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.

 

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.
"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.

If you know of any other Minor appearances, then please let me know