What's your favorite movie knife

The Outsiders:



Johnny's Switchblade was thought to be a prop, but I don't think it was.

Johnny's switchblade was real. It'a a German "Springer" lever lock "shell-puller". It is one of THE most discussed, debated, and studied switchblades among vintage switchblade enthusiasts (and fans of the movie). The model/type is also one of the most sought after by collectors specifically because of their fondness for the movie.

Although I don't share such interests, I did do my best at one time to research the knife. Below is the best close-up screen shot I could ever get of the knife showing the tang stamp, which likely reads "Made In Germany". If it was a prop, I don't believe the maker would have bothered to add a tang stamp, particularly since the only way you can see it is if you freeze the frame at just the right second, zoom in, and have high-def. Also, since many such knives have been made, by a variety of German knife makers, it really wouldn't make sense for the prop guys to make one from scratch. They are rather complicated knives.

Above the tang stamp, on the ground portion of the blade, there is something etched or engraved, letters?, numbers?, a detail that is also much discussed and debated. No one knows exactly what it is since it's not common on German springer switchblades.

There are also many guesses regarding who the German maker is, but I have never seen definitive proof, nor have I ever found one with an identical tang stamp.

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Johnny's switchblade was real. It'a a German "Springer" lever lock "shell-puller". It is one of THE most discussed, debated, and studied switchblades among vintage switchblade enthusiasts (and fans of the movie). The model/type is also one of the most sought after by collectors specifically because of their fondness for the movie.

Although I don't share such interests, I did do my best at one time to research the knife. Below is the best close-up screen shot I could ever get of the knife showing the tang stamp, which likely reads "Made In Germany". If it was a prop, I don't believe the maker would have bothered to add a tang stamp, particularly since the only way you can see it is if you freeze the frame at just the right second, zoom in, and have high-def. Also, since many such knives have been made, by a variety of German knife makers, it really wouldn't make sense for the prop guys to make one from scratch. They are rather complicated knives.

Above the tang stamp, on the ground portion of the blade, there is something etched or engraved, letters?, numbers?, a detail that is also much discussed and debated. No one knows exactly what it is since it's not common on German springer switchblades.

There are also many guesses regarding who the German maker is, but I have never seen definitive proof, nor have I ever found one with an identical tang stamp.

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Thank you killgar!
 
The Starship Troopers specimen still eludes me, too. I'm convinced I saw that pattern prior to the movie, minus serrations, either sold as a throwing knife in a catalog or most likely as one of the prizes from the ring toss at the county fair. Either way, it was probably a junk import, or based on one.

Purely by chance, I saw one of these today, it's a Cold Steel True Flight throwing knife. I'm not convinced that the movie knife is one of these, but they are very similar. So perhaps they modified a CS True Flight, or maybe it's a different brand and model altogether.

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I forgot, The Revenant, some made by Mike Mann of Idaho Knife Works, and by Matt Lesniewski of ML Knives. Not sure if another maker did so as well.
Is there a particular knife from there that you like?

N2s
 
Crocodile Dundee and 1st Rambo. All others are way below them in importance, for me. In these two the knife became a character of the movie, rather than just a prop. They are cool, big and loud and iconic. Even non-knife people will remember/know/recognise these two knives, whereas the rest are usually only noted by knife enthusiasts. I remember children talking and wanting these, but do not remember any others being discussed widely.
 
Crocodile Dundee and 1st Rambo. All others are way below them in importance, for me. In these two the knife became a character of the movie, rather than just a prop. They are cool, big and loud and iconic. Even non-knife people will remember/know/recognise these two knives, whereas the rest are usually only noted by knife enthusiasts. I remember children talking and wanting these, but do not remember any others being discussed widely.
I would argue that the Iron Mistress came first.

N2s
 
Crocodile Dundee and 1st Rambo. All others are way below them in importance, for me. In these two the knife became a character of the movie, rather than just a prop. They are cool, big and loud and iconic. Even non-knife people will remember/know/recognise these two knives, whereas the rest are usually only noted by knife enthusiasts. I remember children talking and wanting these, but do not remember any others being discussed widely.

"THE" most famous! 😉

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Actually, not sure which one is more famous... 🤔
 
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