Tub of body latex, $22.
Tub of gold pigment, $6.
Watching your friend get naked,
covered with gold paint,
And then jogging
until he passes out, priceless.
Narrator: coming up,
flying a lawn chair balloon...
Jamie: okay, last check
before we let you go adam.
Adam: all right.
Can you fail a drug test
after eating a bagel?
I think
this is gonna cure me
Of my love of poppy seed cake
once and for all.
Gold paint, is it really
A glamorous way to die?
The ridicule happens.
Here on "mythbusters,"
We're not just gonna
retell the legends,
We're gonna put 'em to the test.
We're prepared
to put our bodies on the line.
Why should you trust these guys?
Well, jamie and adam have over
Animatronics
and toy prototyping.
They can build
just about anything,
And probably have.
This is m5,
my special effects shop.
Come on in
and have a look around.
If we can't find
what we need here,
There's always
adam's junk collection.
My cigarette dispenser.
The guys are backed
by experts in folklore,
Crime, medicine,
and engineering.
And they'll need
every trick in the book.
So where do we begin?
What do we got?
Let's go.
Adam:
so the lawn chair balloon.
This is the thing that made
it on the internet
All over the place
a few years ago
Of the guy who supposedly flew
above l.a.x. In 1992.
Larry walters attached something
like 45 weather balloons
To this lawn chair.
He took up beer and beef jerky
And he was an unemployed
truck driver.
And, whoo,
he shot straight up into the air
And apparently went up
to about 16,000 feet.
And he flew
for something like 14 hours.
Larry's only way of descending
was with a hand-held b.b. g*n.
We're actually
just going to see
If we can achieve some buoyancy
with 42 helium balloons.
I don't think
we're gonna bring
All the payload that he did.
He brought the beer,
the sandwiches.
We are gonna
bring a pellet g*n.
Narrator:
the plan is to build and fly
The balloon
as it's described in the myth.
The guys then have to show
that they can make
A controlled descent
by sh**ting out the balloons.
Is this something that would be
legal for us to do?
The myth says larry was fined
after the flight
So we want to get permission
before we take to the skies.
Adam: whose jurisdiction
does that fall under?
The fire department's gonna know
faster than
The police department will.
Well, I don't think
This is the f.a.a.,
But on the off chance it is,
And you have to do with the
f.a.a. Rules and regulations,
Please call me...
Man: how high do you want this
guy to go off the building?
Uh, not very high.
That, that's,
we just have to prove the point.
He was transferring me
to his duty officer upstairs
Who apparently
was not on duty.
And so they'll call us back.
You know, it's the sort of thing
where you could call
Till you're blue in the face
And no one would know
who you should talk to.
And then if you did it and there
was a traffic snarl up
And people got pissed off,
It would still take them like
three weeks to figure out
Who should punish you.
We got to do some research
on the lawn chair.
Finding a...
Yeah.
Are there any lawn-chair
graveyards?
[ Chuckles ]
[ Sighs ]
Nothing.
Narrator:
he can turn something
As simple
as finding a lawn chair
Into a major expedition.
Jamie: you're talking about,
like, a $30 or $40 item here.
Adam: no, but I'm
talking about --
You're gonna spend all day
looking through dumpsters.
I know you like
looking through dumpsters.
I think we
should just go out
And go to a lawn-and-patio
store
Or something like that.
You know, any
of the large discount places
That sell lawn furniture,
and buy one for $40 or $50.
[ Chuckles ]
Very nice table leg.
Unfortunately,
sears wouldn't let us
sh**t inside their building
And they seemed to have
discontinued
Larry's original chair,
but we found this.
It's aluminum construction,
it seems pretty sturdy.
And, in fact,
it looks fairly comfortable.
Oh, ahh.
I can definitely fly in this.
We're gonna do these
in basically four clusters.
Like larry walters did --
they'll probably be closer.
Four separate clusters,
Each cluster will be tethered to
me on a different tie point --
Two shoulders,
two on the waist.
So that even
if one whole cluster goes,
I fall to the ground,
I'm gonna weigh about 15 pounds
at that point.
Let's get the chair over here
and I'll sit in it
And we'll try
and bungy it to me.
Jamie: I don't know.
I kind of think
it's sort of silly.
What?
The chair.
Well, it's --
It's to do it
in a chair.
But we don't have an
aluminum-welded lawn chair.
So you're telling me that
you don't actually feel
Like you're comfortable
with doing this gag?
Not in a chair
that I don't build
Or a chair that's --
I mean, it was foolish
for him
To do it from the chair.
All right, you want to try
to raise me up
And see how this does?
That's pretty uncomfortable.
Well, what do
the pictures show?
Narrator: adam's harness
is too uncomfortable.
Adam:
I'd get up if I could.
The chair is too dangerous.
That means we're gonna
have to find some other way
Of making this work.
Jamie:
I have a suggestion, adam.
We can take
our square steel tubing
That we use a lot around here
And make a nice
picture frame board or a square.
You know, weld it thoroughly
to where you're not gonna,
You know, you could jump up
and down on it.
You're not
gonna collapse it,
And then just anchor to it.
You can put four eye bolts
into it.
Adam:
yeah, I like that idea.
That seems
pretty darn good.
And then we'll actually
Lash that to the chair.
So the harnesses aren't
supporting me.
They're just
safety harnesses.
Yeah.
All right,
someone want to lift the...
Oh, god, much better
than the harness.
The harness
was very uncomfortable.
I'm about to order the balloons
from science and surplus.
So, you know, we need 42.
Obviously,
we want some back-ups.
I mean, just in case
they're not all fantastic
Coming out of the package.
The real kosher weather balloons
are 40 bucks apiece --
Brand-new ones.
And that's like --
I found that was lower than 40.
The myth says that larry
got his balloons
From an army-surplus store.
That makes them cheaper,
but there's a trade-off.
The latex
has a limited shelf life.
It all depends
on what kind of balloon.
Some balloon
has a shelf life of one year
Some has two year,
some could be five, six years.
Narrator:
adam is taking a big risk.
His balloons are 20 years old.
It's a lot thinner
than I thought it was gonna be.
Woman: may I help you?
Yeah, I'd like to get
a price quote on some helium.
Okay.
Like 42.
You have 42 of those --
to raise!?
Yeah.
Good lord.
Okay,
well, I can get you --
I can get you a helium
That is like
a 291 cubic feet.
Right,
the t-sized cylinder.
The t-size and that would raise
two of them.
Good lord.
I know.
And you're gonna order how many?
Probably five tanks.
Five tanks?
Didn't she just say one tank
fills two weather balloons?
Jamie: we're gonna be filling
about 45 weather balloons
With that helium
And attaching it to a lawn chair
and going for a ride.
Are you serious?
Yeah. Yeah.
We got the lawn chair
right here.
It's right there.
We got all sorts of straps
and stuff like that.
Who's gonna ride?
The guy
in the orange suit.
That's so when he gets
way up there, we can see him.
[ Chuckles ]
You are serious, right?
Am I serious?
Yeah. Absolutely.
Tomorrow morning,
I'll fly.
I want to see that.
[ Air hissing ]
My calculations on the volume
of helium for each balloon
Is based on
just the volume of the sphere,
Which is like 33 cubic feet.
But because the helium is under
pressure, and it's not much,
It's like three atmospheres
or five atmospheres
Or something like that.
Under pressure in the balloon,
It's likely we're
gonna need more.
Jamie:
we got enough balloons...
We got enough balloons,
we're just gonna need more gas.
We might end up needing almost
double this amount of gas.
This is $700 worth of gas.
We might need another
$700 to $1,000 worth of gas.
Actually,
we'll need four times
Adam's original
helium estimate.
We now have enough helium
to get me aloft, correct?
Yeah.
Got more helium than
my pickup truck would carry.
I mean, it would totally
bottom out my pickup truck.
And yet it's
just barely enough
To get a 180-pound person
up in the air.
Isn't that amazing?
There's the beer rig.
We'll hang that
off here.
I should have gotten cans
instead of bottles.
They're lighter.
[ Laughs ]
Jamie's done a lot of this.
There we go.
All right.
Narrator: so, in theory,
adam can now get off the ground.
The next question is,
Can he come safely back down?
It looks like a big onion.
Did it hit?
Yes, it did hit and it went,
it went clean through.
It went right through?
Yeah, yeah,
it went clear through,
Check this out.
So it actually did?
There's the hole
on the other side.
But it is a very slow leak,
obviously.
Narrator:
the b.b. Descent technique
Doesn't seem to be
very effective.
I'll bet you we could sh**t this
for like another half-hour
All of us just taking as many
shots as we want
And we really
wouldn't make much of a dent.
Probably.
Jamie: the stuff, it is,
it's pretty -- oh!
Look at that,
it's just falling apart.
Narrator:
that doesn't inspire confidence
On the eve of adam's
historic flight.
Will our choice of cheap
surplus balloons
Come back to haunt us?
So, are you having some second
thoughts about this thing, adam?
Are you sure you want
to do the do?
I'm just
thinking through it.
And the balloons are a lot
thinner than I thought.
I think it's fine.
Of course it's your neck,
it's not mine.
Yeah.
So, at 5:00 a.m. Tomorrow,
you're going flying.
Yeah.
[ High-pitched voice ] we
don't just prove the myths.
We put them to the test.
We don't just retell the story.
We put the myths to the test --
on "mythbusters."
Narrator:
we're trying to re-create
The mythical flight
of larry walters,
The lawn chair balloonist.
Adam: I don't know how
he did it all by himself.
We've got about
And, I mean, granted we're going
Probably a lot faster
than he went,
But I'm amazed
that he did this alone.
Barry:
larry had a lot of help.
Larry's main support
was his girlfriend, carol.
Carol not only
spent her life savings
And maxed out
their credit cards,
But she also helped
inflate the balloons.
Narrator: mark barry
claims to know the truth
Behind the larry walters story.
So, where we're standing right
now is san pedro, california.
This is where
larry launched from
On july 2, 1982.
I'm very excited about this.
Ah, we're starting to lift.
Can we get some more sand bags?
Narrator:
and that's not the only problem.
We're starting to pay
for those 20-year-old balloons.
[ Pop ]
Adam: well, we've lost
three balloons so far.
It's plausible that they were
balloons with flaws in them,
Or that it's pressure
against the ropes
Or some of the other balloons.
Narrator: the pressure's on
to get a flight in
Before any more blow.
Jamie:
get in your clothes.
We want to get you up there,
'Cause we're gonna run out
of helium pretty soon.
I think we've, uh, used up all
the helium in the bay area,
So we kind of need
to make this work.
First, the way it will go
is we'll help hold the, uh --
We'll unload the chair,
And everybody will help
hold it down while adam gets in.
And then we'll
all move to --
The six of us
will move to the tethers.
Okay.
All right, you should be holding
the chair down okay now.
That's good.
Okay, now let's see --
let's just let him go
As he's starting to -- okay,
so you can steady him, alberto.
Okay, go ahead
and lift him up a little bit.
Let's let him up
off the ground.
Narrator:
okay, this is it.
The moment of truth.
Okay, upsy-daisy.
We don't need very much.
Go ahead.
There was so much pressure,
so much force,
So much power
in those balloons,
That he shot up
at 1,000 feet per minute.
Okay, now control it.
All right, we're good.
We're good! Yeah! Ow!
Okay, last check
before we let you go, adam.
All right.
It's been nice
knowing ya.
I love you all.
Thanks for all your help
on the job.
Barry: then I found out
there was an audio file
Of the actual flight.
After we had this "evidence,"
Then all of a sudden,
the skeptics became believers.
Adam.
Jamie.
For us to really get
you up,
I want to untie
the vehicles,
But we're not gonna let
you go, all right?
I'm not sure
I love that idea.
Adam: [ laughs ]
Oh, this is good.
Two airline pilots
spotted him.
One was from a delta,
And one was
from a united flight,
And both of them confirmed
the existence
Of a large cluster of balloons
With a man in a lawn chair
at 16,000 feet.
Adam, it sounds like
we're not gonna be able
To get you up to 100 feet
with the lines attached.
We're gonna have
to let you go.
You'll probably end up
getting caught
In the berkeley hills
or something.
Unless there's any traffic
on the bay bridge,
We'll probably be there
ahead of you, okay?
Uh, I'd rather just stay
under 100 feet, thank you, over.
[ Laughs ]
This is great!
Cheers.
Pretty soon
it's gonna come time
To start sh**ting
those balloons out.
I'd take the one out that's
right near you.
Just graze the edge of it.
Go ahead, graze it,
try and cut it.
Good job!
Yeah!
There we go!
According to the myth,
Larry was rescued
by a helicopter.
But in reality,
he really wasn't.
He crash-landed right here.
Larry ended up blacking out
part of long beach,
Specifically this neighborhood.
Because when he hit
the power lines,
The only way to get him down
was to cut the power.
Jamie: all right, crew,
on over we go.
Oh, my.
All right.
All right,
we need sand bags over here.
Adam:
oh, that was great!
It went 100% successful,
I'd say.
I got up to about 75 feet.
I got a really great view.
The sh**ting of the balloons
worked out really great.
Good job.
That was excellent.
Definitely,
larry could have done it.
It's a lot of work.
Logistically, it's, you know,
With around 40, in excess
of 40 weather balloons,
It takes a long time
to fill them up.
And that's a lot of tanks
of stuff to get ahold of.
You can't just sort of do this,
you know --
"I think I'll go out and get
a couple tanks of helium
and see what happens."
It's a lot of tanks of helium.
Narrator: the federal
airport administration
Did not wish to be interviewed
for "mythbusters."
They did, however, send a fax
Confirming many of the key
details of larry's story,
Including his $1,500 fine.
[ Cheering ]
Hi, my name is mark barry,
Author of the official website
for larry walters,
The lawn-chair pilot.
And you're watching
"mythbusters."
So, what do we have here?
We have
the poppy seed drug test.
That's usually
not even told in story form.
Just as, like,
an unsubstantiated rumor.
The myth is that eating a couple
of poppy seed bagels
Or poppy seed cake
in the morning
Could cause you
to test positive
For opiate use
on a drug screen.
If I go out and look, I'll see
as many people asserting
That you can't test positive
with poppy seeds
As many saying you can.
So, it's still
an alive question.
So, what do you think we're
gonna need for this test?
Well, we've got the bagels,
And we got some poppy seed
bread, it says.
And we need containers
for urine,
Um, and the drug test kits --
that's about it.
We are afraid
of random drug testing.
I myself find the whole concept
to be abhorrent,
Yet I want my pilot
and my bus driver to be clean.
I want them
to be random drug-tested.
So, we're going to eat
some poppy seeds.
You're gonna eat some bagels.
I'm gonna eat some cake.
I understand we can't eat
anything else
Until we're done with this.
I think we need to drink
lots of water,
Because we have to
cough up a half a dozen
urine samples today.
Yeah.
Keep testing
about every hour,
Every two hours,
then maybe at four hours,
Eight hours,
and then tomorrow morning,
And see what
the tests register.
Perhaps one of us should eat
very little
And one of us
should eat a lot?
We're both about
the same body weight.
We're both about
the same body weight --
About 185, 180,
somewhere in there.
Narrator:
we bought kits over the web --
A bargain at just $16.95
for 10.
So, I think
we ought to do a sample
As a control
before we start.
Oh!
[ Cups clatter ]
Adam!
[ Laughs ]
Come on,
hurry up in there!
Yeah?
This test sample
will ensure
It's poppy seeds...
Yeah, I hope I don't get
pee shy.
...and poppy seeds alone
That is responsible
for a positive result.
Whoa! Whoa!
[ Laughs ]
Narrator: there's no tampering
with the evidence
On "mythbusters."
You take three drops and put it
on the end of the test.
Here's one for you,
one for me.
Oh, it comes
with an eye dropper.
How clever.
So, if it's negative,
two lines appear --
One red line
in the control region,
And another apparent red
or pink line
Should be in the test region.
Positive -- one red line appears
in the control region
And no line
in the test region.
So, you put three drops.
Okay, so that's testing --
showing negative.
The screening urine tests
Are an immunoassay test.
What that means is they have
antibodies directed
Towards the compound
that it's looking for.
They look for the codeine
and morphine
In the urine with this.
So those are exactly
the same thing that is
tested for in heroin,
'Cause heroin is broken down
to those two substances.
Do we need to save
these for posterity
So someone else
can test our work?
We can save the --
the tests.
I think we can go dump
these in the toilet
and toss them out.
All right.
All right.
So we're both negative.
Yes.
Yeah, I haven't used drugs
for weeks, so...
[ Laughs ]
Narrator:
now for the tough questions.
Cake is heads,
Bagels are tails.
But who's who?
Look, call it in the air,
and you get to choose.
Okay.
Heads.
Cake.
[ Laughs ]
all right.
It's one of my favorite things
in the world.
I love poppy seed cake.
Dr. Holtorf:
the poppy seeds definitely have
morphine and codeine in them,
So they are heroin poppy seeds.
But they are
very low concentration
So you don't get the, you know,
Physical and mental effects
from them.
One of the articles said
That somebody who had eaten
like 23 grams of poppy seeds
Had started acting silly
and goofy.
And I'm not sure
where you could determine
That would begin with me,
so...
I think this is gonna cure me
of my love for poppy seed cake
Once and for all.
Man: we're almost down
to the last bite.
Here we go.
There it is.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, man.
Jamie: boy, that cake looked
like it was pretty good.
It was a lot better
than a bagel.
Mmm.
No,
I'm thinking twice now --
The 2,600 calories.
Oh, man!
Polish it off there,
big guy.
Oh, yeah.
You animal!
You are an animal.
You first.
Narrator:
it's now half an hour since
we started eating poppy seeds.
Time for our second test.
But I got to go,
I got to go.
This may be a positive
right here.
It kind of looks that way.
That's amazing.
That's impressively fast.
I have just tested positive
for opiates.
Whoops,
no one expected that.
Now, we'll see
how long it lasts.
I'm feeling a little goofy.
Wow, I'm impressed
that it's metabolized that fast.
I wouldn't have called that.
Yeah, I wouldn't either.
I think
I'm gonna take a nap.
[ Laughs ]
I'm exhausted.
You're busted, you're done.
[ Dialing ]
Hmm, one of our employees
has just tested positive.
Now what should we do?
Hi, I'm wondering
if your opiate instant --
Instant test for opiates
Is sensitive enough that
it might yield a false-positive?
Man: hmm, wow.
My understanding is that they
won't show a false-positive.
I've called
about five of these folks,
And you're the first one to even
like, who's ever even pretended
To have heard of a
false-positive from poppy seeds.
Really?
Yeah.
Well, a false-positive
Is when the drug test comes back
positive for an illicit drug
When that illicit drug
was not taken.
Narrator:
the test can detect between
Or billionths of a gram
of codeine.
At that level,
there's no way to distinguish
Between poppy seeds
and heroin use.
I mean, that's like the smoking
g*n we've been looking for.
You know, we have to go
to europe for it.
[ Laughs ]
Oh, there's a new bill
in congress
To suppress all studies
regarding the fallibility
Of american products.
One study showed
that some of them
Were actually at
a 50% false-positive rate,
Meaning that you're better off
just flipping a coin
Rather than even doing the test.
The indignity continues.
[ Laughs ]
Jamie:
I think I just succeeded.
Yep, it kind of looks
that way to me. Yep.
Look like you might have
tested positive.
Welcome to the club there,
brother!
Yeah!
Dude!
Narrator: now we've got
two employees testing positive.
Maybe we should double check
our findings.
[ Dialing ]
Do you guys provide a service
whereby, if we get a positive,
We can send it to you to confirm
that it's a positive
And not a false-positive?
You don't.
Woman:
we sell the product,
But we don't
get into that aspect of it.
Thanks very much.
Well, the pre-employment tests,
you know,
They should, if they are
doing things right,
Should do the screening test
first and then go on
To the more accurate
gascromatic mass-spectrometer,
Which it also has it's problems,
but it is more accurate.
Whoa! Whoa!
Narrator: it's now four hours
since bagel consumption,
And there is still
no tampering with the evidence.
Jamie:
ah, you're still positive.
I'm still positive.
♪ Still positive
after all these hours ♪
So, is it gonna be a girl
or a boy do you think?
I ate a hell of a lot,
but you only ate three bagels.
That's not, you know,
unheard of.
And you're still testing
positive four hours later.
I'm pretty surprised.
I probably wouldn't have
believed it myself
If I actually hadn't been
the newspaper reporter there
Writing a story about it.
Narrator:
in 1997, larry covered the case
Of a florida woman
Who sued after her employer
withdrew a lucrative job offer.
Dougherty: she ate
two poppy seed bagels in her car
On the way to st. Petersburg
the morning of the interview.
And that apparently was enough,
quickly enough
To make her turn up
a positive result
On one of these tests.
Narrator:
here on "mythbusters,"
Nothing gets in the way
of science.
It's now eight hours
since bagel consumption.
Tonight,
we have a special dip.
It is the finest sauce
in all of france.
Okay.
And we're both clearly positive
for opiates.
Frankly, I'm amazed.
It's such a little thing.
It's a very effective test.
Let's throw out
this toxic waste.
The studies show
up to 72 hours
Testing positive after ingestion
of a poppy seed bagel.
We probably average
getting 10 calls a day
Of people
who have been devastated,
Have lost their jobs
due to a false-positive tests.
And that is calls that we get.
I mean, there is
tens of thousands of people
That every year lose their jobs
and actually don't even know
Because they're not even told
they tested positive
In the pre-employment test.
Ready to get started
this morning?
Narrator: it's now 18 hours
since bagel ingestion.
Adam: do you think
you're gonna be positive?
Do you think
you'll still test positive?
Jamie: I think
I'm gonna test positive.
I don't have anything
to base that on.
It just seemed awfully
consistent, you know?
Right.
Yeah, it's a little faint.
I wouldn't interpret that
as there's a trace
'Cause the other one
is stronger.
I think on the literature,
if I'm correct,
It actually states
That if there's even a hint
of the line, it's a negative.
Okay.
And we don't have any way of
knowing what that threshold is.
So, what's the verdict?
Do you think it's a myth,
or is it true?
Oh, it's clearly true.
You know, we ate a normal amount
of poppy seed bagels
And poppy seed products,
And they showed positive
on the test
For a fairly long period
of time.
I think it's thought of
as a legend
Because it's been downplayed
by the drug testing industry.
You see a poppy seed bagel
sitting on your counter,
And you think,
"there's breakfast."
You don't think, "there's
something that could cause me
To lose a job, get in trouble,
get arrested."
It's just not what you think
When you're looking at
your first meal of the morning.
I'm dr. Ronald brancaccio.
I'm a dermatologist
and practice in new york city.
And you're watching
"mythbusters."
"Goldfinger."
You may not know,
or you may remember,
That in 1964,
the movie "goldfinger"...
Shirley eaton was an actress
Who played the role
of a secretary...
For the evil auric goldfinger.
After, I think,
betraying her boss,
She apparently was m*rder*d
By having her skin painted
with gold.
The story goes,
That if you paint your whole
body with gold paint,
Your skin
will not be able to breathe.
The solution to this,
supposedly,
Is to leave a small patch
at the base of your spine.
Narrator: to test this,
Jamie is going to run on
a treadmill for 10 minutes
As we measure his vital signs.
Then, we'll paint him up,
and he'll run again,
And we'll see
if there's a change.
You have a guess of what
we should cover you in?
I mean,
I wouldn't do it with
Oil-based or enamel paint
or something like that.
Obviously,
I'm not gonna grab
A spray can
of gold paint...
That would be really cool,
though.
It would be fun,
But it probably wouldn't be
flexible enough anyway.
So, if you're looking
for a flexible paint,
That would be,
well, latex.
And the gold,
We can essentially
make a gold paint.
I believe
that's what they do for --
Sometimes people do this
to go out and, you know, party.
They strip down
and paint their clothing on.
I'm going to paint myself gold
is the idea,
And we wanted a gold paint
that doesn't breath.
What would you recommend
if we were to get that look?
It's this right here.
Oh, okay.
It's this particular...
It's called "stardust."
You're gonna want
at least two coats on there,
And you'll want to be
completely shaved.
So, you're gonna have to shave
every inch.
I know.
[ Clears throat ]
It would work up quite a bit of
heat and quite a bit of sweat.
We tell people
to drink lots of water
If they're putting on
that much of the liquid latex.
They should continually drink
water to rehydrate themselves
'Cause you will get dehydrated
in the heat.
And people in latex suits
have been known, actually,
To pass out.
Okay.
Well, works for me.
All right.
We have black, too.
That reminds me more
of "star wars" or something.
With the glasses.
The glasses make it.
Adam: obviously,
we want to test this.
Are you willing to try this?
Are you willing
to get painted with gold paint?
Well, yes. I've already
completely shaved...everywhere.
Okay, that's a little too much
information.
[ Chuckles ]
Just in case...
We've got these for you.
And I think you'll probably want
to wear these
Even after the show
'cause they're so fabulous.
Oh, my god.
[ Laughs ]
You actually think you're gonna
see me get in these, do you?
I don't think. I'm actually --
I'm quite convinced of it.
There's no way you're gonna be
painted with gold paint
And slap on a pair
of tighty-whities
And get on that treadmill.
You'll look ridiculous.
This way the ridicule happens
completely and naturally.
Well, thank you.
All right.
[ Laughs ]
I think the concept
that painting the skin
With a substance
and causing death
Is probably related
to other chemicals
That may have been included
in the past
In certain substances
that were put on the skin.
Narrator:
in elizabethan times,
Lead was an essential ingredient
in makeup.
Wearers died
from lead poisoning,
But it was slow and painful.
We're going to do
a test patch on jamie
To ensure the gold powder
doesn't cause any complications.
Adam: oh, yeah.
So this is the color we're
looking to match there, goldboy.
We want to make sure
that you're shiny.
Well, we can do that.
It takes
at least three coats.
So we'll get successively
more dense
With the pigment
as we go up.
From what we've been told,
The real danger here
is from heat exhaustion.
Apparently at celebrations
like carnival,
Where people paint
their whole bodies with paint,
There's a lot of people
passing out.
So, we should monitor
your temperature constantly,
While you're painted.
Absolutely.
Yeah, that would be
the only thing
I would worry about
with this.
And I don't believe
for a second
The little small patch
at the base of the spine --
That sounds like nonsense.
Even the small danger
that you'll overheat
On a cool morning like this,
I think it's important that we
have an emt team standing by.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
You know,
there's only two ways
To monitor
your core body temperature --
Through your ear
and rectal thermometer.
I'm just gonna have you
take some breaths,
Big breath
with your mouth.
Do you have a preference?
Jamie:
yes, I would prefer the ear...
Blood pressure?
...especially if I'm running
on a treadmill.
Yeah,
I was wondering about that.
I'm getting you used to it.
Don't push so hard.
Narrator:
jamie's vitals are normal.
And there are no ill effects
from the test patch.
Oh, that's gonna be cool
You'll end up
with a jamie suit.
All right.
[ Speaks indistinctly ]
Jamie: first, for some kind of
some basis to test off of,
I should work out
for about half
Of what my normal workout
would be.
And, so, let's just say
that I'll do 10 minutes
Without the gold paint.
Okay, so, heart rate, 136.
His temperature...
And we'll measure
body temperature
And everything --
Everything that we can measure
that's important --
And then we'll have that
to compare with.
You're not gonna
be able to --
You want me to stop for that,
or what?
Here,
you put it in your ear.
Put it in your ear
and push that button.
All right, cool -- 96.8.
When we get overheated,
The way the body
responds to heat
Is by losing sweat
And also by losing heat
through our blood vessels.
We're right at
the halfway mark.
Narrator:
jamie's blood oxygen is 80%...
That's one mile.
...and his body temperature
is 97.8 degrees.
All perfectly normal.
Adam: yeah, we're right at
Okay, we shut it off?
Yeah.
Do you think there will be
any problems
With getting painted
with gold paint?
No, not at all.
If I get
thoroughly sealed up,
It's no doubt gonna keep me
from perspiring,
Which means that I'm not
going to be able
To be physically active
as long.
No, no, no,
go put those on first.
Then we'll just
paint over --
I'm not gonna put those on
until the last minute.
But you're gonna put 'em on
over the gold paint?
Come on, dude.
Listen, you're already naked
and running on a treadmill
painted with gold paint.
There's no such thing
as shame or embarrassment here.
I swear to god.
Go put on the gold shorts.
Come on back.
I'll paint this on.
I got you
some detail brushes
For like, you know, the insides
of your ears and stuff.
Yeah.
The human fresco.
[ Laughs ]
Go adam!
I'm having so much fun.
So, jamie,
I am actually
Painting right over the small
of your back
In flagrant disregard
of the goldfinger myth.
I hope you'll be all right.
As a dermatologist,
I would highly recommend
That this is not done
by any of you
Who are listening
to this program.
You could develop heatstroke,
Which is a very severe illness
and can lead to death.
Adam: oh, yeah!
These things are kind of --
they squeak when I walk.
Okay, look at this.
Are you starting
to feel guilty?
Are you feeling any heat
sensations or dizziness
or anything like that?
Right now, the only thing --
I feel, actually,
Kind of cold
and like shivers,
Which is not a sign
of heat stroke, I don't believe.
But I do feel something
kind of --
Of course it's all --
feels weird.
I guess that's all it is.
[ Laughter ]
It feels strange to me
because it pulls.
Otherwise, it just feels cold.
All right,
so be careful about moving.
Narrator:
time for a checkup.
Okay, so jamie's
blood oxygen saturation
Is 100%,
And he's definitely
still breathing.
That's another myth busted,
or is it?
Dr. Brancaccio:
the amount of oxygen
That's absorbed
through the skin is minimal.
The amount of carbon dioxide
that we lose through the skin
Is also insignificant.
So, in terms of respiration
through the skin,
This is really not
an important factor.
Hmm, let's try it
on the other arm.
On that arm.
Jamie: so that means my
blood pressure had elevated?
Yeah, let's try
like we did before.
Narrator:
this wasn't part of the plan.
Afraid not --
Paramedic: 140, 110?
Jamie seems to be suffering
Bizarre
blood pressure fluctuations.
So, what's the problem?
What are you guys...
This is something
that worries you guys?
Yeah.
Jamie:
where's the danger zone?
I got a bottom number about 108.
It's close enough.
Man: there you go.
Yeah.
It's really strange
to tell you the truth.
Hello, I'm shirley eaton.
I expect you might remember me
as jill masterson
In "goldfinger,"
the james bond favorite film?
Well, as you can see,
I'm very much alive.
Narrator: shirley survived.
So, what's wrong with jamie?
His blood pressure has hit
worrying heights.
The diastolic blood pressure,
that's the lower number,
And that is the part
of what the heart is doing
On the return,
is that it?
Yes, the pressure.
It should be low,
Because when you squeeze,
that's the top number.
That's the pressure
in your veins and arteries,
You're arteries in particular,
when you squeeze.
The heart squeezes,
the blood pumps through.
And then the heart relaxes,
so that number obviously drops.
You know, 140 to 110,
that's a lower number.
But that's still high.
For a relaxed...
It should be 80 --
I mean, 120 over 80's normal.
Jamie: I feel similar
to what I would,
I guess, right before
I was coming down with
the flu or something.
It feels a little strange.
Narrator: could there be some
truth to the myth after all?
Jamie:
I would have to say it's weird.
I feel really -- I'm starting
to get really uncomfortable.
But I can't really say why.
It's mainly
that these variations
Of being chilled
in some areas
And feeling, like,
almost burning hot in others.
The only way I can explain this
Is, again,
by the occlusion of the skin
Causing an increase
in body temperature
And then the body reacting
In a fight-or-flight mechanism
And increasing its
blood pressure and heart rate.
Body temperature stuff
is really --
It's not something
to play around with.
This, what we are doing here
is potentially dangerous.
You know, I could die,
You know, if I'm not careful
with this thing.
Adam: you guys probably wouldn't
recommend 10 minutes
Of strenuous --
medium exercise
For someone
with a blood pressure.
I mean, I think
it's kind of dangerous myself.
Yeah, I mean,
Just, you know,
I would recommend not.
Paramedic:
all right, general,
This is parametric 920 wishing
to do a consult with you.
Is that okay?
Narrator: we're gonna get
a second opinion on that.
Paramedic: we're just concerned
about the pressure,
Which we checked several times
with no change.
Woman:
medic 920, I copy you.
Um, even though physiologically
it doesn't make sense
To have those changes
diastolic
Just by covering
with latex paint.
But if, really,
that's the number that you got,
Then I would agree with you
And advise the patient
not to do that, over.
Narrator:
jamie's symptoms are bizarre.
My life signs are showing
questionable numbers,
As well as --
I certainly don't feel normal.
I feel like I'm basically
About to become ill.
I could say it's almost like
I'm a little light-headed,
and I can feel --
Let's get that off you
then.
Okay.
Well, there we go.
You want to start
rubbing it?
Narrator: we're gonna
pull the plug on this one.
The best thing for you
to do is probably rub it
with your fingers.
Jamie: the hairs --
what hair is left.
You know, if we could get
the head first,
That would be
the way to do it.
Okay,
that's just plain strange.
Ooh.
Man, that feels weird.
Oh, man.
I'm sorry.
Am I hurting you?
No, go for it,
But it feels like
I'm being skinned.
Eaton: horrible. Taking the
paint off was a nightmare.
It is best
to skin your jamie
Before you prepare him
for the frying pan.
One of the makeup ladies
and a wardrobe lady
Came with me into my dressing
room, into the bathroom,
And they just scrubbed me down
with sponges and soap,
And I was all pink and sore.
I think you got something
here, though.
'Cause we all
kind of thought
That this was gonna be
just no big deal.
Yeah, it got nerve-racking
quite fast.
Yes, it did.
Are you starting to feel
a little bit better, jamie?
Feels better.
He was totally
beet-red before.
And now he's a great color.
I think that it would have
been very bad.
It wouldn't have gone well.
Narrator: jamie's
blood-pressure fluctuations
Are obviously related
to the latex.
Exactly how remains a mystery.
So how do you feel?
Much better.
Yeah.
You know, I don't think it would
have been a problem, really.
But it definitely
felt weird.
And, you know, we're not --
none of us here are doctors,
And it's not
a controlled experiment.
It's, you know,
Seeing the least little sign,
like a blood pressure rise.
And we don't know
what it means, for sure,
Is a good, strong reason
to pull the plug.
Okay, just relax your arm.
We're gonna give him one last
checkup, just to be sure.
That's where we started.
Whoo-hoo!
Back to normal,
back online, back on duty.
Okay, 100% that's good.
And normal sinus rhythm at 76.
That's all good.
It definitely had an effect,
you know?
It was clear there was something
going on there.
And so, you know,
Whether somebody would die,
I doubt it.
Adam:
I'm glad your back.
[ Laughs ] thanks.
All right.
Adam: making the world safer
for television.
Eaton: after "goldfinger,"
I thought,
"Haven't they seen
any of my recent films?"
I'm still very much alive.
The irony of show business is,
I was in that film
five minutes,
The shortest role I ever did.
And it's the one that made me
a piece of cinema history.
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01x03 - Pilot 3: Larry's Lawn-Chair Balloon/Goldfinger/Poppy-Seed Drug Test
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A weekly documentary in which two Hollywood special effects experts attempt to debunk urban legends by directly testing them.
A weekly documentary in which two Hollywood special effects experts attempt to debunk urban legends by directly testing them.