MAC Forum

I am watching a 60s Bob Hope movie called "Call Me Bwana." He flew to Africa in a Lufthansa 707, registration D-ABOC which makes a non-stop flight directly to that continent, according to the arrival announcement, and the jet is shown landing. We see a baggage cart on which the name "Makuto" is painted. Bob Hope de-planes, but it is from a C-54 or DC-4 with round-peg-in-square-hole windows and "USAF" (?) painted under the wing! Also, we see passengers getting out of a Canadian Argus Britannia, complete with the old Canadian Red Ensign national flag on the tail fin. I thought these were strictly maritime patrol planes.

Hardly a blooper! Movies have always bungled up aviation sequences like this. Oftentimes they would take whatever is handy for ramp or embarcation/deembarcation shots. Any stock footage at hand was used.
That's an interesting set of aircraft, especially on the Argus; are you sure it wasn't just a Brittania?
"Makuto" seems to be a Hotel/Hostel in Granada, Spain.

I am not certain. The scene lasted just a short time. The plane had the bulge under the forward fuselage and the flag on the tail fin. I did not notice if the motors were radials or turboprops. If the former, it was certainly an Argus; the latter, certainly a Britannia.

The name was "Makuta" and not "Makuto." I typed it wrong initially!

See below:

20742
Canadair

CP-107
2
Argus

CL-28-2
33

first date: 31 October 1960 - Taken on strength

First used by No. 405 (MP) Squadron at RCAF Station Greenwood, NS. Used by No. 404 (MP) Squadron at Greenwood. Appeared briefly in the 1963 movie "Call Me Bwana", starring Bob Hope and Anita Ekberg. The aircraft was visiting RAF Station Northolt when part of the movie was being filmed there, and the Argus filled in as a Russian airliner. With No. 404 (MP) Squadron at Greenwood after Integration but before renumbering.

last date: 4 May 1970 - Renumbered, became Canadian Forces 10742

The above information is from the following web page:

http://rwrwalker.ca/RCAF_20710_20742_detailed.html

Makuta makes it in Botswana, which is more along the lines of the movie.
Indeed...why use an Argus, of all things? I suppose they needed a filler and used whatever was available at the nearest airport.

I suppose it looked exotic enough to pass as a Russian plane, along the lines of the Globemaster loaded with gold at Milan airport in the movie "Italian Job."