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Gregory German
Member
I couldn't believe that there was a real J.Dawson. I wonder if James Cameron got the name from him help me out.
Beth Barber
Member
Hi Gregory - From what I understand, Mr. Cameron didn't know that there was a real passenger with the name of J. Dawson. I imagine he wouuld have changed his characters name if he knew. - Beth
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Bob Godfrey
Member
I suspect that even if Cameron didn't check his fictional character names against the real passenger and crew lists the Studio lawyers would have done so. He had enough problems with his portrayal of Murdoch!
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Sonja van Rooijen
Member
A classmate of me had written an essay about the movie and the real titanic. She had read somewhere that there was a real jack dawson on titanic, i can't find his name anywere, she read that he worked somewhere below deks (maybe stoker)Can anyone tell me if this is true or not?
Michael H. Standart
Member
That's because there was no Jack Dawson aboard the ship. There was a Joseph Dawson however and it was Senan Molony who tracked him down and wrote about him. click on The Real Jack Dawson to read his story.
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Mark Robert Hopkins
Member
Actually, Michael, unless Senan's story is several years old, then he wasn't the one who had discovered the existence of J. Dawson. I remember reading that story (and have a documentary on it) around 1998, shortly after Cameron's movie was released. Then again, maybe I'm mistaken on the year. When was Senan's story written?
Kyrila Scully
Member
Senan's story has a 2000 copyright, but that only means that's when it was copyrighted, not when the research was done. Senan is a highly respected historian with access to many original records and documents. A film documentary follows him on his search and it was shown on one of the cable channels a couple of years ago.
Kyrila
Kyrila
Michael H. Standart
Member
>>Actually, Michael, unless Senan's story is several years old, then he wasn't the one who had discovered the existence of J. Dawson.<<
Nor did I say he was. However, he has been doing a lot of research on this and a number of other questions. I have no doubt whatever that the man was looking into this long befor that documentary was ever made. He's nothing if not extremely thorough. The reason I posted the link to that article was because it answered the Sonja's question.
Nor did I say he was. However, he has been doing a lot of research on this and a number of other questions. I have no doubt whatever that the man was looking into this long befor that documentary was ever made. He's nothing if not extremely thorough. The reason I posted the link to that article was because it answered the Sonja's question.
Inger Sheil
Member
"J Dawson's" gravesite is located in Halifax - in the aftermath of the movie, it became a bit of a focal point for pining di Caprio fans. However, at that time, Dawson's real life was so obscure that not even his first name was known...indeed, it was stated by some prominant people in Titanic circles that the 'J' stood for 'James'.
It was Senan who discovered the story behind the name...and, indeed, it was he who discovered the name! (Joseph). There was work done by other researchers as well, it should be noted, but the bulk of research was done primarily by Molony. He published some of his findings in his 2000 book The Irish Aboard Titanic and then later in the article on this site and in the documentary. His research does predate publication, of course - I could ask him when exactly he came across the story.
It was Senan who discovered the story behind the name...and, indeed, it was he who discovered the name! (Joseph). There was work done by other researchers as well, it should be noted, but the bulk of research was done primarily by Molony. He published some of his findings in his 2000 book The Irish Aboard Titanic and then later in the article on this site and in the documentary. His research does predate publication, of course - I could ask him when exactly he came across the story.
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Mark Robert Hopkins
Member
Oh okay. The news about Joseph seems like so long ago, although, of course, after Cameron. I wasn't sure how long Senan had been working on it. The article, I thought, was written sometime within the past two years, as I thought I saw it somewhere on ET, and I thought I saw the year "2002." My mistake, sorry.
By the way, I know he's made admirable achievements in the field of Titanic and is highly regarded. I meant no disrespect.
By the way, I know he's made admirable achievements in the field of Titanic and is highly regarded. I meant no disrespect.
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brandi amburn
Member
I was wondering......was there really a man on the ship Titanic named Jack Dawson, or was that really a fiction character?
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Bob Godfrey
Member
Hallo, Brandi. There was a Joseph Dawson who worked in the ship's boiler rooms, but Jack and Rose, Rose's Ma, Cal and Lovejoy and Jack's friends are all fictional. However, a lot of people here are interested in the film characters and there are plenty of discussions about them if you want to join in. You'll find these in the 'Titanic Movies' section of the forum. The 'Passenger Research' section where you posted your question is about real people. Hope you find those even more interesting!
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chris graziano
Member
yup when i saw this on the tv show about titanic
i was wow.
he is buryied in canada i think.
they said that girls leave flowers on his grave
i was wow.
he is buryied in canada i think.
they said that girls leave flowers on his grave
John Clifford
Member
Yes, Joseph Dawson is buried in the Fairview Cemetery, in Halifax.
The leaving of flowers and "love offerings" was extensive after Cameron's film came out. By April 2001, when the THS Convention was held in Halifax, that practice had diminished.
BTW, a Halloween-time "Titanic Ghost Story" contest was held, in 2000, on another Discussion List, and one of the entries was about a teenage girl who was haunted by the spirit of "J. Dawson". It was only after the protagonist distributed multiple disclaimers of "J. Dawson is NOT JACK", to the various Internet sites, did she allow the spirit of J. Dawson to achieve peace, and her as well.
However, that was not the winning story. The winning story was about a man who encounters unusual references to, and about, the Titanic during a trip accross Canada, and before a tragic flight to London.
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Marilyn Lena Penner
Member
John,
Is the winning story, and the one about "J. is not Jack" accessible?
Was the protagonist the ghost of Joseph Dawson? I can 'see' him tearing his ectoplasmic hair in frustration.
If the "J. is not Jack" story is not what I'm imagining, I'd like to write and post my version on www.fanfiction.net.
Is the winning story, and the one about "J. is not Jack" accessible?
Was the protagonist the ghost of Joseph Dawson? I can 'see' him tearing his ectoplasmic hair in frustration.
If the "J. is not Jack" story is not what I'm imagining, I'd like to write and post my version on www.fanfiction.net.
