Rebel without a Cause picklock

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Panzerfaust
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Rebel without a Cause picklock

Post by Panzerfaust »

Buzz's picklock has solid white scales on both sides. I've never seen a 1950s stiletto that has solid white handles. Has anyone else? Too bad it's not possible to get a close up of the tang stamp.
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Rebel without a Cause picklock

Post by Bill DeShivs »

It was probably rehandled by the prop department.
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XBMX
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Re: Rebel without a Cause picklock

Post by XBMX »

My first new auto was from a flea market late 1950's pure white scales just like photo.
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JulesVane
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Re: Rebel without a Cause picklock

Post by JulesVane »

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JulesVane
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Re: Rebel without a Cause picklock

Post by JulesVane »

Assuming the knife in the OP were open and empty well is facing us, that would make the button side up on that white knife. Not the clearest photo, but I don't see a button at all. Where the scale meets the bolster doesn't look flush at all, like they would have been in the 50's. Lord only knows what prop he's actually holding there.

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Killgar
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Re: Rebel without a Cause picklock

Post by Killgar »

The white handled one looks real to me. At 1:05 in the video below you can see Buzz fire the knife, and at 1:14 you can see what looks like the edge of the button under his thumb. It helps if you slow down the speed to .5 and go to full screen.

Here's the video of the "fight". And just to give my opinion, it's one of the dumbest "knife fights" I've ever seen. Silly Hollywood, even in the 50's. Or maybe teenagers back then were really that dumb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZeBmifx05c
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Tom19176
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Re: Rebel without a Cause picklock

Post by Tom19176 »

After watching the video, I agree the white horn handle is real. Not sure it was modified or not.
gravknife
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Re: Rebel without a Cause picklock

Post by gravknife »

What a time it must of been back then in America to be growing up in the mid 50s ,with the cars ,bikes and plentiful picklocks ,I love these old film's from that time .

There were probably a few knives used on set for the fight imho ,both real and props but it looks like a real white horn picklock to me at the start of the fight on the clip.

Poor film makers didn't know they would have switchblade obsessed collectors armed with pause and freeze frame buttons on devices 65 years on . :)

Thanks for sharing it
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Panzerfaust
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Re: Rebel without a Cause picklock

Post by Panzerfaust »

Real picklocks were used for the fight scene. I'm not saying it isn't horn but I have never seen horn that is that bright of a white color. I know horn can age but the examples I have seen were more of an off-white/tan color. I don't think they were originally bright, solid white. I've never owned one but I know there are a few pre-ban picklocks out there with black plastic handles. Maybe there were also some made with white. When I first saw the film on VHS in 1985, I thought it had pearl scales because I had an eight-inch swivel bolster with imitation mother of pearl scales. I can clearly see they are not pearl, but I didn't know anything about picklocks then and didn't even know they were called picklocks!
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Rebel without a Cause picklock

Post by Bill DeShivs »

I have seen an Italian picklock with white plastic scales, so it's possible.
It's also possible they just painted it white for effect.
A couple of shots of the white knife look like it's a square button knife-others make me sure it's not.
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Panzerfaust
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Re: Rebel without a Cause picklock

Post by Panzerfaust »

Bill DeShivs wrote: Fri May 12, 2023 5:49 am I have seen an Italian picklock with white plastic scales, so it's possible.
It's also possible they just painted it white for effect.
A couple of shots of the white knife look like it's a square button knife-others make me sure it's not.
That's the best theory I have heard. As many of these knives as you have handled, if you've never seen solid white horn, that tells me the scales either were not horn or were painted to make that stiletto look different. That would have been very easy for the prop department to do.
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Panzerfaust
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Re: Rebel without a Cause picklock

Post by Panzerfaust »

Here's another shot right after he fires it.
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jerryk25
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Re: Rebel without a Cause picklock

Post by jerryk25 »

I have a really white 11 inch tilt bolster . . .real horn. '
but you can see the cream color in it also.

I don't know if I can access it for a photo op.
It's boxed up and down a flight of steps.
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