The true face of the James Bond series, at least throughout the Sixties and Seventies, isn’t Sean Connery. It’s a German-born set designer named Ken Adam. Born in Berlin in 1921, trained as an architect in London, Adam’s hand has influenced film style through movies such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Ipcress File, Goldfinger,… Continue reading Volcano Redoubt in You Only Live Twice (Film – 1967)
Author: Lee Wallender
Deception, influence, fakes, illusions, themed environments, simulations, secret places, secret infrastructure, imagined places, dreamscapes, movie sets and props, evasions, camouflage, studio backlots, miniatures.
Hidden Doors and Rooms – New York Times Story
There’s a good overview in an October 5, 2006 New York Times article about ordinary homeowners who add secret rooms and hidden entrances to their homes. Companies such as Niche Doors, the Hidden Door Company, Hide a Door, Secret Doorways and Decora Doors are all mentioned, with costs estimated at $800-$10,000 for hidden doors (not… Continue reading Hidden Doors and Rooms – New York Times Story
See the Fake White House in Suburban Maryland: James J. Rowley Training Center
In an April 5, 1982 TIME magazine article, it was mentioned that a fake White House and Blair House (the little auxiliary house across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House) were going to be built in Beltsville, Maryland: Thomas Jefferson, the architect President, designed parts of the White House. Now with Ronald Reagan, the thespian… Continue reading See the Fake White House in Suburban Maryland: James J. Rowley Training Center
Building the Matterhorn – Disneyland June 14, 1959
Let’s say right off the bat that it’s not the “Matterhorn.” Official term for it was “Matterhorn Bobsleds, because the included roller coaster was a big deal. Such a big deal: the first steel roller coaster in the world. But we’re less interested in the bobsleds than in the mountain itself–a 147-foot fake mountain rising… Continue reading Building the Matterhorn – Disneyland June 14, 1959
Martin Ocean Transport Plane Cutaway, 1936
A great airplane cutaway from Fortune Magazine 1936 (Large Size Image): The revolutionary fact about the Martin is that more than half of its gross weight of 51,000 pounds is useful load, instead of about a third, which has hitherto been the limit. In flying across an ocean useful load is the decisive factor, not… Continue reading Martin Ocean Transport Plane Cutaway, 1936