What's Upd Doc? - Plaid Overnight Case

[Exavior]

I am researching the plaid overnight case from the 1972 classic "What's Up Doc" in an attempt to obtain/make the perfect gift for a friend.

I have spent a fair bit of time scouring the depths of the internet for reference material, or history/information about the original prop, but have turned up little.

I figured I would turn to the RPF to see if anyone here has been down this path before, or has any information/references that may help in my quest.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

/Chris


Here are a few reference images I have so far.

 

[109court]

Exavior, I've been looking for this case for years. I'm a HUGE fan of the movie, and I always wanted one. I've looked everywhere for it. I figured if they were mass produced, one should be around somewhere. Finally, I got out the DVD and looked at the credits at the end. Props. A guy named Sal. I found him on Facebook. I sent him a message about six months ago, and a couple of days ago he finally answered. Here's what he said:

Plaid cases were originally a plain brown Vinyl case.
The night before shooting the Director changed his mind and decided he wanted something that would stand out more. The prop crew stayed up almost all night in the Property Masters hotel room with 77 spray and scissors making an unknown brand of cheap luggage Plaid

So....I researched the plaid. It looks like a "MacTavish" clan tartan. There are a few, so if you google it, you can tell. So it looks like I'm just going to have to find a similar bag and get out the scissors and "77" adheisive spray! Let me know if you find anything more out. I asked Sal what typically happens to old props, but he hasn't answered me yet. I contacted Warner Bros. a while back, but they didn't answer. Any you find out, too, please let me know! Jim

 

[Exavior]

Nice! Good work hunting down the prop guy. Guess we just need to find the make/model of the original vinyl case, or something super close.

 

[blaubaer]

i know this thread is rather old, but i was simply wondering whether or not you have found a vinyl case that's close to the original one. i was searching for a replica of the original case as well and stumbled upon this site - looks like there's a bit of tinkering involved. i thought this would be way easier. i'm just saying, after seeing this movie, everyone wants this case, right?

 

[fenderbaum2]

Haha, wow, this is great. And here I thought I was the only one who wanted one of these plaid case...

Sorry this is a reply to such an old thread... I, too, have been searching for this bag and came up with nothing. Now I know why... Thanks for the info ;-)

I also proceeded to make one myself. I bought a cheep used plastic (faux leather) brown overnight bag, retro style, and some plaid / scottish patern plastic foil. The self-adhesive back was not strong enough to hold on to the flexible bag, so I used some TEC7 high grade construction glue around the edges.

For the movie, I noticed they wrapped the material around the bottom of the cases as well, but I didn't do that, it looked better and it'll wear less on the model case I have...

This the one I made:


and now some igneous rock :-D

Cheers,

 

[quotationmark]

So glad this thread exists! I've been wanting to replicate this case for so many years.
I recently bought a brown vinyl weekender that'll do the trick.

As far as the plaid goes, 109court, I actually think it's Royal Stewart tartan -- not Mactavish. The colors are similar to Mactavish, but the Royal Stewart has the right spacing, with uninterrupted red squares.



Hope this is helpful for all your diamond/musical rock/top secret document/clothing carrying needs.

 

[109court]

Quotationmark, you are right! Royal Stewart Plaid. I hadn't given it much research, and then I did come across that one. Great work on the bags! Where did you get your bags, ebay?

 

[fenderbaum2]

I found my bag via ebay, in the U.K. I don't know what brand the one in the movie was, but mine looks close enough. Oddly enough, I don't know what brand mine is, either :-D It doesn't have any tags or brand identification... It was listed as vintage 70s faux leather overnight travel case...

 

[quotationmark]

Yeah, fenderbaum2, the shape of your bag looks perfect! Mine is missing those rings that connect the handles to the bag, but I also got it on ebay, with no brand info either.

 

[fenderbaum2]

Yeah, picking something that looks like it and going from there, is about as close as we're ever gonna get, I think ;-)

 

[Alan Cross]

I saw this movie when I was eleven or twelve years old. I had the time of my life. It remains one of my all time favorite childhood memories. Babs is awesome. And Ryan Oneal is just deadpan funny-perfect. That's why I love this site. I would never have thought of making a replica of the plaid cases. Very cool project.

 

[JimJJ]

Thank you all who have added to this thread! I have thought about the plaid case for 40 years and I know now I'm not the only one!!

 

[FuzzyMelon]

Hope this message finds everyone well!
Still looking just like everybody else! I am very surprised no one has commissioned one hundred or so of these yet and sold them for outrageous prices, lol!

 

[tofuju]

Ha! Here it is 2021, and nearly 50 years after the movie's release, I *still* want one. I have coveted it every time I've watched!

 

[zahnfra]

I want this sooooooooo bad!

 

[GeorgetheWoW]

I love this thread. if you want the full immersive experience go through airport security with a cpap machine in standard the grey case. I got mine mixed up with another woman's. A chase scene played out in my head.