On Friday night at the Chicago Show Rick Newcombe did a presentation of "Pipe Smoking in the Movies". What Rick did (or actually had his brother do) was create a presentation that featured about 25 clips from movies that featured a pipe smoking scene. I cannot begin to describe how enjoyable this was. Most of the clips were from the early 30's to the mid-50's.
Virtually all the clips featured one or more actors smoking their pipes and it was obvious that the smoker was an experienced pipe smoker. Several clips of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in three Sherlock Holmes clips, Spencer Tracy lighting his pipe by striking a match on the bottom of his shoe, Cary Grant, Bing Crosby (twice lights a match with his just his thumb, the incomparable Barry Fitzgerald in the "Quiet Man", Jimmy Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life" going down the street with his pipe firmly clenched as he's passing out newspapers announcing the return of his brother the war hero. and numerous others. Not all the pipers were well known but they knew hope to smoke a pipe and enjoy it.
Virtually all the clips featured one or more actors smoking their pipes and it was obvious that the smoker was an experienced pipe smoker. Several clips of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in three Sherlock Holmes clips, Spencer Tracy lighting his pipe by striking a match on the bottom of his shoe, Cary Grant, Bing Crosby (twice lights a match with his just his thumb, the incomparable Barry Fitzgerald in the "Quiet Man", Jimmy Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life" going down the street with his pipe firmly clenched as he's passing out newspapers announcing the return of his brother the war hero. and numerous others. Not all the pipers were well known but they knew hope to smoke a pipe and enjoy it.
