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	Minors In The Media
	Morris Minors are trendy. They're different from your average Jappa, and they're generally thought of as harmless, economical, cute little cars driven by little old ladies. They're also appearing in more and more TV commercials, movies and magazines. This page highlights the Many Media Moments of the Mighty Morris Minor. (sorry about that, I couldn't resist!)   Television Programmes Programme Name Date(s) Appearance Details "Some Mothers Do Have 'Em" Starring - Michael Crawford 1973-78 Frank Spencer (Crawford), bumbling well-meaning husband, drives a Minor 1000 into frequent trouble! "Open All Hours" Starring - Ronnie Barker, David Jason 1973, 1976-85  Arkwright (Barker), a miserly stuttering shop keeper, is in love with buxom District Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, who drives a Minor 1000 2-door on her house-calls. "George and Mildred" Starring - Brian Murphy, Yootha Joyce 1976-79 George and Mildred go on holiday in their trusty Sky Blue Minor 1000. "The Climber" 1983 Harry Lumsden borrows a friend's Minor to learn to drive in. After only a couple of episodes, Harry passes his test in the Minor and then promptly prangs it only a few yards away from the test centre. The Minor was bodged up but sadly was written out of any further episodes. "Lovejoy" 1980's Lovejoy is an art collector/salesman, played by Ian McShane, who gets into all sorts of troubles and adventures in his daily life. And his chosen mode of transport? A Morris Minor convertible, called 'Miriam', of course. Click here for more info. "Die Verbrechen des Professor Capellari" (The Crimes of Professor Cepellari) Starring - Friedrich von Thun   Professor Capellari is not the criminal, but a 60 year old, white-haired professor of criminologist from Munich who repeatedly gets involved in crime and murder. Minor Maniac, Axel Vierkoetter, wrote to the TV company (ZDF = Second German Television), and 3 days later received this photo showing Prof Capellari in his LHD Traveller. The woman on the passenger´s seat is a Police officer, and by accident Prof Capellari always gets involved in her cases. He drives a LHD Trafalgar Blue Morris Minor Traveller. Apart from non-period alloy wheels it is a very nice car, indeed. There have been about 10 episodes, in one of these the Traveller was seriously damaged on a mountain road when persuing some criminals. Alex's personal hobby are "Morris Minors", he has two of them, a 1966 2-Door-Saloon and a 1968 Traveller, both of them Trafalgar Blue. Click here for more info. German website Thanks to Axel Vierkoetter from Roesrath, Germany   Television Commercials Product Date(s) Appearance Details ASB Bank, New Zealand 1994 - 1998 Yellow Minor 1000 Convertible, driven by a Yellow robot (it looks like Kryten from Red Dwarf). In one advert the Minor morphs into a space-age vehicle showing how the bank can change your old accounts into flash new ones! McDonald's, New Zealand 1997 - 1998 A happy little jingle that says that Kiwis eat McDonald's in their Minor Convertibles. Olympus Tyres, Australia 1998? Yellow van, presumably fited with the said Olympus tyres. (From a memeber of the Nepean district Morris Minor Car Club, Australia)   Movies Movie Title Date Appearance Details "Meet the Feebles" Directed by Peter Jackson 1989 Imagine the Muppets gone seriously wrong! MTF is a black comedy puppet movie with sex, drugs, violence, revenge, adultery, murder, you-name-it. The head honcho drives a black Minor limosine (stretched to over 20 feet long), and all other cars on the road are Minors too. "The Borrowers" Starring - John Goodman  1997 Set 'somewhere Britain, at no particular time', Minors are the only cars used in street scenes, supposedly because they are 'typically British'. "Austin Powers - International Man of Mystery" Starring - Mike Myers 1997 Austin Powers is "a kind of one-man combination of Andy Warhol, James Bond and the Beatles. He's a bon vivant fashion photographer and pop culture icon by day, and a secret agent by night". Minors are used to help 'set the scene' as a 1960's Caranaby Street in London. Check out Rick Feibusch's Minors and his work on the film at CarsAndCulture "Shadowlands" Starring - Anthony Hopkins 1996 Hopkins takes his girlfriend for a ride in an early lowlight saloon "Thunderball" Starring - Sean Connery 1965 After one of his daring moves - James Bond (Connery) is driven back to his hotel in a white tourer. The car belongs to 'Pinder', played by Earl Cameron, one of Bond's MI6 contacts in Nassau. "Bad Taste" Directed by Peter Jackson 1988 The Minor stars when a charity collector is chased by aliens who have taken control of a small New Zealand town to collect human meat for their fast food chain. The collector jumps into his trustie Minor and being a classic automobile it wouldn't start. But while he is trying to start this classic the knife wielding alien gets closer and closer. He tries to close the window but it is stubborn and is very tight. He just about gets it closed when the alien reaches the car, jamming the alien's hand in the window. The car finally bursts into life and the charity collector drives off. But the Morrie lacks the power to escape with any speed. With the pedal flat to the floor, the alien's hand still in the window, the Minor dragging this alien along at jogging speed the driver realises that he has not disengaged the handbrake! He does this and the Minor takes off. The alien releases his hand from the window and grabs the bumper bar but it must have been rusty (like all good Minors) and it comes off in his hand. The charity collector escapes to knock on another door. "Shine" Starring - Geoffrey Rush 1996 A movie about a concert pianist/genius who has a rather uninhibited style, despite the total rigidity of his upbringing. There are some great shots of a blue woody in great shape, with the nutcase hero leaning out of it with glee. "Nuts in May" Starring - Alison Steadman, Mike Leigh 1982 Keith (Leigh) is stopped by a policeman who goes around the hapless Minor pointing out all its illegal defects. "Ghandi" Starring - Sir Richard Attenborough 1983 This may be a vicious rumour (I haven't seen the film for years) but word has it that a Minor appears in one scene, where it is blown up! Any confirmations of this sacreledge would be appreciated. "American Graffitti " There is a scene early on where you can see a Morris Minor and an Austin Healey Sprite cruising the strip side by side. (thanks to Dave Marshall) Skull Duggery Starring - Michael Caine 60's-70's A primitive race of Man/Ape is discovered and then exploited by Mr Caine. It was set in New Guinea and featured only for a minute or so a MM Low Light Tourer, which met their plane as it landed at an airfield. I remember the movie for the Morris Minor and definetly not because it was Mr. Caines finest cinematic triumphs (it was a very BAD movie.) (thanks to Oliver Borg, Brisbane, Australia) "Bless This House" Starring Sid James, Terry Scott and June Whitfield 1972 In the 1972 film of the TV series 'Bless This House', a very interesting minor appears. The Abbots Family (Sid James and co.) have a son called Mike (Played by Robun Askwith). He is a student aged young man who goes out to buy his first car. He comes back with a psychadelic coloured (every colour under the sun in various patterns) Morris Minor Convertible, which is the butt of many of the film's jokes. It is virtually falling apart and is quite significent in the plot. It's a great film (a must see even without the Moggie) and its one of the few films i know, where a Morris Minor takes centre stage (a bit like the minor version of the Italian Job). Needless to say, it comes in handy when many things go wrong in the household, which you would see if you saw the film. Remember this is the film version of the hit TV series, but a very funny movie adaption and great Minor appearance. (thanks to Vicky Bass) "Signs" Starring Mel Gibson 2002 Apparently in one scene you can make out the back half of a saloon. (thanks to David Wilson)   If you know of any other Minor appearances, then please let me know