Ask the Cremation Doctor

We recently received a fleeting moment of fame on the silver screen when our cremation equipment was spotted in the summer action flick, The A-Team. Based on the TV series of the same name, the movie makes use in a scene where the character of Col. John ‘Hannibal’ Smith is placed in a cremation chamber while faking his own demise. The equipment featured is the old analog control panel now being slowly replaced by the new M-Pyre touch screen, but the Matthews name is clearly seen.

“Don’t blink. It’s only a five second scene at best, but companies pay big bucks for product placement in movies so it’s nice to get some free screen time” says Steven Schaal, President of our North American Division.

Most industry insiders will wince at the glaring mistakes related to this scene – the absence of a container, the toe-tag stating “heart attack” instead of “cardiac arrest” and the doubt that anyone would be able to survive the initial blast of the burners let alone be able to break open the door from the inside.  It all makes for good fun though – especially if you are a fan of the original TV series. The A-Team producers made use of several other real devices including a PhysioControl LifePak 7 defibrillator to jumpstart a car and real Mecta SR1 ECT (a device used to induce a very mild seizure under controlled conditions) to zap James “Howling Mad” Murdock.

With a little luck, they’ll make a sequel in a few years and show off the new M-Pyre touch screen.