared to be a power cord receptacle on the chassis like you might see on the back of a desktop computer, indicating the amp was built according to present day standards.

Did anyone else see this, or am I dreaming?

[–] AfrikaVenus 16 years ago

I did not noticed that tiny detail.

I find, in being black, a thing of beauty: a joy; a strength; a secret cup of gladness. -Ossie Davis, Actor

[–] marlonn_brando 16 years ago

Hate to disagree Bro' but they had small round pin plugs and sockets in the 1940's used by the Forces. as the guy had been in the airforce he would have been familiar with the wiring systems of the Airforce.

[–] allenrogerj 16 years ago

Yes. The usual procedure with early electric instruments and amps was to have a detachable lead- socket one end, plug the other- connecting them. What is surprising is that someone in a remote town would recognise them, i'd have thought.

[–] AfrikaVenus 16 years ago

And your point?

I find, in being black, a thing of beauty: a joy; a strength; a secret cup of gladness. -Ossie Davis, Actor

[–] allenrogerj 16 years ago

Points, actually.
1]The usual procedure with early electric instruments and amps was to have a detachable lead- socket one end, plug the other- connecting them. The one in Honeydripper is probably historically accurate.
2] What is surprising is that someone in a remote town would recognise them, i'd have thought. How common were amplified electric instruments in the USA in 1950?
One of the characters in Honeydripper's recognises the guitar and amp almost at once. Arthur Koestler a few years later thought electric instruments were so unfamiliar that he carefully explained exactly how they differ from acoustic instruments and how they work when he was discussing a man who designed them in the 1930s.

[–] oxblood 16 years ago

True. Only someone who already had knowledge of electrical guitar amplification would have recognized what it was. Maceo was barely able to fix the wiring at the club. And there's quite a difference between electrical wiring and electronics. Maceo seemed to be quite the detective all of a sudden.

[–] tisfortomi 15 years ago

I guess Arthur Koestler didn't get out much. Electric guitars have been around since the 1930s--actually longer if you count one-offs and prototypes. The Gibson ES-150 came on the market in 1936. Charlie Christian played electric guitar with Benny Goodman from 1939 to 1941--I believe one of the characters in the movie refers to him at one point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkyIqYYBX-4

And these folks would certainly have been familiar with T-Bone Walker, who performed and recorded extensively on electric guitar from the 1940s on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSOYOFQgVMs

There's no reason why they wouldn't have recognized an electric guitar. I found their surprise to be the unbelievable element, not their recognition.

Perhaps what they writers intended was to convey the characters' surprise that it was a solid-body electric as opposed to a traditional-style guitar with a pickup added, as most of the early instruments were. But Rickenbacker produced its first Hawaiian-style (or "steel") guitars in the 30s, and Western Swing bands used them through the 40s. Granted the town is remote, but Pinetop is a musician who has traveled all over the country. Surely he would recognize/understand this instrument.

[–] Devans00 16 years ago

I can't remember if it was during the commentary or the movie, but someone mentions that Sonny was a soldier in Japan during WWII. Or maybe he knew someone who was. Anyway, something in his past allowed him to pick up technical expertise a normal, everyday person wouldn't have.

Black WWII GIs had a very different reception when they came back to the states than their white counterparts. Not as many opportunities or benefits.

No two persons ever watch the same movie.

[–] chainthatdoor 16 years ago

Sonny said he fixed radios in WWII, while eating breakfast and talking to China Doll.

[–] rlange-3 15 years ago

Good point. But the bigger error in my opinion was that the guitarist didn't check his amp out before the show. Knowing it was a critical performance that part didn't seem realistic at all. Especially if he was an electronics man.

Still, great movie, great sounds, tiny flies in the ointment.

[–] FreakAnchovy 15 years ago

The tension raised by the feedback, and the skepticism displayed by the audience and by Pinetop was integral to the surprise reception of Sonny. Suspend disbelief for the sake of entertainment. When a movie becomes too real, it's no longer a movie -- it's a documentary.

[–] BEoutbox 15 years ago

that happens all the time. I went to a show last Saturday where my husband's band was opening for a known act; the guitarist freaked out b/c there was no sound coming from his amp. the bandleader/engineer from the main act had simply turned all the knobs down after their sound check.

maybe not as critical a performance, but that is like "check the power switch". do THAT before freaking out, dude! some musicians get nervous, I guess...