Talking pictures : how they are made and how to appreciate them (1937)

Properties will need and thtn carefully locks them up for safekeeping in his portable prop box, or his permanent locker. Every studio has its efficient police department to protect against theft, but small articles can be stowed away in pockets, or unintentionally mislaid. The loss would have been only a few dollars if the pen on Gladstone's desk in Parnell had been stolen, but it would have occasioned thousands of dollars in damage, through loss of time, had that pen disappeared during the making of the picture. It sometimes takes weeks to locate a single important historical property of this sort. Since' animals in motion pictures come under the technical classification of properties, one producer brought down a storm of criticism on the head of his property department for permitting the use of a collie dog in a certain photoplay. His research had been inadequate. Collies were not bred until many years after the time of the story being filmed. Animals are responsibilities of the property department. Any kind of animal, with the possible exception of a giant Panda, of which there is only one in captivity, can be secured within a few hours' notice. Trained dogs are available in abundance. One trainer has sixty-seven dogs "on call"; and all are trained to obey hand signals, for vocal signals are not possible in filming a talking picture. Of these sixty-seven, only three are thoroughbreds, for the trainers contend that of the two, mixed breeds are more intelligent. Trained cats are rare, but there are several in the colony trained to enter a room, turn, go to a certain chair, and move in certain directions. Laughter lurks behind contacts with trained animals. [ 109 ]