The evolution of the TV talk show set only lightly mirrors design changes that were going on in the rest of the world at the time. Plaids, bold colors, African tribal prints, rubber plants–whatever was happening at the world outside migrated into the studio set. But for the most part, these are not meant to be… Continue reading Surreal Life: Evolution of the TV Talk Show Set, 1964 to Present
Category: Movie Sets (Interior)
Movie sets typically built on a movie studio’s soundstage.
Planet of the Apes (1968) Set Design
Depicting a harsh and dystopian world (at least for the humans), “Planet of the Apes” has become an unlikely film franchise spanning over half a century. The original “Apes” from 1968 has some of the most fantastical, caveman-chic sets of any of the films. Art Directors William Creber and Jack Martin Smith were charged with… Continue reading Planet of the Apes (1968) Set Design
Hogan’s Heroes Set at 40 Acres Backlot: Then and Now
Sure, the Cuningham Group of Culver City, CA-based architects may try to blow smoke in our direction with such slogans as “We exist to Uplift the Human Experience,” but we know better. Back in the Cuningham Group’s past lies the depravities of Nazi Germany–a prisoner of war camp, complete with guard towers, barbed wire, fierce… Continue reading Hogan’s Heroes Set at 40 Acres Backlot: Then and Now
Mountain in the Middle of L.A.: Paramount Studios’ Western Street and Its Fake Mountain
Once there was a mountain in the middle of Los Angeles. Most movie studios, in their backlots or in movie ranches in the San Fernando Valley or in environs close to L.A., had a Western town. It was simply part of the time. Starting with The Squaw Man in 1913 (or The Great Train Robbery,… Continue reading Mountain in the Middle of L.A.: Paramount Studios’ Western Street and Its Fake Mountain
The Day Mission: Impossible Invaded The Brady Bunch House
One of the best things about fictional environments is that we can project our dreams on them. And kids of the 1970s universally projected dreams onto The Brady Bunch house. We all wanted to live there. It was grander, fancier, and more modern than our own houses. Even that oh-so-fake backyard, with its Astroturfed lawn… Continue reading The Day Mission: Impossible Invaded The Brady Bunch House