Gibson F-model in 1940 movie, "Second Chorus"

[Red Henry]

Folks, I've just seen an F-model mandolin in a 1940 movie: "Second Chorus," starring Fred Astaire, Paulette Goddard, and Artie Shaw. The instrument resembles an F-10, but with block inlays and possibly an elevated fretboard (it's on-screen several times, but it's hard to make out many details). Has anyone else in the group noticed this mandolin? And what model is it? Could it be one of the very rare pre-war F-12s?

[allenhopkins]

Vid of the movie:

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Mandolin shows up around 50:00. playing Beautiful Dreamer. Sunburst, block inlays, flowerpot...

Also, check out the balalaika/domra ensemble around 45:00; pretty hot mandolin (?) track...

[Red Henry]

To me, the mandolin's peghead inlay looks like the inlay on an F-10, which is different from either a fern or a flowerpot. Does anyone else see it that way?

[Tom C]

I saw and posted a thread about this movie a year or 2 ago. Maybe it's embedded in another thread. Search engine gives back too many results to start looking for it.

[barney 59]

I like the part at about 57:00 where she carries it in like it's a club! Later it gets hidden in a drawer when the guy threatens to play it!

[journeybear]

I got a kick out of the scenes around 43:00-44:00 in Artie Shaw's office, in which between phone calls he's tootling on a black ocarina-like item. That looks like a Tonette, whose wondrous existence I was introduced to in fifth grade - my first instrument. I used to wail on this wee plastic beastie. So much so that my mom got me some recorder lessons - the only training on music theory I ever received. A fair amount of that stuck with me, including staff notation and sight-reading, so when she tried string instruments on me a few years later, I had had a bit of a head start. And the rest is history ...

And will probably stay there, too. I checked ebay a couple years ago, and Tonettes were a good bit more pricey than I had expected. And for what was probably a $2 POS back in the day. :disbelief: So it goes ... :(

[Rush Burkhardt]

I agree, Red! F-10! It looks like it has metal buttons on the tuners which were found sometimes in the mid-30's, I believe. Don't remember the name of the inlay patter: not standard flower pot, fern or fleur-de-lis. Might be "a two-spout teapot thereunder and below that two floral lower case “f” shapes with a dot in between"
:popcorn:

[mrmando]

Also, check out the balalaika/domra ensemble around 45:00; pretty hot mandolin (?) track...
There's a Russian folk ensemble in Patton, too ... but they're only shot from the back!

[Hendrik Ahrend]

Haven't checked the movie, but from the description (metal buttons, unusual inlay), I believe the mando in question is an F7. Some F7s had fleur de lis inlay, though. The image is from Mando Bros.:
121820

That kind of inlay appeared on F7s, F10s and F12s in the mid '30s.

[Rush Burkhardt]

By Jove, I think you've got it! Looking farther, the F-10 and F-12 in the 30's seemed to have a bit of a Florida, while the fingerboard of the F-7 was cut straight across! Put enough heads together, and...
:popcorn:

[jefflester]

I saw and posted a thread about this movie a year or 2 ago. Maybe it's embedded in another thread. Search engine gives back too many results to start looking for it.

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?75749-Mando-siting-Second-Chorus-1940&highlight=fred+astaire+chorus

[Ken Waltham]

Definatly an F7. Metal buttons, square fingerboard. It does have the vase/curlicue peghead inlay, not totally unknown, but, the block inlay is a refret ( read new fingerboard) I would say.

[Paul Kotapish]

There have been several discussions about that movie and mandolin in the past, including this one (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?106725-know-of-any-fictional-mandolinists/page3&highlight=Butterworth), where I misidentified the instrument as an F-5. I think the consensus in that thread was that it was an F-7.

121839

[Red Henry]

Very fine: an F-7 with replaced block-inlay fretboard. I knew we had enough interested experts on this list to figure out what the instrument was! Thanks to all who participated.