"Kilroy Was Here!"

I've been doing some reading about the origin of this phrase and found a few interesting references to our good friend Kilroy in some major films. I looked through my collections and I have three films which reference our pal Kilroy.



Films:

Kilroy Was Here [1947]
The whole film was named after the phenomenon of our old friend Kilroy. Plot Summary: Returning G.I. John J. Kilroy (Jackie Cooper), whose main ambition is to get a college education, finds himself one-half credit short for college entrance. Connie Harcourt (Wanda McKay) writes feature stories about him as "Kilroy,", the most talked about G.I. of the war, and is able to get him registered. Fraternity members grow dubious and attempt to make him withdraw from college.
Kilroy Was Here Movie Poster


On Our Merry Way [1948]
Kilroy purportedly appears on a beam under a band stand.
*still searching for screencaps

To Hell and Back [1955] x2
1:03:50 - When Audie Murphy and his squad storm the farmhouse, Kilroy can be seen on the far wall with the inscription "Kilroy was here". Then after the team goes upstairs, and Audie Murphy is startled by and shoot his own reflection, "Kilroy was here" can be seen written on the rear wall.
To Hell and Back 1 Kilroy 1
To Hell and Back 2 Kilroy 1
To Hell and Back 3 Kilroy 1
To Hell and Back 4 Kilroy 1
To Hell and Back 5 Kilroy 1
To Hell and Back 6 Kilroy 1
To Hell and Back 7 Kilroy 2
To Hell and Back 8 Kilroy 2
To Hell and Back 9 Kilroy 2

Kelly's Heroes [1970]
2:20:30 - In the final scene, when the US Captin enter the bank he discovers that it has already been cleared out. He also finds Kilroy on the far wall with the inscription "Up Yours Baby."
Kelly's Heroes 1
Kelly's Heroes 2
Kelly's Heroes 3
Kelly's Heroes 4
Kelly's Heroes 5
Kelly's Heroes 6

Patton [1970]
2:34:50 - Patton and his command team are standing beside their jeep alongside a road, while a long convoy of tanks, trucks and half-tracks is going by. One of the trucks has Kilroy painted on the right front door, with "Kilroy Is Here" painted on the right side panel.
Patton 1
Patton 2
Patton 3
Patton 4
Patton 5


Television:

Hound Hunters - Metro-Goldywn-Mayer
George, Junior
[original air date: 12 April, 1947]
Has a "Kilroy Was Here" reference.
Hound Hunters 1

Popeye And The Pirates - Famous Studios.
Popeye, Olive Oyl
[original air date: 12 September, 1947]
Has a scene where a skeleton opens and closes a chest on a ship. The words "Kilroy Was Here" is on the inside of the top of the chest.
Popeye And The Pirates 1
Popeye And The Pirates 2
Popeye And The Pirates 3

King-Size Canary - Metro-Goldywn-Mayer
Canary, Cat, Mouse, Dog
[original air date: 6 December, 1947]
Has a "Kilroy Was Here" reference in a can of sardines.
King-Size Canary 1
King-Size Canary 2
King-Size Canary 3
King-Size Canary 4
King-Size Canary 5

Haredevil Hare - Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc.
Bugs Bunny, Commander X-2 (Marvin Martian)
[original air date: 24 July, 1948]
Bugs is sent to the moon and is seen walking around. He says, "Anyway, I'm the first living creature to set foot on the moon." Then he spots a rock in front of him that says: "Kilroy was here"
Haredevil Hare 1

M*A*S*H - The Bus
#79 (G512), Season 4, Episode 7
[original air date: 17 October, 1975]
B.J. Hunnicutt peers out the widow of the bus, much like Kilroy. In response, Hawkeye inscribes "Kilroy" in the dust on the glass just below him.
M*A*S*H 1
M*A*S*H 2
M*A*S*H 3
M*A*S*H 4
M*A*S*H 5

Seinfeld - Good News, Bad News
Pilot, P-1, 101
[original air date: 5 July, 1989]
8:10 & 10:00, Kilroy on refrigerator.
Seinfeld 1
Seinfeld 2
Seinfeld 3

ReBoot - The Crimson Binome
#7, Season 1, Episode 7
[original air date: 7 January, 1995]
Among the graffiti on the wall in the hold of Captain Capacitor's ship is a drawing of Kilroy, with the text "You are here."

Home Improvement - No, No, Godot
#95 (A521), Season 4, Episode 21
[original air date: 21 March, 1995]
Tim and Al are arrested for scalping tickets; graffiti on the wall of their cell indicates Kilroy was there first.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Outcry
Season 6, Episode 5
[original air date 26 October, 2004]
About 20 minutes into the episode, Kilroy appears on a cork board behind the detectives.


PC Games:

Allied General [1996]
Kilroy appears at the upper menu at random times during the game along with the text "Kilroy was here."

Call of Duty: United Offensive [2004]
In the second level of the single player game called Crossroads, two soldiers engage in a discussion about our little friend.
CoD:UO 1

Counter-Strike: Source [October 7, 2004]
The Kilroy Was Here graffiti with Kilroy peeking over is provided as a 'spray' in the popular first-person shooters Counter-Strike: Source and Day Of Defeat: Source.
CS:Source 1

Return to Castle Wolfenstein [2001]
At the very beggining of the game in the prison cell Kilroy can be seen on the wall.
RtCW 1
RtCW 2
RtCW 3


Sightings:

Aboard the USS Salem Kilroy appears to commemorate his most likely birthplace, a Massachusetts shipyard.
Kilroy aboard the Salem
Kilroy close up


Contributors:
Col. Hessler - Popeye And The Pirates, King-Size Canary and M*A*S*H screen captures


====================

I'll add additional info & screencaps as it comes in...

[ 17. January 2007, 03:37 PM: Message edited by: Otto ]

 

Apparently the direct source is a little unclear, but I just found a good lead:
http://www.wordorigins.org/wordork.htm

"The New York Times, on 24 December 1946, credited James J. Kilroy of Quincy, Massachusetts with starting the craze. Kilroy was an inspector at the Bethlehem Steel shipyard in that city, and used a yellow crayon to write Kilroy was here on items that he had inspected. The graffiti became a common sight around the shipyard, and was imitated by many of the other 14,000 shipyard workers when they were drafted and sent around the world."

I'm going to try and track down a copy of that NY Times article. I'll also start posting some of my screen caps here too.

 

Herrr Colonel, if you can believe it I own that game but have never played it. If you can save me some time and tell me where it is I'll install it and grab a quick screen cap of it. Oh, and thanks for the Kelly's Heroes screens, much appreciated.

Also, I just added info on the Seinfeld pilot, Kilroy made a appearance on Jerry's fridge.

If anyone else knows of some information please post it here or email it into the site, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

AND I added a few screen caps. I am currently tracking down old copies of the NY Times to help me round out the origin of this mysterious Kilroy...

 

Thanks BJB, stay tuned there is more coming...

 

Hessler, thanks for the help. I'll see if I can grab the sound clip or a film clip.

Also, thanks for the M*A*S*H image, but I'd rather not borrow the image from the http://www.kilroywashere.org/ webste. I'm hoping to grab my own stills like was done for Kelly's Heroes, To Hell and Back, and Patton.

 

Which reminds me, if anyone sees a "Kilroy" somewhere, please take a snap and email it to me. I'll be sure to credit you.

 

Thank you very, very much Col. Hessler! I've already cleaned up the photos and added them to the archive. I'll add you to the contributors list.

 

I think I see what you are saying Blaz, the Kilroy thing here is largely related to TV/Film but not completely a TV/Film thing. I've been toying with an idea for a Forum for just projects like this, it looks like this is the time for it...

 

Thanks Colonel! Where in heck did you get those Popeye ones? I figured they would be the toughest ones to get, but you got a whole series! Strong work my friend, thanks again.