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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee

Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 29725 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 11:37 am Post subject: YELLOW Old Look in "Pardon My Sarong" (1942) |
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If you go to YouTube, and search for the movie clip "ABBOTT & COSTELLO BUY GAS", you'll see a scene from the 1942 film, "PARDON MY SARONG"..
The first part of the film features a newer-model YELLOW Old Look (it has the newer slanting windshields).
This bus is unusual in that it features heavy verticle ribs on the dash, running from bumper to windshield.
This film was the first I'd ever seen any Old Look with these dash ribs.
Bus was to have hailed from Chicago (rollers display "MICHIGAN AVENUE"; in real life, the domain of "CHICAGO MOTOR COACH"), and opening of film features busy depot scene, with a number of similiar YELLOWS as well as early TWINS (Model 40's, I believe).
Also worthy of interest, is a boxy fixture on the roof, above the driver's side windshield.
My friend Vern and I were knocking our heads together on this one for quite awhile now; hopefully our resident bus history expert Mr. Linsky will be able to shed some light on this fascinating (and perplexing!) little mystery.....
John |
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Mr. Linsky BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee

Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 5071 Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 7:28 pm Post subject: |
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John,
A really great piece of footage - probably the best I've seen - thanks for sharing.
I've taken the liberty of posting the URL here to make it easier for our viewers to see; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ecJ_JLRec4
Off the top of my pointy little head I can tell you that the bus is a Yellow Coach Model TD 4502 and was unquestionably rented for use in the film from Pacific Electric Railway of Los Angeles (the only logical source considering that it was brand new at the time).
The livery including the name Chicago Municipal Bus Company are fictitious as is the destination sign and a bit of studio animation installed under the windshield for reasons that I can't explain unless it could be rubber fittings to protect the front end.
I also can't explain what the square box on the roof over the driver is - I have never seen anything quite like it before - but, maybe it's a home made mechanical circulating fan housing?
There is one other little item that mystifies me; it appears as though there is some kind of a device at the front end of the first passenger window that looks like a narrow rear view mirror.
That's about all I can tell you at the moment.
Regards and Happy New Year,
Mr. 'L' |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee

Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 29725 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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Mr. "L":
It is indeed a tremendous assett to this forum to have someone so much "in the know" as yourself; am truly appreciative of your valuable (and fascinating) input!
As "PARDON MY SARONG" was clearly filmed in California, it comes as no surprise that the coach would have been rented from a "local" outfit, such as PE.
I only wish the opening moments of the film were available for viewing on YouTube; the depot scene I mentioned featured a number of Old Look YELLOWS and Model 40(?) TWINS, none of which were in PE livery, and the sign at the depot read (AFAIK) for the fictitious Chicago company.
So......where was this depot located, and, what company owned it?
And, from what I can remember, the other buses seen where also in the livery of the "CHICAGO MUNICIPAL".
In the classic scene where Lou Costello backs the bus off of a small ferryboat, the dash ribs are particularly prominent.
That "mystery" box on the roof: your guess is as good as mind, and certainly makes sense to me.
Myself, I had thought that, perhaps, it might have been a housing for an auxilarly battery lighting system, in case the bus became disabled in transit and the lights stop functioning, while operating at night.
Again, only a wild guess.
Movie was filmed between March 2 and April 28 of 1942, at the Mayfair Productions Studios.
Now.....my memory has been jogged a bit.....and I can just see a YELLOW with a similiar front-end treatment, in a photo from an old library book on transportation, that dated to the early 40's......this had to be at least 30 years ago.
Mr. "L", again, I thank you for your most valued input!
Too bad the entire film (or, at least, the opening scenes) is not available on YouTube!
One of the opening scenes has the bus company executive (played by veteran character actor Charles Lane) in his office, in a dither over his missing bus.
On his desk, a cast iron toy of a TWIN COACH Model 40 can clearly be seen!
A VERY nice job perk, surely!<G>
John
BTW:
A HAPPY and HEALTHY New Year to you as well!
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Thu Dec 30, 2010 1:48 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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HwyHaulier
Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 932 Location: Harford County, MD
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 11:27 am Post subject: |
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Mr ' L' - John -
Right, you are seeing a rear view mirror, just behind the door. Rather odd, but it did give operator
a view of possible other awaiting riders. And, of course, if would serve to avoid the "sucker play"
incidents where an otherwise unseen auto slips into the right side "hole" while in moving traffic.
The odd box on the roof? Isn't it a puzzle? Possibility it was some kind of "free added feature" by
YELLOW COACH, so as to test some new design ideas?
The truly strange vertical strips on the front? Who knows. Also, meant to inquire whether we see
"Golden Glow" headlamps in the photos...
....................Vern................. |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee

Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 29725 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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Vern:
Yep!
Ain't this one sweet little mystery, though?<G>
As I stated earlier, I can vaguely remember seeing a pic of a smiliar Old Lod (YELLOW), w/ those odd dash ribs, but, on this one, my memory is hazy at best, not having seen the photo in at least 30 years.
I do recall another old photo I gleaned from another discarded library book long ago (too bad I have NO idea where the pic is now!) that depicted a "new style, latest 1940 model bus for St. Louis".
This Old Look YELLOW had a streamlined "V" dip of the roofline, just above the division line of the windshields, and had a dash emblem that which had chrome "wings" on either side of a circular "medallion".
Again, I only wish I had the pic before me as I type!
In "PARDON MY SARONG", as also stated earlier, the dash ribs of the coach in question were especially prominent when it was going across the harbor on a small ferryboat.
On an interesting sidenote, there is a photo in "NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT BUSES", by Guy E. Martin, that shows a "handmade prototype" (YELLOW), built for FIFTH AVENUE COACH in 1939 (this was one year before the "production model" Old Looks started hitting the streets).
It was designated as a "TD-5401", and was 41 feet in length, featuring a double-width front entrance door, and was to be YELLOW's answer to the double decker.
What is unusual here is that this bus features the inward-slanting windshields; the 1940 models had the non-slanting windshields.
And, to make this even more interesting, the St. Louis YELLOW I just mentioned (from 1940), also had the newer-style slanting windshields.
This is all starting to get a bit confusing!
Back to "PARDON MY SARONG", the busy depot scene had other Old Look YELLOWS that also featured those unusual dash ribs.
And of course, the other mystery is "where was that depot scene filmed?"
Whose fleet was representing the fictitious Chicago company?
Mr Holmes? Mr. Watson? You services are greatly needed here........<G>
John |
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Mr. Linsky BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee

Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 5071 Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 4:02 pm Post subject: |
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Gentlemen,
Forgive me for eavesdropping on your conversation but you mention two Yellow Coaches that I am very familiar with and which appear below as well as within my 'Bus Nostalgia' series on this site.
After watching 'Pardon My Sarong' I now realize where the driver in Manhattan got the idea to steal a brand new Surface Transportation 4507 and hijack it to Florida in 1947.
The first photo below was a Yellow Coach specially designated model TG-3603 with eighty being built exclusively for St. Louis Public Service.
The buses, designed by St. Louis engineers, were to look as much like their PCC cars as possible including the very much more animated anti reflective angled windshield that Yellow like so much that they immediately adopted in a simpler version for all new production.
Also note that the passenger windows were a different size to accommodate crank operated lifting mechanisms such as found on the trolley cars.
The lower photo was a Yellow experiment conducted for the Omnibus Corporation to eventually replace the double deckers in New York and Chicago.
Completed in late 1940 (long after Yellow adopted the slanted windshield) it was designated the TD 5401 and was 43 feet long (10 feet longer than allowed by New York law at the time).
This bus was never duplicated and was cut down by one seat to become a TD 5001 and, as fleet number 2500, operated for many years for New York's Fifth Avenue Coach.
The bus used in 'Pardon My Sarong' was rented from Pacific Electric Railway of Los Angeles for the movie and was a Yellow Coach Model TD 4505 built between 1941 and 1942.
The strange square box on the roof over the driver's seat is absolutely unexplainable unless it was installed by the movie company for some production reason, and the ornamentation under the windshield is also a mystery!
Regards and Happy New Year,
Mr. 'L'
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee

Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 29725 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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Mr. "L":
Yet again, THANK YOU for your valuable input and observations....much appreciated!
Yep, that photo of the St. Louis coach is the same type I saw in that old photo I told you of earlier; that particular shot was obviously a publicity pic, showing passengers boarding.
SAME destination reading, too!
You have also solved a mystery which has been baffling me for many a year; NO WONDER the St. Louis coaches had a different look than the "average" YELLOW of the day, though, of course, the overall "Old Look" appearance is at once recognizeable.
The smaller passenger windows are (IMHO) more reminiscent of those found on postwar MACK coaches.
Again, I only wish the entire "PARDON MY SARONG" film was on YouTube; then, the depot/yard scene just after the opening credits would be able to be viewed.
That strange box on the coach roof?
Possibly, some "one-shot" experiment by PE, that, as of now, remains a tantalizing mystery to us?
Or......just a wild guess, here......could this unit have housed radio/communication equipment of some sort, utilized by the movie crew?
This is all so danged fascinating!
Thank you again for your time and input!
John |
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Mr. Linsky BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee

Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 5071 Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.
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Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 2:33 am Post subject: |
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John,
I have ordered a complete copy of Pardon My Sarong because I want to see those scenes that you mention - they sound very interesting.
Now, I'm going to tell you how very special the preparations of that 4505 were in order to make the film;
Take a very very almost slo-mo look at the last scene where the boys who, BTW are my idols, are rushing away from the gas station after jilting the owner - it's the scene where as the front door closes, Costello's head gets caught between the slats.
If you'll notice, the doors are not metal but made of rubber and stretch to accommodate Lou's hefty neck size - when I first saw the scene I said to myself that no one could possibly survive getting caught like that - and, I was right.
The St. Louis photo is factory and came originally from GM Photographic - I should have mentioned that.
BTW; Pardon My Sarong is available as a DVD from Amazon.com and is part of Part One of series of Abbott and Costello's best and also includes; Buck Privates, Hold That Ghost, In the Navy, Keep 'Em Flying, One Night in the Tropics, Pardon My Sarong, Ride 'Em Cowboy and Who Done It?.
Best regards,
Mr. 'L' |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee

Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 29725 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 9:30 am Post subject: |
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Mr. "L":
Your sharp eyes truly would be a tremendous PLUS to ANY detective agency!<G>
I NEVER paid close attention to Costello's head getting caught in the door, so, like yourself, I went to slo-motion.
However, (this could be MY eyes), I cannot see that the doors were made of rubber; they seem the usual metal.......HOWEVER, it seems that a more subtantial rubber cushion was utilized here, instead of the "standard" issue.
I could not see any "distortions" of the door itself when Costello's neck was caught when the door closed.
However, it could be just ME seeing this....... I know you are quite the expert!<G>
I, too, have to order a copy of "PARDON MY SARONG" ( I taped the movie nearly 25 years ago off of WPIX-NY, and have NO idea where it is now!)
As I said, I am most anxious for you to see the bus depot scene, which you see as soon as the film opens.
A YARD FULL of Old Look YELLOWS and older TWINS, all painted in the same livery as the "main" bus in the film, with the depot sign lettered for the fictitous Chicago property.
That box on the bus roof is STILL proving to be a truly TOUGH nut to crack!
Bud and Lou?
Without a doubt, two of the FUNNIEST men of all time.....and BOTH hailing from my home state of New Jersey!
We sure could use a comedy team like that today!
Again, I am truly enjoying your info and comments!
A Happy and Healthy New Year to you, my friend!
John
BTW: If I am not mistaken, in "BUCK PRIVATES, PLEASE COME HOME", isn't there a part where the boys end up taking up residence in a retired double-decker?
I have not seen this classic flick in too many years to count!  |
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HwyHaulier
Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 932 Location: Harford County, MD
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Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 7:35 am Post subject: |
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Mr 'L' - John - All -
Note Fifth Avenue Coach #2500, in its appearances as a TD 5001 had a streamlined "nacelle"
or housing on the roof, just behind the driver position. Might it had something to do with the
more angular box on the roof, seen in views in "Sarong"?
.................Vern..................... |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee

Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 29725 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 10:21 am Post subject: |
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Vern:
Ahhh, another pair of vigilant eyes are at work here, I see!<G>
To be honest, I had not noticed that "nacelle" you mentioned.
Could be somehow related to the boxier fixture on the coach in "PARDON MY SARONG"?
Recall the FIFTH AVENUE COACH experimental "TD-5401" I mentioned in an earlier post?
In the aforementioned photo, there are two such "nacelles", one on either side of the roof; on the passenger side, this is located just above the first window.
In the same book by Guy E. Martin, there is another photo of the same coach, after its 1947 rebuild, which gave it a more "average" Old Look appearance.
This rebuilding also reduced the coach to the legal length of 40 feet.
After rebuilding, the bus still retained the two rooftop "nacelles".
Another photo in Mr. Martin's bok shows a GM "TD-4506" (#369), one of the first single-level diesels purchased by FIFTH AVENUE COACH in 1945, part of 43-bus order that allowed the retirement of the last open-top double-deckers.
This bus, too, featured two "nacelles" on the roof.......
John |
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HwyHaulier
Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 932 Location: Harford County, MD
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Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 10:56 am Post subject: |
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John -
And, so, back to my original point? Was it early work in what later became the factory installed, coach heating in later builds?
The later coaches with the housing inside the coach, over driver's head? It did tend to confine the "office area" of drivers...
.....................Vern...................... |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee

Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 29725 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 11:35 am Post subject: |
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HwyHaulier wrote: | John -
And, so, back to my original point? Was it early work in what later became the factory installed, coach heating in later builds?
The later coaches with the housing inside the coach, over driver's head? It did tend to confine the "office area" of drivers...
.....................Vern...................... |
Vern:
Hopefully, our resident expert Mr. "L" will be able to shed some light on this one!<G>
These roof-mounted "nacelles" continued on into the early GM Old Look era, until at least 1946.
Again consulting Mr. Martin's excellent "NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT BUSES", I came across two pics of SURFACE TRANSPORTATION COACHES, one a "TD-4507", and the other a "4506".
The 4507 has done away with the roof "nacelles", while the 4506 is equipped with them.
This would seem to be a "transition era" for the Old Look, as, not only were the roof "nacelles" being phased out, but the "square window" era was about to end, with the introduction of the new paired windowed design.
By this time, too, the familiar vent just above the destination sign was already commonplace.......
John
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Sat Jan 01, 2011 9:14 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee

Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 29725 Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee

Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 29725 Location: NEW JOISEY
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