Hollywood Studio Magazine (November 1966)

Ti a type By Mabel DeCinces LAWRENCE ERSKINE GANDY Callmg all amateur ham radio op- erators - this is an emergency. Im- mediately, many of the 250,000 ama¬ teur radio operators in the United States help to organize Communica¬ tions. Lawrence Erskine Gandy (Assist- and Art Director, Revue Studios), better known as Larry, is one of the many ham radio operators. Born in the small town of Tams, West Virginia, Larry’s folks later moved to Charleston where he at- tended school. In high school he be- longed to a star gymnastics team, participating in many exhibitions- especially in parallel bar work. He was also a member of the wrestling and football teams. Upon gradua- tion, Larry was given the National Honor Society scholastic award. As this was in the midst of a de- pression, and no funds for College, Larry studied at home and took post- graduate courses. Belonging to a family of four chil- dren of which he was the youngest, they formed a foursome for bridge in which he became very proficient, participating in many local tourna-, ments. At this point his interests were centered in art, bridge, radio, and electronics. He won a scholar¬ ship in art at the Minneapolis School of Art. Larry’s first job was as draftsman with an architectural firm-risingto chief draftsman, having to his credit several of the then largest buildings in Charleston. This includes the home office of United Carbon Co., which was written up and on the cover of “Pencil Points” - leading architectural magazine. Düring the year 1937, Larry mar- ried Mary Rock and moved to York, Pennsylvania. In 1942, Larry joined the engineer- ing staff of York Safe and Lock Co., then busy producing the Naval Bo- fors anti-aircraft gun, working on the publication of technical manuals and trailing films. Because of this vital work, Larry was deferred from military Service. Larry, his wife and daughter, re- turned to Charleston in 1944 to work for Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corp. in their new butadiene plant (synthetic rubber) at Institute in their engineering department. Shortly after the war, Larry and his family moved to California- where he went to work for Twentieth Century Fox. Larry worked as set de- signer on such pictures as The King and I, and South Pacific. After 13 years with Fox Studio, Larry joined the Art Department of Revue as Assistant Art Director. He worked on such series as: The Kraft Theatre, Laramie, Tales of Wells Fargo, General Electric Hour; for Universal City Studios, Chrysler Se¬ ries, World Premiere, and Run For Your Life. Larry has to his credit as Art Director “Dynamiters” in the Lara¬ mie series; and in the Chrysler Theater “One Embezzlement and Two Margaritas.” For Universal Studios, one of Larry’s unusual assignments was the miniature set for the picture “To- bruk”; and the complicated mech- anism recently used in the TV pic¬ ture “Midnight Oil” for pilfering a painting from a museum. Always interested in Science and electronics, Larry took up the avoca- tion of radio - building his own equipment. He is a ham operator, and also holds a first dass radio telephone operator’s license. At the time of the Alaskan earth- quake, he was one of the ham opera¬ tors linking the disaster area with outside help. Larry has transmitted to all points of the globe, including within 600 miles of the North Pole where three men and a dog were stationed on a scientific expedition. With all his activities, Larry’s in- terest in church work has been up¬ permost. He has sung in choirs for 30 years, and with his family belongs to the First Baptist Church of Holly¬ wood—where he had been a Deacon for 16 years. Larry has installed in the sanctuary pulpit a tape recorder which is remotely controlled to re- cord all Services. He re-tapes musi- cal portions for the permanent musi- cal library of the choir. Larry and his wife Mary have a married daughter, Frances; a son, Robert, 16 years old, who attends Taft High School. Their home is in Woodland Hills and guess what? .. . another interest has been devel- oped-landscape architecture. 12