Since publishing the article a few days ago about the final auction event to be held by Red Baron’s Antiques (see Red Baron Antiques Final “End of an Era” Auction September 27-28, 2008), prop collectors very familiar with the film 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea have provided some photos and observations related to the auction for the Nautilus model described as an “80″ Studio prop believed to be one of the submarines used in the 1954 movie“.
This is a link to the Red Baron auction listing: www.rbantiques.com
Below is the primary photo from the auction:
Below are additional photos from Red Baron:
Below are high resolution photos from the production, showing an original studio model, characterized as the “6-foot mystery sub model” which were “used for the missing ‘South Pole’ sequence from the film“:
These two photos are characterized as “the 22-foot deck/surface miniature“:
Note: I am personally not familiar with this film or the props, not having seen the film since I was young.
The collectors who provided these photos shared a number of observations, which I’ve summarized below. The observations relate to comparing the sub in the Red Baron auction photos to the sub in the “6-foot South Pole” model photos and “22-foot Deck/Surface” model photos:
- The ramming prongs do not appear to match when comparing the Red Baron model with the “6-foot South Pole” model.
- The aft hatch of the Red Baron model should be at an angle (as seen in the photo of the 22-foot miniature).
- There is a ladder on the wheelhouse of the Red Baron model but not the “6-foot South Pole” model.
- The section that holds the ramming prongs – that goes from the front ram point all the back to the tail section (and goes across the viewport) is a thin sheet of metal cut to shape & welded on. In actuality, this section was like a wedge – thin at the outside, but thicker & bulkier where it meets the sub’s hull.
- The Red Baron auction sub has a little figure of Capt. Nemo at the helm in the wheelhouse. The originals did not have any miniature figures in the Nautilus models.
I have cropped some of the original “6-foot South Pole” model images to compare more directly with the full shot of the Red Baron piece (top), but note that the Red Baron image has been flipped horizontally, for a more direct comparison:
Special thanks to the collectors who passed this information along to share with the readers of the blog. As noted, I am unfamiliar with the film and props used in the film, so this information is provided so that any interested parties can review it, conduct their own research, and come to their own conclusions. If anyone has any additional insights or observations, please feel free to contact me or post a Reader Comment below.
Jason De Bord