mini de villes in FILMS
"SHOT IN THE DARK"
A colour film released in 1964, starring Peter Sellers and Elke Sommer produced and directed by Blake Edwards.
The film sees Sellers play the bungling Inspector Jacques Clouseau and driving A Radford Mini de Ville with wicker-work sides. There are quite a few good shots of the car although it seems that three differant cars were used all being L.H.D.
The film is available on video as a double feature with another Clouseau film 'The Pink Panther' .
The Radford Mini de Ville that was used for the majority of the filming still exists. it was shipped back from America in 1994 and now resides in the 'Car of the Stars Museum' Cumbria, England.
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"ADAM ADAMANT LIVES!"
A twenty nine part black and white television series produced and screened by the BBC, first shown in June 1966 and starred Gerald Harper and Juliet Harmer.
Adamant a Victorian gentleman adventurer frozen in a block of ice in 1902 is brought back to live sixty four years later to turn up in the swinging sixties, his mode of transport is a Radford Mini de Ville GT with the registration mark 'AA 1000'. In the second episode titled 'Death has a Thousand Faces' the car figures promptly along the Golden Mile at Blackpool.
The car appears in other episodes although only the first and second are available on video, the film is of poor quality but all the cars features are clearly visible.
The car is still around today and was offered for sale in May 1998.
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"MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR"
This highly criticised colour film was produced by the Beatles. The right to screen the film were acquired by the BBC and screened by them on the 26th December 1967 in black and white, although re-sreened again in January 1968 this time in colour.
The film starred the Beatles and sees them join a party of day trippers for a crazy motor coach journey to the seaside. During the trip a marathon race takes place and George Harrison and John Lennon ues Harrison's psychedelic painted Radford Mini de Ville to take part.
The Mini is filmed driving round in the race at West Milling Aerodrome, Kent, it is only seen for a few frames but shows some good details of the car. The film is available on video having been released twice both in colour.
George Harrison still owns the car today and has just had it rebuilt including the murals and it made an appearance at Goodwood in June 1998.
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As well as the above films Radford Mini de Villes appeared in the News Reels of the time.
7th October 1965 - Peter Sellers and his then wife Britt Ekland appered driving though a cake at Radford showrooms for the launch of the Mini de Ville GT.
1st August 1967 - Marianne Faithful arrived at the law courts in her duo-tone Radford Minide Ville for Mick Jagger's appeal against his drug sentence.
28th August 1967 - John Lennon arrives at the Apple Studios in his Radford Mini de Ville hatchback after hearing of the death of the Beatles manager Brian Epstein.