Hollywood Studio Magazine (April 1967)

Tintype by Mabel DeCinces OLIVER EMERT (L. to R.) bottom row. Floyd Farrington, Bob Anderson, Oliver (Ollie) Emert, Ralph Sylos, George Tuers and Blackie Rosenkrantz. (L to R) top row, Kenny Swensen, Bob Flynn, Larry Bird, Leo Fenner, Stanley Hopkins, Jimmy Walters and Al Bernay. Missing from this group is John McCarthy, head of the Property Department who was buying furniture for a set. AIRDROME THEATRE First Movie House in Imperial Valley R eserved yet with a quiet charm and modesty is Oliver (Ollie) Emert. Born in Chicago of theatrical parents, Ollie and his brother Lou- man (Peewee) toured with their par¬ ents all through the United States in a covered wagon presenting their tabloids, songs, and dances. Ollie (3) and Peewee (4) were in all the acts. A film “A Trip to the Moon” was shown after which the folding chairs were taken up in the town hall where there was dancing. Ollie’s father, Oliver, was an ac¬ complished piano organist and gui¬ tarist - also the first to introduce ragtime on the west coast. He com¬ posed many songs, among them be¬ ing the Hawaiian national song Farewell To Thee and the Juanita Waltzes named after his sister. It was during one of their tours with the Orpheum Circuit that Ollie’s mother died in Ryolite, Nev. With the passing of his mother, they returned to Los Angeles where Ollie and his brother moved in with their paternal grandmother and attended the Vernon Ave. grammar school. Four years later Ollie’s dad remar¬ ried and moved to Calexico, Calif, to build theatres. The first theatre was the Airdome movie — second one, Roofgarden, had dancing where soft drinks were served. When the Roof- garden later burned down, Ollie’s parents built the Majestic theatre and booked road shows from the Mason Opera House of Los Angeles. These theatres still stand in Calexico. Ollie and his brother moved to Calexico where they attended Cal¬ exico High School. After school Ollie would help his Dad by passing out dodgers (handbills). He also substituted as a projectionist when one didn’t show. Ollie wanted to continue his edu¬ cation and left for St. Mary’s college in Oakland where he studied medi¬ cine for three years. When his dad became ill with desert fever, Ollie returned to Calexico. They sold their theatres and moved to Escon¬ dido where another theatre was built. At the age of 20 Ollie left for Los Angeles where his first job was with Universal Film Exchange. Meanwhile Ollie’s father sold the theatre in Escondido and went to work at Universal Studio as head of projection — he was also a pro¬ jectionist for 30 years. Marie Dressier at that time mak¬ ing a picture with Charlie Chaplin, Tillie’s Punctured Romance, was a good friend of the Emert family - thus Ollie’s acting career began again after an introduction to Carl Laemmle. Ollie’s character roles, Indian chief, Mexican, Latin person¬ alities, and cowboy parts, was short¬ lived. He left acting to work in the Prop Dept., at that time Russ Gaus- man was in charge. Ollie advanced to second prop man then as helper to master prop man. He was in charge of the gun room and also did all the trick shooting and the ma¬ chine gun work and trick shots on such pictures as All Quiet on the Western Front, starring Lew Ayres, and Wings of the Hawk starring Van Heflin and Julie Adams. From property man, Ollie became set decorator. He is proud of his many credits on such features as Appaloosa, Ugly American, King of the Mountain, all starring Marlon Brando; War Lord (Charlton Hes¬ ton); Brass Bottle (Tony Randall, Burl Ives, and Barbara Eden); Thun¬ der Bay and Shenandoah (Jimmy Stewart); all of the Ma and Pa Kettle series (Percy Kilbride and Marjorie Main); Send Me No Flowers, Battle Hymn, and Tobruk (Rock Hudson); Operation Petticoat (Cary Grant and Tony Curtis); and many others. Ol¬ lie’s last picture as set decorator was Tobruk. Ollie is one of the top set decor¬ ators in Hollywood, charged with