LSU Tiger Posted February 17, 2020 Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 I was thinking of an old prison riot movie. After some internet searches, I found the picture was called "The Big House," from 1930 starring Wallace Beery. I found some stills and in one, Beery is holding a Thompson with an unusual sighting tube attached to the barrel. Has anyone seen this before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohawk64 Posted February 17, 2020 Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 I have seen the movie. Interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldtrooper Posted February 17, 2020 Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 I was more distracted by the odd angle of his drum magazine .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gijive Posted February 17, 2020 Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 I was thinking of an old prison riot movie. After some internet searches, I found the picture was called "The Big House," from 1930 starring Wallace Beery. I found some stills and in one, Beery is holding a Thompson with an unusual sighting tube attached to the barrel. Has anyone seen this before?Only in that movie still that was posted here many years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin601 Posted February 17, 2020 Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 I will bet that it does have a history of use in a prison. Perhaps using the "Shotshells" . I would think Wall Guard use the Spray and Pray tactic.Just a thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R67 Posted February 18, 2020 Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 Looks like someone forced the drum mag into the mag well improperly. Maybe they used a hammer to "persuade" the drum into the rails on the upper reciever while the lower locking lug did not engage. That could have bent the drum lips. The sight looks like a piece of tube someone strapped to the barrel to simulate a "gangster" modification to the gun. This whole thing reeks of movie prop amateurs trying to play with a gun they knew little about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The1930sRust Posted February 18, 2020 Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 Gas-tube blowback blank adapter... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmagee1917 Posted February 18, 2020 Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 20 power sniper scope to take out someone climbing over the west wall from the east wall .Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colt21a Posted February 18, 2020 Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 Shadow of the picture and lighting. The drum is in perfectly. and it functioned on the set. i have the original movie still Promo items from it, signed from that picture. Sold them to a buddy and sold him the gun to,Which i owned also. "The Big House"June 1930 It went from a 21a to a 21ac later on.And from a blank shooter to a live fire. RON K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk VII Posted February 18, 2020 Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 What is probably the same one can be seen in the Laurel & Hardy prison movie, 'Pardon Us'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colt21a Posted February 18, 2020 Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 Yes the gun was also used in Never So Few and Bataan. Robert Taylor,I had talked with one of the M.G.M prop guys who was still kicking about much of that around 1989.Thompson History so much of it... And great to look back.RON K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelkih Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 The drum is in fine. Its the angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
full auto 45 Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Gas-tube blowback blank adapter... I think Rusty is right. It does look attached to the actuator. I would like to find that apparatus today, if it exists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin601 Posted February 21, 2020 Report Share Posted February 21, 2020 Maybe something a prop man saw at a prison, or something Tacticool at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brick Davis Posted February 25, 2020 Report Share Posted February 25, 2020 (edited) Keith White addressed this very strange device on the Thompson SMG Collectors and Enthusiats (Worldwide) Facebook group: "When I make a mistake, I don't mind owning up to it. When I penned the chapter on Hollywood movie Thompsons for Tracie Hill's book, THOMPSON: The American Legend, I made the assertion that Wallace Berry used a TSMG fitted with a telescopic sight in the 1930 crime drama, "The Big House." Further, I wrote that this same gun appeared in, "The Doorway To Hell," (1930) and, "Pardon Us," (1931). On this page, Mr. Dave Taylor and Mr. Judah brown both took me to task on this subject. They insisted it was a blank firing device. Not a scope.They were right. I was wrong. It was some sort of piston which converted the submachine gun from a delayed blowback into a gas operated weapon. The rear of the piston was attached to the actuator. I assume that a hole was drilled into the top of the barrel, creating a port which allowed expanding gases to enter the tube, forcing the piston rearwards. As the pressure dissipated, the recoil spring threw the bolt forward. I'm sure that some studio gunsmith at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (Or Stembridge Gun Rentals) was proud of himself for devising this method for getting the Thompson submachine gun to cycle with blank ammunition. However, I am, oh, so very glad that the dream merchants didn't rest on their laurels and kept working on the problem until they found a much less obtrusive blank adaptor for the movie Tommy gun!"For anybody who might note how I improperly formatted that quote: I would have put it in a block quote but I couldn't figure out how to efficiently do so in this forum. Edited February 25, 2020 by Brick Davis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R67 Posted February 25, 2020 Report Share Posted February 25, 2020 This is super interesting. I bet that would have been very hard wearing on the fragile 1921 actuator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSU Tiger Posted February 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2020 I knew someone here would have the definitive answer. Thanks, Brick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brick Davis Posted February 26, 2020 Report Share Posted February 26, 2020 All thanks should go to Mr. White. His Facebook group is full of useful information. If you have FB, I'd recommend joining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSU Tiger Posted February 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2020 All thanks should go to Mr. White. His Facebook group is full of useful information. If you have FB, I'd recommend joining. I've searched FB, but I can't find the group. Could you PM a link? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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