The Washington times., 1936-08-01
IS BOW TO TECHNICAL ADVISORS WITH BECOMING HUMILITY
Movie Props
Put Aladdin
To Shame


lamp to produce a flying carpet,
a prancing white steed, a hundred
men in shining armor, four score
barrels of oil or anything else that
struck his fancy.
Hollywood's modern Aladdin's
produce the things demanded al.
most as quickly and often what
they produce would put the wizard
Of Ali Baba's days to shame.
They haven't any lamp to touch
to get resultS-what they have is
a great workshop within the
studios gates where they can pro-
duce in incredibly short time .
palace, a merry.goround, a sea-
going vessel, a tropical forest, pre-
prohibition speaks, a Tibetan
lamasery or anything a producer
might need for sequences during
filming a movie.
DIFFERENT EACH DAY
each day our work is dif.
ferent," says David Milton, chief
of all the props at Columbia
Studios. Three months ago We
were called UnOn to construct .
majestic Tibetan lamasery for
scenes in Frank Capra's Lost
Horizon
"Capra demanded the build
ingS cOnnOte an impression Of
superb architecture which
meant that we had to build this
great set much the same as q
construction company would set
about building a palace to con-
form to plans drawn up by q
master architect.
1--WE labOred day and night,
in three shifts, and finally COM
pleted the lamaSery just in time
for filming Of the scenes with
Ronald CoIman, Isabel Jewell,
Jane Wyatt, Edward Everett
Horton and the rest Of the cast
to begin shooting on schedule"
What had been Milton's latest
task that had proved difficult?
That proved an easy one Tor the
enthusiastic prop chief.
BUILT 1O-ROOM HOUSE
Columbia is filming a picture
titled 'Craig's Wife, with Rosa
lind Russell and John BOleS in
the leads" he said. "FOF that
picture we had to construct .
1O-rOom house within the walls
of the studio. 1t had to be COM
pleteIy furnished and done 50
beautifully that it would be easy
for an audience to understand
why Miss Russell could be more
in love with her home than her
screen husband, John BOleS.
"Sixty-tw0 thousand dollars
worth Of period and mOdernistiC
furniture was placed in the 10
rooms of that home. 1t was un'
doubtedIy the most beautiful
house in Hollywood but 1t was
really q job to find all the cor.
rect furnishings for it. We
searched through every interior
decorators shop in Los Angeles
until we felt we had all the
requisite furnishings for the
house."
Mr.. Milton added that the
stream Of interior decorators who
gained admission to Columbia to
see the perfect house reSembled
an army enlistment post during
wartime draft days.
'T don't think We had less
than IT'S persons view the house
and its furnishings. We di6xt
mind because we realize that
Hollywood Is fast becoming the
style center for everything just
as through the medium Of the
screen the film city dictates
fashion in clothes"
CROSBY PICTURE PROBLEM
Acquiring the props for Bing
CroSby'S newest picture involved
something Of a problem, too, Mil
ton allowed.
It was necessary to assemble an
entire carnival for one sequence Of
the picture when Bing and little
Edith Fellows, who appears with
him in the picture, work at the
carnival.
"That required q merry.gO.
round, a ferris wheel, fat lady
and thin man side shows, and all
the rest Of the equipment to be
found at q circus. We built all
these things, just as we con.
Structed the Tibetan lamaSery.
We didn't have q lot Of time,
either, because we had orders to
prepare sets and props for Q
picture starring Jack Holt just
as soon as we could get to It,"
Did the Columbia chief manage
to find time? OF course he did.
but he admits he wishes the studio
bosses didn't have the idea that
the modern prop man was a long
lost brother Of Aladdin.
1--WE get the most fun out Of
our work." he said, "when We
are called upon to construct
madcap nick-knackS for com.
edies and twO-reeI subjects.
That's when our talents are
really tested" he added with .
grin.
ALMOST CRAZY
cit was a set Of dishes that
had to fall to the floor, smash
ing into pieces, and then go
back to the shelf unbrOken that
almost drove us crazy. It was
for . scene in an Andy Clyde
comedy and we worked on the
Job for two days until by a Sys.
tenn Of intricate wiring We got
the thing to work. That was