International photographer (Jan-Dec 1941)

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coluivibiAs quaIie shakes eiqkr By Sam Rosen Apparently Hollywood can never be satisfied. It is a matter of record, if the seismograph at the California Institute of Technology is to be believed, that Southern California receives its shares of earthquake shocks. But what did Hollywood do? It created its own earthquake for a breathless minute in a motion picture and one so violent that even Dame Nature must have blushed with envy. Although the movie quake lasted for less than two minutes it was in the making for three weeks. It provides the dramatic moment in Columbia's "Penny Serenade" when, in Tokyo, Cary Grant and Irene Dunne are planning the future of their unborn heir. But an earthquake strikes; Miss Dunne is crushed beneath the debris and the expected child never arrives. George Stevens, the producer-director, wanted his earthquake to be the most realistic one ever filmed. For it, Columbia's Stage Eight, one of the largest, was converted into a Tokyo scene. Built entirely on movable stages, on iron wheels and steel rails, a two-story Japanese pavilion, completely furnished upstairs and down, filled the foreground. Beyond, through wide glass doors, were spacious Japanese gardens with rock fountain, bridged flowing brook and flower beds. Beyond the garden and the tall bamboo fence and ornate gate was a full sized Tokyo street with buildings built to perspective and the Tokyo skyline in the distance. Daily, for a week, technicians tested the earthquake set. For the actual filming, Stevens chose Saturday night for two reasons ... so that the tremendous racket would not interrupt other companies at work and to avoid visiting studio workers on the dangerous set. For five hours before the quake, Stevens rehearsed, checked and rechecked his destruction crews. Surrounding him were Joseph Walker, head cameraman, and ten complete camera crews. The Operators were George Kelley, Victor Schuerick, Lee Davis, Dave Ragin, Jack Russell, Buddy Harris, Fayte Brown, Guy Wilkev and Jack Young. The Assistant Cameramen assigned were Bill Jolley, Sam Rosen, Joe Citron, Jimmy Goss, Enzo Martinelli, Bob Wasserman, Irving Klein, Tom Jackson, Roy Babbitt and Jack Kenny. Each camera was focused on the vital points of the planned catastrophe and the camera motors at various speeds. Van Pelt operated a motor driven Eyemo for real action stills and Irving Lippman shot the production stills. Emil Oster, head of Columbia's camera department, stood by to see that all cameras were mechanically fit. On a platform commanding the complete scene, the director sat before an illuminated master keyboard. On the keyboard were twelve red lights and electric switches. Each light and switch controlled many stations strategically placed around the set, where fifty specialized Special Effect men supervised by Dave Vail awaited Stevens' red-light cues. A final rehearsal was called, Stevens throwing his switches. No. 1 station — Steam hammer ready; No. 2 station — Steam winch ready; No. 3 station — Water gusher ready; No. 4 station — Falling building ready; No. 5 station — Falling building and overhead dump table ready; No. 6 station — Gas explosion in street ready; No. 7 station — Falling gate and garden wreckage ready. On down the list, with split second precision, Stevens called the roll of his destroyers. The roof was ready to crash the glass doors. A two-foot square beam was poised to penetrate a wall. The second floor was ready to collapse and the stairs has been prepared to crumble. "Release safeties," Stevens called to his crews. "Test cameras!" Briefly, the cameras rolled, the experts released the scores of safety devices for the falling debris, crumbling walls and floors. All persons except those absolutely necessary to film the quake were ordered from the stage. The cameras and camera men were protected beneath a heavy wooden canopy. Cameras were rolling for the take and chaos struck savagely. The steam hammer pounded the two-story house back and forth. The steam winch shook the outside gardens and the street violently. In the garden the rock fountain crumbled, shooting a great geyser of water over the trembling set. In the background, a wall fell out of a building, baring its innards, spraying it with debris. Another building toppled . . . a cloud of dust arose. In the street, a gas main exploded, ignited and shot huge flames upwards. The garden gate fell, the roof of the pavilion plummetted down, shattering big window panes in the house. In the garden, Cary Grant was continuously being thrown off his feet. In the house a shrieking Irene Dunne clung to the palsied stairs. The garden gate collapsed. Water gushed from the garden brook. A huge beam was shot through the wooden wall. The ceiling collapsed and the two rooms of furniture shot downward. In the immediate foreground, a great mass of broken timber, balsa wood and bricks, shattered furniture and rubbish clattered onto the canopy over the cameras and bounced off. Less than two minutes later, a set that had taken three weeks to build was completely demolished in one "TAKE." Director Stevens and Cameraman Joe Walker started over to the next set for the next day's work. It was just another days work in Hollywood. Landers Camera Rentals CAMERA RENTALS SERVICE Blimps, Dollies, all Accessories CAMERA CRANE * DAY -PHONES -NIGHT Hillside 8333 6313 SUNSET BOULEVARD Near Vine Street HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA HEmpstead 1311 21