The Plymouth pipe used by Lee Van Cleef in "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" as "Angel Eyes"

[SeanM456]

Hello!

As some of you may already know, a few days ago I started going public with Lee Van Cleefs pipes from "For A Few Dollars More" and "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly".

For years, it was heavily debated on what pipe Lee smoked in both films, and I get to put the debate to rest. Many people guessed that based off the shape, and other characteristics, that the GBU pipe was either a Wellington, or a Peterson. As it turns out, it's neither, it is a Plymouth from France.

Before I'm even asked, since I already mentioned this in another forum, I obtained this pipe, as well as others directly from his family.

I have gone through the trouble to point out the markings, and go ahead and screen capture from the films it was used in. It was first used by Lee in "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" in 1966, and then was used in "Barquero" in 1970, then "The Grand Duel" in 1972.

All things match the screen. The pipes markings, the wood grain, the coloration, everything. There are two very deep scuffs/scratches in the side of the bowl, that must have happened around 1972 while filming "The Grand Duel". It happened during the filming of the film because there are scenes in the film where the scratches are there, and some where they are not, and it's no doubt the same pipe.

I hope this forum is much kinder then the other I originally posted them in, and I hope you all enjoy.

I will make a post regarding the Vienna Meerschaum that Lee used in "For A Few Dollars More" later.

 

[SeanM456]

"The Grand Duel" screen captures, as well as the screen-matching of the two deep scratches, and marking to "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

 

[Steddy]

Wow! All of this is, from your picture of hanging out with Clint Eastwood to receiving the pipes from the family, is pretty cool. Jealous I am not. Thanks for sharing this in our little corner of the pipe world.

Have you smoked them?

 

[SeanM456]

Wow! All of this is, from your picture of hanging out with Clint Eastwood to receiving the pipes from the family, is pretty cool. Jealous I am not. Thanks for sharing this in our little corner of the pipe world.

Have you smoked them?

You're welcome!

I have not and will not smoke out of any of the film pipes. I get the novelty of doing so, but I can't help but feel that leaving them untouched is better for the history and authenticity of the pipes.

It just feels appropriate to me that the last person to smoke them was Lee himself.

I have smoked one bowl of "Philosopher" by Tinder Box, one of his favorites, out of one of his straight stemmed meerschaums from his personal collection before though, just to see what it would have been like.

 

[VDL_Piper]

Well as a lover of spaghetti westerns and also LVC I have to say this is a holy grail and I’m thrilled they have landed in the hands of someone who will love them but also take the time to share them with us. Enjoy Lee’s and now your pipes in good health and I now need to watch the movies again, like I need another excuse and I shall eagerly await the Meerschaum reveal.

 

[B.Lew]

 

[telescopes]

Delighted to see those pics posted here for posterity. One of the last great lingering questions. Settled.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Thanks for sharing these here.
It’s amusing the one comment that particularly questioned the veracity of them came from a member that complains this forum to be more contentious than the rest
Don’t sweat the small stuff.

The true brand of LVC’s briar being finally known I is huge, thanks for that. That’s a particularly interesting bit it has-very cool.

Enjoy them in good health (I’d be smoking them out shooting my 45 wheelguns every chance I could, but I get your choice!)

 

[pitchfork]

This is terrific. I love those movies. Thanks for posting.

 

[anotherbob]

that's cool. I assume you're not a pipe smoker, it doesn't matter. We have members that don't smoke at all.
That's so cool. I love that they're real pipes and not prop pipes. I.e. they're not only been used in movies but are daily use pipes.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Thanks for sharing here.

Some questions are answered, it's nice to see current, actual photos of the pipes and no doubt meaningful to many.

 

[BigR]

Thanks for sharing the pictures and info. I've seen a lot of movies with Lee Van Cleef in them. Cool photo of you and Eastwood. I'd love to meet Clint Eastwood. He's one of my favorite actors.

 

[agnosticpipe]

What I find interesting about your sharing this info with us is that you've introduced a pipe brand that I had no idea even existed. I wonder how the producers or anyone involved in these movies decided on the Plymouth brand when similar looking pipes by Peterson or Wellington are far more common? Maybe it was someone involved with the movies personal pipe and they said hey, just use that pipe. Anyway, thanks for sharing the info and pics!

 

[Pipeandapencil]

Based on the caking I would guess these were more than just movie props, which makes them even better. Do you have any other LVC personal pipes you picked up from the family? Movie pipes are cool, but I bet people on the forum (and me) would appreciate seeing his daily users too.

 

[SeanM456]

What I find interesting about your sharing this info with us is that you've introduced a pipe brand that I had no idea even existed. I wonder how the producers or anyone involved in these movies decided on the Plymouth brand when similar looking pipes by Peterson or Wellington are far more common? Maybe it was someone involved with the movies personal pipe and they said hey, just use that pipe. Anyway, thanks for sharing the info and pics!

It was Lees personal pipe that he brought on set and used in the film. In all his films he used ones from his personal collection.

 

[SeanM456]

Based on the caking I would guess these were more than just movie props, which makes them even better. Do you have any other LVC personal pipes you picked up from the family? Movie pipes are cool, but I bet people on the forum (and me) would appreciate seeing his daily users too.

Yes, they were from his personal collection, and smoked in his daily life as well as in films.

I have a few more film pipes, including both his pipes from "Mean Frank and Crazy Tony", a fun little mob film. One is a Sasieni, and one is a Savinelli. I will make posts about these at some point.

As far as personal pipes that didn't get screen time, I have a few. A Stanwell, a baby Wellington, a straight stemmed meerschaum, a Ropp La Montagnarde, and a mini Ropp 939. I can make a post showing these as well.

 

[Briarcutter]

Yes, they were from his personal collection, and smoked in his daily life as well as in films.

Thank you for sharing these. I have a question if I may. How do you think this went over with the director, or whoever is in charge? What I mean is, he probably only had one pipe of any particular style, he may have shot many scenes with that pipe, then something happens to the pipe mid shooting, lost stolen,broken.....what would they do then? Not many are sticklers for details but many pipe enthusiasts would notice. I've heard for some props they have several of the exact same for such instances.

 

[SeanM456]

Thank you for sharing these. I have a question if I may. How do you think this went over with the director, or whoever is in charge? What I mean is, he probably only had one pipe of any particular style, he may have shot many scenes with that pipe, then something happens to the pipe mid shooting, lost stolen,broken.....what would they do then? Not many are sticklers for details but many pipe enthusiasts would notice. I've heard for some props they have several of the exact same for such instances.

I could only speculate with the answer of course.

I believe Leone embraced him with using his pipes during filming. Since he was an avid smoker, the pipe added character and also, there probably wasn't a need for smoke breaks lol.

He did have two meerschaums that he used. My best guess was because meerschaum tends to be fragile and can shatter on impact, which I was recently told by a pipe collector. It is interesting that he used both during filming, I would have thought Leone would have picked up on that, but honestly, I think it was a small detail he wouldn't have cared about though.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Yes, they were from his personal collection, and smoked in his daily life as well as in films.

I have a few more film pipes, including both his pipes from "Mean Frank and Crazy Tony", a fun little mob film. One is a Sasieni, and one is a Savinelli. I will make posts about these at some point.

As far as personal pipes that didn't get screen time, I have a few. A Stanwell, a baby Wellington, a straight stemmed meerschaum, a Ropp La Montagnarde, and a mini Ropp 939. I can make a post showing these as well.

You might want to get the freeze frame ready—the Ropp La Montagnarde might’ve been used in Death Rides a Horse.

 

[SeanM456]

You might want to get the freeze frame ready—the Ropp La Montagnarde might’ve been used in Death Rides a Horse.

He used the same Ropp La Montagnarde in both "Death Rides a Horse" and "The Magnificent Seven Ride!"

Unlike the other film pipes I have, I have not been able to definitively match it to the screen.

Interestingly enough, it is the only one the family had. It does appear that some components have been restored/replaced, but I would imagine it happened during Lees lifetime. The wooden piece in the center is broken on it currently, I think that had happened one time before too, leading for a replacement stem. The bowl itself where it connects to that wooden piece looks like it had work done too.

I can make a post about it.