CivilWarTalk Throwback Thursday, 3 - 10 - 2022

[James N.]

Since we are now at the anniversary of the March, 8-9, 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads between the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (former USS Merrimac) I thought it appropriate for this week's Throwback Thursday to revisit the conflict as filmed for the 1991 Turner Classic movie Ironclads. Filmed on a series of James River plantations outside Richmond as well as locations within the city itself, this made-for-TV movie was for a time a staple on the network but has since disappeared; I don't think it's even available on DVD. These are Polaroid shots taken for continuity by the film's wardrobe and/or makeup departments showing above several of the "captins" (including of course Yours Truly at left), actually deck officers of the Union steam frigate USS Congress, and below after-battle damage. Photos like this are routinely made in case it's necessary to "match" our appearance in a subsequent shot.
For more about the production please see:

Turner Broadcasting Network's 1991 "Ironclads" | Non-Fiction History of the Civil War

Before there was Gods and Generals... Before there was Gettysburg... Heck, even before there was Andersonville... There was - IRONCLADS! Since this title for some reason seems to be unavailable on DVD, probably few now remember it, but it was for a short time a staple of Ted Turner's...

civilwartalk.com

Anyone else having (preferably) old Civil War-related photos, mementoes, or memorabilia from reenactments, living history or other events or vacation or other travel that they would like to share with us is welcome and encouraged to do so in this weekly thread!

 

[Kurt G]

View attachment 434534

Since we are now at the anniversary of the March, 8-9, 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads between the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (former USS Merrimac) I thought it appropriate for this week's Throwback Thursday to revisit the conflict as filmed for the 1991 Turner Classic movie Ironclads. Filmed on a series of James River plantations outside Richmond as well as locations within the city itself, this made-for-TV movie was for a time a staple on the network but has since disappeared; I don't think it's even available on DVD. These are Polaroid shots taken for continuity by the film's wardrobe and/or makeup departments showing above several of the "captins" (including of course Yours Truly at left), actually deck officers of the Union steam frigate USS Congress, and below after-battle damage. Photos like this are routinely made in case it's necessary to "match" our appearance in a subsequent shot.
For more about the production please see:

Turner Broadcasting Network's 1991 "Ironclads" | Non-Fiction History of the Civil War

Before there was Gods and Generals... Before there was Gettysburg... Heck, even before there was Andersonville... There was - IRONCLADS! Since this title for some reason seems to be unavailable on DVD, probably few now remember it, but it was for a short time a staple of Ted Turner's...

civilwartalk.com

View attachment 434535

Anyone else having (preferably) old Civil War-related photos, mementoes, or memorabilia from reenactments, living history or other events or vacation or other travel that they would like to share with us is welcome and encouraged to do so in this weekly thread!

I had no idea you were in that one too.

 

[James N.]

I had no idea you were in that one too.

It was a lot of fun although I only got to work on it a week or so. We filmed mainly battle or crowd scenes both on location and inside a huge warehouse where the ship interiors had been built. It was definitely a low-budget project but one that was very interesting when seeing how something like this was made. I also got to spend some quality off-time wandering around downtown Richmond before it was destroyed by the current PC crowd.